Las Vegas --> San francisco / Family Trip April 06

[Denis]

Hi All

My family (Irish, 2 ad's, 2 ch, 10/13) are planning a 15 day trip to the US. Starting in NY on 6th April(4 overnights), then fly onto Las vegas (2 overnights) and then take a trip to the Grand Canyon (1 overnight). Getting by road (2-3 days?) from there to San Francisco(2-3 overnights), we finish up in Los Angeles(3 overnights) with a flight back to Dublin on 21st April.

The part i need help with is the best route from the Grand Canyon (south rim?) to San Francisco, taking 2-3 days, if enough, and stopping at the best places along the way.

I'd also be grateful for weather tips and advice on scenic sections. What do folks think about picking up an RV sleeping 4 at LV and dropping this off in SF? Is this feasible and safe? I presume the Death Valley and Yosemite parks would be good stop offs. Is April in the Sierra Nevada is ok for driving generally. Can you recommend a site I can get a good route plan?

All tips gratefully received

Many thanks
Denis

[Mark Sedenquist]

The part i need help with is the best route from the Grand Canyon (south rim?) to San Francisco, taking 2-3 days, if enough, and stopping at the best places along the way.

Welcome to the Forum -- sounds like you have a grand adventure on the wing.

I'd also be grateful for weather tips and advice on scenic sections.

For some scenic tip ideas -- I would suggest looking at Dan Wulfman's site -- his company is also just about the best RV outfitter we have ever found and I can guarantee that his company can take out some of the uncertainity of renting a RV.

What do folks think about picking up an RV sleeping 4 at LV and dropping this off in SF?

if you decide that you would like to do the rental yourself -- and thousands of international visitors do it every year -- READ this article and print out Mark's tips and use them when you pick up the vehicle.

Is this feasible and safe? I presume the Death Valley and Yosemite parks would be good stop offs.

Yes. It can be a fun way to travel.

Is April in the Sierra Nevada is ok for driving generally

.Some of the passes might still be closed due to snow -- for more information about this -- use the search button and look for Tioga Pass.

Can you recommend a site I can get a good route plan?

Our recommendations for online (free) roadtrip planning software can be read here and in general, I prefer Mappoint and Google Maps for routing programs.

Mark

[AZBuck]

In general, I think you've chosen a great time to see the Grand Canyon and the southwest. The weather will be warming up (average highs will be about 16ºC, lows around 0ºC) but it will still be significantly before the start of the heaviest tourist season. The downside is, as Mark has pointed out, that the passes over the Sierra Nevada mountains may not be open yet, so you would have to go a bit out of your way to see both Death Valley and Yosemite, and I doubt you could pull it off and get from the Grand Canyon to San Francisco in 3 days. Also, distances in the western US may be considerably greater than you're used to. My own choice for a scenic route into Death Valley is to take US-95 north out of Las Vegas, use NV-267 to enter the Valley from the north (and stop to take the tour of Scotty's Castle), then exit the park to the southwest on CA-178 to join up with CA-99 north to Yosemite. But you should really budget at least 4 days to do all this. If you forego Death Valley, then it's relatively easy to come west from the Grand Canyon on I-40 and pick up CA-99 north.

AZBuck

[Denis]

Thanks Mark and AZBuck for the help and links. I take your point on the driving distances. Will try to allocate more time.

kind regards

Denis