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one week driving trip from Tahoe to Grand Canyon

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longbridgehealey

longbridgehealey

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OK, everybody - My wife and I are taking a one week driving trip from Lake Tahoe to the South rim of the Grand Canyon in mid September. So far, we have a car rented (SUV), a room the first night (Sat) in Tahoe, and two nights at the end of the week (Thurs and Fri) at the Canyon. That leaves Mon thru Thurs mid-day to travel across. My wife has never been in this area, so how should we go and what should I show her? We try, as possible, to avoid major highways, and I'm pretty sure that's about the only restriction. Hoping for great suggestions, Thanks!!
 
Here are some sights I recommend along the way, but you may not have time for them all.

Driving down highway 395, the Sierra Highway (one of my favorite highways anywhere)...

Mammoth Lakes: A ski area in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is fast becoming a miniature version of Veil. Devil's Postpile is worth a short hike and the drive around the Twin Lakes area is beautiful. You can get there early from Tahoe and eat breakfast at "The Stove".

Yosemite Valley: One of the most beautiful spots in the world. Accommodations in the valley during the Summer are very expensive, but you can stay in Lee Vining on the way back to highway 395. The drive over Tioga Pass is incredible.

Bristlecone Forest: Located in the White Mountains, across the Owen's Valley from the MIghty Sierra Nevada Mountains, the bristlecones are the oldest living creatures on the planet. The oldest is nearly 5,000 years old!

Death Valley: One of the most inhospitable spots on the planet. The second highest temperature in recorded history was here. There are interesting geological and historical sites to see. In the valley is Badwater, the lowest point inteh western hemisphere at 252 feet below sea level. A trip to the top of Telescope Peak will give you a rare view - looking down from a 11,000+ foot peak to a valley below sea level! You can drive out the east side of the valley on highway 190 or 178.

Las Vegas: I hate it, but most people enjoy a visit here. I do have to admit that it's impressive at night. Red Rock Canyon is interesting, but not after Death Valley's "Artists' Drive". A short side trip will take you to Hoover Dam which is even more impressive. You can take a dam tour after taking lots of dam photos. They sell lots of dam souvenirs too. Ok, enough dam humor.

Zion National Park: Unique and spectacular scenery that only Utah can offer. Lots of good hiking and natural beauty.

There are also spots farther out of the way. If you cross the Sierra Nevada Mountains, either through Yosemite or over one of the many other incredible mountain passes, you can visit Sequoia National Park, home of the largest living things on the planet. There are a couple nice lodges located in the park, sitting at 9,000-feet withing the beautiful Sierras.

Farther to the north is Highway 49, named for the 49'ers of the gold rush era. This highway takes you along the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, through many charming western towns.

There are lots more places to visit and sights to see. I'd be happy to make more recommendations based on your personal preference in entertainment!
 
Steve, Thanks a lot, that's exactly the kind of info we're looking for. Now I've got to go home tonight and find all of those places on the map, to try to determine the best route from Tahoe east to the Canyon. Death Valley is a must, all we want to do with Vegas is drive through it, preferably at night. Mammoth Lake and Bristlecone sounds great - it all sounds good, the route is now the issue. We only have Sunday until Thursday afternoon to get to the canyon, so it looks like some serious time is going to be spent on the routing of the trip. I'll be asking more questions when we get a better idea of the route - Thanks again, the info is great!!
 
Re: one week driving trip from Tahoe to Grand Cany

Another point of interest... along highway 395 in Lone Pine, you will be able to see Mount Whitney. It is the highest mountain in the 48 states at 14,495 feet in altitude. You can't drive to it, but if you feel like hiking a rugged, steep 22 mile round trip then you can visit the summit. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

Also, near Lee Vining you will pass Mono Lake. This is a rather famous location for its strange tufa formations. You can take boat rides on the lake to see its unique natural features. The lake was nearly destroyed once by big cities draining it for water and was the subject of much debate and environmental battle.

If you cross the Sierras to drive highway 49, there are four pass roads north of Yosemite. I've driven them so rarely that I can't remember which is the most spectacular.
 
Re: one week driving trip from Tahoe to Grand Cany

Consider something like this:

Sunday: Start Early down scenic highway 395. Visit Yosemite Valley and stay in Lee Vining. Yosemite really takes an entire day so you may not get to see it in the detail you would like without staying closer the night before, or staying in the valley that night (expensive). It will also be very crowded with tourists on a Sunday so getting around will take longer. Link to map

Monday: Mono Lake, then drive to Mammoth Lakes for breakfast / lunch and possible sight seeing (Twin Lakes driving loop?). South to Bristlecone Forest, then to Lone Pine. Link to map

Tuesday: Watch the sun rise on the Sierras and Mount Whitney. Drive to Death Valley. There are many places to see here including sand dunes, Zabrisky Point, Badwater, Race Track, Artist's Drive, Scotty's Castle, Devil's Golf Course and more. To see everything will take an entire day. It will also be very hot! Stay the night in Furnace Creek. Link to map

Wednesday: Drive east past Las Vegas to Hoover Dam. Tour the dam and return to Las Vegas for the night. Honestly I don't know what the best route is from Death Valley to Las Vegas. It's all hot, boring, barren desert. I've taken 178 over Salisbury Pass and it's fairly scenic, but going out 190 to 95 (as suggested by Google Maps) might be faster. Ash Meadows Road through Pahrump looks shorter and very interesting but I've never taken it. Vegas is best seen on a weekend night for the full effect, but arriving late evening to early night will still give you all the lights without the crowds. There is a lot of night life and plenty of shows if you want a night on the town. Link to map

Thursday: Drive to Grand Canyon South Rim. Keep in mind that distances don't look very far on the map, because there aren't a lot of roads in the desert. But there is a lot of driving involved on this trip! Link to map

Alternate: If you want to shorten your time in Death Valley, you could continue to Las Vegas on Tuesday Night. Wednesday morning see Hoover Dam, then head north to Zion National Park in Utah. Stay somewhere in the area and drive to Grand Canyon on Thursday. You may even have time to visit the north rim of the Grand Canyon on the way.

My only real concern is the very long first day. I hate for you to be rushed in Yosemite but I don't see any other way to do it unless you cut out another sight and shorten all the days a bit. You could then stay somewhere near the west end of Yosemite and drive back through the next morning. Anyway, I hope this gives you a good start!
 
Re: one week driving trip from Tahoe to Grand Cany

My only real concern is the very long first day. I hate for you to be rushed in Yosemite but I don't see any other way to do it unless you cut out another sight and shorten all the days a bit. You could then stay somewhere near the west end of Yosemite and drive back through the next morning. Anyway, I hope this gives you a good start!
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So what do you think about leaving S Lake Tahoe early Sun morning, driving down 89 to 88 to Groveland, and crossing Yosemite on 120 and spending the night in Lee Vining. It sounds like a long day, but it gives us the whole trip across Yosemite. I think it would be about 4 hours to Groveland, and another 4 hours across Yosemite. What do you think? Then Mon and Tues would be as you listed in your post.
 
Re: one week driving trip from Tahoe to Grand Cany

It's certainly beautiful country and the driving roads will not disappoint you. This route may or may not be faster so it depends on what you want to see.

Keep in mind that there are a lot of side trips in Yosemite including Glacier Point, and many hikes through the forest to the massive waterfalls and other sights, so allow extra time. I'd suggest researching Yosemite before committing to a schedule for that day to make sure you get enough time to see what you want to see. Some people even like to spend time touring the Ahwahnee Lodge. Honestly I could spend an entire weekend in the Yosemite area and still not be happy!

Other places to consider staying for the night, depending on the schedule, are June Lake and Mammoth Lakes. Lee Vining is a very small town, and I only mentioned it because it's convenient, and it will be getting late by the time you get through Yosemite.
 
Re: one week driving trip from Tahoe to Grand Cany

i think i need more time
 
Re: one week driving trip from Tahoe to Grand Cany

OK,I'm going back to your original idea, down 395 to Lee Vining, and into Yosemite from there. The advantage to this, vrs coming down the west side and across, is the ability to turn around in the park and head back east to Vining if we wear out. Plus, it's a straighter route then going west to Groveland, and then east to the park. I know how distances on the map can be deceiving out there, we can cross three states in four or five hours back here!
 
Re: one week driving trip from Tahoe to Grand Cany

It would take three weeks to see California properly. Unfortunately no one ever has that kind of time, including myself! So much variety from 14,000-foot peaks to low barren deserts, the Pacific Ocean, small towns, big cities, a wide range of geological zones and limitless scenery along 800 miles of coastline. Traveling 100 miles can take you through five types of environment, each completely different from one another.
 
Re: one week driving trip from Tahoe to Grand Cany

I know, a couple years ago we took seven days to get from San Francisco to San Diego, and felt like we missed more than we saw. We live in Maryland, and spend a week each year on a small island off of Beaufort, SC. It's a ten hour drive to get there, and we usually turn it into a couple of days of back roads through the south. We just can't resist the back roads, and the scenery.
 
Re: one week driving trip from Tahoe to Grand Cany

Seven days is pretty good for that leg. Of course you only see the coastline, and miss everything to the east including the Sierras, deserts, gold country, etc. Hopefully you got to travel through wine country!
 
Re: one week driving trip from Tahoe to Grand Cany

Zion National Park is spectacular. Having said that, it`s by far not all Utah has to offer. I`v lived here a lifetime and spend much of each summer camping and traveling to various Utah locations and still have not see it all. The Grand Canyon is beautiful but unless you intend on a trip {Hiking or packtrain} to the bottom, one day of viewing is plenty, in my opinion.
 
Re: one week driving trip from Tahoe to Grand Cany

I'll agree with that. As unbelievable and spectacular as the Grand Canyon is, it's just a big hole in the ground. It's so big that it doesn't even look like a canyon.

Utah does have some of the best desert scenery in the country. Zion, Bryce Canyon and Arches are among my favorites. Monument Valley and Slot Canyon (near Lake Powell) are neat too.
 
Re: one week driving trip from Tahoe to Grand Cany

That it does Steve, But .... Utah isn`t all desert either.
from central Utah the eastern half is High Mountains. Much the same as you would expect to see in Colorado. Pssssssssst Colorado has as much high desert as Utah does It isn`t ALL high mountains either. BTW, the dirve off of the main highway down to the south rim of the Grand Canyon can be a little tireing, that is to say desert and more desert seems neverending. Well worth the wait and ride tho. Myself I perfer the North rim over the south just because the scenery is a little more pleasant. But then I guess it`s ones prefrence, desert over forrest isn`t it. And besides going to the G.C. from here the N.R. is a little more convienient too. Vegas is a little disgusting {Not well Kept at all} if you ask me, if you take time to look at someting in the city besides the bright lights. Hoover dam .... worth a look but again a few hours and you`re done and ready to move on. Loved the redwoods when I was there {Redmond Calif.} coulda spent a couple days there. Never been to Yosimite can`t say much about it. Taho about the same thing, a drive around the lake, take in a casino and show move on the next day. Now this is worth a look if you get anywhere near Reno Nevada
https://www.automuseum.org/ and like antique cars.
 
Re: one week driving trip from Tahoe to Grand Cany

Absolutely! The museum in Reno is one of the best I've seen. And the guided tour is well worth the time.

Utah isn't all desert, but compared to the east coast it is! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif Heck, most people don't realize that most of Southern California is barren desert. All they picture is surfers and beach homes.
 
Re: one week driving trip from Tahoe to Grand Cany

Yosemite is very crowded and traffic is restricted. We took the trip you are going on and did Zion, Bryce, the North Canyon then around to the South. All the rest of the glitz cities are not worth seeing unless you like gambling, shows, etc. I do like Yosemite but it is slightly out of the way. Death Valley was boring to me, as we had the kids and they didn't see anything great. If you are going to see California please plan a week (at least) and let Doug ane I know. We can get you to the Redwoods and great beaches. I do have a 5th wheel we set up as the Redwood Valley Hilton. For where you are going to be I would do the three Parks. Oh in Sept I think the apples in the Zion camp grounds are ready and make a great apple pie. (my favorite).

These are just my views on the subject. Lots of small places in Utah to see for fill in.
 
Re: one week driving trip from Tahoe to Grand Cany

Ain't nuthin' wrong with a tour of Utah. It's one of my favorite states. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
Re: one week driving trip from Tahoe to Grand Cany

Yep, we sure did take in the wine country. One of my favorite stories is my wife driving into a "ranch" and asking if they rented horses. Of course, it was a grape and wine establishment. Some of the wines we found were great, but we can't get them back here.
 
Re: one week driving trip from Tahoe to Grand Cany

Nope, no trip to the bottom this time. We're really only spending a day there, we plan to get in late Thursday night, tour it on Friday, and move on Sat morning. We really want to do Zion, but I don't see where we can fit it in on this trip. I think there's another trip in a year or two that would start in southern Utah, and end up at the opal mines on the Nevada/Oregon border.
 
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