Help Required Please To Plan 12 Day Rd Trip (San Francisco - Las Vegas - Los Angeles)

Hi!

I am flying from the UK to the USA in a week and am trying to plan a 12 day road trip with my parents - yes I know I have left it late in the day bug it's a bit of a spontaneous surprise for my folks who have always said hat they'd love to see some of the National Parks, Grand Canyon etc and experience some of the scenery that the West has to offer.

We will be flying into SFO and out of LAX (flights are booked) and I am now starting to panic a bit in terms of planning a route because there's so many places that various friends have recommended. So, I thought it would be a better idea to ask for advice from people who have actually undertaken a similar trip (i.e. from San Fran. via Vegas and ending up in L.A rather than try to cobble something together.

I have listed what I have thought of so far and would be extremely grateful for any pointers / advice and additional recommendations whether that be do's or don'ts! We have all been to San Fran and L.A before and aren't interested in the 'city stuff', in fact we'd prefer to stay away from them!

San Francisco - Napa Valley - Route 50 to Lake Tahoe - Route 395 down to Mammoth - either down through Lone Pine and across to Bryce Canyon or straight across to Bryce Canyon - Zion NP - Lake Powell - Monument Valley - Grand Canyon - Sedona - Joshua Tree

Yosemite
Bryce Canyon
Zion National Park
Lake Powell
Monument Valley
Grand Canyon
Joshua Tree

Thanks in advance for your help and guidance

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

You've got a good start, and a solid loop, but a bit too much to squeeze into just 12 days. You've listed 10 places you want to visit - most of which deserve at least a full day, plus you've got about 2000 miles to cover, so that's 4 full days on the road, plus you probably need to give yourself at least one day in SF to recover from jetlag, even if you don't really explore the city.

Your two lists are a little different, in your first one you mention places like Napa, Tahoe, and Sedona, but you didn't include Yosemite.

If it were me, I'd probably do something like Yosemite - Death Valley (via Bakersfield, since Tioga Pass is unlikely to be open) - Zion - maybe Monument Valley - Grand Canyon - and hit Joshua Tree if you still have time on your way back to LA. There's some room to make adjustments based on your personal preferences, but something like that is going to give you more opportunity to actually enjoy your trip and not feel like you're just racing from place to place.

Hi Michael,

Thank you for your prompt response and advice - on reflection I also think that 2000 miles in 12 days is going to seem more like the Gumball Rally than a leisurely road trip!

Apologies for the confusion re the lists; I omitted to put Napa and Tahoe in the second list purely because they were 'wish list stopping off' points en route to Yosemite. However, I am a little confused when you suggest Yosemite to Death Valley via Bakersfield which, if I have the right Bakersfield, seems to be a case of going West to go East and I'm also panicking that the 395 and the surrounding area is going to be blocked by snow. Could you please clarify; are you suggesting taking route 99 because we wont be able to get through Yosemite at all unless we do so at the southern most tip?

I think you are misunderstanding the nature of Yosemite National Park. While it covers a huge area, on both sides of the Sierras, the heart of the park is the Yosemite Valley located on the West side of the park.

So in reality, going to Tahoe and then Yosemite would actually require backtracking west back across the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Additionally, right now, the only access to Yosemite is via the west, because Tioga Pass (CA-120) is still closed for the winter season. In fact, while US-395 isn't a concern, basically all of the Sierra Passes south of Lake Tahoe are still closed for the season. It's possible some of them could reopen by the time you are traveling, but basically, right now to get from Yosemite to Death Valley or anywhere else east of the mountains, you have to either go up to Lake Tahoe and cross or go down and around via the Bakersfield area.

It would probably serve you well to spend a little time on the National Parks Service website and take a closer look at where everything is within the park (and the other parks you'll be visiting). I will also note that I would start looking very hard at your lodging options. Hotels are limited within the National Parks - and at this point, you're probably going to have to find a place outside the park, which will mean about a 45 minute to hour long commute.