Las Vegas to San Francisco, via Death Valley, Sequoia, and Yosemite

[EllCo]

Hi everyone! It's my first post here, so its great to meet you all!

I'm looking for a little help on a route from Las Vegas to San Francisco in January. I'm coming from the UK, and it'll be my first time to the wonderful state so I want to try and fit in as much as possible, without rushing through!

I was planning a week to do the route so I can spend a good amount of time in each place. I was potentially thinking 1 night in Death Valley, 1 or 2 nights around Sequoia and Kings Canyon, 3 nights in and around Yosemite, with a night or two to spare if there's any other places I should go!

I have read a few old posts and some people recommend skipping Sequoia in favor of spending more time at Yosemite and seeing the Redwoods there - thoughts an suggestions on this would be appreciate :)

I loosely say a week but I don't mind a couple of days extra if there's some areas anyone with experience thinks I should go.

I will be looking to hike, walk, see, and explore these places wherever possible - if you could factor that into the decision. Also, suggestions on where to spend the nights would be greatly appreciated, as obviously I have very little knowledge of the area!



Thanks in advance for all the help!!

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

With 7-9 days there is no reason to miss out on Sequoia NP, it's an amazing place ! It's sometimes advised to miss it when a person only has a couple of days and the Tioga Pass is open, a spectacular road which crosses the Sierra Nevada into Yosemite from Lee Vining. It will be closed when you travel, as will the Kings canyon area so that won't be an option. The high ground areas of Yosemite will also be out of bounds due to freezing and deep layers of snow. I would take a look at the official park web pages for info on travelling during this time of year, you do face the possibility of road closures and having to carry snow chains (and have the ability to use them) which is something you would have to discuss with your car rental company about their policy. Given the time of year you are travelling I would leave your lodgings open ended so you can adapt to the conditions as you go, not having reservations shouldn't be much of a problem at this time of year, although you can still research your options and take note of places that catch your eye and match your budget. (You can check some out using the 'Lodging' link in the green tool bar at the top of the page)

I would consider first heading to the Grand canyon south rim and spending a night or 2 there, but again it's at high elevation and you could see snow and ice. If you were already planning to go to GC from Vegas as part of a tour I would rethink. Tours mainly go to the west rim which is on Indian lands and nowhere near as spectacular as the 'real thing' and it is much more expensive. A day trip to the south rim is just too much to do to really enjoy this wonder of the world, stay overnight.