road trip from LV to yosemite, SF question from fast driver!

i am coming to The US again. Normally I have five days so I only do NY or las vegas but this time I have 15 days.

I know I should ask the following question on lake tahoe or california forums but I would get a lot of answers telling me to spend more time on the road and that is not what i am reallty looking for. I lik eto drive and nature but I love cities even more.

My trip so far is:

july 20-22: NYC

july 23: hard rock hotel las vegas

july 24: drive through deat valley as close to Yosemite as possibe

july 25: yosemite, then drive to SF

july 25-26: san fancisco

july 27: drive down coast plus stay in Obispo

july 28: downtown las vegas

july 29- aug 1 the strip las vegas

august 2-3 NYC

I know it is a long introduction for a few simple questions. But to answer my questions a little background will help. :-)

I love beautifull scenery but don%26#39;t mind driving and believe I can see a lot from the comfort of my car and short walks. I saw Grand canyon but after an hour just wanted to get in my car and drive.

SO:

-I was wondering if I should take 1 day less in Vegas and maybe drive to Lake tahoe for 1 day before going to Yosemite?

-should I stay longer in SF?

Thanks for al the help one can provide.

road trip from LV to yosemite, SF question from fast driver!

It seems to me you may be better off driving from Lv through Death Valley thru Yosemite and then up to Lake Tahoe. The Lake Tahoe forum is not very active, I don%26#39;t know how much info you would get there.

I think it%26#39;s about a five hour drive from Yosemite to Lake Tahoe via the 395. I%26#39;m not sure the distance from LV to Yosemite as I have not driven that route. Lake Tahoe is beautiful and I think you would enjoy it.

From Lake Tahoe its about a four hour drive to SF. I think you will be fine with two days in SF if you have a car. Drive to the Palace of the Legion of Honour, you can get a great view/photos of the Golden Gate bridge from there, one of my favorite spots.

road trip from LV to yosemite, SF question from fast driver!

I checked on Yahoo maps and it says it is a 10 hour drive from Vegas/Death Valley/Yosemite/Lake Tahoe. I assume you just want to drive through Death Valley and Yosemite? Lake Tahoe has a variety of lodging options.

If I was doing that drive, and it sounds like a great trip, I would spend the night in Oakhurst which is just before you get to Yosemite%26#39;s south entrance. The next morning, I would stop to see the giant redwooods (just a few miles from there on the way to Yosemite). I would then do yosemite and exit thru the east via Tioga Pass to Lee Vining and Lake Tahoe or Reno. That%26#39;s an incredible drive.

Oakhurst is difficut to reach isn%26#39;t it. From LV through death valley I wont be able to get to Oakhurst or am i mistaken?

i thought normally I was coming in through the tioga pass.

Should I do yosemite and then do a backtrack so I get back to the tioga pass and then go up to Lake tahoe?

Or just skip taho and take another day in SF or LV?

You%26#39;re right-I%26#39;m wrong. You will be coming in thru Lee Vining/Tioga Pass. Backtracking thru Tioga Pass after doing Yosemite to get to Lake Tahoe is quite a drive and with the price of gas what it is, personally, I would spend a day in SF or Vegas.

So I guess my question comes down to:

is it worth it going to lake tahoe on a trip that also features Death Valley, Yosemite and the coastal highway if Tahoe would mean less time in SF or LV?

Tahoe, Death Valley, Yosemite, SF, LV; they all have their uniqueness. If you have the time, they are all worth at least one day or more.

So far your driving plan is pretty ambitious, lots of driving covering a lot of territories in a short time. It can be exhausting.

Your plan is, in my opinion, way too ambitious and will involve too much of your well earned vacation time sat behind the wheel.

You should do a one way rental from San Francisco to Vegas or vice versa. Then spend 3-4 days in each at either end of the road trip and prioritize what you want to see between the two.

Is it essential that you spend nights in NYC at both ends of your trip? That doesn%26#39;t make too much sense to me.

I like driving out west, but I would not undertake your itinerary. You plan to cover a lot of mileage in a short period of time. In particular, I think you are not allowing enough time for Yosemite. Most of Yosemite is closed to private vehicles, you have to use a system of shuttle buses to see most of the sights.

If I were you, I would only drive up to Yosemite and maybe Lake Tahoe and then back to Vegas. Or, I would try to get a cheap flight on Southwest to visit SF. Possibly from SF rent a car and drive out to Yosemite. If you want to stick with your itinerary, I would definately take a day or two away from downtown Vegas at the end of the trip to give yourself enough time to enjoy some of the places you will be driving by.