Hollywood, CA

There’s about 475 miles of road between Flagstaff, Arizona and Hollywood, California. But it’s an easy drive and if you plan it out just right you won’t hit too much traffic either.

This road trip agenda assumes that you visited the Grand Canyon and stayed in either Flagstaff or Williams, Arizona. They’re about 30 minutes apart on I-40. Under these assumptions, the Los Angeles area is about seven hours away, including a few stops for gas and bathroom breaks.

From Flagstaff or Williams it’s mostly a downhill drive along I-40 all the way to its ending point in Barstow, California. If you’re looking to stretch out your drive, you could take a detour up to the Grand Canyon Caverns. (Take the Route 66 exit near Seligman and go about 20 miles.)

If you drive straight, you’ll pass through Kingman, Arizona about two hours into the trip. I recommend stopping for gas at the Flying J at Exit 53. Their gas was (I kid you not) 26-cents cheaper per gallon that the neighboring gas stations and they have clean bathrooms.

If time is on your side and you won’t be back in this part of the country any time soon, take Exit 48 and drive up to see the Hoover Dam and Las Vegas. Both are well worth the time to see! Note that there are security check-points and a narrow road across the dam (at least until the new bridge is completed), so this detour will take longer than the miles reflect. Being this is a detour, I’ll just include links to the Hoover Dam HERE and Vegas HERE and move on down the road on our trip.)

There’s not much to look at along the highway until you get into California’s Mojave National Preserve. And even then, it’s just desert with very few places to stop. There are several abandoned “ghost” towns in this area. For info on those click HERE. One thing you that sticks out after crossing the border into California is the sub-par road signs. In other states the exits have signs saying which gas, food, and lodging options are at that exit. They don’t have these in California (at least on this route), so it’s a little harder to decide which exits to take. So pay close attention to billboards advertising places to stop.

I would avoid stopping after Kingman unless necessary until you get into Barstow and onto I-15. If you take the Lenwood exit from I-15 (about 3 miles after the merge), you’ll find another Flying J (which again has gas 20-30 cents cheaper then its competitors and clean restrooms) and several quickie restaurant chains with decent food. Of note, is one of California’s famous In-N-Out Burger fast food joints. They have burgers, fries, sodas, and shakes. That’s it. But they are famous for a reason: high quality and top customer service. There will be a line inside and in the drive-thru but it’s worth the wait. They’re cheap too!

Back on the road and over half way finished, you won’t need to stop again until you’re at your destination. There are several towns along the rest of the way if you need to though. You hop on the I-10 near Ontario and head west until you reach the 101. Then head north. Exit at Hollywood Avenue so you can drive past lots of landmarks.

If you just stopped twice for gas like we did and left early enough in the morning, you should arrive in the LA-area in about 6.5-7 hours. It’s only another half-hour or so more to the heart of Hollywood. It’s advisable to plan your trip to get into LA between 11am and 2pm, as the traffic is pretty good heading West at that time of day.

Outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre for The X-Files Premiere

For us, our road trip ended in Hollywood at the Hollywood Orchid Suites. This is a little-known gem of a hotel. It’s right in the heart of everything. Step out the front door and you are at Hollywood and Highland, the upscale shopping complex which is home to the Kodak Theater – famous from American Idol and the Academy Awards. Across the street is the El Capitan where Jimmy Kimmel films (to get free tickets to Kimmel’s show and others click HERE). Plus the Egyptian Theatre and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre are right there too. All of these places host movie premieres, so they are prime for star-watching too. I went to the X-Files premiere on our trip. It was the coolest thing ever, as I’m a big X-Files fan. (For more info on all these attractions and coupons click HERE.)

The good news, you can stay right in the heart of the action like we did at Hollywood Orchid Suites, which costs around $150 per night. Compare that to the Renaissance next door which goes for $330 per night and you have yourself a bargain. It’s not luxurious but it is safe, clean, and fantastic. Plus it has free underground secured parking, free wireless internet, a heated pool, and a roof deck for sunbathing.

About five miles away are the La Brea tar pits, Beverly Hills, and several museums. The nearest beach is twelve miles away in Santa Monica and well worth the drive. For more on Santa Monica, see my article HERE.