SF to Las Vegas and back

Hi,

I'm planning a road trip next May from SF to Las Vegas and grand canyon via yosemite and other sites, then back to the coast and up Highway 1. Plans are very loose at the moment, but we're planning on doing the trip over 3 weeks. Three questions:

1. Is this too far? Are we better off driving from SF to las vegas, then flying out of Las vegas?
2. What will the weather be like in may?
3. Will we need to book accommodation in advance?

All help gratefully received.

Cheers,

Dave

[Mark Sedenquist]

Any route from San Francisco to Las Vegas via Yosemite in early May will be somewhat challenging, since Tioga Pass (R-120) will probably still be closed by snow. There is ample discussion on this board about alternative routes (search under Yosemite and select all threads) for ideas.

Three weeks is a great length of a road trip for this distance. If you were to fly out of Las Vegas, you could spend more time exploring the California gold country and the national parks in California, Utah and Arizona.

Weather -- depending where you will be could be as warm as 110 degrees (F) in Las Vegas and Death Valley and as low as -10 degrees in the Sierra Nevadas. -- But it is likely to be much more temperate -- May is a pretty ideal time to be traveling in the west.

Accomodations -- it depends on how much uncertainity you enjoy on your road trip. I rarely, if ever, book ahead -- for more commentary on this subject check out <a href = "http://www.roadtripamerica.com/GettingOutThere/Road-Trip-Reservations.htm">RoadTrip Reservations<a/>?

Mark

[imported_Dave]

Thanks for that Mark. It would probably be early-mid may. I've already been to utah area, so was thinking SF - Las Vegas (via the coast, then across), then a quick trip to the grand canyon, then back to SF via Yosemite and the sierra nevada. I've got no idea what distance this will be (approximately), but don't want to be driving every day. Do you think it will be doable in 3 weeks, without having to drive miles every day?

Cheers