Page - San Francisco on Route 66

Hello all

I am going on a small Photo roadtrip i Feb 2009 and already got most of the trip covered, but is stuck on the last part.

On wednesday afternoon we will be poiunting our nose to San Francisco where we have to catch a plane at 14.00 on friday.

My plan was to go south off Las Vegas as we are going through LV earlier on the trip, we would like to hit the original part of Route 66 to see some history, but besides that we are lost for ideas in that area... do you guys have any ideas.

We are mostly in to photographic worthy places, but we are open for ideas

Looking forward to your replies

Sincerely

Jasz / Denmark

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Covering this distance, and getting in parts of route 66 certainly would be possible. If you go down to Flagstaff, you'd have plenty of possibilities to travel sections of Route 66 potentially all the way to California.

The one thing I would caution, if your flight leaves SF early Friday Afternoon, I wouldn't want to be too far from SF the night before. At 900 miles to cover this distance, your time will start to get a little limited if you detour onto Route 66 and stop for lots of photography. You may get into a situation where you need to sprint back.

There are hundreds of threads with ideas about travels between Las Vegas and San Francisco. Any of them could also potentially be added to this trip, but for more specifics I think you'll have to share some more details about the rest of your trip so we know what ground you are already planning to cover.

Thank you for your kind welcome..

Here is the basics of out trip.

San Francisco
Yosemite
Bodie
Mono Lake
Death Valley
Las Vegas
Monument Valley
Page
?
?
?
?
San Francisco

We are mainly going for the spectacular views or sites

Jasz

personally i would of thought that on leaving las vegas for monument valley it would be best to go across the hoover dam and pick up part of '66 between kingman and williams during this part of the trip.
after page,if it's photography you want, you could head to bryce canyon and zion n.p.,both are amazing places.this route could then take you back through yosemite via the e.t. highway and tonopah.
if you did'nt want to go back via yosemite then i would head for page first [which you could take the 15 to st george and still see zion and bryce] and then monument valley afterwards before heading back to flagstaff/williams and the '66 before crossing the southern end of the sierras and possibly visiting sequoia n.p. lake isabella and the kern valley can also be explored this way. of course time is a major factor and a lot will depend on how much time you want to be on the go,and then theres the small matter of a place called the grand canyon ;-] lol!

this may give you an insight into the options mentioned
have a great trip!!!

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Originally Posted by jasz

We are mostly in to photographic worthy places, but we are open for ideas

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Here are three articles, all written by expert photographers of places in Arizona you could consider...

Touring the Navajo Nation, by Jaimie Hall-Bruzenak
Exploring northern Arizona, by Peter Thody
Beyond the Grand Canyon, by Suzanne and Craig Sheumaker,

Mark

just read about something called the Tioga Pass which seems to be closed most of the year :-) which way should i go to come from Yosemite to Monolake ?

We will be in the area around March 1, 2009

Jasz

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Originally Posted by jasz

just read about something called the Tioga Pass which seems to be closed most of the year

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Tioga Pass is located on the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada mountains on CA-Hwy 120 and it is usually closed from late November to mid-May due to snow. Here is our best guess at when it will close this year.

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which way should i go to come from Yosemite to Monolake ?We will be in the area around March 1, 2009

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It's a little hard to predict which passes will be open on March 1st but, you really have two options -- both will require a full-day of travel to get from Yosemite to Mono Lake in March. (in the summer months, you could make this trip in a couple of hours). Either go north to US-50 or I-80 and then south on US-395.. Or go south CA-99 to CA-58 to US-395 and go north.

Mark

Thx Mark for your suggestions.

Our trip is actually taking shape now, and before you all comment on the tight schedule, then , yes, i know it, but i want to see "the full monty" in a very short time, yes, there will be a lot of driving - but i love to drive ;-)

Day 1 - arriving at San Francisco, pick up our car and drive to the "golden gate " to shot some pictures off it, then it is off to the Oakhurst area to stay for the night.

Day 2 - leave Oakhurst through Yosemite heading for Bodie for sunset pictures and then to Lee Vining for the night (road 40, 120, 49, 50, 395)

Day 3 - Sunrise pictures at Mono Lake, and then head for Las Vegas through Death Valley, if time allows, then "Race Track" otherwise only Rhyolite & Sand Dunes, Stay in Las Vegas for the night

Day 4 - PMA Convention and then off to Monument Valley to stay for the night.

Day 5 - Monument Valley sunrise shots and then off to Page to see "The Wave" (if we get tickets) after that we head for San Francisco

Day 6 - on our way to San Francisco (photo stops not planned yet) reach San Francisco for the night.

Day 7 - Sunrise shots at "Golden Gate" and small phototrip around San Francisco (Cable Car, Lombard Street.....) and then it is off to Europe again (maybe a small nap in the plane... hehehehehe)

Pretty tight schedule, but i know we can do it ;-)

Jasz

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Originally Posted by jasz

Thx Mark for your suggestions.

Our trip is actually taking shape now, and before you all comment on the tight schedule, then , yes, i know it, but i want to see "the full monty" in a very short time, yes, there will be a lot of driving - but i love to drive ;-)

Pretty tight schedule, but i know we can do it ;-)

Jasz

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all thats left to say then is, HAVE A GREAT TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't want to spoil the party but you haven't the faintest idea what you are talking about. If I understand correctly you'll be doing this in februari. Keep in mind it's some 4 hours to drive from SF to Oakhurst if no snow. Visit Yosemite Valley and drive around the north. This year it was a mess with snowploughs all around and people stuck in blizzards along 395 north of Lee Vining. You need chains and be prepared (you must have chains in the car in Yosemite in winter anyhow). The racetrack?? Bring an extra pair of tires. The track will kill them if you should get there and the towtruck is very expensive and no cellphone coverage. It takes more than half a day to drive from Furnace Creek to the racetrack and back so Lee Vining-Lone Pine-Racetrack-Rhyolite to Las Vegas in one day? Forget it unless you want to drive late in the evening. Las Vegas to Monument Valley is a 7 hours drive and you'll lose one hour because of entering another timezone. Monument Valley to the Wave is 3hours plus 3-4 hours for The Wave. From Kanab to San Francisco is another 13-14 hours. Think twice before going. Safety first but if you go, have a nice trip!
Yeehaw

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Originally Posted by jasz

Day 3 - Sunrise pictures at Mono Lake, and then head for Las Vegas through Death Valley, if time allows, then "Race Track" otherwise only Rhyolite & Sand Dunes, Stay in Las Vegas for the night

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Yeehaw is correct, you are really trying to push the envelope in ways that are not possible. I am concerned that you are considering approaching the Race Track from the north -- in February this would be... extremely unwise unless you are traveling in all conditions 4-WD truck. I have driven Las Vegas > Racetrack Playa > Rhyolite > Beatty > Las Vegas in a day, but I can just about guarantee no one can do it much faster than 16 hours. If you do attempt Race Track, make sure you lower tire pressure to no more than 15 PSI. But realistically, it makes no sense. Spend the time in Death Valley and looking around and then to Las Vegas. With sunrise at Mono Lake and then a reasonable drive and looking in DV, you can expect to reach Las Vegas at about 7:00 pm.

Mark

Not too far from Laughlin, Nevada, you can visit the interesting Oatman with the wild burros, plus some of the most unuique driving yiou'll ever do east of town.

Ok guys, maybe i have tried to push it a little here ;-) have been around the internet and checked up on a few things.

Can you guys help me out here if i try to remake things a little ?? is this possible ?? and any things that I should be aware off… like Tioga Pass ;-)

Day 1 (Saturday feb. 28th ) - arriving at San Francisco, pick up our car and drive to Death Valley, Stay some where in DV or near DV depending on how far you guys think we can go from SFO to DV
Which way would be the best for this… steering clear off blizzard

Day 2 (Sunday)– Go to DV , racetrack, rhyolite and sand dunes, after that head for Page, stay somewhere for the night along the road..

Day 3 (Monday)– on to Page and “The Wave” afterwards head for Kayenta (Monument Valley)

Day 4 (Tuesday)– Monument Valley sunrise shots and then off to Las Vegas.

Day 5 – (Wednesday) – Las Vegas to the PMA Convention and then afterwards head for SFO.

Day 6 – (Thursday) on our way to San Francisco (photo stops not planned yet) reach San Francisco for the night.

Day 7 – (Friday )Sunrise shots at "Golden Gate" and small phototrip around San Francisco (Cable Car, Lombard Street.....) and then it is off to Europe again (maybe a small nap in the plane... hehehehehe)

Jasz

Welcome back.

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Day 1 (Saturday feb. 28th ) - arriving at San Francisco, pick up our car and drive to Death Valley, Stay some where in DV or near DV depending on how far you guys think we can go from SFO to DV
Which way would be the best for this… steering clear off blizzard

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Where are you flying from and what time is your arrival? If it is from Europe I doubt you will get far from S/F by the time you have got your luggage, picked up your car rental after a mammoth flight and your body clocks out of "whack".
The quickest way will be I-5 then 46/99 to Bakersfield, onto the 58 and then North on the 14 to the 395 before heading across D/V on the 190 and 374 to Rhoylite.
I think you would be pushed to get this far on day 2 considering/ depending on your flights.

That would mean an 8 hour drive to Page a six mile hike to The wave and another 2 hour drive to Kayenta, that must be somewhere in the region of a 16 hour day.

Kayenta > M/V > Vegas is another 10- 12 hour day depending on your time at M/V.

Days 5 and 6 look O.K if your convention is not to late [and if you can stay awake through it ;-) ]

Day 7 You will want that nap.

I think you will need to see how it works out while your on the road and be prepared to for compromises personally.

Good luck I hope you have a great trip !

Think again.....Your first 3 days are way too much. SF-Death Valley is 8 hours and don't drive in the dark on unknown roads esp. not after the long flight. You need a permit for the Wave and as mentioned before, don't go to the Racetrack esp.not with a rental car. Your insurance won't cover you driving dirtroads.

Actually we have thought about jumping Racetrack... it can be to time consuming... we will at least try to get 4-5 hours closer to DV on the first day.

When going across DV on day 2 on 190, 374, and then 95, what else is there to see other than the sand dunes and rhyolite... any idea´s

Day 1 (Saturday feb. 28th ) - arriving at San Francisco, pick up our car and head for Death Valley, Stay some where inbetween SFO and DV (route cleared above)

Day 2 (Sunday)– Go to DV to se the sand dunes and Rhyolite, after that head for "The Wave" stay somewhere for the night along the road.. (route almost cleared)

Day 3 (Monday)– Head for “The Wave” (if we get a permit) and afterwards head for Kayenta (Monument Valley) (route not in place yet, suggestions welcome)

Day 4 (Tuesday)– Monument Valley sunrise shots and then off to Las Vegas. (route not cleared yet, but might go south to Route 66 and come in to LV over Hoover Dam, but suggestions are welcome, but Gran Canyoon is not i play ´cause we where there last year)

Day 5 – (Wednesday) – Las Vegas to the PMA Convention and then afterwards head for SFO. (route not cleared yet, but thinking off going to the coast CA-1 and go north to SFO)

Day 6 – (Thursday) on our way to San Francisco (photo stops not planned yet) reach San Francisco for the night.

Day 7 – (Friday )Sunrise shots at "Golden Gate" and small phototrip around San Francisco (Cable Car, Lombard Street.....) and then it is off to Europe again (maybe a small nap in the plane... hehehehehe)

Once again, thx a lot to all you guys who are so helpfull... if you ever come to Denmark, i will help you out with a Roadtrip...

Jasz

Hi Jasz,

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Actually we have thought about jumping Racetrack... it can be to time consuming...

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I think it's a good idea due to your time restraints.

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When going across DV on day 2 on 190, 374, and then 95, what else is there to see other than the sand dunes and rhyolite

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The whole place is fascinating, here's a link to the Death valley website you can search for ideas. Staying on the 190 through Furnace creek, Badwater and visiting Zabriske point and Dante's view and on to Death valley junction to Pahrump and 160 to Vegas is an option to Rhyolite.

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Day 4 (Tuesday)– Monument Valley sunrise shots and then off to Las Vegas. (route not cleared yet, but might go south to Route 66 and come in to LV over Hoover Dam, but suggestions are welcome, but Gran Canyoon is not i play ´cause we where there last year)

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There's probably not much in it time wise whether you head towards Flagstaff or through Page /St George, depending on delays at Hoover Dam. Either way It's going to be quite a full day without the side trips.

Hello again and thx again..

If i would like to see MV from this side MV from this side

Where do i have to stay, which city is closest

Thx in advance

Jasz

Hey Jasz,

From Page take the 98/160 and the 163 into M/V where you will find the views you are looking for. You will have to pay an entrance fee [$5 I think] to the Navajo tribal park to get close and access to the scenic drive/tour.

Kayenta is a possible stop but the Gouldings lodge is closest and ideal for those early morning pictures.

For the Famous view seen all over the world you will need to pass the entrance on the 163 and turn around.

As was mentioned, Gouldings is the place to stay for Monument Valley.

We traveled the Southwest several years ago and caught some of the
Route66 sights.

One photographic peak near Monument Valley is Aglatha Peak.
http://atenpo.smugmug.com/photos/44421367_gm8PH-M.jpg

We didn't really drive through Monument Valley, but did photograph
the famous Mitten Buttes.
http://atenpo.smugmug.com/photos/44421343_WYRX5-M.jpg

Also recommend stopping at Seligman to the Snocap for a snack.
http://atenpo.smugmug.com/photos/44255098_4vZcv-M.jpg

Route 66 related photos from that trip.

Photos of parks from that trip.

Have a safe trip and I hope you come back with lots of great
photos. Would love to see them.

Are you sure that is the correct name? (Aglatha Peak). I will have to look at my photo log, but that doesn't seem right. But, OH MY, what a great play of light across the face -- excellent work. I did a photo exercise where I shot a sunset progression on a nearby cliff face over a 90 minute period -- nearly 300 images -- someday I will post some here...

Gouldings is the choice for conventional motel-like lodging -- but my personal choice is always going to be this hogan.... It's not inexpensive -- but it is very authentic and cool!

Mark

Great pictures!

It is Agathla peak, it lies about 8 miles North of Kayenta off the 163.

Yeah, my spelling is botched up. Agathla Peak as SW Dave spelled is correct.

The FireTree B&B looks really novel. I'll have to look that place up the
next time I'm in the area.

That " famous view seen all over the world" is at milemarker 13 on 163 north of MV and is best seen in the morning. The view on the Mittens is best seen in the afternoon imo.

Hello fellow trippers

In march i am going on a small roadtrip and was thinking of doing the above leg.

Leave Oakhurst in the morning, take the 41 into yosemite and then take the 120 out and head for SF... is this a scenic drive ? are there lots of photo opportunities ?

Will it be possible if i expect to catch SF in the evening... i know its a 250 mile drive, but i would guess that there would be a lot of stops on the way.

Looking forward to your answers

Sincerely

Jasz

Hi jasz, welcome back.

As you know the high ground in Yosemite will still be closed due to snow so you will be restricted to the Valley floor. There are numerous photo opportunity's here [I hope you will share some pics with us on your return ;-) ] and Yosemite falls could be flowing well.
Expect to spend 4 or 5 hours just driving the loop road and taking short strolls [although you will regret not having more time here]. On the way in to the valley you also have Wawona grove with giant Sequoia trees that's worth stopping at but will take more of your time.
HWY 120 is scenic and a pleasant drive through to Yosemite junction which includes the Priests grade section, great views but with hairpin bends to keep an eye on !

From there a straight run to S/F is possible but to do Yosemite any kind of justice, I wouldn't expect to get there untill later in the night and be ready just to "hit the pillow".

A word about Agathla Peak. Best views on Agathla Peak are from 160 at the junction of Bia59 just east of Kayenta. Afa as I know the photo's are taken from that place.
Yeehaw

Yes, we are back, and in one piece

I know that some americans say that the europeans are crazy, and you might be right sometimes

The trip went like this

Leaving Europe Saturday morning and arriving in San Francisco saturday afternoon (short trip on the clock, but the 9 hours time difference does a lot)

Straight from the plane to the car rental company and after that a small drive to Lone Pine and then catch the first vacant hotel...

Next morning up early and after some quick breakfast head for Kanab through Death Valley

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O4302_lille.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O4338_lille.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/_28K5353_lille.jpg

Panorama picture, should be viewed separately http://www.jasz.dk/rta/ZabriskiePoint_Panorama.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O4414_lille.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O4482_lille.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O4506_lille.jpg



Reach Kanab in the evening just in time to get some food at some mexican restaurant.

Next morning i drove to the Kanab Field office along with a lot of other tourists to be a part of the "Wave" lottery, unfortunately we did not win permits - damn... but that is the way life is - then Plan B was in action now. Monument valley was the spot to reach, with a stop at the Escalante and at Lower Antelope… did the Upper last time – like the lower better than the upper – fewer people, better photo opportunities

Panorama picture, should be viewed separately http://www.jasz.dk/rta/Escalante_Panorama.jpg


http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O4668_lille.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O4699_lille.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O4760_lille.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O4791_lille.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O4827_lille.jpg


After Monument Valley we drove to Flagstaff to stay for the night, we stayed at Best Western which we found out was about 3 inches from the railway – all night the trains tested their horns in our bedroom, literally

Next morning we ate breakfast at the hotel and headed for Las Vegas on the old Route 66, we stopped at Hoover Dam, which, to our surprise, was very crowded – we did not see many tourist on our trip, reached Las Vegas in time for some shopping and some photographing.

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O4833_lille.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O4837_lille.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O4860_lille.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O4865_lille.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O4882_lille.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O4914_lille.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O4931_lille.jpg

Wednesday was Convention day, we headed for the PMA ´09 and stayed for 3 hours before driving to Oakhurst to stay for the night before going into Yosemite.

Thursday morning, headed for Yosemite on 41, only to be stopped at the gate and asked to use another entrance because we did not have snowchains.. we then drove downhill again and then took the entrance through Mariposa – when we got into the park the signs said to wear snowchains .. !!! which was very weird as there was no snow on the road at all… there was snow at the parking lots, but not on the road, so we drove through the valley without snowchains and drove out of the valley on 120 still with no snowchains …. The only thing we saw at the road was water.

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O4997_lille.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O5011_lille.jpg

Panorama picture, should be viewed separately http://www.jasz.dk/rta/Yosemite_Panorama.jpg


Late afternoon we reached San Francisco, found our hotel, threw our bags and headed straight for the Battery Park to take pictures of Golden Gate

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O5121_lille.jpg

Friday morning we got up early as we wanted to see a bit of San Francisco before heading home, we got on the Cable Car and visited Pier 39

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O5155_lille.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O5157_lille.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O5210_lille.jpg

http://www.jasz.dk/rta/XX2O5224_lille.jpg

After a few hours we headed back to the hotel to check out at 12.00 and to pack up the car for the last time before returning it at the car rental center… the flight was on schedule and we got that little nap on the plane that I think was needed.

We drove 2396 miles / 3854 km. in 6 days (the 7th day was only 20 miles as we only drove to the airport) – so, with a little planning you can get a long way on a week, but it was a lot of driving but we saw a lot and had a great time – could have spend a few more hours some places, but the plan was to see more places in less time – and it worked.

Thx everybody for a great forum which have helped me out a lot on planning

Jasz

Hi jasz, welcome back.

Thanks for dropping in and sharing your experience with us, good report and those pics are fantastic, well done.

Dave.

Those are some great captures, -- excellent work -- thanks for sharing (their size is tweaking our pages somewhat -- I wonder why the auto-sizing didn't work this time.)

Anyway, nice job.

Mark