Las Vegas to Mammoth Lakes - is one day enough

This has probably been asked a thousand times - but we are planning on leaving LV early morning 8/9am) to get to Mammoth Lakes as a base to then see Yosemite for two days (second night we will be staying in park or closer to park). I am not sure if one day is enough to get from LV to Mammoth via Death Valley and cannot find anywhere with decent accommodation available in early July this year (2013).

If one day is not enough - where should we stay - we like decent places to stay as this is part of a four week tour of California in July. We have picked Mammoth Lakes as it looks big enough to get a range of accommodation and I have always wanted to stay at a ski resort in summer (all other trips to US are for skiing)

Thanks for a great forum - I simply cannot believe how comprehensive a site it is. Congratulations to the many people who must contribute.

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

Yes it would be possible to get to Mammoth Lakes the same day. From Vegas take 160 to Pahrump and then just north of town turn left on West Bell Vista Ave/Bell Vista road/Ash Meadows Rd to Death valley junction where you turn right and immediately left on 190 to Furnace Creek. Continue on 190 to 136 to Lone Pine and north on 395. With a few stops in Death valley [Zabriske point, Furnace creek, the Sand dunes etc,] it will be a full day on the road but quite comfortable. From Furnace creek you could detour to Badwater which is the lowest point in the USA.

I would have thought finding lodgings around Mammoth wouldn't be a problem this early on, but if you struggle you could stop in Bishop and then stay in the park, or to the west side of the mountains, Groveland, Mariposa etc.

On a side note, Death valley gets real hot in the summer months and arriving to the Furnace creek/Badwater area earlier in the day would have it's advantages !

I just checked on the RTA reservations page using a random date during July and it came up with quite a few lodging choices for Mammoth Lakes starting at $75 per night.

Thanks SW Dave - I think we are going to go for he Westin at Mammoth as they have aircon, which we might be needing. Death Valley will have to be a drive through with a brief stop, heat permitting.

Your route seems to come back into CA and follow what looks like a smaller road (190 to 136) - I had presumed the 05 through Nevada was a better/easier route? Any reason you suggest the 190 and 136? It looks much longer - I presume it is a better drive/view/stops?

Not really longer at all, you would be leaving Death Valley through the west entrance, and US-395 is a very scenic road.

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I had presumed the 05 through Nevada was a better/easier route?

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Do you mean using US95 ? That route doesn't go through Death valley.

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Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

Do you mean using US95 ? That route doesn't go through Death valley.

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Oh, well I guess I'll be going your way then!

Thanks - booking it up right now.

It doesn't take much longer but you will have to add extra time for stops and sight seeing. It's a wonderful drive through an amazing landscape and although it could easily take up your day, it will be relaxed and well worth it !

If you think of any questions for any other parts of your trip that you may need help with, just ask in this thread.

Have a great trip !

RE air conditioning -- though many places no longer advertise it, I think most motels and hotels offer A/C these days. We've never found one without it, especially in the southwest deserts. (A place up in Maine offered it. We didn't need it, but it was there!)


Donna

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Originally Posted by kmeand

I think we are going to go for he Westin at Mammoth as they have aircon, which we might be needing.

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I have to agree with Donna, I can't think of any motel I've ever stayed at anywhere in the US or Canada that did not have air conditioning. I'm virtually certain that every hotel in Mammoth and the surrounding area will have A/C. It's simply assumed that the motel will have it, so most don't bother mentioning. It's basically the same with rental cars, most places don't need to mention that their cars have AC, because its so common that it is just assumed.

In other words, that doesn't need to be a factor at all in picking your hotel or stopping point.

We have a 4 week road trip, almost all planned - the only bit I cannot get my head around is how much time it will REALLY take to drive from Monterey to Santa Barbara (coast road) - looked through the forum - this has probably been answered a hundred times - sorry.

Planning to stop on the way for a few photos, and would like to catch Hearst Castle.

Should I be looking to take it easy and stop in San Simeon and catch the castle the following morning, or is that too short a drive for the first day?

Mod Note] Please keep all questions about this trip in one thread. Thank-you.

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Originally Posted by kmeand

We have a 4 week road trip, almost all planned - the only bit I cannot get my head around is how much time it will REALLY take to drive from Monterey to Santa Barbara (coast road)

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This is one of those questions that is really nearly impossible to answer. If you stopped at all of the viewpoints, took a walk to see the waterfall that drops into the Pacific, (McWay Creek Waterfall ) had lunch... Etc. it could easily take 14+ hours. If you drove through, without stopping and there wasn't much traffic maybe six hours. Here are some more ideas about this route!

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Planning to stop on the way for a few photos, and would like to catch Hearst Castle.

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This entirely depends upon which tour you get. But if it were me, I would spend the day enjoying the coast route, takes some walks, stay overnight at San Simeon -- take an early tour and cruise on down the coast to Santa Barbara.

OK the more I think about it that seems more sensible - I have trimmed a day elsewhere and booked to stay in Cambria so we can do the tour AM and then head of to SB.

Thanks again - your web site is VERY much appreciated.

While I agree with Mark in that I, too, would probably take two days for the drive you have envisioned if it were my first time seeing the coast road, and it is true that as a matter of course the 'regulars' here recommend two solid days for the drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles following the PCH, neither of those exactly fits your situation. And then of course we don't know your travel style. So let's lay out the logistics and let you decide.

In your favor (for a shorter drive) you don't have to clear San Francisco or get into Los Angeles, so those are two major traffic headaches and time sinks that you don't have to worry about. If, in addition, you'll have already seen the sights around Monterey before setting off on this segment of your trip, including 17-Mile Drive, Point Lobos, and Garrapata State Beach, then you might want to consider making it a one-day drive to Santa Barbara.

The driving itself would take about five hours. Making a few beach stops on the way including, say, Julia Pfeiffer Burns Sate Park, Limekiln State Park, and a sea lion rookery or two would add another two or three hours. Toss in a couple of hours for one of the shorter (but still quite informative) tours of San Simeon and an hour for lunch and you're looking at a 10-12 hour day. But that's a fairly well paced day with a good mix of hiking, driving, sight-seeing, and relaxing. With a reasonable start, say 9:00 AM after a good breakfast, you'd still arrive in Santa Barbara at a reasonable time in the evening, say around 8:00 PM.

In the end, the choice is yours.

AZBuck

Note that you should prebook your Hearst Castle tour. I would book the last one of the afternoon if you are staying in Cambria, it's only about 3 hours from Monterey to the castle with no sightseeing stops. It's a very easy 3 hour drive from Cambria to Santa Barbara, I'd suggest you may want to look at stopping in Solvang for lunch.