Hi,
To save on airfare, you should stick to one area.
What do you want to see?
San Francisco is a popular place to stop at, it has a international airport, but not much wildlife. The city life is wild.
You can hire a car, we drive on the right side of the road, and all hired cars are automatics, and fairly large. Gas is about $2 au but you must use a credit card or american money at the gas stations. Most pumps will take your credit card, so you can fill in about 5 minutes and be on your way.
I suggest Yosemite, it is a great place to hike around, and get a nice tent at Big 5 when you get here. No need to pack one, but you can if you like. If you are coming in the summer, then a lightweight sleeping bag from Wal Mart is only a few bucks, might as well get one here too. I don't know what else you will need in the kit, Idon't backpack myself, I have a 30' RV and drive it to where I want to camp, set up the satellite dish, and camp in style. I have a 400 watt solar system for power.
You might like Sequoia, if you like big trees. While the Grisley Giant is the largest, and near the souther entrance to Yosemite, there are more quantity of large trees in Sequoia National Park. The 5 sisters are about 1,200 years old, and probably 15 feet across at the base, all in a 40' diameter circle, thought to be the off spring of a tree that fell over 1,200 years ago. You can find them in the General Grant Forest, just off highway 180. They are about 200' tall - that is over 60 meters, and 5 meters across at the base.
The Grand Canyon is another sight that many want to take in.
Las Vegas is also a fun place to see.
Los Angeles is another great place to land, instead of San Francisco, and is closer to Las Vegas and Grand Canyon, about the same distance to Yosemite from either place. Hollywood has it's walk of fame, and other attractions. Universal Studios have a tour of the studio where I love Lucy was filmed, and most of the Universal films, including Earthquake, a 1975 movie about a earthquake in Los Angeles.
I am near LA now, and only about 5 miles from Disneyland. Very popular with the tourists.
The states are very difficult to see all in one month. To drive coast to cost will take about a month, and include driving about 3,500 miles one way, or 6,500 round trip. I don't know how many Km that is, but I am guessing 9,000 - 10,000 round trip, hardly any time to backpack if you do it all in a month!
California is one of the larger states. Just visiting Yosemite, Sequoia, Big Creek hydroelectric plant, then going to Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, and perhaps Zion or Bryce will put about 2,000 miles on the rental car in a month. It will allow several days for hiking the canyons.
Zion you see the canyon from the bottom looking up. Bryce is about 85 miles to the northeast, and you see the canyons close up. Then 90 miles to the south is the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and you can see a very uncrowded and highly forested side of the canyon that most visitors don't see. It is about 25 miles across the canyon to the south rim, or 300 mile drive.
It is worth it to see Page and Lake Powle. There is a 6 hour boat trip to Rainbow Bridge, that takes you across Lake Powle, to the largest stone arch in the world. Due to the low water level, you need to hike about 1 hour to see it, then take the boat back to the marina the same day.
The south rim of the Grand Canyon is full of tourists, and has several trials to the bottom. You have to be in great shape to take them, the altitude is over 6,500 feet, so you can run out of breath easy, and it is on the way back up that most get tired. And dehydrated.
The area is very dry, and requires more hydration because of the extreem heat of the day.
You might want to check with Craigslist.org and see if you can trade hosting a family member in exchange for a stay in their hometown? Just a suggestion.
Have a great time!
