California/Las Vegas Roadtrip Honeymoon

[Craikeybaby]

gf15 said:

Really excellent places to visit were:
Air Museum in Palm springs and Hearst Castle which are both en-route.


We hired a Vette which was the same price as a Mustang from Hertz, who guarantee that you will get what you order. Make sure that you join the Hertz Gold club which is free (this way you avoid the queue which would have been a couple of hours).
What you can fit in the boot of a Vette with the roof down:


Good tip is to head south on PCH so you are on the Pacific side of the road.

Thanks, it looks like your post will be useful, there's just a bit too much information to look at on a phone screen!

Hearst castle whilst driving South down PCH are already on our list, but thanks for the heads up about Palm Springs. I hadn't thought of stopping there between LA & Las Vegas.

[Craikeybaby]

yellowbentines said:

We are doing a similar route over 3 weeks in October, flying in and out of Vegas and going as far down as San Diego.

Re: leaving it 2 months before to book - if you want to stay in Death Valley (Furnace Creek), Mammoth Lakes or Yosemite, there isnt much choice by way of hotels so they do book up early and prices increase nearer the time, we booked those stops a year in advance and if we were to try and rebook today it would cost us more.

Thanks for the heads up - I'd noticed that accommodation in Yosemite looked limited, but didn't realise it would be in Mamouth too. Death Valley is just going to be a stop en-route between Las Vegas and Mamouth for us, as we'll be restricted on time.

I've managed to get the time booked off work now, which is a good start, hopefully we'll be able to start booking ASAP!

[Shaoxter]

We stayed at Mammoth Creek Inn, ~£80, very recommended.

Didn't seem to be busy in October, I think the number of tourists/demand for accommodation there is very seasonal.

[yellowbentines]

Craikeybaby said:

Thanks for the heads up - I'd noticed that accommodation in Yosemite looked limited, but didn't realise it would be in Mamouth too. Death Valley is just going to be a stop en-route between Las Vegas and Mamouth for us, as we'll be restricted on time.

Mammoth Lakes isn't too bad, Death Valley and Yosemite have more limited choice. We are staying at Furnace Creek in DV, then Mammoth Lakes, then we found the town of Oakhurst on the South West tip of Yosemite National Park had decent accommodation without paying the National Park premium of staying in Yosemite Village.

My tip - Enjoy the planning, we're all booked up for 12 locations over 21 nights, and have found some of the higher end inns and guest houses looked nicer and are better value than the lower end hotels (California is expensive!), but don't always come up if you search specifically for hotels in the likes of expedia/trivago/etc.

[shakotan]

About halfway between LA and LV on I-15 is Peggy Sue's Diner.

I'd highly recommend it, its a timewarp back to the 60s and I always stop there for lunch.

[Craikeybaby]

Shaoxter said:

We stayed at Mammoth Creek Inn, ~£80, very recommended.

Didn't seem to be busy in October, I think the number of tourists/demand for accommodation there is very seasonal.

That looks spot on - thanks!

shakotan said:

About halfway between LA and LV on I-15 is Peggy Sue's Diner.

I'd highly recommend it, its a timewarp back to the 60s and I always stop there for lunch.

That also sounds interesting!

[Craikeybaby]

yellowbentines said:

Craikeybaby said:

Thanks for the heads up - I'd noticed that accommodation in Yosemite looked limited, but didn't realise it would be in Mamouth too. Death Valley is just going to be a stop en-route between Las Vegas and Mamouth for us, as we'll be restricted on time.

Mammoth Lakes isn't too bad, Death Valley and Yosemite have more limited choice. We are staying at Furnace Creek in DV, then Mammoth Lakes, then we found the town of Oakhurst on the South West tip of Yosemite National Park had decent accommodation without paying the National Park premium of staying in Yosemite Village.

My tip - Enjoy the planning, we're all booked up for 12 locations over 21 nights, and have found some of the higher end inns and guest houses looked nicer and are better value than the lower end hotels (California is expensive!), but don't always come up if you search specifically for hotels in the likes of expedia/trivago/etc.

Thanks for the tip about staying outside of the national park - that could come in handy.

[Matt..]

Craikeybaby said:

Thanks for the tip about staying outside of the national park - that could come in handy.

Staying outside parks is generally fine. Make sure you are close though. For Yosemite you also want to be there really early, as beyond 9am in the valley it gets busy VERY quickly.

I really like Mammoth Lakes too. It's a decent place to stop if you want to take in the scenery! Loads of lakes around (not just Mono lake!), and Devils Postpile NM (includes places like Rainbow Falls).


Have you thought about flying into Vegas, and out from LA? I'd say it's worth looking into costs for that if you haven't booked flights already.

Also i'd strongly suggest putting everything into a calendar with times. It means you can easily put in the drives between locations and see how much time you'll end up with in each place.

Some areas such as Death Valley are huge, and everything is really far apart (eg. hours), so you need to be somewhat careful with expectations there.

I don't think i saw this anywhere in the thread, but when are you planning on going?

Edited by Matt.. on Wednesday 21st January 18:07

[Matt..]

yellowbentines said:

Oakhurst on the South West tip of Yosemite National Park had decent accommodation without paying the National Park premium of staying in Yosemite Village..

According to Google that's 1.5hrs drive from Yosemite Village? Quite a long way!

When i was last in the area i stayed in El Portal which was 30mins out on the main road into Yosemite. It was really easy, and i'd recommend it if you really can't get into the valley proper, 'hotel' wasn't exactly high quality though. I was in really early every day and stayed as late as i could!

Edited by Matt.. on Wednesday 21st January 18:00

[yellowbentines]

Matt.. said:

According to Google that's 1.5hrs drive from Yosemite Village? Quite a long way!

When i was last in the area i stayed in El Portal which was 30mins out on the main road into Yosemite. It was really easy, and i'd recommend it if you really can't get into the valley proper, 'hotel' wasn't exactly high quality though. I was in really early every day and stayed as late as i could!

Edited by Matt.. on Wednesday 21st January 18:00

1.5hrs? Not really long is it, my morning commute has taken that long this week!

The road out towards Oakhurst has some nice places worth stopping at on the way anyway - win win! If like me you are heading from Mammoth west through Yosemite towards San Fran, then its simply your stop overnight after a day in the park, the 1.5hrs is part of the total route.

Edited by yellowbentines on Wednesday 21st January 18:48

[Matt..]

yellowbentines said:

1.5hrs? Not really long is it, my morning commute has taken that long this week!

The road out towards Oakhurst has some nice places worth stopping at on the way anyway - win win! If like me you are heading from Mammoth west through Yosemite towards San Fran, then its simply your stop overnight after a day in the park, the 1.5hrs is part of the total route.

Edited by yellowbentines on Wednesday 21st January 18:48

Ahh, if it's just the next place after Yosemite then no it's not far at all! If it was where you're staying for visiting Yosemite then it's a long way!

[yellowbentines]

Yes, its a little south I agree, but from my research it allows you to drive out of Yosemite that way and see Mariposa Grove, Wawona, Awahnee and some nice sights on the way

[Craikeybaby]

Matt.. said:

Staying outside parks is generally fine. Make sure you are close though. For Yosemite you also want to be there really early, as beyond 9am in the valley it gets busy VERY quickly.

I really like Mammoth Lakes too. It's a decent place to stop if you want to take in the scenery! Loads of lakes around (not just Mono lake!), and Devils Postpile NM (includes places like Rainbow Falls).


Have you thought about flying into Vegas, and out from LA? I'd say it's worth looking into costs for that if you haven't booked flights already.

Also i'd strongly suggest putting everything into a calendar with times. It means you can easily put in the drives between locations and see how much time you'll end up with in each place.

Some areas such as Death Valley are huge, and everything is really far apart (eg. hours), so you need to be somewhat careful with expectations there.

I don't think i saw this anywhere in the thread, but when are you planning on going?

Edited by Matt.. on Wednesday 21st January 18:07

I did look at various combinations of flights, but Las Vegas was more expensive than LA or San Francisco, also as want to spend more time in San Francisco it doesn't make sense to be paying for a hire car and parking for it to save a few quid on the flight.

I've got a spreadsheet going, with rough mileage and driving times for each day, I think the longest days on the road are going to be Monterey to Santa Barbara and Las Vegas to Mamouth, but both of those drives can be broken up with sight seeing. I haven't got to the Death Valley section of the guide book, but I think it is going to be a case of finding a few things not to far from the 190.

I'm actually more excited about Mamouth than Yosemite, as I have read so much about it in snowboard magazines over the years, but I'm sure Yosemite will be more spectacular when I'm there. The suggestion for El Portal looks good if we can't get into the lodge in the park, which hotel did you stay at?

We're getting married on the 19th September, so the plan is to fly out on the 21st and to fly back on the 5th October.

[anonymous-user]

Craikeybaby said:

think the longest days on the road are going to be Monterey to Santa Barbara and Las Vegas to Mamouth, but both of those drives can be broken up with sight seeing

Vegas to Mammoth is a bit of a trek in one hit, probably around six hours. Sightseeing will only make that longer.
We broke it in two by overnighting at Lone Pine, which is a simple little one horse town where R190 meets R395 to then head North towards Yosemite.
Nothing particularly outstanding about the town but there are a few good places to eat and it has small-town America appeal after Vegas.
Stayed in a classic motel.

Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 22 January 16:34

[Matt..]

Craikeybaby said:

I did look at various combinations of flights, but Las Vegas was more expensive than LA or San Francisco, also as want to spend more time in San Francisco it doesn't make sense to be paying for a hire car and parking for it to save a few quid on the flight.

Depends what you're doing for a car. One option is always to drop the car at the airport, go into San Francisco with no car, then pick up a more fun one at the airport for the trip down the coast. Of course this isn't so relevant if you have a fun car for all of the trip!

[Craikeybaby]

Matt.. said:

Depends what you're doing for a car. One option is always to drop the car at the airport, go into San Francisco with no car, then pick up a more fun one at the airport for the trip down the coast. Of course this isn't so relevant if you have a fun car for all of the trip!

I hadn't thought of it like that, but the plan is to have a fun car for the whole trip - the thinking is Mustang GT or Camaro SS.

[anonymous-user]

Pfffttt........go by bike. Million times better.

[Project C]

We did Vegas to San Francisco and down to LA in 2011 and doing a very similar trip this year. The biggest drive was Vegas to Bishop via Badwater in Death Valley which was 326 miles and took 7hrs with several stops. Auto and Cruise meant I didn't feel tired to about an hour from the end.

I would recommend driving down the coast to LA as then you're on the coast side of the road so your views are uninterrupted plus the views are supposedly better as well.

If you can stop off at Monterey and go for a whale watching trip - ours was amazing.

This is what I planned for 2011...

Friday 7th
Virgin flight VS43 departs 1125hrs lands 1410hrs £1379.38 (South Terminal)
Booking Ref:
Bellagio - Lakeview Deluxe $1038.24 / £646.30
Booking Ref:

Saturday 8th
Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam – Helicopter Ride £182

Sunday 9th
Wedding

Monday 10th
Car: £227
Booking Ref:
Las Vegas to Artists Drive (Death Valley)
Route 160 out of Vegas
Turn off on to Old Spanish Trail Highway to Calvada Springs
Right onto Route 127 to Soshone
Left onto Route CA-178 W/Jubilee Pass Rd to Badwater
Pass through Badwater, the lowest point in North America, stand 232 feet below sea level and gaze west at
11,049-foot Telescope Peak.
Artists Drive
(154miles, 3hrs 30mins)
Artists Drive to Furnace Creek (9miles, 20min) for lunch. Furnace Creek is 190ft below sea level and has a
population of 31.
Furnace Creek to Bishop (163miles, 3hrs 2mins)
Rusty’s Salon & Grill, 112 N Main St
Ramada Limited, 724 West Line Street, Bishop £47 Inc breakfast (rated 7th
of 23 on Trip Advisor) free parking
Booking Ref:
Total = 326miles / 7hrs

Tuesday 11th
Bishop to Sonora (via Yosemite National Park) (181 Miles, 3hrs 30mins)
395 to Mammoth Lakes
Tioga Pass
Yosemite National Park: Mariposa Grove (Giant Sequoias), Wawona Tunnel.
Best Western Sonora Oaks Hotel (#2) £82
Expedia.co.uk itinerary number:

Wednesday 12th
Sonora to (downtown) San Francisco (via Golden Gate Bridge) (140 Miles 2hrs 39mins) Take CA-108 towards Oakdale
Turn left onto CA-120 W
Merge with CA-99 N towards Downtown Stockton
Turn Right onto CA-4 towards Antioch
Turn left onto I80
Head for Richmond –San Rafael Bridge / John F McCartney Memorial Bridge I580
San Quentin on the left
Turn South on the Hwy 101
Over Golden Gate Bridge ($6 toll)
Turn Right at “The Economy Inn” into Lombard Steet,
Cross Baker Street (STOP)
San Francisco at The Presidio Travelodge (#46/242) £246 for three nights
2755 Lombard Street
Booking Ref:

Thursday 13th / Friday 14th
• Alcatraz - $26 day (9am) or $33 evening (6pm)
Tour lasts 2.5hrs. Pier 33 2.8miles and no parking, 32mins on the bus with one change ($2)
• Chinatown (Dragon’s Gate) (2.5miles from motel)
• Fishermans Wharf (2miles) 30mins on the Muni
• Cable Cars/Museum (free) $5 a journey
• Lombard Street (Windy one) one section on Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets, in
which the roadway has eight sharp turns (or switchbacks) (1.5miles)
• Haight-Ashbury – Painted Lady Victorian Houses (2.7miles)
• Ferry Building Marketplace
• Historical Walking Tour 2.5hrs $25 11am every day.
• 3day Muni Pass $20

Saturday 15th
San Francisco to Monterey Bay (113 Miles 2hrs 11mins)
America’s Best Value Inn Stage Coach Lodge £101 (#6 of 48) (2.5miles from Aquarium, 18miles from Moss
Landing) Booking Ref:

Sunday 16th
Whale Watching – Sanctuary Cruises £30, 4/5 hrs from 10am.
17 Mile Drive
Carmel

Monday 17th
Monterey Bay to Santa Maria (166miles 3hrs 30mins)
Driving south along the Pacific Coast Highway/ California State Route 1
Hearst Castle
Santa Maria is in wine country and famous for BBQ’s!
Travelodge Santa Maria £43 (#6 of 19)
Booking Ref:

Tuesday 18th to Friday 21st
Santa Maria to LA (169 miles 3hrs) via Mulholland Drive
The Hollywood Hotel (#72) 30% off in booking direct code LPTH = $83.30/£51.25 = £153.75
1160 North Vermont Avenue, 90029
Booking Ref:
Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood sign, Beverley Hills, Long Beach, La Brea Tar Pits, Santa
Monica, Venice Beach
Warner Brothers VIP Tour £27 2hr 25min
Peterson Auto Museum $10 6060 Wilshire Blvd 90036
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale 4.5miles.

Friday 21st
LAX – LAS 1430hrs – 1545 American Airlines AA1706 £142.20
Booking Ref:
The Platinum - Solitaire Suite Strip View $189.28/ £121.58
Booking Ref:

Saturday 22nd – Sunday 23rd
Virgin flight VS44 1640hrs, arrives 1030hrs Sunday.

[Craikeybaby]

Crossflow Kid said:

Pfffttt........go by bike. Million times better.

If probably need stabilisers! And the future Mrs CB struggles to pack for a long weekend away in my MR2 a road trip by bike would blow her mind!

[Craikeybaby]

Project C said:

We did Vegas to San Francisco and down to LA in 2011 and doing a very similar trip this year. The biggest drive was Vegas to Bishop via Badwater in Death Valley which was 326 miles and took 7hrs with several stops. Auto and Cruise meant I didn't feel tired to about an hour from the end.

I would recommend driving down the coast to LA as then you're on the coast side of the road so your views are uninterrupted plus the views are supposedly better as well.

If you can stop off at Monterey and go for a whale watching trip - ours was amazing.

This is what I planned for 2011...

Friday 7th
Virgin flight VS43 departs 1125hrs lands 1410hrs £1379.38 (South Terminal)
Booking Ref:
Bellagio - Lakeview Deluxe $1038.24 / £646.30
Booking Ref:

Saturday 8th
Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam – Helicopter Ride £182

Sunday 9th
Wedding

Monday 10th
Car: £227
Booking Ref:
Las Vegas to Artists Drive (Death Valley)
Route 160 out of Vegas
Turn off on to Old Spanish Trail Highway to Calvada Springs
Right onto Route 127 to Soshone
Left onto Route CA-178 W/Jubilee Pass Rd to Badwater
Pass through Badwater, the lowest point in North America, stand 232 feet below sea level and gaze west at
11,049-foot Telescope Peak.
Artists Drive
(154miles, 3hrs 30mins)
Artists Drive to Furnace Creek (9miles, 20min) for lunch. Furnace Creek is 190ft below sea level and has a
population of 31.
Furnace Creek to Bishop (163miles, 3hrs 2mins)
Rusty’s Salon & Grill, 112 N Main St
Ramada Limited, 724 West Line Street, Bishop £47 Inc breakfast (rated 7th
of 23 on Trip Advisor) free parking
Booking Ref:
Total = 326miles / 7hrs

Tuesday 11th
Bishop to Sonora (via Yosemite National Park) (181 Miles, 3hrs 30mins)
395 to Mammoth Lakes
Tioga Pass
Yosemite National Park: Mariposa Grove (Giant Sequoias), Wawona Tunnel.
Best Western Sonora Oaks Hotel (#2) £82
Expedia.co.uk itinerary number:

Wednesday 12th
Sonora to (downtown) San Francisco (via Golden Gate Bridge) (140 Miles 2hrs 39mins) Take CA-108 towards Oakdale
Turn left onto CA-120 W
Merge with CA-99 N towards Downtown Stockton
Turn Right onto CA-4 towards Antioch
Turn left onto I80
Head for Richmond –San Rafael Bridge / John F McCartney Memorial Bridge I580
San Quentin on the left
Turn South on the Hwy 101
Over Golden Gate Bridge ($6 toll)
Turn Right at “The Economy Inn” into Lombard Steet,
Cross Baker Street (STOP)
San Francisco at The Presidio Travelodge (#46/242) £246 for three nights
2755 Lombard Street
Booking Ref:

Thursday 13th / Friday 14th
• Alcatraz - $26 day (9am) or $33 evening (6pm)
Tour lasts 2.5hrs. Pier 33 2.8miles and no parking, 32mins on the bus with one change ($2)
• Chinatown (Dragon’s Gate) (2.5miles from motel)
• Fishermans Wharf (2miles) 30mins on the Muni
• Cable Cars/Museum (free) $5 a journey
• Lombard Street (Windy one) one section on Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets, in
which the roadway has eight sharp turns (or switchbacks) (1.5miles)
• Haight-Ashbury – Painted Lady Victorian Houses (2.7miles)
• Ferry Building Marketplace
• Historical Walking Tour 2.5hrs $25 11am every day.
• 3day Muni Pass $20

Saturday 15th
San Francisco to Monterey Bay (113 Miles 2hrs 11mins)
America’s Best Value Inn Stage Coach Lodge £101 (#6 of 48) (2.5miles from Aquarium, 18miles from Moss
Landing) Booking Ref:

Sunday 16th
Whale Watching – Sanctuary Cruises £30, 4/5 hrs from 10am.
17 Mile Drive
Carmel

Monday 17th
Monterey Bay to Santa Maria (166miles 3hrs 30mins)
Driving south along the Pacific Coast Highway/ California State Route 1
Hearst Castle
Santa Maria is in wine country and famous for BBQ’s!
Travelodge Santa Maria £43 (#6 of 19)
Booking Ref:

Tuesday 18th to Friday 21st
Santa Maria to LA (169 miles 3hrs) via Mulholland Drive
The Hollywood Hotel (#72) 30% off in booking direct code LPTH = $83.30/£51.25 = £153.75
1160 North Vermont Avenue, 90029
Booking Ref:
Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood sign, Beverley Hills, Long Beach, La Brea Tar Pits, Santa
Monica, Venice Beach
Warner Brothers VIP Tour £27 2hr 25min
Peterson Auto Museum $10 6060 Wilshire Blvd 90036
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale 4.5miles.

Friday 21st
LAX – LAS 1430hrs – 1545 American Airlines AA1706 £142.20
Booking Ref:
The Platinum - Solitaire Suite Strip View $189.28/ £121.58
Booking Ref:

Saturday 22nd – Sunday 23rd
Virgin flight VS44 1640hrs, arrives 1030hrs Sunday.

Thanks, that is really helpful, especially the Death Valley stuff, I haven't researched that fully yet, our plan was to drive to Mamouth from Las Vegas, so I can see that being a long day on the road.