Road trip: Vegas to San Francisco

Hi all,

I'm trying to plan a road trip from Las Vegas to San Francisco. So I'm looking for some advice on where to stop off between the two cities. We only have two weeks and we'll be in Vegas at the end of April.

I've read the posts on America for three weeks (apologies if this post is a bit similar), so I've got some ideas for what to do in Vegas and San Francisco, it's just what route to do between them. We plan to visit Death Valley as one of our stop offs and my husband fancies Palm Springs (is it worth going?).

This trip is actually our honeymoon and it's my first visit to America, so it's a pretty special holiday for us. All ideas greatfully received.

no

don't forget yosemite national park.

I think the best way would be to head via Death Valley, and up through any number of national Parks (Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Sequoia) on highway 395 and keep going in that direction until you hit lake Tahoe. Then head to the coast and San Francisco, maybe stopping in Sacramento on the way.

I'd agree that that is THE way to go (although I'd probably visit the parks in reverse order!)

Thanks for your replies everyone. This has given me some good ideas to go and research.

Any ideas on the kind of accommodation there is along the route, particularly at the National parks? and ideas on what it would cost per night?

Thanks again

Check out National Park Service for overall info.

Agree with Yosemite. Very nice. You can book a log cabin inside the park. I stayed at Curry Village in a half canvas hut which was great for 1 night. Just take care when it comes to bears.

Try to hit the coast further south and go up Highway 101. Stop off at Carmel. The town is artsy-fartsy but the beach is stupendous. And Monterey.

I agree with Hutcho - I've done that exact drive 2 times, in both directions, and feel like it captures a bit of everything.

So, in reverse order, head out of Vegas, passing Pahrump, into Death Valley, take some artsy nude photos in the 40 degree heat out on the playa, continue the 190 west heading out of Death Valley, and take the 136 to the 395 North and the little town of Lone Pine. Have a Buffalo or Venison burger at some diner there on the left side heading north, and probably stay over here too (I find it a nice midway point).

road between Lone Pine and Death Valley

[img]http://homepage.mac.com/ebergman/main/ImageReferencePages/Images/desertroad.jpg[/img]

Head north on the 395, pass the town of Bishop, and eventually you'll hit Mono Lake. Check that out. And here's the killer:

From Mono Lake, there is the road 120 that heads west into Yosemite. BUT, this road can be closed as it goes over the 10,000 foot Tioga Pass. Very often this road is closed until end of May, so call ahead and check on this. If it isn't closed, then you have an excellent way of getting in a visit to Yosemite, and it will be on the way to SF.

If the road is still closed, then I would skip Yosemite at this stage cuz it's too much of a hassle to get to (essentially you have to drive around the whole damn park and enter from the west instead of the east). Continue north on 395 and take the 207 towards Lake Tahoe when you reach a little town by the name of Gardnerville.

I'm biased, but Lake Tahoe is a stunning place, even better than Yosemite. No, you don't have any crazy waterfalls, but you have this massive crystal clear blue lake nestled in the mountains, and cute places to stay all around it. You might even be able to ski in your shorts and t-shirt for an afternoon if you want too, but there's plenty of other stuff to do as well. If it were high summer, I would heartily recommend renting a boat and cruising the lake for a day. Anyways...

Lake Tahoe's south shore

[img]http://homepage.mac.com/ebergman/main/ImageReferencePages/Images/tahoe.jpg[/img]

Take the west shore 89 highway to get to the north of the lake, passing the famous Emerald Bay. Stay somewhere close to Tahoe City, and make sure to have an Eggs Benedict at the Firesign cafe located on the left side close to Sunnyside heading north on the 89. And once you decide to head to SF, just get on the 80 heading west and "let 'er drift" as the signs actually tell truckers to do on the steep declining freeway down into California's central valley.

Ditch Sacramento, not much to see or do there. I would instead do the whole drive from Tahoe to SF in one day.

Any more questions, feel free to PM me.

Nice post Tubbsy. Makes me want to do a road trip.

Yep, a brilliant post. Thank you. Great pictures too.

Right on. a good friend lives out there and teaches surfing. Also nothing wrong with artsyfartsy.

Tahoe is gorgeous but you have lots of gorgeous lakes/sees in Germany. I would vote for Yosemite as MUST SEE but Im biased since its one of my favourite places ever. Besides the nature, the wicked waterfalls and the bears its also a riot to see the japanese tourists in their high heels and umbrellas warding off the sun tromping around the forest. It wont be cold enough then but for peeps with mini kids Yosemite actually has a really nice but tame ski slope and lodge.

Yosemite, Monterrey/Carmel and of course san franciso, all worthy of your time. Depending on how much your into nature, Tahoe is nice but doesnt hold a candle to Bayern and the alps. Carmel/monterey is what you have in your minds eye of what the california coast should really be like and is. Great white sand beach in carmel. You could spend the entire amount of time you have in san francisco and not get bored or worse, not wanting to ever leave...SF has so much to offer so you will be spoiled for things to do.

True. I spent 2 jet-lagged days in SF and wish I'd stayed a lot longer. So much to see and do. A week there would have been great.

If you do stop in Lone Pine for the night as eriiki suggested, you might get up early and watch the sunrise in the Alabama Hills. It's a beautiful spot, well known to photographers and movie crews, but surprisingly little visited by tourists. It's only a 10 minute drive toward towards the Sierra Nevada mountains behind Lone Pine. You'll get a nice view including Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48 states, in the background. I've got some pictures here. If you can ride, rent a couple of horses, and wander the hills a bit. It's very nice.

[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a1/Owens.lake.arp.750pix.jpg/600px-Owens.lake.arp.750pix.jpg[/img]

Wow! Thanks for the tip. I just had a look at your photos, they are amazing. I'm getting so excited about the trip now. I've never had a holiday like this before, but I think (hope) it will be really special.

Thanks to everyone for your ideas and tips. I really appreciate it, and so does the old man.

Congratulations!

And please remember, LG, the sun does NOT rise over the Pacific, so don't bother getting up early to go down to the beach to watch it. I have heard the suggestion so many times, and every time I feel like slapping the person who says it.

You can watch it go down though

Here's my two cents (native californian who's lived in a few places in the state.)

All these suggestions are really great and helpful. I would only add that when driving the 395 there's a diner that's 50's style space themed that's fantastic. Can't remember the name, something like astro burger? Also, when you're in the desert and you see the opportunity to have a date milkshake, don't turn it down. I can also recommend Joshua Tree National Park as a lovely place to stop if you have the opportunity. It's especially great if you wanted to do any rock climbing or hiking. Just don't forget to bring lots of water in your car (same goes for Death Valley, even if it's April/May.)

Another thing to consider is that it's not entirely THAT far to the Grand Canyon from Vegas. If you visit the North Rim, it's possible to do in a day, but still difficult. My in laws went from Vegas to the South Rim and it took them 5 hours each way. However, there are also lovely places to stay inside of the park, and I wholeheartedly recommend it. Of course, it's in the opposite direction of where you want to go.

Palm Springs is ok for relaxing, and there are a lot of nice boutique hotels and funky little restaurants, but it can be pretty sleepy. Plenty of places for spa treatments and quiet poolside moments, but not so good for seeing anything spectacular. Nice enough, if you really want to. There's a great mexican restaurant on the main street (name escapes me). I've got the name of a quiet, reasonable hotel, if you're interested.

And I agree about all the national parks. Yosemite is wonderful, and really lovely to do at the beginning or end of the season (otherwise its so crowded.) You will have to keep yourself up to date on the road conditions, as previously mentioned. Sequoia is really cool, too.

Well, all this thinking is making me homesick. I hope you have a wonderful honeymoon.

There are lots of tour companies offering day trips to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas. Cheapest method is with the bus, where you leave at about 5am and get back at 9pm (about 10 hours on the bus in total). Alternatively you can fly there and do a tour. I did one of these, which cost around 150-200 euros. That included the return flight, a bus tour when you get there and a buffet lunch. I would definitely recommend it. I think there is a third option to go by helicopter, but it was a lot more expensive. In this trip you take the chopper to the bottom of the canyon though, which would be pretty good.

When you go to Death Valley you must stop off at Furnace Creek, a little oasis in the desert, palm trees, Golf Course and a hotel surrounded by nothing, also you must drive to Carmel, its the city that Clint Eastwood is Mayor, another trip to do is Area 51, and the "town " of Racheal, if you want free drinks in the casino, stand by the roulette table and when the cocktail waitress comes by order and tip her $1-00 per drink, she will come looking for you for refills as the Americans only tip $1-00 per round,
What casino are you staying at? if you need any info about Vegas please ask, I have lived here for the last 5 years and enjoy going down the strip evry weekend

the kelso sand dunes is a pretty nice place to just enjoy the silence and contemplate the shifting sands.

You simply must see the largest thermometer in the word in Baker. On your way there you can ride the rollercoaster on state line with a view of the prisons. It boasts that it has the biggest drop in the world.

Oh, but shoot. That's towards L.A.