LA to Seattle - December

Hi. We live in Australia and are planning a road trip in late December from LA to Vancouver ( via Seattle ). We have 5 days and were wondering if we should spend the time days driving to Las Vegas via Death Valley, then fly on to Seattle, or if it is possible to drive via an accessible part of Yosemite National Park in the time we have. Perhaps spending 1 or 2 nights in Yosemite if that is possible.

We would like to see as much interesting countryside as possible. Can anyone please give us some options/ideas on how we could get the most out of our 5 days? We don't want to spend the whole time driving as we would like some time to visit a range of attractions/towns etc.

Thank you

Hi and Welcome to the Great American Roadtrip Forum.

Computer mapping programs will no doubt route you via I-5 on a direct route, which is the fastest and shortest... but not exactly the most scenic. You could go via LV and Death Valley and still drive to Seattle.

US-395, from LA to Seattle via LV and Death Valley is 1400 miles, which would be three comfortable day's driving less than 500 miles. However, there are of course two provisos. Firstly it is assuming you will not see any winter weather which could see you off the road. The other is, I am assuming that you are not just coming off a long haul flight, in which case we would highly recommend you spend 24 hours in LA.

The positive is that Death Valley would be fantastic in December. The heat of summer is gone. It is such a spectacular landscape. 395 in CA is a very scenic drive. I have not driven it all the way to Seattle.

If this is your first visit, may I suggest a few tips which have always been helpful to me. Bring your automobile club membership with you - RACV, NRMA, etc. It will give you access to free maps and tourism information from the AAA. You could pick up good detailed maps of each State you plan to cover while in LA. I have also found a flag in the back window of the vehicle an advantage. Let them know you are not a local.

Lifey

Thank you Lifey, that is very helpful. We are now investigating the option of flying into San Francisco, spend 2 nights in Yosemite, then drive north to Seattle, staying somewhere between Yosemite and Seattle for a night. What would be a nice place to spend a night roughly half-way between Yosemite and Seattle? Thank you

Do you have accommodation in Yosemite. That may be the first thing to attend to. Check the NP site for any accommodation still available. If it is all booked up for the date you want, check back frequently as people's plans change and cancellation do happen.

I am not familiar enough with the area to suggest a half way point, suffice to say, any good map will give you options.

Lifey

The halfway point would be in the Ashland/Medford/Grants Pass area. Do not count on being able to do it in 2 days, there is always a chance of snow in December.