Honeymoon help - SF/Coast/Vegas

[Southwest Dave]

How far/long a drive is the SantaB-LV leg? Anything to see on the way which we would miss with the flight option...?

A direct run will be in the region of a 7 hour drive by way of I-15. Death valley or the Mojave N.P are popular detours, but other than a long day these are better served with a stop over. You may find Calico ghost town interesting just East of Barstow for a place to take a break.

[dixon]

That sounds great. Does anyone know of any recommended Grand Canyon tours from Vegas? Either in a day or an overnight..ie which ones are good/go to the right places etc

[Southwest Dave]

Almost all the Grand canyon tours from Vegas have the same or similar offerings and I believe a lot of them are just agents. The only way I am aware of flying over the Grand canyon N.P. is to first land at Grand canyon airport. We used Papillon helicopters and was very pleased with them, but we went direct to G/C airport, as opposed to flying from Vegas.
I would search and see what they have to offer but to see the famous images you may have seen of the Grand canyon, you will not get a tour that will take you there, land and raft through it as you are after, these all take place away from the main area.

[werena_song]

I'm planning to go to San Francisco in early April, we have just under two weeks, and were planning around 5 nights in San Francisco, 2 nights in Yosemite, 1 night en-route (any suggestions welcome, Death Valley??), and then 4 nights in Las Vegas. We probably wouldn't want to drive more than 5 hours a day and would prefer something relatively scenic. Do you think this is feasible?

I haven't booked flights yet, but we are coming from the UK and will probably fly into and out of San Fran so will probably need a cheap internal flight from Las Vegas back to San Fran.

Any suggestions would be more than welcome!

Thanks in advance!!

[Southwest Dave]

Hello werena and welcome to the R.T.A forums.

I would say your plans are very feasible and should give you a relaxed time.
A very popular option is to cross the sierra's on route 120 [Tioga pass]from Yosemite to Death valley but it will still be closed due to snow in early April. You will need to head south from Yosemite towards Fresno and Bakersfield to get to Vegas, but you can still divert across Death valley by heading North on the 395 and the 190/160 across D/V. An overnight stop around Lake Isabella/Kernville is a possibility.
To do this and not wanting to spend to long on the road it might be worth spending an extra night between Yosemite and Vegas, but I personally think seeing D/V is worth a night, possibly taken from your S/F stay.

Here are some useful links that maybe helpful and you will find lots of other info using the search button on the forums.

Let us know if you would like any more details.

[werena_song]

Thanks very much Southwest Dave, that's really helpful. Sorry to be a bit dense...

So the suggestion would be, if we have time to, go from yosemite to lake isabella/kernville to death valley then onto Vegas? stopping overnight in lake isabella/kernville and death valley is that right?

How long approx is the driving time when the tioga pass is closed from yosemite to las vegas? And then how long approx from yosemite to lake isabella/kernville? and death valley?

Thanks so much for all your help!

[Southwest Dave]

So the suggestion would be, if we have time to, go from yosemite to lake isabella/kernville to death valley then onto Vegas? stopping overnight in lake isabella/kernville and death valley is that right?

Correct. There are lots of options and this was one that will give you time to
see some of Death valley and not be driving for more than 5 hours during the day.

How long approx is the driving time when the tioga pass is closed from yosemite to las vegas?

I would estimate between 8 and 10 hours, depending on stops.

And then how long approx from yosemite to lake isabella/kernville?and death valley?

Depending on which part of Yosemite you depart from 4-5 hours to Lake Isabella.
To drive through Death valley to Vegas with time for lunch and a little sight seeing I would allow 7-8 hours otherwise you will feel rushed in my opinion, there is plenty to see. That's why I suggested another night here, you could have more time to explore and keep under your 5 hours.
Furnace creek is a popular spot in D/V for lunch or a night. [Not to many to choose from]

From your first post;

I haven't booked flights yet, but we are coming from the UK and will probably fly into and out of San Fran so will probably need a cheap internal flight from Las Vegas back to San Fran.

Have you considered flying into S/F and out of Vegas? I am not sure how much [if at all] extra this will cost, but it will cut out the time and expense of returning to S/F. Worth checking out.

And you are welcome, don't hesitate to ask if you need more info.