Los Angeles Campervan & Motorhome Hire

Day 1: Collect your van in the Los Angeles area, where most depots hand over from 1pm and Travellers Autobarn from 10am, and stock up on groceries before leaving the city. Drive about 111 miles (179 km) east on the I-10 to Palm Springs, around 2.25 hours outside peak traffic. Stay at an RV park in the Coachella Valley and run through the van's water, power and gas before dark.

Day 2: Ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway up Mount San Jacinto for cooler air and wide desert views, then drive about an hour to Joshua Tree National Park's West Entrance. Stop at Hidden Valley and Skull Rock, then settle into Jumbo Rocks Campground, booked ahead on recreation.gov. It has no water, so fill your tank in town first.

Day 3: Spend a full day in Joshua Tree: walk the Cholla Cactus Garden in the soft morning light, drive up to Keys View for views over the Coachella Valley, and scramble among the boulders around Hidden Valley. Stay a second night and look up, as the park is known for its dark skies. A campfire ban runs from 15 June to 1 October.

Day 4: Leave by the North Entrance at Twentynine Palms and fill the fuel tank, as services are sparse ahead. Drive about three hours east across the Mojave Desert and over the Colorado River into Arizona, which mostly does not use daylight saving, to Lake Havasu City and its relocated London Bridge. Swim or kayak on the lake and stay at a lakeside RV park.

Day 5: Drive north to Kingman and follow historic Route 66 east through Hackberry and Seligman, with their old diners, petrol stations and neon signs, about 3.5 hours of driving in total. Overnight at an RV park in Williams, the gateway town to the Grand Canyon, and stock up on groceries and fuel before heading into the park.

Day 6: Drive about 1.25 hours north to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Non-US residents aged 16 and over pay a US$100 fee each on top of the entry fee, unless your vehicle has the US$250 nonresident annual pass. Walk the Rim Trail from Mather Point at sunset, and stay at Mather Campground or Trailer Village RV Park, booked well ahead.

Day 7: Hermit Road is closed to private vehicles from 1 March to 30 November, so ride the free Hermits Rest shuttle to its western viewpoints. Rise early for sunrise at Yavapai Point, or walk a short way below the rim on the Bright Angel or South Kaibab trails. Carry plenty of water, as the climb back out is much harder than the walk down.

Day 8: Head east on Desert View Drive, stopping at Grandview Point and the Desert View Watchtower, then leave the park and drive about 2.5 hours north through Navajo Nation lands to Page. Walk the short trail to Horseshoe Bend for sunset over the Colorado River, and stay at an RV park or campground near Lake Powell.

Day 9: Join a guided tour of Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon, narrow slot canyons on Navajo land that you can only visit with a licensed guide, so book ahead. Spend the afternoon swimming or on a boat trip on Lake Powell in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, then refill water and empty the tanks before tomorrow's drive.

Day 10: Drive about 3.25 hours north into Utah, which uses daylight saving, unlike most of Arizona, so check the time. Reach Bryce Canyon National Park for sunset over the orange hoodoos from Sunset Point, and stay at a park campground or an RV park near the entrance. The park sits high, so nights can be cold even in summer.

Day 11: Walk the Navajo Loop and Queen's Garden trails down among the hoodoos, then drive the park's scenic road south to Rainbow Point. In the afternoon, head about 1.5 hours south-west toward Zion's East Entrance and stay at an RV park near Mount Carmel Junction, ready to cross into the park in the morning.

Day 12: Enter Zion on the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway. Vehicles 7 ft 10 in (2.4 m) wide or 11 ft 4 in (3.45 m) tall or more need a ranger escort through the 1920s tunnel for a fee, during set hours, and Cruise America's 25 and 30 ft motorhomes are 8.3 ft wide. Descend the switchbacks to Springdale and book two nights near the park.

Day 13: Leave the van at camp and ride the free shuttle, as Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is closed to private vehicles in shuttle season. Walk the Riverside Walk to the start of The Narrows or climb to the Emerald Pools, and enter the park's permit lottery well ahead if you want to hike Angels Landing. Carry plenty of water on hot days.

Day 14: Drive about three hours south-west on the I-15 through a corner of Arizona into Nevada, which is on Pacific Time, to Valley of Fire State Park. Walk among the red sandstone at Elephant Rock and the Fire Wave, and see ancient petroglyphs at Atlatl Rock. Stay at a park campground and watch the rocks glow at sunset.

Day 15: Drive about 1.25 hours to Las Vegas and check in for two nights at an RV park, as casino resort car parks are not built for motorhomes. In the evening, take a rideshare or bus to the Strip to see the Bellagio fountains, then head downtown for the light show on Fremont Street.

Day 16: Spend the morning at Hoover Dam, about 50 minutes south-east, where a guided tour takes you inside the dam that holds back Lake Mead. Back in Las Vegas, restock and fill the fuel tank, as tomorrow crosses remote desert. To cut the trip short, all four brands also have Las Vegas depots, so check one-way availability.

Day 17: Do this leg from about October to April: Travellers Autobarn bans Death Valley from 1 May to 30 September, and Cruise America asks for extreme care in July and August. Drive about 2.5 hours via Pahrump to Furnace Creek, see the badlands at Zabriskie Point and walk onto the salt flats at Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America.

Day 18: Walk into Mosaic Canyon or across the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes near Stovepipe Wells in the cool of the morning. Continue about two hours west over steep Towne Pass, using low gears on the long descents, to Lone Pine below Mount Whitney. In summer, skip Death Valley and drive from Las Vegas via Barstow instead.

Day 19: Visit the Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine, then drive the paved Whitney Portal Road for views over the Alabama Hills, the rocky backdrop to hundreds of westerns. Explore the boulders on foot rather than on dirt roads, as hire terms ban unpaved back roads. Spend a second night at an RV park or campground in Lone Pine.

Day 20: Allow about 4.5 hours south on US 395 and State Route 14, breaking the drive at Red Rock Canyon State Park, whose cliffs also appear in many films. Time your arrival in Los Angeles outside the afternoon peak, and stay at Dockweiler Beach RV Park near LAX or another park close to your depot.

Day 21: Refuel, empty the waste tanks and return the van: the motorhome depots take returns in the morning and Travellers Autobarn from 9am to 3pm. At 39 cents a mile, this loop of about 1,700 miles (2,700 km) adds roughly US$660 in Cruise America mileage charges, El Monte RV and Road Bear RV also charge per mile, and Travellers Autobarn includes unlimited miles.

Day 1: Collect your van and head north on the I-5 over the Tejon Pass, known locally as the Grapevine, a long, steep climb where heavy vehicles keep right. Allow about 2.5 hours to Bakersfield, leaving before the afternoon peak, and stay at an RV park in town. This trip finishes in San Francisco, so check one-way availability before you book.

Day 2: Drive about 2.75 hours via Fresno and Highway 180 to Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park, where non-US residents aged 16 and over pay US$100 each unless your vehicle has the US$250 nonresident annual pass. Walk to the General Grant Tree, then follow the Generals Highway about 45 minutes south to a campground near Lodgepole, booked ahead.

Day 3: See the General Sherman Tree, the world's largest tree by volume, and walk the Congress Trail through the Giant Forest. Vehicles over 22 ft (6.7 m) are not advised on the Generals Highway south of the Giant Forest Museum, so use the park shuttle in summer for Moro Rock and leave the way you came in.

Day 4: Drive back through Grant Grove and Fresno, about three hours, to Oakhurst near Yosemite's South Entrance. Stock up on groceries and fuel, as there are few shops inside the park, and stay at an RV park in Oakhurst or Fish Camp. The Mariposa Grove road has vehicle limits, so check how to reach the giant sequoias before you go.

Day 5: Drive about 1.5 hours into Yosemite to Tunnel View, where El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall line up above the valley. Yosemite has no timed-entry booking in 2026, but valley car parks fill early on weekends. Stay two nights at a valley campground such as Upper Pines, released on recreation.gov five months ahead at 7am Pacific Time.

Day 6: Leave the van at camp and use the free valley shuttle. Hike the Mist Trail to Vernal Fall, or take the easy walk to Lower Yosemite Fall, and watch climbers on El Capitan from the meadow below. In summer and autumn, RVs 30 ft or shorter can drive up to Glacier Point for sunset over Half Dome.

Day 7: Leave the valley on the Big Oak Flat Road, stopping for the walk down to the giant sequoias of the Tuolumne Grove, then drive through Groveland to Columbia State Historic Park, about 2.25 hours in total. Wander its preserved gold rush main street, pan for gold, and stay at an RV park nearby.

Day 8: Follow Highway 49 north through old mining towns such as Sutter Creek, about two hours, to Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in Coloma, where the find of 1848 started the California gold rush. Walk to the discovery site on the American River, then stay at a campground or RV park near Placerville.

Day 9: Drive about 1.5 hours up US 50 over Echo Summit to South Lake Tahoe, where chain controls can apply from late autumn to spring. Spend the afternoon at Pope Beach or Baldwin Beach on the clear, cold lake, and book two nights at a lakeside campground or RV park, as summer weekends fill early.

Day 10: Drive the West Shore to Emerald Bay State Park and walk down to Vikingsholm, a 1920s Scandinavian-style house on the water. The road around the bay is narrow and winding, and the lookout car parks fill early, so set off in the morning. Continue to Tahoe City for lunch, then return to camp for a final lakeside sunset.

Day 11: Drive about 2.25 hours down from the Sierra Nevada to Sacramento, California's capital. Park outside the centre and explore the wooden boardwalks of Old Sacramento and the California State Railroad Museum. Continue about 1.25 hours to the Napa Valley and book two nights at an RV park.

Day 12: Spend the day at the wineries along Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail, with a designated driver or on a local wine tour, and book tastings ahead, as many cellar doors ask you to. Visit the hot springs town of Calistoga at the valley's northern end, then return to camp.

Day 13: Drive through Sonoma, about an hour, to Point Reyes National Seashore on the Marin coast. Roads out to the lighthouse are narrow and winding, so ask at the Bear Valley Visitor Center which suit your van. Watch for tule elk and, from about January to April, migrating grey whales, and stay at a campground or RV park in Olema.

Day 14: Drive south over the Golden Gate Bridge, which charges its toll electronically on the way into the city, so ask your hire company how it bills tolls. Return the van to your brand's San Francisco depot, leaving time for the inspection. Cruise America adds an estimated 250 miles a night on one-ways, so check one-way availability and the total.

Day 1: Collect your van and drive about an hour west along the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu, avoiding the afternoon peak. Stop at Point Dume for clifftop views over Zuma Beach, then stay at Leo Carrillo State Park, booked ahead on ReserveCalifornia, a short walk from tide pools and sea caves.

Day 2: Spend the morning at El Matador or Zuma Beach, using the larger beach car parks, as many Malibu roadside spots are tight for a motorhome. Continue past Point Mugu and Ventura to Carpinteria, about an hour, and book two nights at Carpinteria State Beach, a sheltered stretch of sand with calm water.

Day 3: Leave the van at camp and take a rideshare into Santa Barbara, about 20 minutes away, as downtown parking suits cars better than motorhomes. Visit the Old Mission Santa Barbara, walk out along Stearns Wharf and try the wine bars and cafes of the Funk Zone, then watch the sunset from the beach.

Day 4: Drive about an hour over the San Marcos Pass, a steep, winding climb on State Route 154, into the Santa Ynez Valley. Explore Solvang, a Danish-style village of bakeries and windmills, and taste wine around Los Olivos. Then head about 1.5 hours back to the coast and stay near Ventura, ready for an early boat.

Day 5: Leave the van and take an Island Packers boat from Ventura Harbor to Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands National Park, booked well ahead. Hike to clifftop lookouts above Scorpion Anchorage, or kayak among the sea caves with a guide, then return on the afternoon boat and stay a second night in Ventura.

Day 6: Drive about 1.25 hours back along the coast and go straight to Dockweiler Beach RV Park, about 10 miles (17 km) south of Santa Monica, beside the beach near LAX. Take a rideshare to Santa Monica Pier for the Ferris wheel, then hire a bike and ride the beach path to Venice Beach for sunset.

Day 7: Refuel and empty the waste tanks before returning the van, as Cruise America charges up to US$100 if the holding tank is not empty. The motorhome depots take returns in the morning, and Travellers Autobarn from 9am to 3pm. With a late flight, spend the afternoon at Griffith Observatory or the Getty Center by rideshare.