San Fran/Yosemite/Kings Canyon/Vegas/Grand Canyon

**SMV** · 01-18-2011, 05:40 AM

Thanks glc... yes, def need to stop off between Seq and GC and ideally somewhere which is half way. I am looking into Laughlin - which doesnt seem to be too far from Mojave, so maybe go to Mojave from Seq Park, check out what we can in the limited time we may have and carry on to Laughlin and sleep there as I believe GC will "only" be 4 hours from there the next day.

**glc** · 01-18-2011, 02:53 PM

Yes, taking fastest route can be done in 4 hours, but you would be missing both Oatman and old 66.

**SMV** · 01-19-2011, 02:39 AM

glc - going the route you suggest (Oatman and old 66) - how much more time would that add to the journey?

**glc** · 01-19-2011, 04:37 AM

It depends how much time you would want to spend wandering around Oatman. To drive from Laughlin to Kingman via AZ-68 is about 45 minutes. If you go via Oatman, I'd be looking at about 2 hours plus your time in Oatman. Taking old 66 from Kingman to Seligman adds about 30 minutes plus stops.

**Southwest Dave** · 01-19-2011, 05:54 AM

You also have the choice to travel through Seligman to Kingman on the way from the GC to Vegas quite comfortably, so that is worth consideration when making those 'finer detail' decisions.

**SMV** · 01-19-2011, 06:04 AM

thanks SW Dave! yes, that might be a good solution as we will stay 2 nights in GC so wouldve had a break from the driving for a couple of days! do you know much about yosemite and Seq NP in the sense that I know in April some roads and passes might be closed due to snow etc... but we are hoping th egroves will be open so we can see the giant sequoia trees - any ideas?

**Southwest Dave** · 01-19-2011, 06:20 AM

As we all know the weather is unpredictable, but you can guarantee that there will be road closures to the High ground which is perfectly normal this time of year. Yosemite valley and along the 'Generals highway' [198] in Sequoia should be fine but visit the Yosemite site here and the Sequoia site here for info. The Generals highway takes you to the 'Giants forest' that has 5 of the largest 10 trees in the world, including the largest living thing on earth, the 'General Sherman tree'. Look in the visitor centre/museum where you can learn Lot's of facts about these incredible trees and see a model that has direct comparisons to size alongside such things as the Statue of Liberty and the Space shuttle in scaled down models.

The waterfalls in Yosemite will be starting to flow and will be a spectacular sight, one in fact I still have to witness as they are dry in October when I normally travel.

**SMV** · 01-19-2011, 06:32 AM

That sounds superb - thanks for the website, I will study them this evening. The General Sherman tree is a must for us, so as long as we can see it and paths to it won't be closed, we will be happy. This whole trip originally stemmed largely from wanting to the see the General Sherman Tree!

I will read the information you sent and do some more research as see how I will split the time - i have 3 nights between the 2 parks which i know isnt much but at the moment I was thinking 2 in Yosemite and 1 in Seq NP. But now I'm thinking that some higher peaks in Yosemite may be unreachable (I believe we cannot go to Glacier Point by car as the road will be closed - I might be wrong).

**Southwest Dave** · 01-19-2011, 07:00 AM

Glacier point will also be closed but Yosemite valley has a lot to offer. A good compromise would be to spend a night in each park and one in between such as at Oakhurst just South of Yosemite.

**SMV** · 03-16-2011, 10:02 AM

If anyone is still out there... time is approaching for my trip so I'm back for some tips. The first leg will be from San Fran to Yosemite and I'm reading mixed things about whether to take the 120 or 140 hwy... apparently 120 is quicker but 140 is more scenic and is generally a better route (with respect to weather unpredictability)... any suggestions greatly appreciated! Thanks