Between Yosemite & Palm Springs | What to see, where to stay

Hi, I’m planning a trip where the main attractions are San Francisco (thinking of 4 days), Yosemite National Park (3 days) and finishing in Los Angeles (almost 2 days) with Palm Springs the night before (seeing a gig in PS).

Between Yosemite and Palm Springs, I want to see (a glimpse) of the Grand Canyon, spend like 2 hours in Las Vegas and spend a night in Jerome. Probably drive through Benton Hot Springs as it seems interesting.

The plan is to exit Yosemite on the 20th of April and arrive at Palm Springs on the 24th.

Do you think this is doable and what towns would you pick to visit and stay, between Yosemite and Palm Springs?

I want to avoid driving more than 4/5 hours. I thinks there’s no need to do so and we want to do some sightseeing, not just drive and drive!

General advices are also appreciated!

Thank you!

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

I'm sorry, your idea of getting all the way to the Grand Canyon and Jerome and Las Vegas on top of it, starting from Yosemite and getting back to Palm Spring in just 4 days really isn't going to work. In fact, throw in your desire to not drive more than 4/5 hours a day, and it's not really even possible.

The first key thing you're missing is that you're doing this trip in April, which means you can't drive over Tioga Pass, as it will still be closed for the winter. The shortest way from getting from Yosemite to Benton Hot Spring means going all the way up to Lake Tahoe via US50 and coming back down - so that's almost an 8 hour drive just for that leg.

Even if you dismissed that stop, and drove directly from Yosemite to Las Vegas (via Bakersfield) then to the Grand Canyon and Jerome and back to Palm Springs is about 1300 miles. That's about 25 hours of driving just to cover the miles. That's a lot of time behind the wheel for a couple of hours in Vegas and a Glimpse of the Grand Canyon, and certainly seems contrary to your goal of doing siteseeing and not just driving and driving.

If I were you, I'd take Arizona completely off the table. If you wanted to still do Benton Hot Springs, you could head there via Lake Tahoe, and make your way down the east side of the Sierras to Death Valley, and maybe still swing into Vegas before heading to Palms Springs. Alternatively, you could check out Sequoia and/or Joshua Tree National Parks. There's quite a few different combinations of things like that, which wouldn't require quite the level of driving that working the Grand Canyon and Jerome into the trip would require.

As Michael noted your plans are right at the limit of what's possible. If you go south from Yosemite through Bakersfield. and then on to Las Vegas, the very best you could do to include all the places you listed would be over 21 hours real-world driving time. That's more than 5 hours per day over your 4 days, and even that assumes that you'll be able to find lodging exactly where you need it at the end of each day. That, in turn, would mean not being able to spend the night in Las Vegas which is when it really should be seen. Indeed there really is no good stopping point for the end of your second day given you daily driving constraints and the overall length of your proposed trip. The only way I see of making this work is to leave out the Grand Canyon and Jerome altogether. You could add Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks as well as Mojave National Preserve as substitutes, but Las Vegas would still be a fair bit beyond an easy (4 to 5 hours/day) drive. So I'd urge you to re-evaluate your objectives and timeline, and come back when you know what can give, because something's got to.

AZBuck

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Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie

Probably drive through Benton Hot Springs as it seems interesting.

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There are some amazing hot springs in California, I've been fortunate to have visited a dozen or so of them. However, visiting any of them, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, on either the western or eastern slopes in April is going to be challenging. Benton Hot Springs is not technically in the Sierras, but you have to go through several mountain passes from Yosemite to reach Benton and even the road into Benton, if there is much snow, can be dicey at best. My all-time favorite hot spring resort is Mono Hot Springs, but the road will still be closed, due to snow in April.

However, there are some great hot springs in the Palm Springs area! One of the less-famous, but still in my top Five such hot spring resorts is Sam's in Desert Hot Springs.

Michael and AZBuck have already provided you an excellent overview of what's possible for your roadtrip in April.

My recommendation would be to spend those three days in Yosemite. Drive to Palm Springs (cutting out Las Vegas and all of Arizona) and then driving to LA. Maybe divert for overnight to Las Vegas. RTA is based in Las Vegas and there is a lot to see here. But if you really want to spend time outside of the car, you will need to drastically cut the scope of this trip.

Mark

Thank you all for your replies!
So, I'm glad I asked!

What is non-negotiable for me is Yosemite (depart from there on the 20th) and to arrive at Palm Springs on the 24th (I already bought tickets for the Sessanta tour).

Benton Hot Springs is not important.

Cottonwood in Arizona (instead of Jerome) is more more important and I would hate not to "visit" the Grand Canyon, so that's important too.

Las Vegas only if it is doable, it's not that important.

It's easier to do it now with these points? :/


PS: It's Cottonwood that is making all of this non doable or also the GC?


Thank you:)

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Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie

What is non-negotiable for me is Yosemite (depart from there on the 20th) and to arrive at Palm Springs on the 24th (I already bought tickets for the Sessanta tour).

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OK, so Yosemite and the Sessanta concert in Palm Springs are the bookends for the road trip between April 20th and the 24th. And actually, I believe you are referring to the concert at the Acrisure Arena in Thousand Palms that starts at 8pm on the 24th. Are you staying overnight in the Palm Springs area or will this be an all-night concert?

No matter what, it seems to me that you would like the reach the venue city by 3pm to make sure you get to the arena on time.

By the most direct, and fastest route, it is 395 miles from Yosemite Valley to Thousand Palms. And given road conditions, weather, etc. You would need to allow 7 hours to cover that distance.

What is the connection with Cottonwood? Have you booked accommodations there? That is basically Verde Valley, which is beautiful, but sort of an odd destination.

If you wanted to add in the Arizona section, presumably you could travel from Yosemite to Kingman in one day -- this would be 504 miles or about 8.5 hours of travel. Or you could break into two days

So the night of the 20th in Kingman.

21st in Cottonwood, after seeing the Grand Canyon

And then a couple of days to get back to Thousand Palms.

As other posters have mentioned, you could fit in Joshua Tree National Park.

You could also pick up Death Valley NP (my favorite park in the USA)

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I have to jump into a meeting -- other folks will chime in soon.

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Mark

Mark,

Thank you so much for your reply.

Yes, it's that gig at Acrisure Arena.
If it should start around 8pm why do you think I should get there at 3pm? Seems a lot of time.
And yes, the plan is to stay in that area.

The only thing I have booked at this time, are the gig tickets.
Everything else I still have to book, from flights (should do it tomorrow) and accomodation.
The reason for going in april is that my wife is a teacher and it's the easter break. So we can avoid august.

The reason behing Cottonwood is also Tool/MJK related: I want to go to the tratoria related to his wine company and to the store his wife just oppened (vinyl & café).

I've been to NYC twice and I always wanted to do, at least, two more things in the US: visit San Francisco (beggining of this trip) and visit a National Park.
I always had my shights in Yellowstone but Yosemite is nearer.

And I want to enjoy the road and get to know smaller cities in between.

Oh, an 8,5 hour drive in a day is a no go for us.

You think we still can fit Joshua Tree?? I though that all of this was already too much.
Was the fact that I dropped Benton Hot Srpings (is Las Vegas also dropped?) that made the difference?

We're from Portugal, so to drive anywhere, you always have to cross Spain.
Some years ago we drove to the north of Spain and south of France (the furthest we visit was Monaco) and we never drove more than 5/6 hours. And it's not fun to do it day in, day in.

Thank you!

...then you could get to Las Vegas on that first day and enjoy an overnight stay. Flagstaff (about as close as you can get to the Grand Canyon and still find reasonably priced lodging) is then an easy Day 2. It might even allow for a short side trip from Flag to Meteor Crater before returning to Flag for the night. Next up, head for Grand Canyon Village via US-189/AZ-64 and drive the Rim Road east to US-89/AZ-89A down through the Verde Valley to Cottonwood for easily the most scenic drive of this trip. Jerome is less than 10 miles from Cottonwood and you could include it as an excursion from Cottonwood. But you will have to continue on and get to the northern suburbs of Phoenix by the end Day 3. Your last day would then be about 300 miles to Palm Springs, all via Interstate, so it should be doable in 5 hours. With a decent start and stopping just for lunch, you could be in Palm Springs by mid-afternoon.

Just remember the immortal words of Robert Burns, "The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley."

AZBuck

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Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie

If it should start around 8pm why do you think I should get there at 3pm? Seems a lot of time.

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Traffic can be a bit challenging near the venue. My suggestion is based on getting to the area at 3 pm so you can check into your hotel and still have time to get to the concert.

If it were me, I would spend the time in the Sierras and take US-395 south, making the trip from Yosemite south in a couple of days. But if you do that, it makes getting to the Grand Canyon a bit challenging.

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We're from Portugal,

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I would love to drive around Portugal someday.

I will be back in a bit. Have to work on a book proof.

Mark

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Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie

I always wanted to do, at least, two more things in the US: visit San Francisco (begining of this trip) and visit a National Park.
I always had my sights in Yellowstone but Yosemite is nearer.

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AZBuck's idea (above) is sensible and would work fine.

Late April in California is just too much of an unknown in terms of what passes might be open in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

In terms of beauty, going south on the eastern slope of the Sierras would be un-matched in April. But as Midwest Michael has pointed out, it would take you two extra days, (if you are only driving 5 or 6 hours per day) to get from Yosemite to Las Vegas. (Because you would have to drive north all the way to US-50 to get over the mountains.

So, US-395 is off the path.

So what I would do is take the Interstate highway from Yosemite and stay overnight at either Tehachapi or Barstow. (Barstow would not normally be on my list of best places)

(oops, I have to step out again.)

So, basically if you want to stay under six hours of travel per day, you will need to limit your driving to a maximum of 300 miles or 482 Km.

So, first night could be in Las Vegas

Or you could stay the first night at one of the lodges in Death Valley NP
(I have stayed all of them -- a really fun place is Panamint Valley Resort. Here is a map and some photos.)

Second night could be in Flagstaff (having spent a couple of hours at the Grand Canyon)

Check out some of our articles about Arizona

Third night could be in Cottonwood --

Fourth night -- explore Jerome on the way west -- overnight in Kingman

Fifth night -- Thousand Palms -- You could even drive over the historic Route 66 Pass (Sitgreaves) if you left early enough.

If you were to simplify things, and look at Yosemite to Grand canyon to Cottonwood before arriving in Palm Springs, without too longer days of driving, then I would consider the following.

20th. Leave Yosemite, head towards Fresno and look at staying nearer to Bakersfield, or a small detour and look around the Lake Isabella area. Miracle Hot Springs near Bodfish, or Kernville is a small quaint mountain town. Next day(21st) head towards Kingman and explore this route 66 town for the night. Then a ride along a stretch of route 66 on the 22nd, through Seligman and onto the Grand canyon NP, stay the night in the park or Flagstaff. 23rd, head to Cottonwood, spending a bit of time in Sedona on the way. Then continue to drive towards Palm Springs, until you are a comfortable distance away. Cottonwood to PS would be 6.5 hours plus, as you have an event to attend you will want to start out closer I presume. Getting close to (or just along) I-10 would give you a good start to PS on the 24th.

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Because you would have to drive north all the way to US-50 to get over the mountains.

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Not necessarily. CA-88 (Carson Pass) is maintained year round and there's a decent chance CA-89 (Monitor Pass) will be open. You won't know till the time comes. If you do take that to US-395, you can go through Death Valley on the way to Las Vegas.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie

Hi, I’m planning a trip where the main attractions are San Francisco (thinking of 4 days), Yosemite National Park (3 days) and finishing in Los Angeles (almost 2 days) with Palm Springs the night before (seeing a gig in PS).

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So, you have had a number of suggestions, we would love to know what you are planning to do.

Once we know that, we can share some insider tips from the semi-pro roadtrippers who are active on this board about our favorite places along your planned route.

Mark

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Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist

So, you have had a number of suggestions, we would love to know what you are planning to do.

Once we know that, we can share some insider tips from the semi-pro roadtrippers who are active on this board about our favorite places along your planned route.

Mark

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I was going to write just that.
I now have a lot more info and a lot of sugestions.
I need to evaluate them and make a new plan and I'll post it here.

I want to thank all of you for your insights, they are very important!

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Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie

I want to thank all of you for your insights, they are very important!

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Thank you for listening to our advice!

The cumulative total of the active members of this Trip Advice forum is about 4 million miles of road trips in North America (or about 6,4373,760 km) so we have a bit of experience.

Mark

Again, thank you for all your help.

After careful reading all replies, I made two itineraries: one based on the feedback from AZBuck along with Mark Sedenquist, and another one based on Southwest Dave's post.

Option 1: AZBuck along with Mark Sedenquist

My doubt abouth this one is day #2 (21th april) and #3 (22th april).

On day #2 I'm leaving Las Vegas and want to visit the Grand Canyon.
If I go via Flagstaff it's almost 4 hours from Vegas to Flagstaff plus 1,5 hour each way from Flagstaff to GC. I think that leaves very little time to visit the GC.
I could go from Vegas direct to the GC and then stay in Flagstaff.

Day #3: Why go back the Grand Canyon village? I was there the day before, or not?
I think I could go direct to Cottonwood.

Day #4: Kingman or Wickenburg? Wickenburg is nearer? Is because of Route 66? Is it worth it, this section?

Option 2: Southwest Dave

I think I don't have any doubts about this one.

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Both seem to be quite similar on the miles covered and that's something important because, as I expressed, we don't want to be driving (almost) all day, day in day out.

Other thing that is important is choosing the most cenic/fun routes!

I made word docs for each one, with google maps links and prints, for each day.

Thanks again!

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Other thing that is important is choosing the most scenic/fun routes!

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This often adds to the driving time, but for me it's just part of the adventure and pleasure. One such route between Yosemite and Lake Isabella could have you route through the Sequoia National Forest, which is quieter than the National park and a lovely drive. You would need to check on weather and road conditions before heading out that way, but here is the option. You would take exit 87 from CA99 onto CA137/65 which takes you into Porterville then take CA190 through Springville and Cedar slope onto Mountain 90, The Great western divide Highway to M99 at Johnsondale and follow the Kern river Highway into Kernville and Wofford heights. On route is 'The Trail of 100 giants', a grove of giant Sequoia trees, but note this could still be closed in April due to winter conditions.

My original recommendation was:

Day 1) Drive to Las Vegas and spend the night
Day 2) Drive to Flagstaff and spend the night, perhaps make a side trip to Meteor (Berringer) Crater, if you arrive early enough.
Day 3) Drive around the Grand Canyon loop, then down through Verde Valley with stops in Cottonwood and/or Jerome. Continue to the northern suburbs of Phoenix and spend the night
Day 4) Drive to Palm Springs, perhaps a short side trip up to the ranger station in Joshua Tree NP, arrive Palm Springs.

There are two things I might change given your circumstances. You could more evenly spread out the driving on Days 1 and 2 by stopping for the night at Barstow/Yerma CA at the end of Day 1 then continue on through Las Vegas to Flagstaff on Day 2. That would be about 315 mi./6 hrs on Day 1 and 341 mi./5½ hrs on Day 2. You would have an hour or two to explore Las Vegas by daylight.

The other thing I would change from my previous recommendation is that you do the Grand Canyon loop in a counter-clockwise direction: US-89 north out of Flag, AZ-64 along the Canyon Rim and then back down to US-180 into Flag but continue on down US-89/AZ-89A through the Verde Valley. The advantage of doing it in this direction is that the Grand Canyon will be on 'your' side of the road as you drive along it making pull-offs at view points that much easier. Also on your drive through the Verde Valley, the town of Sedona might be a good place to take a short walk just to see the town.

Hope that clears things up a bit.

AZBuck

It occurred to me that we've overlooked another route over the Sierra Nevadas -- which you could use to go from Yosemite Valley to US-395 on your trip south.

CalTrans does everything it can to keep Carson Pass open each winter. Hwy 88 is a bit of a detour northward -- but less than either US-50 or I-80.

Today, it is open (with chains)

So, it is likely to be open in April too!

--> And George (GLC) mentioned this in an earlier post too -- Scroll up to post #12.

I was just in Thousand Palms last weekend.


Mark

It's been an utter pleasure following this thread. I can still see myself on all those roads.

Dave mentioned that taking scenic routes means taking a bit longer; but like him, they have always been my routes of choice. There is a much greater pleasure in the time on the road. Besides, what is the point of taking a scenic/fun route, if you don't give yourself time to really enjoy it.

I hope that you will come back and write a comprehensive report - with photos - in this Forum, on how and where it all went. Can't wait to read it!

Lifey

Hello all, I've been away so I didn't read the last two posts until now.
Thank you all for your help.

In the last two days I just booked accomodation for the nights in San Francisco, Palm Springs and Los Angeles. Damn, they're expensive!
But they're all with free cancelation, so I can do another search. I just wanted to have something by now.

Next step is closing the itenerary between Yosemite and Palm Springs so I can do the same.
I have to read AZBuck post carefully to do that.

I think I'm going to do just 2 full days in Yosemite instead of the 3 full days that were inicial planned. We're not going to make long hikings so I guess in two days we'll manage to see quite a few spots there.

That leaves me with an extra day. Either I spend one more day in SF or i have one more day between Yosemite and Palm Springs and that allows us to have more fun on the road and see more stuff. And not to drive a lot each day.
I'm more inclined to do just that.

To have internet there we have to pay a value each day. It's gonna be expensive but I have to have it to keep in touch of the park warnings and road warnings and maps/waze.
Even if the car has GPS (that's a must have for me).

Just to explain the two days thing:
My entire life I always had two dreams, when it comes to Nature: to do a safari in Africa and to visit a national park in the USA.
We did a Safari in 2023, so Yosemite (I always had my sights in Yellowstone but it's very far) is next.
So, just to be there for two days, drive around and do a small hike, is a dream come true.
Neither myself or my wife have the physical ability to do a 4 or 5 hour hike.


I just remembered I might as well bother you all a bit more and ask what adjustment I should make to the itinerary between Yosemite and Palm Spring since I have one more day.

So, day #1, leaving Yosemite, should be on the 19th.
The day that I need to be in Palm Springs after lunch (around 14pm), would be day #6, on the 24th.

Thank you all!

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Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie

I think I'm going to do just 2 full days in Yosemite instead of the 3 full days that were inicial planned.

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Hard to predict how good a winter we will have -- but the waterfalls should all be flowing when are in Yosemite!

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Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie

To have internet there we have to pay a value each day. It's gonna be expensive but I have to have it to keep in touch of the park warnings and road warnings and maps/waze.

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Are you sure that your telephone service won't just include the Web access? Or if there is an International roaming fee, it should be a lower cost than it sounds like you are considering?

A few days ago I received a notification stating that is 4,90 € per day.
In the European Union is just like in Portugal.
Outside of the EU is another story.
Trust me, it's a lot.

Have you looked into buying a prepaid SIM when you arrive here?

Nope, that might be a good option!
Any advice on the network? I guess there must be millions of them.
Thks!

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Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie

Any advice on the network? I guess there must be millions of them.
Thks!

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Personally, I use Verizon and that tends work just about everywhere where there is cell service. It doesn't work well in parts of northern Nevada and nearly all national parks, but I have been able to get web access just about everywhere else. (Unless one is in deep canyon and there is no line of sight to a tower.)

Mark

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Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie

That leaves me with an extra day. Either I spend one more day in SF or i have one more day between Yosemite and Palm Springs and that allows us to have more fun on the road and see more stuff. And not to drive a lot each day.
I'm more inclined to do just that..

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So, there are so many suggestions in the thread above for this leg between Yosemite and Palm Springs that in order to answer your latest question, please share what your current plans are and then we can (perhaps) share some more insights.

Mark

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Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie

Nope, that might be a good option!
Any advice on the network? I guess there must be millions of them.
Thks!

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I use AT&T. Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are the "big 3". Most of the others you will see piggyback onto one of those 3.

A more convenient phone option than a traditional prepaid sim could be a travel E-Sim. As long as you've got a modern, unlocked, phone that can accept an e-sim, I've found it to be the best way and easiest way to stay connected when I'm traveling overseas. It's especially nice because you can buy it, download and install it, and have it ready to go to use as soon as the plane lands.

There are a few different companies that offer it, but Airalo is the one I've been using for a few years now. You buy a card for your country or region based on the amount of time and data you need. For example, for a US plan for 5GB of data good for 30 days is just $16. They've got plenty of other options for more or less data, as well as plans that also include voice and text - but I always use the the data option, since Google Voice and What's App cover all my needs for texting and calling.

I haven't used the US specific plan - and there are going to be parts of your trip, especially within the National Parks, that will have dead zones no matter who your provider is, but I have used Airalo in Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Japan and the coverage has always been excellent.

Not to sound too much like a commercial, but if you are interested, you can sign up here and use my referral code MICHAE8336 to save $3 on your first esim. (I get a $3 credit as well if you use it)

Wow, learn something every day.

I had not heard of Airalo before.

Thanks for sharing.

Mark

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Originally Posted by glc

Have you looked into buying a prepaid SIM when you arrive here?

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If that service which is available on every continent (other than Antarctica) was availabe in North America, I would not have gone the way of buying my own phone with its contract. I was able to do it in Asia and in Europe, and assumed I would do the same when planning my first trip to the USA. But no, I was assured by all advisors that it was not possible. - Right up to 2020 it was not available.

For data, I used free wifi, which was available everywhere.

Lifey

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Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist

So, there are so many suggestions in the thread above for this leg between Yosemite and Palm Springs that in order to answer your latest question, please share what your current plans are and then we can (perhaps) share some more insights.

Mark

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Of course, you're right.

Initial note: Sleeping in Barstow and then Flagstaff turns out is more driving time than sleeping in LV and then in Flagstaff, so I’m gonna go with the initial option.

Bellow is a mix of AZBuck’s last post and me.


19th April / Day #1
Leaving Yosemite.
As I now have more days, instead of driving to LV (around 5h30m), it’s better to spend the night is a nice village/city along the way (say in 4h distance).

So I appreciate if any of you have any suggestions.


20th April / Day #2
Drive to Las Vegas, spend 2 hours there and head to Flagstaff. Spend the night there.
If possible, make a side trip to Meteor (Berringer) Crater.


21th April / Day #3
Leaving Flagstaff.
Grand Canyon. Do the loop in a counter-clockwise direction: US-89 north out of Flag, AZ-64 along the Canyon Rim and then back down to US-180 into Flag but continue on down US-89/AZ-89A.
The advantage of doing it in this direction is that the Grand Canyon will be on 'your' side of the road as you drive along it making pull-offs at view points that much easier.
Spend the night in Sedona. Is this a good idea?


22th April / Day #4
Leaving Sedona.
This day I want to visit Jerome, check out a trattoria and a vinyl store.

OPEN

Visit Verde Valley? If visit Verde Valley, Wickenburg is too far away to sleep.


23th April / Day #5

OPEN

Joshua Tree National Park?


24th April / Day #6
Leaving _____?
Drive to Palm Springs. I want to arrive in PS around 13h/14h.


Thanks a lot!

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Originally Posted by Lifemagician

If that service which is available on every continent (other than Antarctica) was availabe in North America, I would not have gone the way of buying my own phone with its contract.

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Actually, this is a really important point too. Unlike most of the rest of the world where it's typical to be able to easily buy a sim card right at the airport, that's pretty rare in the US and the ones that you can get tend to be very overpriced.

As long as your phone works with an E-Sim, that's absolutely the way I would go in the US today. Airalo is the one I have experience, and does seem to the largest international provider, but there are several competitors that you could check out as well. The major US Carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile) as well as the major wireless resellers like Mint Mobile, Total Wireless, etc might also have prepaid esim options as well.

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Originally Posted by Lifemagician

If that service which is available on every continent (other than Antarctica) was availabe in North America, I would not have gone the way of buying my own phone with its contract. I was able to do it in Asia and in Europe, and assumed I would do the same when planning my first trip to the USA. But no, I was assured by all advisors that it was not possible. - Right up to 2020 it was not available.

For data, I used free wifi, which was available everywhere.

Lifey

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Things have changed.

https://www.amazon.com/Prepaid-SIM-C...d+SIM+Card+USA

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Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie

19th April / Day #1
Leaving Yosemite.
As I now have more days, instead of driving to LV (around 5h30m), it’s better to spend the night is a nice village/city along the way (say in 4h distance).

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There is no reality where you can drive from Yosemite to Las Vegas in 5.5 hours.

By the fastest possible route, which is all higher-speed Interstate Highways, the distance would require nearly 8 hours. If you want to limit your driving per day to four hours, again following the fastest possible route and missing Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (look at Dave's suggestions earlier in this thread) the obvious places to stay would be Bakersfield or Tehachapi. My money would be on Bakersfield, because you probably won't leave Yosemite until the afternoon.

I do have a favorite place to stay in Bakersfield -- it is a restored historic hotel --where I have stayed many, many times. It is The Padre Hotel.

Alternatively, Tehachapi is very cute little town and has a superb bakery with authentic German mustard. It is called Kohnen's Bakery.

Alternatively you could drive through Bakersfield, and the Panamint Valley and drive through Death Valley NP on the way to Las Vegas.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie

20th April / Day #2
Drive to Las Vegas, spend 2 hours there and head to Flagstaff. Spend the night there.
If possible, make a side trip to Meteor (Berringer) Crater.

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Two hours in Las Vegas seems a bit pointless. It is the world HQ for RoadTrip America and we are based here for a reason. There is much to see. But OK, fastest possible route from LV to Flagstaff is about five hours.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie

21th April / Day #3
Leaving Flagstaff.
Grand Canyon. Do the loop in a counter-clockwise direction: US-89 north out of Flag, AZ-64 along the Canyon Rim and then back down to US-180 into Flag but continue on down US-89/AZ-89A.
Spend the night in Sedona. Is this a good idea?

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Sedona is one of the prettiest spots in the Americas. It is also one of the most expensive to stay overnight. I personally prefer to stay in Village of Oak Creek. But if the expense is not a bother, it has some very cute places to stay.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie

22th April / Day #4
Leaving Sedona.
This day I want to visit Jerome, check out a trattoria and a vinyl store.

OPEN
Visit Verde Valley? If visit Verde Valley, Wickenburg is too far away to sleep.

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Jerome is fun to stay overnight, but Prescott is pretty darn cool. What I actually recommend is that you consider Rick's SST #9 route -- and purchase his book for insider tips in this area.

I am sure others will jump in here soon.

Mark

Dear Mark,

I have google maps prints with less than 6 hours but now it doesn't give me those results. I must be wrong.

2 hours in Vegas? Well, I must have a bias opinion of what to expect in Vegas then. For me it's all about the neon signs and the casinos. But I guess there must be some pretty cool stuf there to be seen. I don't argue with that!

Stay in Sedona is expensive? Thanks, I'll choose another option. Money is important. This trip is going to be legendary but also the most expensive I've ever done.

I treasure all of your insight!

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Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie

I have google maps prints with less than 6 hours but now it doesn't give me those results. I must be wrong.

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So, the estimated times listed on a Google Map are based on algorithm that is supposed to take into account current driving conditions. So, if you ran the same route, on Google, once a day for a week or so, it would--most likely--give you different times. As a reality test, having driven to Yosemite from Las Vegas a bunch of times, the average speed that you can expect to achieve is 57 mph and that is assuming that you can drive 80 mph in certain stretches. If the weather is not cooperating or there is Tule Fog in the valley -- which is possible--that trip could be much longer than eight hours.

The other reality is that Google Maps do not take in account, stopping for fuel or food or construction delays.

Mark

Days One and Two: With your drive time restrictions and wanting to include Las Vegas in this stretch, your options are fairly limited. For example, using Carson Pass rather than going down through Bakersfield would require averaging seven hours per day 'in the saddle'. Also, going through Bakersfield, you will be traversing the Mojave Desert when you'll want to stop for the night. Finding a "nice village/town" is going to be a bit hard, so plan on your overnight in Barstow, which is by far your best option on this route. There is a railroad museum there if that appeals to you. Should you get into Flag early enough, you might want to visit Barringer Crater, but it would be a two hour round trip from Flag after a full day's drive getting there from Barstow .

Day Three: Your plan for this day is quite doable and leaves plenty of time to see the Grand Canyon and take some short hikes along the rim. Sedona is a very "nice village/town", although it can be a bit new age/touristy, so be sure to little time in the evening to stroll around.

Day Four: With three days to get from Sedona to Palm Springs, this could be the most relaxed portion of your drive. You only have to average about 120 to 130 miles a day. On Day Four going through both the Verde Valley and Jerome, in that order, is quite doable and actually keeps you out of the Phoenix area, a thing devoutly to be hoped for. I must note, however, that the main route between Jerome (Prescott) and Wickenburg AZ-89, is quite curvy as it passes through a small mountainous area, so you might want to consider Pioneer Parkway (keep going straight when the AZ-89A Freeway ends) and Iron Springs Road instead. Wickenburg will be your destination for the day. It really isn't that far out of your way and, as we'll see later, overnight choices in the Mojave Desert area can be extremely limited.

Day Five: Today you need to get from Wickenburg to Blythe. It's relatively straight-forward, so I'll just give you a couple of possible sites in and around Blythe: Mayflower Regional Park and Goose Flats Park.

Day Six: Blythe to Palm Springs is another relatively straight forward drive on I-10. I'd strongly recommend that you take the time for a small detour before reaching Palm Springs to visit the Salton Sea. Once settled in Palm Springs, an evening visit to Joshua Tree might be in order. It's an 80 mile round trip from Palm Springs.

AZBuck

Howdy!

If you end up staying anywhere near Sedona, one place I can personally recommend is the Sky Ranch Lodge. It's in Sedona, but it's located on top of Airport Mesa, the flat-topped butte where they put Sedona's tiny airport. The Sky Ranch is like a motel with a view (and an amazing view, at that). Rooms go for maybe $200 a night. You can get cheaper in Village of Oak Creek, or Camp Verde, or Cottonwood, but the Sky Ranch is more than just a room for the night.

If you're staying in Flagstaff, lodging options run the full spectrum. Beware of the cheaper, aging motels on the main drag--most of them aren't all that well maintained, and service is sadly lacking. A better bet would be Little America, or if you like business class properties, there's an Embassy Suites and a Drury Inn; all of those are quite nice, and if you like historic hotels, check out the Monte Vista downtown.

Last but not least: if you'd like to stay in a haunted hotel in ghost town Jerome, the Jerome Grand Hotel comes highly recommended. (They even offer a nightly "ghost tour.")

Rick