Advice Please: Las Vegas to Sequoia NP to Yosemite to Lake Tahoe

[bigtiny]

Hello! I am a single mom planning a road trip this summer with my three daughters. I am looking for any and all advice as it is in the planning stages. We are flying into Las Vegas in June (reservations in Stratosphere Hotel), staying there for 2 days, driving to Sequoia National Park (reservations at Wuksachi Lodge) for two days, then on to Yosemite for 2 1/2 days (reservations in Half Dome Village tents, but am hoping to upgrade :) ), then driving to Lake Tahoe (reservations at Hard Rock Hotel) and flying home from there.

I am looking for advice/suggestions on this trip. Does it seem reasonable? Are there things we should definitely do or avoid? Two of my daughters are in college and one in high school. They will want to do adventure and outdoor activities. Any suggestions? Also, my oldest daughter will turn 21 when we are in Yosemite, and I'd like to make it a really special day for her. If anyone has any suggestions for places to go/things to do, I'd really appreciate it. We are regular travelers but not at all familiar with this area.

Also, the least expensive car rental I have been able to find is $650 (maybe because of picking up at one airport and dropping off at another). If anyone has ideas on this, they'd be very much appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

The easy question is about the rental car: The one way trip is almost certainly why $650 is the cheapest you've been able to find. If you returned to Vegas at the end, I'd expect that number to fall significantly.

The Stratosphere wouldn't be my first choice for places to stay in Vegas. It's at the extreme north end of the strip, and is actually so far from everything else on the strip that you can't really walk anywhere else. Of course, that's also why it's usually one of the cheaper places to stay in Vegas. Personally, I actually like staying Downtown, but if you want to stay on the strip, you might look at properties on the far south end, like Excalibur or Luxor, which are usually similarly priced, but in a better location.

Actually, speaking of Vegas, it's a tough city to enjoy if you are under 21 - and I'd think especially if you were just days away from turning 21. I'd think about reversing your trip to finish in Vegas.

For something special in Yosemite, if you are all big hikers, I'd think about using the day to do the Half Dome Hike. Otherwise, the NPS website is filled with information and ideas that should help you plan a great day.