San Francisco - Yosemite - Las Vegas!

[Vix]

Heya!

1st timer on this forum here. 3 of my friends and i will be driving from SF - Vegas via Yosemite next month. been reading a lot of the Yosemite-Vegas routes so i think i have a better idea on the possible routes.

We'll be going from SF to Yosemite and spending a coupla hours there taking in the sights. Tioga Pass looks to be open still in September so thinking of takingroute 120 past Lee Vining and Mammoth Lakes. Roughly how long will that sector take and where's a good town to stop for shuteye? was thinking of Bishop or Big Pine or Lone Pine but not sure if the distance is do-able from Yosemite.

from that nightstop (to be determined), we're thinking of going thru Lone Pine (route 136), Death Valley (route 190) and on to Vegas. hoping to make it to Vegas before 5pm so that we can catch one of the shows.

so, is the plan too ambitious?
i don't do many road trips so not sure of how far too push before stopping.


any advice is most appreciated! thanks!

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the R.T.A forums.

The route you have laid out is a very popular one and rightly so, the sights along the way are amazing. Although you will be spending a lot of time on the road, allow 6 hours to get into Yosemite valley, a couple of hours there and then taking the Tioga pass, which is a lovely drive but to take in the views and get out the other side you will be looking at a further 3- 4 hours, so don't bank on getting any further than Bishop. To cut down on time you could go direct over Tioga which will give you a taste of Yosemite.

Your second day you will be another long one to take the scenic drive, with stops I'd guess at a further 8 hour day, so to get into Vegas and get settled in before 5 p.m you will have two early starts and long days to make it worth while, but oh boy those views!

[Vix]

thanks for the very quick reply!

it takes 3h just to get past tioga? yikes!
will i need to make room bookings at bishop, or would it be safe enough to rock up and find a place. i'm hoping it's not peak season is it?

looking very much forward to the views everyone talks about!

[Southwest Dave]

Hi there,

it takes 3h just to get past tioga? yikes!

From the Yosemite village area it will be. It's quite a twisty mountain road thats slow going, but unless you allow time to appreciate what your driving through, it begs the question, "Is it worth it". I have tried to give you an idea of how long it will be with time to appreciate why you're actually doing it, to enjoy the ride. I still think it's worth the extra time personally :-)

I am not sure of the accommodations in that area so it might be worth googling and seeing whats there and even make a couple of enquiries.

[Vix]

well the group consensus is to chill and take it easy, give ourselves time to smell the flora!

thanks!

[Southwest Dave]

well the group consensus is to chill and take it easy, give ourselves time to smell the flora!

thanks!

You can't rush a good thing ;-)

On that matter, I don't suppose there is the option of an extra night?
It would make a big difference, Yosemite is an amazing place and worth a full day here looking around. That would enable you to take a trip up to Glacier point.

[Vix]

can't unfortunately. have already made SF and Vegas hotel bookings and only the Yosemite/Death Valley sector was left.

the original plan was to drive to Fresno from Yosemite then highway it all the way to Vegas the next day. but then i researched more and found the scenic route.
after seeing the photos and reading the reviews, decided to change plans.
:D

[Southwest Dave]

Oh well, you will love it anyway.

Have a great trip !

[s7paul]

We've just done the SF-LV trip, though went via South Lake Tahoe. As has been said, it will take at least 2 hours from Yosemite Valley to Lee Vining (more if you stop to take photos - which you will). It's a shame you can't stop overnight in Yosemite, and I suspect you'll regret not doing so. We went from Yosemite Village to Bishop in one day, though we stopped off at Mono Lake for a while and also took a detour around the June Lake loop. We stayed at the Best Western Creekside Inn in Bishop, and I would recommend it to anyone. It's also very close to the Whiskey Creek restaurant, which is worth a visit. We stopped the next night at Furnace Creek Ranch, which gave us time to look around Death Valley prior to travelling on to Vegas the next day. We also chose to take the longer route through Death Valley to Vegas (via Badwater, Shoshone & Pahrump).

[Mark Sedenquist]

will i need to make room bookings at bishop, or would it be safe enough to rock up and find a place. i'm hoping it's not peak season is it?

September/October is the bridge season between summer and the start of Winter attractions so it should be easy to find lodging at June Lakes, Mammoth Lakes or Bishop.

Mark