US West Coast Road Trip Itinerary: from Austin to San Diego to Seattle in 3 Weeks

America was not exactly top of my travel wishlist. Honestly, I just did not know anything about it beyond politics and high-paying jobs with no decent paid leave. I am embarrassed to admit, but say 10 years ago I didn’t even think about national parks. However, with social media my horizons broadened and I was in awe. I could not WAIT to see it all.

And the lucky moment came in spring 2026 when I got to enjoy the West Coast road trip in all its glory, starting from Austin — one of my favorite cities in the USA – all the way to Seattle going through San Diego. Almost a month, 7 states, and 15 cities later, I can say that I am in love with nature and roads in America and I can’t wait to go back and explore more.

Travel Essentials

Acknowledgement: this trip would not be possible without this dearest person and FIRE writer you should definitely follow.

Disclaimer: I am a foreigner in USA as I am Russian so this is my personal opinion, as an outsider and first timer, on everything I saw (I LOVED this trip!). I was guided by an American so this has made this trip so much more well planned, thought out, and enjoyable, and, in many instances cheaper. I understand this is a privilege not everyone reading this guide will have, but I will make sure to provide full picture and prices so you can plan!

US West Coast Road Trip In 3 Weeks

I think 3 weeks is a good duration for a road trip in US as some distances are really long and trying to see a lot in fewer days can be challenging and sometimes not even possible (or with serious compromises). Even 3 weeks were NOT enough to see all the national parks or things at every city.

One itinereary won’t suit all types of travelers. It was my first time on a road trip in US and all the places were new and exciting to me. However, I did make a list in advance of some places I’ve heard of or wanted to visit so the itinerary reflected that. But if you have been in some places already, you can easily swap them with something else or have an extended stay at the next stop.

Make sure to balance rest and driving days based on the distances between cities but also prices on accommodation. If you time it right, you can spend many days in Las Vegas for dirt cheap, for example.

Best Time To Do West Coast Road Trip In USA?

My road trip was between end of March till end of April and the weather was perfect everywhere: not yet very hot in Texas or Las Vegas and warm with light rains and chilly days up in Oregon.

So it was a great balance but never I had a horrible day, which is especially important if you are planning to stop by any national park.

If you plan to start driving and exploring Texas, Nevada, and Arizona in June or July you will be dying of heat, but it would be warmer on the coast.

US West Coast Road Trip Itinerary Map

This is a rough map of our trip. When we reached the West Coast, we aimed to stay on the Pacific coast highway and State Route 1 almost all the time.

I highly recommend getting an actual road map for the trip – it is SO fun to follow the road and see the milage and stops. I loved it.

USA Road Trip Budget

The whole trip including accommodation for two people, car rental, groceries, food, coffee, and everything was about 6,340 USD (we spent in US almost a month and did shop a lot for upcoming cross-continent move).

Cost Breakdown

This is a close breakdown but I might have missed something as I was not very diligent with writing things down

• Car rental for 29 days – 1500 USD through AVIS. We had Ford Bronco and it was such a fun car for this trip. This site also helps with search and pricing.
• Transport 21.70 USD. We used Deuce in Las Vegas and two daily passes were 16 USD (8 dollars each), plus in a few places I took trams as a part of things to do (San Francisco, for ex., 5.70 USD for day pass)
• Gas was a little short of 900 USD if I calculated it correctly
• Parking was about 50 USD
• Food and groceries, including coffee and going out: about 1,660 USD for two people for 29 days.
• Accommodations were about 2700 USD. Some included breakfast, but most not.
• Activities (we didn’t spend much on paid activities at all and had free National parks pass on the car), including casino where we also did not spend money one could say at all: about 212 USD
• Note: There were some things we bought from Target, Amazon, and REI for ourselves for future travels, as we were leaving US for a while and they are not part of the road trip budget I mentioned here.

Budgeting Tips

• Choosing good motels within 60-70 USD per night. In most cases it was feasible, but places like Los Angeles, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, and San Francisco it will be about 100-120 USD minimum. ALL places we stayed on our road trip were great so I will name them all below.
• My companion found amazing car deal: 1500 USD for almost 30 days because the rental company needed the car moved from A to B. So start looking in advance for such options otherwise the price will be at least double of that (3000 USD).
• Invest in Costco membership and buy food in bulk for the whole time. We got snacks, food that can be microwaved, and a pack of Gatorade. It lasted us almost the whole trip and saved money on going out in a new place. This is something I would have no idea I could be doing as a foreigner!
• Gas up wisely. California has very expensive gas. You need to time you refuel stops and look on the map on Costco App which station is best to do so.
• We both were trying to be consious about places to eat and sights to see to not overspend (I failed a couple of times!). I spend money on art museums and wine tasting but not everyone is interested in art or drinks! Booking a dinner at a nice restaurant in Las Vegas is totally worth it, though, and there are plenty that are NOT that crazy expensive.
• Be mindful about parking fees and places to park! If you don’t have the parking app and SMS notifications, set the timer. Regarding where to park, some places it is well worth it to pay extra but keep your car safe, like Portland old center as it is known for car break-ins.

Disclaimer: I have 3000 photos from this trip –___- and trust me when I say it is so hard to choose one or two to show the gorgeousness of say Grand Canyon or Yosemite, so I will do my best. But I also will eventually add shorter posts for each sector of the trip.

Day by Day Itinerary From Austin to Seattle

Day 0 Austin, Texas

Austin is one of my favorite places in US and I love how diverse and free this city feel. Granted, I have never spent a whole summer here haha.

We have met at Austin, TX end of March as I was coming from a 10-day trip in Peru. I flew in late, by that time car and motel for the night were already booked.

Quick stop by Trader’s Joe for snacks for the road, last packing and running to the storage unit, and sleep at Super 8 by Wyndham in Downtown (breakfast with Texas-shaped waffles included – so cute!).

I highly recommend spending a few days in Austin if you can, walk downtown, visit the Capitol, art museums, shop for boots, and explore the dining scene here. I’ve had, of course, fantastic brisket, tacos, bagels, and so much great food here! If you can make it for ACL (Austin City Limits festival) or SXSW fest you will have even better time.

It was also in Austin that I had my very first Waymo ride! I was equally excited and terrified but ultimately loved the experience.

Day 1 Austin, TX – Santa Fe, New Mexico

This is the longest driving stretch of the whole itinerary and you need to leave early. It is about 700 miles (1126 km) between Austin and Santa Fe so you are looking at 12 hour drive.

The good news is that there is no one on the roads in West Texas and the roads are fantastic. The bad news is that there will be long stretches with nothing around you and a long drive takes endurance.

• We gased up and stopped by Buc-ee’s in Temple to grab sandwiches and treats (which actually I am STILL eating 3 months after thr trip) and we didn’t really make any food stops after that.
• We took route 36 first, passing through a cute town of Hamilton, then 84 through Lubbock, and off we went.
• We reached Santa Fe at about 9 PM and Stayed at Coyote South Santa Fe (breakfast was great!).

Tip: You will need a squeegee or often stops at the gas stations as the amount of bugs flying into the windshield in Texas is just crazy!

Day 2 Santa Fe, NM – Petrified Forest – Flagstaff, Arizona

After breakfast we drove to the old city center and parked around New Mexico Museum of Art, walked the whole area to see the central Plaza, museums, chappel, palace of the Governors, and after that I went to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.

This whole thing took under 2 hours (to be mindful of parking fees) and we set off towards Flagstaff.

Important to note, that we stopped by Albuquerque first to see Airstreams (they are magnificent), so our time en route was longer. Driving to Flagstaff from Santa Fe is still a 6-hour journey so don’t get too held up in Santa Fe ,especially if you want to stop by the national park.

Petrified Forest National Park is a great stop! End of March, there were barely any people or cars and the beauty of this park is that you can make a loop driving. We did only a small portion of the loop, stopped by the visitor center for me to buy the National Parks Passport and to take photos at a few other viewpoints.

It was my very first American national park! And while it seems that it is also not really popular, I think it was beautiful.

Note for foreigners: currently 11 major parks are collecting additional 100 USD international fee from every foreigner visiting. However, if you are a passenger-foreigner I think it doesn’t apply as we were never asked. Petrified Forest is not on the list so it is 25 USD. I give it high praise as I was blessed to go there for free, but if you are a stamps maniac like I am or just love dessert and rocks, it will be worth it for you, too.

In Flagstaff we stayed at Kings House Motor Hotel, it is right on the route 66 so very convenient.

Day 3 Flagstaff – Grand Canyon – Kingman

Grabbed coffee at Single Speed Coffee Roasters in Flagstaff, drove through the srping student town (it is cute!) and set off towards Grand Canyon. I was SO excited and the views went above and beyond my expectations.

At the park, we saw fat squirrels that look like marmots and elk! Did short walk along the rim towards the Yavapai Geology Museum and back.

Now we made a decision to stay at Kingman one night to a) have a shorted driving day b) wait for better prices in Las Vegas. Otherwise, you can completely skip Kingman.

We did have some amazing BBQ here at Floyd and Company Real Pit BBQ, though!

In Kingman, we stayed at Ramblin Rose Motel.

Tip: if you want to have a special dinner in Las Vegas that requites reservation I would make it once I am at Kingman (unless it is something ultra popular where tables are booked months in advance), for ex., I booked a table at Bouchon, Thomas Keller’s restaurant at The Venetian), which I highly recommend!

Day 4-6 Las Vegas

Driving from Kingman to Las Vegas is quick and you can make a stop at Hoover Dam to walk over it and snap a few photos.

I was not expecting to love Las Vegas but all you see in movies is true. It is a unique kind of place and you can have so much fun here (as well as blow all your money, so be careful!).

We stayed at The Strat Hotel and Casino for first nights and then at Ellis Island Casino and Hotel (just behind the strip). Absolutely enjoyed just walking the Strip, exploring the iconic resorts, tried some games, booked a dinner at Bouchon (Thomas Keller’s place) and even went to a party!

A couple of days are enough in Las Vegas. Think of it as both fun but also resting after so many days of long hours of driving. If you staying even longer in Las Vegas, check out Valley of Fire State Park and Zion National Park, too.

Day 7-9 San Diego

From Las Vegas to San Diego it is a 5-hour drive, but getting closer and passing by Los Angeles you will see the most traffic you have seen so far on this trip, it is insane, so be prepared, get your gas beforehand, too.

A curious stop on your way to San Diego is Calico Ghost Town county park, one of the old mining towns with original buildings.

A food stop is the Original Tommy’s World Famous Hamburgers with chili burgers and iconic chili cheese fries. It was my first time trying and I am not a fan (sorry!!!!) but I am happy I tried.

Once we were getting closer to San Diego, we stopped at Carlsbad to walk a bit, see the beach and grab the most delicious tacos at Senor Grubby’s, then we continued along the Route 5 which is so cool! I loved passing by all the coffee shops, stores, and little towns.

In San Diego, we stayed at Heritage Inn San Diego, which was so close to a large space with many food restaurants.

Something I didn’t get in America is why all the places had such a low rating! They were ALL amazing and I am almost assuming people who rated them low didn’t really stayed in really shitty places when traveling. Maybe I am missing something, but I had zero complaints across all 15 cities.

In our time in San Diego, the highlights for me were 100% seals (alongside pelicans and squirrels) at La Jolla and Balboa Park.

Day 10 Los Angeles

I will be honest, for some reason I am probably the only person who isn’t really interested or intrigued by LA! So we spent only one night here at Ocean Park Hotel around Santa Monica.

We drove around, had some food (good ramen in little Japan), went to take my must-do Hollywood sign photos and strolled Venice beach promenade up and down.

Day 11 Santa Barbara – San Luis Obispo

The drive to Santa Barbara is amazing as you follow the coast. Even so early in spring and summer we saw surfers! I have no idea how they handle this ice-cold water even in the full-body suits.

The town is lively, pretty (architecture and greenery), and in my opinion really worth the stop. We did not stay overnight here, just a couple of hours while I walked and explored the streets and the iconic courthouse.

One of my top parts of the trip was, however, the road towards San Luis Obispo as those bright green hills were simply magical! Here was also my favorite accommodation as it was lit by the sunlight (I can highly recommend Quality Suites at Sanbeam Motel).

The town itself is cute, very green, but I did not explore much, only stopped by a mission to see what it looks like and was lucky to catch a whole enactment in English and Spanish for some religious holiday.

It was really special!

Day 12-14 Coastal Route & San Francisco

The next morning we got up early as the drive was to be long but scenic – we were going to stick to the coastal route as much as possible. At San Simeon some elephant seals viewpoints are a great stop for wildlife lovers.

Big Sur is stunning and photos do not do it justice! The color of the water, the lanscape, and the grandeur are just amazing, and then you are driving through some towering trees, roads are great and without much traffic, weather starts to become more chilly and cooler – so all in all, the coastal route is a must.

We made a quick stop at the Point Lobos State Natural Reserve and I walked small loop on the right and it wasn’t the right choice – no lobos in sight 🙂 Need to head to Sea Lion Point but we didn’t have enough time as we wanted to catch sunset at the Half Moon Bay (and we did!)

Finally, arrived to San Francisco. I genuinely loved this city with its crazy hills (and I walked them!), trams, Golden Gate, signature houses, piers, and artsy vibe. Of course, for a sweet tooth like me, a stop at Ghirardelli shop was a must as well. I would happily spent some time in San Francisco again. We stayed at Seaside Inn, the location was GREAT!

Day 15 Napa – Merced

In preparation for a day in Yosemite National Park, we drove to Merced with a stop at one winery in Napa (Trefethen, really good one) + lunch at the food court ( I had Loveski bagel) there.

We stayed just 1 night at Days Inn Merced (breakfast included, but go early, they “run out” of things). There is nothing to do in town and it was the least pleasant crowd but a good option to avoid high accommodation cost closer to Yosemite.

Day 16 Yosemite

The absolute highlight of my time in the USA is a half-day loop hike in Yosemite valley (and we took the free shuttle once we were tired). I loved the epic nature and even saw a COYOTE! *scream of excitement*

When we visited, there wasn’t too much traffic going into the park, but lots of people inside. However, most of them do not venture far, so if you pick a half or full-day trail you will be able to fully enjoy it. How beautiful national parks in USA are! I would love to come back to camp here or maybe in RV (the dream).

Day 17 – Coast Highway – Eureka

The next day, we headed back to the Pacific Coast Highway and driving along the cliffs of Northern California, we eventually made stop for a clam chowder at Bodega Bay, spotted deer at Fort Bragg and finally arrived at Eureka to stay overnight at Super 8.

Driving this portion of our trip, you can see how the landscape changes right away. In general, it is crazy to think how many different sceneries I saw traveling through America, how diverse, spread out, and gorgeous it is! Flats, desert, palm trees and sand, redwoods, valleys, rivers…Mind-blowing!

Eureka city center is cute, and if you have time, Eureka has a park in town, too, as well as some iconic Victorian architecture. Our morning was super rainy though, so we didn’t see much.

Day 18 – Redwoods National Park – Ashland

We did not have time to explore Eureka much as a long driving day was ahead, so in the morning, after coffee, we headed towards the Redwoods national park.

It is a large park with multiple visitors centers and trails, and I did the smallest one – Revelation loop out of Prairie Creek Visitors center. Reserach well which you want to visit and plan!

Our coastal route then took us through amazing forests, along the river, empty roads with mountains somewhere on the horizon, and we finally arrived in Ashland. We booked a night at Prospero’s Flagship Inn, super quiet and good location.

It is a very charming town with amazing views around it and its major draw is a Shakespeare festival (which we didn’t catch but still). I was pleasantly surprised how cozy and pretty it is! I would imagine hanging out there more!

Day 19-20 Portland

Almost the end of the trip! From Ashland driving to Portland is pretty straightforward.

We spent more than 2 days in Portland because we liked it, but you an also make it work within just a couple of days. We had sunny days and rainy days, but mostly managed to enjoy it, and even drove to check out Vancouver, WA, and to Cannon Beach in hope to see puffins (no luck).

Stayed in city center which I do not recommend, the homelessness situation is critical and for someone like me, a foreigner in USA, it was wild to see the scale of it. Some characters didn’t seem in their right mind and parking on the streets overnight is not safe. Best to just come during the day, like Saturday, when they have a market, and stroll around or drive and that’s it.

For the rest of the stat in Portland we booked a tiny house on the other side of the river and it was an amazing place to be! Lots of authentic, artsy neighborhoods around. Loved it.

If you have time, drive over the river to check out Vancouver, WA. I found it to be not as exciting as Portland, but I didn’t have enough time to know the place, so I am probably wrong! The bridge connecting the two cities is such a clever decision – the drive is so quick!

Day 20-21 Seattle

The final stop of this ultimate US West Coast Road Trip was Seatlle.

Fantastic city with so many things to do, from visiting the original Starbucks, famous market, and pop culture museum to walking or jogging along the floating houses (I spotted a bunny rabbit once!!).

Seatlle is a really strategic end point of the trip as it has amazing flights to different countries and sometimes they are super cheap, for ex., we found a ticket to Thailand for 320 USD.

We stayed by the lake and it was a great decision, the house (Vintage Westlake Hideaway) was amazing, with a spacious patio and good bed. And the area, too, was super nice for walking and close to many attractions! I just walked to Kerry Park and Pop Culture Museum and back.

Essentials + West Coast Road Trip Packing List

• Documents (passport, International driver’s license for foreigners) + downloaded National parks pass and any other docs should be available offline on your phone.
• Medication you really need for your special conditions. Otherwise, plenty of medication available so you won’t have trouble finding what you need.
• Cards + back up cards with travel mode setup (if you are a tourist). I did not use much cash.

Clothes packing list for women

• Comfortable shoes for day to day. I actually haven’t worn anything else on this trip. Only once when it was raining I put my boots on.
• T shirts. I love UNIQLO airism tees, I had 3 of them with me.
• Jacket – it was pretty chilly the more North you go and it was drizzling a few mornings. I have this Patagonia shell and it was enough.
• Long sleeve shirt.
• Technical shorts or a skort for days in National parks and general comfort. If you didn’t bring any I HIGHLY recommend shopping at REI. I had one of each.
• Long pants. I wore REI leggins with pockets most of the days but I also love flared leggings from Target.
• Underwear. Plan to last a week without need laundry services.
• Socks.

Optional, but fun, is to buy your National Park passport at your very first park stop and collect stamps along the way 🙂 I have been collecting stamps in different place like Japan and Malaysia.

I can’t wait to hear your stories from USA road trips and I will be adding more detailed guides for each section of the trip, stay tuned!

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