LAs Vegas-Grand Canyon-San Fran: 13-26 March

[swifthalf]

Hi! Possible trip from UK in a few weeks time. Arrive in Las Vegas & stay for 2 nts. Then - wanted to drive to Grand Canyon South Rim & stay for 2 nights (do a bit of walking )-have some accommodation "sort-of" booked. Then we have until 22 March (6 days?) to get to San Fran.

Boyfriend thinks drive to grand canyon (5 hrs each way) basically means we will be travelling back on ourselves. were wondering if we could fly from LV, but that seems like an expensive option (£200 each inc accom from scenicair.com?)

Given that we'll have to drive, what routes would people recommend to get to San fran. I realise we have lots of time. Originally I fancied the coast route & I read here that the "popular route" other route direct via Yosemite is closed in winter. So: would we be better on the coast or inland? Where should we stay etc.

We wouldn't want to drive every day & we would want stay for more than one night (looking for places to stay can be pretty unrelaxing - making decisions isn't something that I’m famed for!).

We like nature & outdoors & craft-brewed beer (not while driving!)

Hope you can help. I need to suggest a route before we take the plunge & confirm the flights etc!

Cheers
Swifthalf, UK.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America forum.

Well, your boyfriend is right that if you fly into Las Vegas, going to the Grand Canyon and then San Francisco would mean that you're covering much of the same ground twice. On the plus side, that's only about 280 miles. If you could, however, look into flying into Phoenix instead of Las Vegas. From Phoenix you're roughly the same distance from the Canyon, but instead of covering the same roads twice, you get to see new territory, including Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon. (Do a search for these venues using the Search function on the toolbar at the top of this Page.) After visiting the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas is then more or less on the way to San Francisco. I don't know how this fits with your schedule, but British Airways does offer non-stop flights from London to Phoenix.

In March, many of the passes over the Sierra Nevada Mountains will still be snow bound so that you have two basic possible routes from Las Vegas to San Francisco, go around the mountains to the east and north or go around the mountains to the south and west. The basic route numbers for the first option are US-95, US-395 and US-50 or I-80. Going this way you could see and enjoy Death Valley and Lake Tahoe. You could break it up with an overnight stay in Carson City or thereabouts. The second option follows I-15 and I-5, but you could also continue to the coast and come up the Pacific Coast Highway (CA-1) for a gorgeous drive into the Bay Area. The halfway point would be Bakersfield.

I think you're pretty well covered on the nature and outdoor aspects of your trip. and as for the craft-brewed beer, they're called micro-breweries here, and they're everywhere.

Now, as long as I have your attention, any suggestions for my trip to the Cotswolds at the end of May?

AZBuck

[boyse7en]

I'd recommend the Highway 1 coast route. Drive to LA then head North. Scenery just keeps getting better the further north you go.
Plenty of villages along the way with small motels/hotels everywhere. We did it in Dec and there was no need to book anywhere, just have a look and pick one you fancy. Plenty of things to stop and see too; Hearst castle, Elephant seal sanctuary, Cannery Row. Ideally, you want 4 or 5 days to cruise it

The 395 route is good, Death Valley is magnificantly bleak and the mountains are impressive but if it is cloudy you can't see them at all and snowfalls can block your route, meaning you may need to head further north than is ideal.