San Francisco to Vegas via Yosemite in one day?

[nottsgriff]

Is this possible? If so, how long is it likely to take and what is the best route? We have one day to drive from San Francisco to Vegas in mid-August as part of our honeymoon, and I was perfectly happy with a 9 hour drive via the interstate. But, a friend has suggested calling at Yosemite on the way and I've got to admit that it does look stunning - would this take the journey time to over 12 hours though?

I noticed the editor's "Adventures in Vegasland:Road Trip to San Francisco" page while searching these forums - did they drive along that route in one day?

Any advice would be great!

Thanks

Nottsgriff (Nottingham, England)

[Mark Sedenquist]

I noticed the editor's "Adventures in Vegasland:Road Trip to San Francisco" page while searching these forums - did they drive along that route in one day?

Welcome to the Forum! Megan did this drive over a two-day period. To do it in one day -- about the fastest you could expect would be ten hours -- and if you really took the time to enjoy the views -- closer to 14-15 hours. Do you have much experience driving mountain roads?, because there are faster roads although the route through Yosemite is awesome.

Mark

[nottsgriff]

Welcome to the Forum! Megan did this drive over a two-day period. To do it in one day -- about the fastest you could expect would be ten hours -- and if you really took the time to enjoy the views -- closer to 14-15 hours. Do you have much experience driving mountain roads?, because there are faster roads although the route through Yosemite is awesome.

Mark

Thanks! I have plenty of experience of driving on mountain roads in Europe, mainly the French Alps, but this will be my first visit to the US. If it is going to take too long then I'll just have to stick to the fastest route, but I thought it was worth asking as the views look spectacular...

On a related question - how strict are the traffic cops over there? I'm used to driving at 70-85mph on the major roads over here, is that likely to get me into much trouble over there with the 55mph limit? Are there any differences between enforcement in the cities and out in the country?

[Midwest Michael]

If you end up taking the fastest route from Vegas to SF, you'll be almost completely on Freeways, so you won't have to worry about a 55 mph limit too much. Rural Freeway speed limits in the Western US are 70-75 mph, depending upon the state. Only 2 lane and Urban highways are at 55 mph, and even there some states have increased the limit to 60-65 mph.

Personally, I usually follow the 'rule of single digits' when I'm driving. As long as you are less than 10 mph over the limit, its pretty unlikely you will get pulled over or get a ticket. In my thousands of miles following this rule, I've only been pulled over once following it - I was given a warning for doing 78 in a 70 by a state trooper. If you start getting up to 10-15 mph or more over the limit, then you'll probably end up with a ticket.

Then again, keeping it to the speed limit is the safest thing to do, particuarly if you aren't familiar with the area where you'll be driving.