<p>We were thinking of 8-9 days, flying into SF and flying out of Vegas.</p>
<p>Is this doable? </p>
<p>I realize it’s too late to get reservations at Yosemite. Where can we stay outside of the park in a reasonably priced hotel?</p>
<p>Probably not interested in driving across Death Valley during the hot summer months.</p>
<p>Any advice would be appreciated!</p>
<p>Seems like a lot to do in that amount of time, especially when you factor in travel time, etc. I would either narrow down the list of places or increase the length.</p>
<p>It’s doable but it depends on your vacation style. If you just want to go Vegas for gambling or seeing how it looks like then 1 or 2 days is enough. But you want to see the shows, walking around, relaxing by the pools,… then 3 or 4 days is the minimum. From SF or Tahoe you can fly to Vegas. I would spend 3 or more days in Yomemite and skip Tahoe.</p>
<p>You can also gamble in Tahoe, or pop over to Reno from there. Not quite as glitzy as Las Vegas, but I agree that you’re trying to do a lot in a short period of time. SF->Yosemite->Tahoe->SF would be doable.</p>
<p>Only interested in Vegas for 2 nights. We’re not gamblers, but would be interested in seeing a few shows.</p>
<p>My first thought was to fly into SF and spend 3 full days there. We would then rent a car and drive to Lake Tahoe, 2 nights there. From there, drive to Yosemite and spend 2 days there, then onto Las Vegas for 2 nights. However, driving to Lake Tahoe seems out of the way.</p>
<p>I’m a little nervous about driving through Death Valley in July from SF to LV. </p>
<p>Is there an alternate route that would provide us with some interesting sights?</p>
<p>The most beautiful place on the planet is the high country of Yosemite. See the valley with the waterfalls and high granite walls. Then head up Highway 120 also called the Tioga Road. Climb Pothole Dome and/or Lembert Dome. Tenaya Lake, Olmstead Point. If you are able to rough it a little, stay at the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge. Canvas cabins with cots. There’s a shower house and a dining tent. This road opens in June depending on snow. Then you can head east to Highway 395, and drive south down the spectacular eastern Sierra. </p>
<p>I go to Yosemite backpacking several times every summer and it is my perfect place but I recognize that some people prefer more amenities.</p>
<p>I went on a week-long hiking trip to Yosemite in 2012. There were 5 of us–3 adults and 2 kids (who were seniors in hs). We rented a house just outside of the park–it was about 15 minutes from the entrance. My friend found it on VRBO. It had 3 bedrooms and 2 baths and a fully equipped kitchen as well as two pull-out sofas (kids slept there). We hiked all day and then come home and had dinner and fell asleep (kids stayed up long after the adults). Also, we prepared food to take with us while hiking. We hiked Half-Dome (didn’t go to the summit because the cables weren’t up–we were there in April), the Mist Trail (Vernal and Nevada Falls), Mirror Lake, Wawona to Mariposa Grove, and the Valley Floor (half loop). The last night of our stay we had dinner at the Ahwanee lodge–which has great ambiance and excellent food. If you like to hike, I’d spend at least 2 or 3 days in Yosemite.</p>
<p>I went to Death Valley when I tagged along with my husband to a conference he was attending in Las Vegas. It’s a little over 2 hours drive from Las Vegas to Death Valley. I went on a small tour (minivan type bus with a guide–there were only 6 of us). While it was a long ride to get there, I was blown away by Death Valley. It was the most amazing place. I would definitely love to go back and explore it on my own. The tour was a great introduction. I’m not a gambler so if it were up to me, I’d spend one day going to see Death Valley rather than spending the time in Las Vegas.</p>
<p>Driving through the desert is always exciting to me. But it will take almost 1 day for the OP from SF or Yosemite and rental car probably cannot be returned in Vegas.</p>
<p>I’ve driven across Death Valley in summer. It’s not difficult. Take plenty of drinking water. Lots of Europeans go to Death Valley in summer to feel 120 degree conditions.</p>
<p>Good to hear about Death Valley!</p>
<p>Is there much to see from Las Vegas to SF?</p>
<p>I’d love to see Lake Tahoe, but I’m thinking it might be out of the way.</p>
<p>We’re not big hikers, so I’m thinking 2 days at Yosemite.</p>
<p>I think the gold rush towns are interesting. They are all strung along highway 49.</p>
<p>You didn’t say when you were planning to go but a few things to keep in mind. For the waterfalls in Yosemite Valley, early summer is best. By late summer, if we have a dry year, Yosemite Falls dries up. Vernal and Nevada Falls run all summer but with more force earlier on. </p>
<p>The Tioga Road, really the only way to get across the Sierra from Yosemite Valley, usually opens sometime in June. Earlier if its a dry year. Later if we get massive snowfall. </p>
<p>The Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, which I like for a ‘roughing it’ experience, is at an elevation of 9600 feet. At that elevation, not only does it get cold at night even in midsummer, but some people cannot tolerate the elevation. They get headaches, nausea, lose their appetites, in short, altitude sickness. I’ve gotten a tent cabin there on short notice several times because people just had to leave. </p>
<p>From the eastern side of Yosemite to Las Vegas, it’s pretty much scenery. First the mountains, then the desert. In Independence, along Highway 395, is the Manzanar National Historic Site. It’s one of the Japanese internment camps from World War II. There’s a nice museum, and reconstructed dining hall and dormitories. An interesting, but sobering look at the past. </p>
<p>Also just south of Lone Pine is a visitor’s center with some displays on the eastern Sierra and a picture window view of Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48. </p>
<p>After that be prepared for hundreds of miles of desert driving through Death Valley and into Nevada. Keep your gas tank full. Bring plenty of drinking water.</p>
<p>This seems like too much of an intinerary and you do have to investigate whether or not you can fly into SF and rent a car that can be returned in Las Vegas. I have done two trips over the past 25 years. The first I was pregnant with older d and added a trip to Yosemite onto SF business trip so had to fly back out of SF. We added Lake Tahoe when we discovered driving the high road in Yosemite made sense to do so and Lake Tahoe seemed like a good destination and then on the way back to SF from Lake Tahoe we stopped in Sacramento and made it to Napa also for a night or two although since I was pregnant, no wine tasting for me and we drove straight from Napa to SFO to return rental car. We did a similar trip with our kids about 15 years ago, several days in SF, drive to Yosemite, drive to Lake Tahoe, where DH had a conference to attend and then back through Sacramento and Napa en route to SFO. Second time we stayed at airport hotel at SFO and dropped rental car back, no stopping in Napa for any wineries. Lake Tahoe on the NV side does have casinos and shows although probably not as big name or fancy as Las Vegas. I am not really a casino fan so not much interest.</p>
<p>I love driving through Death Valley–and stopping for VERY short hikes–in the summer. The air is so hot and dry that it will destroy whatever lingering winter bugs you have, at least in my experience. But DV is also fun because the roads are deserted, you can see for miles and miles–and so speed limits don’t really apply.</p>
<p>As for drinking water, I take a cooler full of ice and a few gallons of water. When you get out of the car in the desert, fill a cup with ice and carry a quart of water. You should empty both in a 1/2 mile walk. (Many (most?) of the interesting sites in DV can be see within a 1/4 mile walk of a place to park.)</p>
<p>Las Vegas will be quit hot in July. Lake Tahoe,on the other hand, will have near ideal temperatures. You could fly out of Reno.</p>
<p>Look at Allegiant airlines. You could drive from SF to Yosemite and drop the car in Fresno and fly to Las Vegas. They usually are pretty cheap flights.</p>
<p>Welcome to SF, yes, its the best to see SF during the summer. Make sure you carry some wind breakers, its colder than you think.
I think you are bit too aggressive in timing, too much driving for such a short trip. Fly from Fresno to LV is a great idea, but even then you are being rushed through the sight seeing points. Why not skip LV and then you are at ease. You can have the shows in SF or Tahoe.</p>
<p>Or if you are a show goer and want to save some money, take a week for Branson MO.</p>
<p>We really would like to include Vegas, simply because we’ve never been there and would like the experience. We are not gamblers, so we would never make a vacation simply out of Vegas and like the idea of combining it with other places.</p>
<p>What’s the most efficient way to drive this trip? I realize that we’d have to pick the car up in one city and drop it off in another. I’m also open to flying in and out of any 2 cities.</p>
<p>Did you map this out? SF to Tahoe is about 3.5 hour drive on a good day. Tahoe to Yosemite is about 5 hours. Yosemite to Las Vegas, about 6 hours.</p>
<p>So, your itinerary looks like:</p>
<p>Day 1. Fly into SFO
Day 2. Sight see in SF
Day 3. Morning sight seeing SFO, drive to Tahoe
Day 4. Hike, drive, raft, boat Tahoe
Day 5. Drive to Yosemite
Day 6. Sight see around Yosemite
Day 7. Drive to Las Vegas
Day 8. Sight see in LV
Day 9. Fly home</p>
<p>The driving to sightseeing ratio might not be the most enjoyable.</p>
<p>You could skip Tahoe, drive to Yosemite, and then fly Fresno to LV.</p>
<p>LV is perfect for a long weekend with easy flights, often affordable, when one plans ahead. You have a very ambitious trip planned for only 8 days. SF and Yosemite deserve more than 1.5 days in my opinion. Both have lots to offer. Take more time to really explore especially if you may not get back for a while. Don’t forget to program in some relaxing time!!</p>