Las Vegas to San Francisco

Hi everyone,

My husband and I are planning the above trip to commence 3rd May for the duration of 19 days.

We are just a little stuck on which route to take. It would be nice to see Yellowstone, Monument Valley and Lake Tahoe.

With your expertise, could you please recommend a pleasant route which incorporates lots of sights?

Many thanks in advance,

Jen

Hi Jen, and welcome to The RV Forum.

Las Vegas to San Francisco .... It would be nice to see Yellowstone, Monument Valley and Lake Tahoe.

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I'll let others fill in the details and make recommendations, but that's quite a lot of driving. Over 2,000 miles, which significantly reduces your actual "sightseeing" time. I assume you're renting an RV in LV and returning it to SFO (?) Are your arrival and departure days included in the 19 days total? If so, that would mean you really have 17 days (?)

Weather &/or residual snow could affect your route, total driving miles, and where you can visit at the beginning of May, but I'll let the respective locals fill in those details.

One example would be if, say, you drove directly from LV to Reno via Hwy 395 en route to Tahoe, a must-see place to visit would be Yosemite National Park; But Tioga Pass from Hwy 395 to Yosemite could still be closed due to snow - see here. There's an alternate route into Yosemite, but you'd miss a number of other places to visit along Hwy 395, such as Mono Lake, Mammoth Lakes, and Bodie (an old ghost town that's well worth a visit).

Visiting 'only' Monument Valley while in Utah would mean you'd be missing a number of wonderful national parks in that state, see here.

You're correct about renting the RV in Vegas and returning it in SFO and also for the 17 days! I forgot to write off those 2 days.

Bodie looks great, We'd love to look at more old towns

I think you mean Yosemite instead of Yellowstone. I get the two confused all the time.

There is a problem visiting Yosemite. Campground reservations must be made 5 months in advance and there probably isn't a campsite available in Yosemite for May.

My suggestion would be to go from Las Vegas to  the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Then leave the canyon heading east and take 89 up through Monument Valley.

From Monument Valley head on over to Zion National Park.

Then up to Bryce Canyon National Park.

Then continue up to Salt Lake City and turn left on I-80 and head up to San Francisco.

You can detour and take a trip around Lake Tahoe on the way to Frisco.

Easily doable in 17 days and you will see some of the greatest scenery on the planet between Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, and Tahoe.

Aye, Yosemite vs Yellowstone would make a huge difference.

Campgrounds in Yosemite itself fill up fast, but there are private campgrounds outside the park.  Then you could catch the shuttle bus that runs around the valley floor to see the major sights.

In May you'll most likely have to get to Yosemite from the west - chances are good that Tioga Pass will still be closed by snow.  Even if it's not, it's a hard pull for a RV.

I agree with Seilerbird's proposed routing.  It will give you the "most bang for your buck" and be reasonable in terms of both driving and sightseeing.  People don't realize how big our western states are and plan too much in too little time.  Early May can be "iffy" weather too.  We've encountered snow on the north rim of the Grand Canyon and along I-15 about where I-70 intersects so you'll need to keep an eye on the weather.  The aforementioned Tioga Pass into Yosemite seldom opens before mid-June.

ArdraF

[quote author=Ardra]Tioga Pass into Yosemite seldom opens before mid-June.[/quote]

That's what I what I would have said too Ardra, until I read this (link also posted in my earlier message).

So anytime between May 7th and July 1st!  Interesting list, Tom, which proves you can't depend on getting over Tioga Pass during May and June.

ArdraF

Agreed Ardra, and that's why I always warn folks if they plan on traveling that route too early in the year. Too bad, because I think there are a lot of neat places to visit along Hwy 395. Of course, being a fisherman, there are even more places of interest for me along Hwy 395. My favorite campground is Brown's Owens River Campground. A little off the beaten path, but a great campground alongside the Owens River. BTW the only directions are "from Hwy 395, turn at the little green church south of the Mammoth airport, drive approx 7 miles, cross the river and the CG is on your right"

Thank you so much for all the information!

I'm going to try and make a reservation, if not successful we'll just turn up and hope for the best haha.

Can anyone recommend a campsite in Yosemite?

Tom said:

Agreed Ardra, and that's why I always warn folks if they plan on traveling that route too early in the year. Too bad, because I think there are a lot of neat places to visit along Hwy 395. Of course, being a fisherman, there are even more places of interest for me along Hwy 395. My favorite campground is Brown's Owens River Campground. A little off the beaten path, but a great campground alongside the Owens River. BTW the only directions are "from Hwy 395, turn at the little green church south of the Mammoth airport, drive approx 7 miles, cross the river and the CG is on your right"

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Hi Tom, it's been a while since we chatted.

Their website says:

"Location: Five miles east of U.S. 395 on Benton Crossing Road (exit at green church)"

So somebody is a couple of miles off. But I doubt we could get lost trying to find it. But just in case, ever mark the place on a GPS?

I am looking at my Topo map at around N37.656  W118.789 and I see that's close to 7,000 feet in elevation. Are they open all year, or just in the summer?  No RV Parks shown for that area on several different maps I tried that are on my computer.

I would like to check it out someday. I can tell you have been there a few times. I see a "Tom's Place" and a "Mt. Tom" (13,040 feet) near there. Must all be named after you!

-Don-  SSF, CA

Don, I think of you guys every time I'm on Hwy160 and pass the sign to Eddo's.

I'm probably the one who's off by a couple of miles. I was going by memory of something I read in a fishing magazine 30 years ago.

Yes, it is Benton Crossing, but I'm not sure I've seen a sign.

No need for a waypoint on a GPS; The small green church is a few (7?) country miles south of the Mammoth airport, and it's tough to miss (there's little else around there). I suppose they might paint it a different color one day, but you can also look for the sign to the animal shelter; It's also on Benton Crossing, a country mile east of Hwy 395. The shelter was built some time in the last 10 (20?) years. After the shelter, there's nowt else until you reach the small bridge across the river.

The first time I fished that location was in the early 80's, long before they put the RV park in. Tom's place was already on the map  ;D

One caveat - if you plan to fish there, they have special regulations that are different for the stretch adjacent to the campground, the stretch downstream (going to the lake), and the stretch upstream of the campground; IIRC 3 different sets of rules.

BTW there are numerous other places to fish within a few country miles. I believe I have a report or two on our Fishing board.

Tom said:

Don, I think of you guys every time I'm on Hwy160 and pass the sign to Eddo's. I'm probably the one who's off by a couple of miles. I was going by memory of something I read in a fishing magazine 30 years ago. Yes, it is Benton Crossing, but I'm not sure I've seen a sign. No need for a waypoint on a GPS; The small green church is a few (7?) country miles south of the Mammoth airport, and it's tough to miss (there's little else around there). I suppose they might paint it a different color one day, but you can also look for the sign to the animal shelter; It's also on Benton Crossing, a country mile east of Hwy 395.

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Yeah, it sounds easy enough, but are they closed down this time of year?

Tom said:

The shelter was built some time in the last 10 (20?) years. After the shelter, there's nowt else until you reach the small bridge across the river. The first time I fished that location was in the early 80's, long before they put the RV park in. Tom's place was already on the map  ;D One caeat - if you plan to fish there, they have special regulations that are different for the stretch adjacent to the campground, the stretch downstream (going to the lake), and the stretch upstream of the campground; IIRC 3 different sets of rules. BTW there are numerous other places to fish within a few country miles. I believe I have a report or two on our Fishing board.

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We have not bothered to get a fishing license for many years. But we could get back into it.  We have not been on Sherman Island for many years, but were thinking about taking a ride out there just a couple of weeks ago, but never made it. I guess Eddos is still there.

Now, about the RV park again . . .The more important stuff . . . . I assume there are places near by where the doggies can run around loose? I see a lot of trails in the area on my maps. Trixie (the doggy in my avatar here) is doing fine, she is now over 13 years old.

-Don-  SSF, CA

I suspect they're closed. I've seen YouTube videos of fishermen stomping around that area in snow shoes at this time of year, and I've seen reports of "acces by snowmobile only" on occasions.

The RV park web site says lots of hiking and biking trails, although my hikes have been limited to the river banks. It's a huge valley, and I'd expect there's plenty of places where you and the doggies can hike/run.

We have fished that area several times.  That stretch is called the "Upper Owens".  Browns Camp campground opens sometime around Memorial Day and closes the last day of September.  I think it is dry camping only, but I'm not positive of that. 

BTW, there is only one road into the Browns Camp campground, so you can't get lost getting to it.  Don't know about the dog issue because when we fly fish, we leave ours in the motor home so he doesn't jump into the water and scare my big 20" brown trout..... ;D

There is another campground about 4 miles north of Bishop right along the Owens River also.  It's BLM that I'm sure is dry camping only.  Both are covered with snow now.  When we fish that stretch, we usually camp at Highland RV Park in Bishop.

Marsha~

Hi, We did that trip the last 2 years if you need any tips(link in signature line).

Thanks everyone. I think we'll go for SeilerBird's suggestion, but try and turn up to a Yosemite Campground early.

Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon.

Monument Valley.

Zion National Park.

Bryce Canyon National Park.

Salt Lake City

Lake Tahoe

Yosemite

San Francisco

Does this route seem OK?

As has been mentioned, Yosemite will likely only be accessible from the California (west) side of the mountains. So you'd probably be taking Hwy 50 from South Lake Tahoe to Sacramento, and head south from there. If time permits, a day in Sacramento would be worthwhile; Lots of things to see, including an outstanding railroad museum and a paddlewheeler, both at Old Town Sacramento, the state capitol, an old fort, and an Indian museum.

I'll let others comment on the earlier parts of your trip.

To go from Lake Tahoe to Yosemite you would leave Lake Tahoe at South Lake Tahoe on route 50. At Placerville turn south on Route 49 (named for the gold rush) then turn east on 129 and head into the park.

As far as showing up and hoping for a cancellation. It can be done, I have done it a few times, here is the drill. Arrive at the Campground Reservation office at 4 am. Seriously. Stand in the line, actually most bring a chair so they can sit in the line. At 8 am the office opens and one person at a time is admitted into the office. The first person in line gets their choice of all the available spots. Then the next person gets to enter and choose. Usually there are 50 people in line and about 8 or 10 spots, so 40 of those people will leave without a spot. Don't bother to show up at 5am, that will be way too late.

There is a campground that is pricey that is located in El Portal on route 140 just outside another entrance to Yosemite but I have never stayed there and so I have no idea what the campground is like or how hard it is to get in.

An great alternative would be to show up on a Sunday at Kings Canyon National Park, you should have no problem finding a campsite. It has two components. The western section has the General Grant Grove, which is an amazing Sequoia forest. It contains the General Sherman tree, by volume, it is the largest known living single stem tree on Earth. Then there is the eastern section which is virtually identical to Yosemite Valley, which is the next valley to the north. It doesn't have El Capitan or the falls, but it also doesn't have ten million tourists. Both sections have campgrounds and both sections are positively stunning. Kings Canyon boarders Sequoia National Park. So you could visit both places. There are some great caves that you can tour. Boyden Cave is located between the east and the west section of Kings Canyon and Crystal Cave is located in Sequoia.