Another Vegas to SF question

[schnauzer]

Hi all

We are travelling from Vegas to SF in August. The directions we have found so far seem to take us to Bakersfied and up. Ideally, we would like to travel across as scenic a route as possible (in one day).

Is Vegas - Death valley and touch on Yosemite (Tioga Pass) too much?

If it is, could someone give me some indication as to what is reasonable and most of all, some easy to follow directions (after all, we are Brits) inc. gas stations/places to eat etc.

Many thanks

Tony

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

I'd have to say that LV to SF via DV and Yosemite is way too much for one day. Theoretically you could make the drive, but you wouldn't have any time to make any stops - and then what is the point?

LV to SF via Bakersfield is the fastest route, and even that will take at least 9 hours of driving. If you only have one day for the drive, this is the route I would recommend. Death Valley and Yosemite are great places, but I'd try to find at least a 2nd day if you want to see them.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Is Vegas - Death valley and touch on Yosemite (Tioga Pass) too much?

Yes, it might be too much. However if you bypass Death Valley and instead use the Lida Junction Route, you could still drive through Yosemite on the way to San Francisco -- this would still be a 10+ hour drive. If you use the Lida Junction route -- you really ought to take a detour and visit the Ancient Bristlecone Forest. More information in this article.

Now, you could do both parks -- if you don't mind being on the road 12+ hours or so. I never recommend this route to international visitors because of the fatigue involved. But if you insist, you would take NV-160 past downtown Pahrum to Bell Vista Road and follow this west to Death Valley Junction where you will follow CA-190 into Death Valley past Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells and Panamint Springs over to CA-138 and follow this northwest to US-395. Proceed north on US-395 to CA-120 (just south of Mono Lake) and then proceed west over Tioga Pass into Yosemite NP. After the park you can stay on CA-120 all the way over to I-5. By such a route, you will not have much time to sightsee or stop and enjoy roadside diners. But it would be possible to see a little of both parks and some awesome scenery along the way (but it will require, at a minium those twelve hours of travel through some very demanding driving conditions).

Mark

[schnauzer]

Hi all

Many thanks for the replies - it looks like that particular idea is way too ambitious.

We are however, travelling from LA to Vegas prior to going across to San Francisco. Is Death Valley feasible on the way across from Los Angeles, making Yosemite possible whilst travelling to SF.

We have to do both journeys in a day as it is part of a schedule and I understand that we may have to sacrifice some of the value of stopping off. That said, seeing the sights is better than missing thm altogether.

If this is still possible - any advice would be appreciated.

Also, are there any decent maps I can download?

Thanks for your help so far.

Tony

[Mark Sedenquist]

We are however, travelling from LA to Vegas prior to going across to San Francisco. Is Death Valley feasible on the way across from Los Angeles, making Yosemite possible whilst travelling to SF.

The Yosemite route was discussed above: ...instead use the Lida Junction Route, you could still drive through Yosemite on the way to San Francisco -- this would still be a 10+ hour drive Depending upon where you start in LA and how often you stop on the way, a direct route is ~ five hours from LA to Las Vegas. There are two ways to add Death Valley into that route (I just did such a trip last Monday) one route adds about two hours and the second route (the one I did) adds about four hours. If you stop and look around (remember is going to be darn hot in Death Valley mid-day with temps in August well in excess of 116 degrees) your trip between LA and Las Vegas will easily extend to 9-10 hours.

There are a variety of free mapping services on the Web, that you can use to download free maps. Here are the ones we have tested. We recommend that you always have paper maps with you. Here are the ones we recommend.

The Ten+ Hour Trip: I-5 to SR-14 to Inyokern (SR-178) to SR-190 over Towne Pass to Furance Creek. Spend an hour so so in the visitor center -- drive down to Badwater and a couple other drives. Return to Furnace Creek -- take the 20 Mule Team Drive, stop at Zabriskie Point -- follow SR-190 out of the park to Death Valley Junction then turn west on State Line Road and proceed to SR-160 through Pahrump to I-15 and north to Las Vegas.

The Seven+ Hour Trip: Starting wherever in LA proceed to I-15 north to Barstow and up to Baker. At Baker grab some more water and snacks and head north on SR-127 to Shoshone -- get the required tourist photos (you will see what I mean when you get there). Turn west on SR-178 and enter the park, drive north to Badwater and points discussed above and turn west on SR-190 and follow directions shown above.

Hope this helps.

Mark