LA-Vegas-Area51-SF-LA loop for 2 Kiwis in November... any tips?

[pr0fess0r]

Hi Guys
We're a couple of Kiwis in our 30s who have been to the US a few times (LA and Denver) and are coming back from Nov 3-10 this year to catch up with friends in LA. We thought about driving a loop starting Monday from LA->Vasquez Rocks->Vegas, staying the night in Vegas, then going to Area51->SF->Santa Cruz->LA on the Tuesday. Is this feasible, or do you recommend a 2nd night in SF?
We thought about an RV but they seem crazily expensive over 300miles ($200 for the RV and $400 for the miles!) so we thought we'd hire a car for the whole week - Enterprise seem to do good cars/SUVs for about $400 for the week (we've used them before) and Vegas hotels like the Tropicana are only $50 or so on a Monday.
Is Area 51 worth the drive? I know its mainly touristy cafes and not much to see, but we havent sene much outside of LA before.
Any recommendations on the trip (or where to get better deals maybe on cars and hotels) would be greatly appreciated :D

Lucas

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

You would definitely need an overnight stop from Vegas, but even San Fran would be too far following your route. There is also a reasonable chance that the mountain passes across the Sierra Nevada will be closed when you travel meaning that you would have to go up towards Lake Tahoe. This would be over a 1000 miles and even over 2 days, would leave you with no time to explore the very scenic coastal Highway 1.

Is Area 51 worth the drive? I know its mainly touristy cafes and not much to see, but we havent sene much outside of LA before

That's singular ! A tourist Cafe in the middle of a desert and you won't get anywhere near area 51. It's a great drive and interesting if you are going through that way, but if you are that tight on time and not passing through it really isn't worth it.

Have you been to Grand canyon, Death valley, Zion NP, Sequoia or Yosemite ? Just a few of the options you could choose from, but you will have to choose or find a lot more time on the road.

Take a look around the site, open a good map and see what appeals.

[pr0fess0r]

Thanks Dave... we might try and be a bit less ambitious and just check out Vegas for a couple of days and then SF later in the trip ;)

Cheers

Lucas

[Southwest Dave]

Death valley is wonderful around that time of year and would make a good day trip from Vegas, or as a detour.