The Total time I have alloted for this whole trip is: Arrive LV 5/29 leave 6/14 to fly home. Want to do: DV, Yosemite, Bryce, Zion, GC and hit the hoover damm on way back to LV.
After I arrive in LV on may 29th, from there plan the DV-Yosemite part-- may29 to june 3rd ( or so), from there go to Utah--Bryce, Zion then to GC. Bottom line is I leave LV on June 14th to fly back home.I'm a bare bones/low budget kind of guy. THANKS !!!
Another option, Sequoia NP.
So the South rim it is.GC and hit the hoover damm on way back to LV.
Yes it is. An alternative would be to go across Death valley and head towards Lake Isabella and up to Sequoia NP. You could spend the night around Exeter or Three Rivers and then continue through Sequoia to Yosemite next day, Oakhurst having cheaper lodgings about an hour from Yosemite. You would then travel over the Tioga Pass on the way out towards Zion/Bryce when finished in Yosemite. There is a free rest area just before the town of Tonopah on US6 called 'Millers rest' where you could get your head down for the night, before continuing to Warm Springs and onto the ET highway. [Warm Springs is derelict but woth a quick stop to see the hot tub and it's source from a short walk up the hill.190( in DV) to 136 to 395-? is that correct?
After Page and just before entering the Grand canyon via the east entrance on Desertview drive is the Cameron Trading Post which is quite interesting and has lodging, not 'cheap' though'. Monument valley is worth a visit but would depend on how you juggle your time and on the way to GC you will find Indian market stalls along the road selling their trinkets and stuff, worth stopping and better value than the Trading post.Out of the way places to go to locations/directions? ( scenic, shops, indian related places, anything that comes to mind)?
On the way from the south rim to Hoover dam take route 66 through Seligman to Kingman, lots of quirkey diners and memorabilia shops.
If you wanted to visit Sequoia, then I would do something like this;
29th Vegas.
30th Death Valley to Exeter/Three Rivers.
31st Sequoia to Oakhurst.
1st Yosemite.
2nd Yosemite and to Millers rest.
3rd Millers rest to Zion.
4th Zion
5th To Bryce
6th Page AZ [Antelope canyon/ Lake Powell]
7th Monument valley [Cameron Trading post ?]
8th and 9th Grand canyon
10th Hoover Dam and Vegas.
That leaves you 3 days to hang out in Vegas or add some extra time on the road, or visit both the north rim and south. Make sure you purchase the NP's annual pass for $80 as it will work out cheaper than paying individually.
Last edited by Southwest Dave; 05-02-2013 at 07:37 AM. Reason: Fixed quote tag.
RoadTrip Guru & Enthusiast
Correct - 190 to 136 to 395 to 120.
Yosemite - Bryce is maybe 1 hour longer than Yosemite - Zion. The drive I recommended up through Cedar Breaks is spectacular. This assumes UT-148 is open, it usually opens in late May. If it's still closed, just stay on UT-14 to US-89.
The only cheap lodging in Yosemite is at Curry Village, and they are tent cabins.
Lodging in Lee Vining is NOT cheap. I did find one of the motels with a website, and rooms are $129. There are cheapies in Tonopah, Caliente, and Cedar City. Near Bryce, the only cheapies are in Panguitch. Springdale is also not cheap, but there are a few cheapies in Hurricane. I don't know how expensive the limited lodging near the North Rim is, but there's nothing cheap around the south rim without going to Williams or Flagstaff.
With all the parks you will be visiting, you should get a $80 annual pass at the first park you visit - which would be Death Valley. Stop at the visitor's center at Furnace Creek to get it. Individual fees would be over $100.
southwest dave: DV to Lake Isabella sounds interesting, so from DV I would take 190 to 395 south to 178 to 155 to get to the west side of California? Once in Calif what is a good route to take up to Yosemite?
Which is a more scenic drive going up this way or staying on the east side of calif and going up 395?
More info.
If you want to include a visit to Sequoia NP then it's a lovely drive up 198 on the Generals Highway through the park which would really be the highlight of the drive going this way. You will come across a trail to the General Sherman tree, which is the largest living thing on earth. It would also mean that you don't enter and exit Yosemite via the Tioga Pass, although driving it twice would not be a hardship ! Coming through the south entrance from Oakhurst would take you near to the Mariposa Grove and Glacier Point Road on route to the valley. You really must drive up to Glacier point and take the short walk to the viewpoint, WOW !
You have the idea with the routing, but you could choose to take the Panamint Valley/ Trona Wildrose road to Ridgecrest. It feels really remote and you will pass Ballarat Ghost town, which I believe still has one resident ! As you get to the 65 from 155 head north to Porterville and Exeter and then to Three Rivers on 198 and into Sequoia and then exit via 180 towards Fresno. You also have Kings canyon to consider before exiting ! CA41 then takes you to Oakhurst and into Yosemite.
If you added an extra day to the journey from Vegas to Yosemite as above, you could spen more time in DV and stopover around Lake Isabella/Kernville and next day take a lovely mountain drive through Sequoia National Forest. From Kernville head north on the Kearn river Highway to Parker Pass road [M-99/M-50] to Johnsondale and then near Johnsondale head north on the Great Western Divide Highway to 190 and then Porterville. It's a slow going mountain road but very secluded with lovely scenery. As you turn onto the Great western divide you will find the 'Trail of 100 Giants', a grove of giant Sequoia trees that is little visited. It's a work out, but if you enjoy driving and seclusion it's worth the effort !
Hey Dave, thanks for the info. In light of my time frame and what I want to do. Going from DV , Isabella and up that way as u suggested, and then seeing Yosemite, how much time would u allow for all of that?
Also as I drive from Yosemite east entracne to Bryce, I would take Highway 6 to 93 and into UT. My question is that route in NV, how many gas stations are there along that way? How far apart are they? Looks pretty deserted in for long stretches.
Thanks
As I mentioned in my previous post, you could visit Death valley and Sequoia NP with a minimum of 2 overnight stops and be within an hour of Yosemite, or add another night and you can take a little extra time to enjoy the sights and possibly drive through Sequoia National forest. I would also allow for a couple of nights in or around Yosemite to give yourself time to experience this amazing place. The itinerary I posted previously is allowing a reasonable amount of time for the journey and to experience the destinations, but you can refine it to your tastes.
As glc noted earlier, it would be wise to top off your tank in Tonopah and there is gas available in Alamo but you should have no problem in getting to Mesquite along I15 where there will be plenty to choose from.
RoadTrip Guru & Enthusiast
If you follow my recommendation, you would not be going anywhere near Mesquite. This would add a lot of miles and time to the trip to Bryce.
I recommended you take US-6 to NV-375 to US-93, but then go north on 93 through Caliente, where there is gas. It's 200 miles from Tonopah to Caliente, and any rental car you will find will have well over a 200 mile range. I think you are being overly concerned about finding gas, there isn't anywhere in the lower 48 states where you can't make it from gas station to gas station on a full tank of gas unless you are riding a motorcycle.
It's 150 miles from Tonopah to the NV-375/US-93 junction. It's another 50 miles to Caliente. If you are really that concerned, you can detour south on 93, I think there might be gas in Ash Springs, but I know there definitely is gas in Alamo. It's 100 miles from Caliente to Cedar City, which has every service you can imagine. If I were driving this route, I would go from Tonopah to Cedar City on one tank, and still have about 1/4 tank left. In fact, there are a few towns along NV-319/UT-56, I'd bet that at least one of them would have gas.
Not only would it be wise to fill your tank in Tonopah, it would be extremely unwise not to do so.
Last edited by glc; 05-02-2013 at 06:26 PM.
The west and east slopes of the Sierras differ in terms of foothills, mountain views, flora and fauna. Sequoia National Park has those great big trees. If it takes more time than you have to loop around the Sierras, the Tioga Road is lovely enough to do twice. Post again if you want more information about hikes, lakes, scenic viewpoints etc.
Heading to Bryce first, correct.If you follow my recommendation, you would not be going anywhere near Mesquite. This would add a lot of miles and time to the trip to Bryce.
When referring to 'Mesquite' I was using my recommended route of going to Zion first, I missed the fact you were heading to Bryce, my apologies.Also as I drive from Yosemite east entracne to Bryce,
There is no difference [worth mentioning] in the mileage whether you go to Bryce or Zion first from Yosemite. The only reason I suggested Zion is that it would make your longest day of driving a little shorter, and either way will work OK. If it's Bryce go with glc's route.
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