Sorry!! I've changed my mind

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09-07-2006, 05:09 AM
Timster

Newbie Needing Advice

Hello all,

I want to take this opportunity to say hello to all on the forum as this is my first post.

I am from the UK and found this site when doing a bit of research.

I want to do a roadtrip from Vegas to Grand Canyon late March 2007 ending up in San Francisco. I have been to them all before but as I am more into photography these days, my mind is set on a roadtrip back to these places to take some images.

What I am thinking of doing is as follows:

I was thinking of 2 days in Vegas then drive to Grand Canyon, then onto San Francisco stopping at National Parks along the way. Thinking of taking about 3 or 4 days to arrive at San Fran and then 2/3days before home.

Anyone suggest a nice route to take that will pack in a load of sights and experiences along the way??

Thanks in advance,

Tim
09-07-2006, 07:45 AM
Midwest Michael

Spring Blockades

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

The Vegas to SF route is undoubtedly the most popular subject on the forum, so if you browse around, or do a search (on the green bar above, just under your username) you'll find lots of tips and ideas.

Keep in mind that in March, both the North Rim of the Canyon and Tioga Pass into Yosemite will be closed. So for your trip across the Sierras you will either have to cross in the south, near Bakersfield, or Go north to Lake Tahoe, go over the mountains, and then cut back south to Yosemite.

On your timetable, from the Grand Canyon, I might suggest heading all the way over to Bakersfield and then spend 2 days exploring Sequoia and Yosemite, before continuing on to SF.
09-07-2006, 10:22 AM
Timster

Cheers Michael

Thats the type of route that I would like to do, thanks for your suggestions. Will post up my route when I've planned what I'm finally going to do.

Tim
09-07-2006, 04:54 PM
Mass Tim

Photos

I'm looking forward to seeing some sunrise photography from the Grand Canyon.
09-11-2006, 01:01 PM
Timster

OK I've worked out my trip so far this is what I got :)

Las Vegas to Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon to Death Valley National Park
Death Valley NP to Sequioa NP
Sequioa NP to Bakersfield
Bakersfield to Fresno to Monterey
Monterey to San Francisco

How does that sound???
09-11-2006, 01:24 PM
Timster

Sorry but looking at the climate again a lot of the places I plan to visit dont look the best at the end of March, is this why my flight prices are cheaper as the snow is down??

Tim
09-11-2006, 01:30 PM
Midwest Michael

No Road

You will not be able to go directly from Death Valley to Sequoia, as there is no road from the park to the Eastern side of the Sierras. Sequoia is also located between Bakersfield and Fresno, so I'm not really sure what you are thinking there. (Editor's Note: That road does exist....) (Midwest Michael's Note: The Editor's Suggestion does not go to the National Park)

Switch those things around, and you should be ok.

I'm not sure what you mean by the snow is down. Several of the Sierra passes will still be closed in March, and having snow fall in the mountains is certainly a possibility that time of year, but the Sierras is really the only place where it could be an issue.
09-11-2006, 01:50 PM
W. Larrison

I'll echo -- switch Bakersfield and Sequoia

You'll go through Bakersfield before you get to Sequoia. So I'd recommend spending the night somewhere around there.

I will note the road going up the west side of the Sierras to Sequia past Moro Rock (not to be confused with Morro Bay...) is a narrow winding 2 lane mountain road. I'd recommend hitting it in the day time, particularly if you're tired and not really used to driving on the wrong side of the road.

You might consider staying the night in Visalia rather than Bakersfield -- its the last reasonably sized down before you head up into the Sierras. (And otherwise, there's nothing amazing in my experience to recommend Bakersfield, other than its a larger town with perhaps more options...)

Now, there is a chance of snow in the Sierras in March. March can be a wet month in California, and if there's a storm you can get snow in the Sierras. I went to Sequoia a couple of years ago in April, and stayed in the Wupatki Lodge in the park (discounted rates in the off season), and followed a storm up the mountain the next day. The roads were plowed and dry, and it was a really beautiful sight with around 6" of snow -- but if I had been a day earlier it would have been either chains and a low crawl up the mountain or road closed until the snowplows came through. Just don't be surprized ... it is a possibility. Same with Yosemite.

Other than that -- its a pretty good bet that taking the southernly route through Barstow to Bakersfield you won't see snow other than on the tops of the mountains. Sometimes they'll get a dusting of snow down in the high desert in December or January -- but its time on the ground is measured as a couple of hours when the sun comes up.
09-11-2006, 09:59 PM
Mark Sedenquist

Sherman Pass is the road

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midwest Michael

You will not be able to go directly from Death Valley to Sequoia, as there is no road from the park to the Eastern side of the Sierras. Sequoia is also located between Bakersfield and Fresno, so I'm not really sure what you are thinking there.

No so. It is a little known road -- but Megan and I drove it a couple of weeks ago. I will try and get the field report article published in the next couple of weeks. It takes all day -- but it is an entirely paved route between US-395 and Sequoia. The biggest problem is that is not an all-weather route and one should only attempt the road if it is summer.

Mark
09-12-2006, 07:22 AM
Midwest Michael

No Road to the National Park

Sherman Pass is a fine road, and I've driven it myself. In fact, it dumps out near one of my all time favorite little dispersed camping spots in all of California. Going West to East, it is also a great road for enjoying a very abrupt change from Mountain to Desert Views.

But While Sherman Pass takes you through Sequoia National Monument and the Sequoia National Forest, it does not take you into Sequoia National Park.

To get to the National Park from Sherman Pass, you still have to go all the way out to Porterville, and then take CA-65 up the East Side of the Central Valley, and then go back East to enter the National Park.
09-29-2006, 05:35 AM
Timster

Sorry!! I've changed my mind

Hi all,

After doing some research I've tried to put something together that encompasses both Las Vegas and California but I've kind of given up as some of the routes and mileage are crazy!!

I'm still going between 9th and 19th April but going to fly in and out of Vegas with a 3 night stop at the beginning of the hol and a one nighter at the end.

This means that I will be leaving vegas on the 12th and going up through Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Grand Canyon, etc then onto some National Parks before driving back to Vegas.

Anyone recommend a nice little route for a newbie to take??

Any advice would be most appreciated!!

Tim
09-30-2006, 08:45 AM
dj toast

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mass Tim

I'm looking forward to seeing some sunrise photography from the Grand Canyon.

That's well worth doing, it meant a very early start at the time of year I was there but it was well worth it, absolutely astonishing sight. One of my pictures of the sun coming up is here.

The exposures went from around f2.8 ; 1s ; iso 800 , to f45 ; 1/1000th ; iso 100 in a matter of two minutes shooting directly east.

Have fun, I'm itching to get back and fill in some of the blanks from my last trip out west (In particular Death Valley).
09-30-2006, 09:26 AM
Quebec Gen

All roads are good!

Hi Timster!

Quote:

This means that I will be leaving vegas on the 12th and going up through Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Grand Canyon, etc then onto some National Parks before driving back to Vegas.

Anyone recommend a nice little route for a newbie to take??

From Vegas, I suugest you just go around the Grand Canyon. You can either take 167 or I-15 and 169. Route 169 will get you to Valley of Fire State Park while route 167 rides along Lake Mead. Then you can follow 167 to I-15 north bound. Near St. George, UT, take the Hurricane exit and follow route 9 to Zion National Park. If you'd prefer, from this point you could go north and visit other parks like Bryce and Canyonlands but then I doubt you'd have time to make it around the Grand Canyon and spend much time sight-seeing.

If you prefer to go around GC , here what I'd have to suggest. When you'll get to the intersection of routes 89 and 9, you'll have to choose between US89 and US89A. US89 goes through Grand Staircase Escalante, Glen Canyon and Lake Powell and eventually lead you to Page, AZ while US89A will get you to Jacob Lake -- the gateway to the Grand Canyon North Rim (highway 67) --, the Vermillion Cliffs, the Navajo Bridge and Lee's Ferry.

On highway 98, just a couple of miles east of Page, you can have a guided tour (~ 20$) of Antelope Canyon (a.k.a. as Cork Screw Canyon), a very impressive slot canyon. If you continue east on highway 98, make a left on US 160 and another left on US 163, it will get you right through Monument Valley. Then you can either make a U-turn or drive to 4 corner if that's your thing. Another must see in that area is Canyon De Chelly (pronounce dee-chay) about 2 hours south east of Kayenta on US191.

Then you could either go west towards the Grand Canyon south rim using back roads or join I-40 and visit Petrified Forest NP and stretches of old Route 66 along the way like this one between Oatman and Williams. Finally, don't forget the mighty Hoover Dam on US93 before you reach Vegas.

Of course, depending on a lot of factors (your driving pace, traffic, road work, if you want to spend more time in some places and less in some others, availability of lodging, etc.), you'll have tough choices to make and I doubt you will be able to make it all in one single trip. I think it is not an overstatement to say that most roads in that area (AZ, NV, UT) are scenic anyway so any road you pick might be as beautiful as any other one!

Happy planning!
Gen
10-02-2006, 12:39 PM
Timster

So, you're saying that 10 days inc a few nights in Vegas may not be enough if I plan going around the GC inc Hoover Dam and Lake Mead and make it back to LV for a night before flying home??

I'm contemplating booking my flights now as the direct ones are still reasonable prices

Tim
10-02-2006, 01:15 PM
Quebec Gen

Doable but...

Hi Tim,

Quote:

So, you're saying that 10 days inc a few nights in Vegas may not be enough if I plan going around the GC inc Hoover Dam and Lake Mead and make it back to LV for a night before flying home??

I am not saying it is not doable, but you probably won't be able to spend as much time in some places as you would've liked and more likely you will have to choose between destinations (ex. : Bryce Canyon and Arches or Canyon De Chelly and Monument Valley). It depends on your interests. For example, if you are a hiker you might not be satisfied by driving around the view points with crowds of tourists. But if you're ok with the idea, you still have the option of doing a speed run and go to all the places I mentionned. Both can be fun in my experience.

I just noticed you are going to travel in April. Just make sure the roads and parks are open before you actually go there because some of them might not be open like the North Rim for instance which usually opens around Mid-May. But don't worry, many parks stay open year-round, like Bryce and Zion and you have more than enough on your plate to keep you busy!:o)

Happy planning!