Hi,
This is my first post here.
I'm planning for my 2nd trip to US with my friends and cousins (mix group of 6 25-26 year olds). We are planning to land at JFK from India, fly down to Las Vegas nd then rent a mini-van and tour the west coast. We plan to take this tour in the last week of July and have approx 10 days in hand.
Here's my rough plan
Day 1 - From New York -> Las Vegas
Day 2 - Las Vegas -> Hoover Dam -> Grand Canyon south rim -> Las Vegas
Day 3 - Las Vegas
Day 4 - Las Vegas -> Los Angeles
Day 5 - Los Angeles
Day 6 - Los Angeles -> San Francisco
Day 7 - San Francisco -> Yosemite
Day 8 - Yosemite
Day 9 - Yosemite -> Death Valley
Day 10 - Death Valley -> Las Vegas -> Flight to Florida
Please suggest me some routes to take, suggestions, tips, alterations to plan, cost estimates etc. Wanted to include Yellowstone National Park and Mt. Rushmore as well as a night stay in Grand Canyon. But due to time time constraints might not be able to fit it in the plan. We are more interested in seeing natural beauty and not much interested in taking a dip and relaxing on the beaches.
Considering that all of us are visiting US for the first time (except me), difference between LH and RH driving etc., is it advisable to rent and drive all the way? All of us however do drive and have had a very safe driving records.
Is it a good idea to land at LAX, then visit SF, Yosemite, DV and then end at LV?
Too many questions for 1 post... Awaiting some really good responses... Thanks a lot in advance...