Yosemite - Las Vegas

[Cruella]

Hi, we're a Swedish family with three teenagers planning av California-Nevada road trip in July this year. Starting out from SF we're camping for a couple of nights in Yosemite before setting out for Las Vegas and Grand Canyon.

There seems to exist a couple of options regarding the Yosemite-Vegas leg of our trip, and personally I think it would be a pity missing out on Death Valley.

Does anyone have good tips and advice for the drive south via Death Valley? We certainly won't make it in one go - where is a good place to look for accomodation? Sites of special interest? Risks?

I'm looking forward to all replies!

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

There are various options but a popular one that would include Death valley would be to exit Yosemite on the Tioga pass [CA120] towards Mono lake and South on 395. Where to stop will depend on what time you leave Yosemite and how long you spend along Tioga, it includes many stops and great scenery so you won't want to rush it which makes somewhere around Bishop to Lone Pine a good choice to set you up for the drive across Death valley. There are some lodgings available in DV at places such as Panamint springs, Stovepipe wells and Furnace creek if you decided to stop over another night.

Death valley will be extremely hot but the main park roads are paved and in good shape, make sure you carry plenty of water, sun screen and hats with you. The landscape is fascinating and there are short walks you can take from the car at various points. A small detour from Furnace creek will take you to the lowest point in the US at Badwater.