Trying to hit everything in Vegas, Yosemite, DV, etc.

I%26#39;ve read so much and am just hopelessly confused. I%26#39;m trying to plan an extraordinarily zealous trip at the end of April and hoping an expert or two can comment specifically on my trip and/or route. I fully realize each place is getting a lick and a promise but it%26#39;s been a long time saving and want to see all we can. Thanks in advance for any help...

My husband and I are 30, my kids are 10 %26amp; 11 yr. old girls...

April 26th -- flying in to Vegas around noon. Picking up car. Drive to Hoover Dam for a quick look and then on to Grand Canyon. Reservations at Holiday Inn Express.

April 27th -- explore Grand Canyon, plan on leaving around 1:30pm or so. Arrive back in LV around 6:30. Reservations at Flamingo. Maybe just show the kids the view from Stratosphere, the Bellagio fountain, and stick to the pool at the hotel.

April 28th -- Leave early. Here is where I%26#39;m really not sure. What I%26#39;d like to do is go through DV -- at least to see it. Then get a hotel somewhere. Maybe Bakersfield??

April 29th -- Leave early. I%26#39;d like to drive through Sequoia and Kings Canyon. Is this possible? Just to spend an hour or so? Arrive in Yosemite. Reservations at River View Lodge.

April 30th -- Yosemite

May 1st -- leave mid-day. Drive to Big Sur area. Reservations in Seaside.

May 2nd -- Sort of free. Hang out where we want to and eventually check in to Hilton near SFO.

May 3rd -- San Francisco. Take a tour, explore.

May 4th -- Fly out of San Jose.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I%26#39;m particularly confused between LV and Yosemite. Thanks again!!

Trying to hit everything in Vegas, Yosemite, DV, etc.

Hi Angela, welcome to the forum.I%26#39;m sure you realize you%26#39;re on the road for 5-6 hours those first 4 days without stops and time for visits.

4/26: You%26#39;re not on the road after arriving at noon. Pu luggage, pu rental car etc. will take time, so will Hoover Dam. Holiday Inn express is in Tusayan so you%26#39;ll have to drive to the rim, find a parkinglot etc. next morning. It all will take time so your visit to GCNP will limited, but better short than not at all!!

4/27: Long day!! After exploring GCNP and the drive to Las Vegas, dinner with 4, you%26#39;ll be sound a sleep at 10. Mark my words -lol-

4/28: Driving through Death Valley eventually to Yosemite NP will take some 11-12 hours with no stops other than refilling. Never miss Death Valley though. YOu can spend weeks here but on a fast visit I would do this:

Start Las Vegas very early, take exit 33 on I15 to nv 160 to Pahrump. In Pahrump take nv372 becoming ca178 in California and to Soshone. Take 178 into Death Valley and visit Badwater and Devils Golf Course. Take awesome Artist drive and to Furnace Creek visitor center. You probably would like a cup of coffee now so go the Furnace Creek Inn and stroll the grounds. After that go to Zabriskie Point for the gorgeous overlooks. Drive 190, see Devils Cornfield, Stovepipe Wells Dunes and maybe Mosaic Canyon via a dirtroad just west of Stovepipe Wells. Then the drive to Ridgecrest outside DV for the night. Make a reservation, many workers in the Ridgecrest area. Without stops it already will be at least 5.5 hours from Las Vegas to Ridgecrest so it will be a very long day.

4/29: From Ridgecrest to Yosemite via Mojave, Bakersfield and Fresno will take another 5-6 hours. Forget about the detour through Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP, that will add many many hours on curvy roads to your trip. Save Seki for another trip or:

Drive from Ridgecrest to Three Rivers. Next day drive to Yosemite. But you%26#39;ll miss Big Sur if you add Sequoia.

Maybe, of course it%26#39;s up to you, leave the Big Sur area for another visit and spend more time in Yosemite and San Francisco.

Hope this helps some.

Tet

Trying to hit everything in Vegas, Yosemite, DV, etc.

You%26#39;ve made m%26#39;mind boggle, Angelasay. I don%26#39;t know how to answer you but I can help you to find your own answers by advising you to visit the DRIVING DIRECTIONS page at the TouringSFO site at http://geocities.com/ and reading the reports ';A Trip to Las Vegas鈥?quot; and ';A Trip to Anaheim鈥?quot; linked to it as well as the ';A Bit of Non-Gambling Las Vegas'; page.

Oh my gosh, thanks so much! I was unsure whether or not I should post a request because it%26#39;s a redundant question. So glad I did! I can%26#39;t wait to go through your other posts. Thanks again!!!

Sequoia/Kings Canyon %26#39;can%26#39; be a day trip on your way to Yosemite, if you stay in Three Rivers and give up Big Sur (I like the Sierras better anyway). It still accounts for a very long day. As you are driving through Giant Forest, you WILL want to stop. The second largest branch off the world%26#39;s largest tree by volume fell two years ago. It is huge on it%26#39;s own.

If you pass on SEKI, try to visit the Mariposa Grove near the south entrance to Yosemite.

Xochipilli--are you with the NPS?

I don%26#39;t usually see NPS unit identifiiers here. I avoid them because most average folks wouldn%26#39;t know the difference between SEKI and SUCR, CRLA and CRMO, GOGA and GOSP, GRSM and GRTE...but everyone knows LOL.

OTOH (;o) we mentioned Sequoia/Kings Canyon before Seki. Must be a POC to OP....FOFL.

OOPS! My bad. Since I make tent camping reservations when we travel, I guess I%26#39;ve gotten use to NPS identifiers.

Angelasay, I love driving. I love driving a lot.

But, even I%26#39;ve got to say, that is a LOT of driving. Really, you%26#39;ve got two (or three) vacations that you%26#39;re trying to cram into one.

If you don%26#39;t mind driving the entire time and seeing everything through a windshield, by all means go for it...seriously. But, if you%26#39;d like to breath the fresh air and relax a little, you%26#39;re going to have to cut down.

Perhaps you can save the Grand Canyon, Sequoia and Big Sur for other trips. That would make your trip much less hectic.

Hi Angelasay, planning a similiar trip myself and would recommend you check out completenorthamerica.com/flydrivecnawestern.鈥?/a> They have an itinerary that plots a route from San Francisco to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. Perhaps you could pick up tips from them, maybe do they suggested trip in reverse ?

Thanks! It%26#39;s on my list!