Driving LV to LA

[kutlirsara]

Hi,

We are looking to drive Las Vegas to LA - considering stops along the way. If we head on I-15 we can do the strip of Route 66 (are there good stops along here?) Other stops in a short day-trip would be appreciated. How long is the drive if we go this route rather than directly on the freeway?

[glc]

Welcome to RTA!

Here is one possibility, this is a drive I did make in one day from LV to LA.

Take I-15 to Exit 272 in CA - Cima. Turn left and head into the Mojave National Preserve. The road will come to a T, turn right toward Kelso. When you get to Kelso, which is a ghost town, the old railroad depot is now a visitor's center. Turn left on Kelbaker Rd and take that under I-40 to the end at National Trails Rd (old 66). Turn right and take that into Amboy, where there is an old gas station and motel. Turn left on Amboy Rd and take that into 29 Palms. Turn left on Utah Trail, cross CA-62, and enter Joshua Tree National Park. If you stay on that road, it will exit the park just before an interchange with I-10, which you can take into LA.

This drive will take you about 8 hours with a few stops. It's just under 400 miles.

[DonnaR57]

The advantage to taking the route suggested by GLC is the ability to miss what's usually a big traffic jam on Cajon Pass or the intersection of I-15 and I-215.


Donna

[Jennifer13]

The advantage to taking the route suggested by GLC is the ability to miss what's usually a big traffic jam on Cajon Pass or the intersection of I-15 and I-215.


Donna

That's right. I got stuck at Cajon Pass for a long time once when I was travelling from Vegas to LA

[AZBuck]

One of the more 'interesting' towns along your proposed route is Oatman AZ. Just be aware that old route 66 east from town towards Kingman is not marked as US-66 any longer (US-66 was decommisioned in 1985) but is called the Oatman Highway. If Google Maps' Streetview is an accurate representation, the road is not in the best of shape, but eminently drivable, and does take a rather tortuous route through the Black Mountains (low-lying hills, actually) east of town.

AZBuck

[Southwest Dave]

This is a thread from May 2019.