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

[Mark Sedenquist]

Wow, learn something every day.

I had not heard of Airalo before.

Thanks for sharing.

Mark

[Lifemagician]

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

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

[Mr. Cookie]

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

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!

[Midwest Michael]

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.

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.

[glc]

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

Things have changed.

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

[Mark Sedenquist]

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).

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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

[Mr. Cookie]

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!

[Mark Sedenquist]

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

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

[AZBuck]

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

[Rick Quinn]

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