Campground between Las Vegas and Yosemite

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solly

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Joined
Mar 4, 2007
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19
Hi again,

I'm finding this forum very helpful. Looking for suggestions for a one night stop between Las Vegas and Yosemite.  Will be heading north from Las Vegas (and avoiding Death Valley) and going via Mono Lake to Yosemite.  Preferably, somewhere pretty and not too urban. Thanks.
 
Mammoth Lakes would be a nice stop. However, I only see a few campgrounds  in that area in my CG guide:

Mammoth Mountain RV Park, tel. (760) 934-3822. Good ratings and choice of full hookup or water/electric.

Brown's Owens River Camp, tel. (760) 920--0975. This one has no hookups.

One caveat - be advised that, since you'll be approaching Yosemite from highway 395 and going over Tioga Pass, it's quite a climb and descent over the mountain, not for the faint hearted.

I read in one of your other posts that you'll be here in August, so there will be no problems with road closure over the pass due to snow.
 
solly said:
Hi again,

I'm finding this forum very helpful. Looking for suggestions for a one night stop between Las Vegas and Yosemite.  Will be heading north from Las Vegas (and avoiding Death Valley) and going via Mono Lake to Yosemite.  Preferably, somewhere pretty and not too urban. Thanks.
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I usually stay at Browns Town Campground in Bishop, Ca. Very shady park at the south end of town. Also have used the Highlands RV Park at the north end of Bishop, It cost a little more but have much better services.
 
solly said:
Hi again,

I'm finding this forum very helpful. Looking for suggestions for a one night stop between Las Vegas and Yosemite.  Will be heading north from Las Vegas (and avoiding Death Valley) and going via Mono Lake to Yosemite.  Preferably, somewhere pretty and not too urban. Thanks.
Click to expand...

That route won't work unless you plan on leaving some time in late June.  As Tom's citation shows Tioga Pass is not likely to be open sooner.   The grade is a helluva pull besides. 

You have two possible routes to Yosemite from Vegas.  One is directly to Bakersfield CA via I-15 and CA 58 and then north on CA-99 to Fresno and then on CA-41 to Oakhurst and then to the Park.   That is not exactly the scenic route but it is the easiest and shortest pull.   That is 451 miles.   Bakersfield for camping, I fear.

The other is to Reno via US-95, then over the Sierra Nevada on I-80 to Sacramento and then south on CA99 to Fresno and CA-41.  Do not try to use CA-140 from Merced.   Due to a landslide, a big landslide, it is closed to anything over 20 feet in length.    Figure on camping in Reno or Carson City.  The trip would be 750 miles.

The most scenic route tho is I-15 to CA-58 to CA-14 to US395 to Bishop or Mammoth Lakes, CA and camp.   Then US395 to Carson City then Reno, then over on I 80.  This is about 800 miles.

Frankly I would do the latter two routes in 3 days.
 
The scenery going over Tioga is drop-dead gorgeous. And I would NEVER do it in any RV bigger than a VW Vanagon.

As for Death Valley, Death Valley in August isn't all that much hotter than Las Vegas. Once you hit 110 it's just plain HOT.
 
We went over Tioga pass last year in our 38' Endeavor with towed.  It was a beautiful ride but then I wasn't driving :)
 
Since Solly is driving a rental, it's probably a 'first' for driving a motorhome, although it will be a class C with no toad. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it for a first timer, especially driving on the "wrong" side of the road, unless they're really comfortable with driving near the end of their short vacation.

BTW does anyone know how one of those class C rentals with a gas engine would do over Tioga? When we first lived in CA Chris drove a Triumph Spitfire (yeah, I know, a teeny engine). When we drove over Tioga Pass I wanted to get out and walk 'cos it would have been faster.
 
If it's about the same climb and grades as Wolf Creek Pass, our 24-foot Class C made it over fine but sloooooow....we were passed by Volkswagons. I once asked Mike if it would help if I got out and pushed and he said it might.

 
LOL Wendy, that might a worry for a first timer. (Is this thing going to roll backwards?)
 
Since Solly is driving a rental, it's probably a 'first' for driving a motorhome, although it will be a class C with no toad. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it for a first timer, especially driving on the "wrong" side of the road, unless they're really comfortable with driving near the end of their short vacation.
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I agree with Tom.  Tioga Pass is not a great place for beginner RVers to drive.  I recommend the route through Bakersfield where the only mountainous area is going from Mojave over the Tahachapis at 5,000 feet.  It's an easy pull up and a long downhill to Bakersfield.

ArdraF
 
Yeah I would pass on Tioga if I were them.  Rental Class Cs may get in trouble.

Even in August the Bakerfield run is the quickest, shortest, and least scenic run.

If time is available, I recommend the run up CA14 and US395 from juncture of CA58 near Mojave thru Bishop, Mono Lake,  Bridgeport, to Carson City and over the Sierra on I-80.  Super spectacular scenery all the way, good camping at Bishop and Mammoth Lakes and excellent well maintained road (US395).

Again let me repeat, the Merced run to Yosemite  is not do-able for an RV.  Here is the CalTrans bulletin of March 14, 2007.

SR 140 
    [CENTRAL CALIFORNIA]
    IS OPEN WITH 1-WAY CONTROLLED TRAFFIC 20 MI EAST OF MARIPOSA (MARIPOSA CO) 
24 HRS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK - DUE TO A ROCK SLIDE - VEHICLES OVER 28 FEET ARE 
PROHIBITED 

Use the Fresno CA 41 route to Oakhurst
 
Carl L said:
...I recommend the run up CA14 and US395 from juncture of CA58 near Mojave thru Bishop, Mono Lake,  Bridgeport, to Carson City and over the Sierra on I-80.
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I agree that's a great drive Carl, but it's not quite "on the way to Oakland" to return the rental.
 
Hi everyone,  Thanks for all the posts.  I need to get my maps out and look at the different routes suggested.  To answer some comments:

We will be doing this trip in August in a rented 30 foot motorhome.

Wendy, the rental terms say that we're not allowed to go through Death Valley. 

We (that's my husband!) did a trip in the Canadian Rockies a couple years' ago in a 25 foot RV so he has some experience of driving on the other side of the road, in mountains, in a largish vehicle.

Tom, the photos of Tioga look fantastic.  Do people think it's not doable in August?
 
solly said:
Do people think it's not doable in August?
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Solly, it should be fine in August. When we first started talking, I wasn't sure when you'd be making the trip. Expect it to be hot.
 
Tom said:
I agree that's a great drive Carl, but it's not quite "on the way to Oakland" to return the rental.
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Actually it is, if Solly decides to do Tioga Pass.  Then the run is up US 395 to Lee Vining Mono Lake and then over Tioga.  The Bishop or Mammoth Lakes area makes a good stop over for an early shot at Tioga.
 
wendycoke said:
Huh, I wonder why?
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Easy.  DV in August can be murderous and those folks that are not used to driving in desert heat can get into trouble easily.  The Valley in August is full of Europeans lusting to experience 50?C (122F iirc) --  Europeans who have no idea what 120F and 10% humidity can do to a person.    I did a big write up on it in the old California Forum.  My message was generally if you want to do 50?C, go to Palm Springs and sit on the patio of a nice hotel or bar.
 
I understand exactly what Death Valley is like in August having lived there for 4 years. Brutal, yes, but so are Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Palm Springs. So why is Las Vegas ok for RV rentals but DEVA isn't? Maybe it's the isolation factor? As for the humidity, 10% would be on the high side for DEVA.

And most of the folks who die in DV in summer are Americans, who think they're invincible, not Europeans.

Wendy
 
wendycoke said:
I understand exactly what Death Valley is like in August having lived there for 4 years. Brutal, yes, but so are Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Palm Springs. So why is Las Vegas ok for RV rentals but DEVA isn't? Maybe it's the isolation factor? As for the humidity, 10% would be on the high side for DEVA.
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Isolation and no traffic is probably the main reason.  Approaching from the south thru Badwater along 178 takes you thru a lot of no services. 

The real reason tho I suspect is the rental companies' insurance carriers.
 
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