Yosemite to Las Vegas
#3
Join Date: Jul 2007
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You could go thru Death Valley. If you could arrive there early morning, it would be cooler(still hot). Maybe stop at Scotty's Castle. Maybe stop for a get out of the car type of thing at the Dunes and Devils Garden. Could see Zabriski Point, drive through Artist Drive. I love driving Titus Canyon(need high clearance car). A flat or car problem here in the summer could be life threatening though.
I don't think I would do more than 30 or 45 minutes of hiking for heat concerns.
I don't think I would do more than 30 or 45 minutes of hiking for heat concerns.
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
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We drove from Las Vegas to the Lee Vining entrance of Yosemite in the middle of June this year. Death Valley was very interesting but I don't think I necessarily need to go back. It's a long drive so we only got out of the car a couple of times for photo ops and to say we had been in 119 degree heat!
#6
Join Date: Nov 2011
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I think driving through Death Valley once is worth it (and that's plenty for moi - although some people love it).
We left the Village Floor early - made good time over to have breakfast at Tuoloumne Meadows, drove down 395 on the east side of the Sierras (which are pretty - especially if they still have snow on the peaks) - and headed east through Death Valley - stopping for half an hour at the air conditioned Visitor's Center (where at about 2 PM or so the temp outside in the shade was a mere113 degrees) - and then it was a couple more hours on into Vegas - arriving by mid-afternoon.
Take extra water along (and some snacks just in case you get stranded for a few hours - unlikely though) - and make sure the car is in good shape - with plenty of coolant in the radiator, and likewise for the AC being in good working order.
We left the Village Floor early - made good time over to have breakfast at Tuoloumne Meadows, drove down 395 on the east side of the Sierras (which are pretty - especially if they still have snow on the peaks) - and headed east through Death Valley - stopping for half an hour at the air conditioned Visitor's Center (where at about 2 PM or so the temp outside in the shade was a mere113 degrees) - and then it was a couple more hours on into Vegas - arriving by mid-afternoon.
Take extra water along (and some snacks just in case you get stranded for a few hours - unlikely though) - and make sure the car is in good shape - with plenty of coolant in the radiator, and likewise for the AC being in good working order.
#9
Join Date: May 2003
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Please keep in mind that are many years that Tioga Pass (Hwy 120 from 395)doesn't open until mid June. Most years it's open by the end of May, last year it didn't open until June 18th. Here's a link to opening dates over the last 75 years: http://www.monobasinresearch.org/data/tiogapass.htm
If Tioga Pass is still closed you'll need to go 500 miles around the Sierras to enter from the west and drive through places like Barstow, Bakersfield and Fresno to get there - and there's not much scenic about that
If Tioga Pass is still closed you'll need to go 500 miles around the Sierras to enter from the west and drive through places like Barstow, Bakersfield and Fresno to get there - and there's not much scenic about that
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