Drive : San Diego to Las Vegas
 

We are planning to leave San Diego on a Wednesday morning (20 April) and arrive in Las Vegas sometime on the Friday.

We plan to stay in Palm Springs at least one of the two nights (so there's time to go up the aerial tramway and because the entertainment options will probably be better there).

We want to spend the Thursday exploring the Joshua Tree NP from Palm Springs. Is it best to return to Palm Springs for the Tursday night or find somewhere else on the way to Las Vegas?

We are also looking for things to see and do to break up the journey and the best route to take on the Friday into Las Vegas. Any ideas? Is the traffic okay arriving in Las Vegas on a Friday or are there times which are best avoided?

San Diego to Palm Springs is two hours of driving. Palm Springs to Las Vegas is minimally four and a half hours of DULL driving, and involves backtracking west from Palm Springs. I'm guessing you haven't done a lot of research on either San Diego or Palm Springs; SD actually has quite a bit of entertainment options (I love them both but like SD better), although PS has their options in a smaller area. Considering the relatively small distances involved, stretching this out over two days of travel is a bit much. Then again, staying in PS a second night will be nice and restful before you head to Vegas.

I personally hate the drive from southern California to Vegas and will ONLY fly there. But if you've never done it, you might as well experience the desert. All 213 dry, dusty miles of I-15 from Ontario to Vegas. Two-lane a lot of the way, with lots and lots of company from southern CA. Your four-odd hours of driving can expand into five and six if there's a major accident. Just so you're forewarned.

Actually you don't have to backtrack on the 10 to the 215. You can cut up the 62 through the desert from 29 palms up to I-40.
This will take longer but would be more interesting and with MUCH less traffic.

I agree the desert drive can be boring but if you are going to Joshua Tree NP and haven't experienced the desert before that is the route I would take.
Since the heavy rains of the past winter there should be a lot of desert flowers in bloom.

Thanks for the correction! I still would rather fly and have more time in Vegas, but that's me. I don't even know if there is a PSP-LAS nonstop...!

Thanks for the replies. We have been to both San Diego and Las Vegas before so are sorted for those parts of the trip. But you're right that Palm Springs research is a bit limited so far.

Since we wanted to do something different in between San Diego and Las Vegas (and the straight drive between the two is pretty boring), we thought it was a good idea to break it up and stop in Palm Springs or somewhere for the two nights.

If we drive the alternative route from Palm Springs to Las Vegas via Twentyninepalms, are there any things worth stopping off to see or is it best to head straight to Las Vegas?

Mind,

I have done the PS to Vegas trip through 29 Palms as well as backtracking and doing the all expressway thing.

I liked the adventure of the "back way" once. Between 29 Palms and I-15 there are almost no services. I am not exagerating. We stopped at a gas station (the only one I saw) to use the rest room. It was locked. Asked for the key "for customers only" OK, Ill buy something can we have the key? "whats your order?" If I didn't know I was in CA, I would have thought I was in Deliverance.

I would not do that drive alone or in the heat of summer or if a flash flood is a possibility. It is kind of a cool winding desert drive. We continued on through the Mojave reserve to I-15. I liked the open road, blasting around the curves with no concern for speed limit or traffic. This however did not make my backseat riders very happy so I had to ease up a bit.

Did that, don't need to do it again. Do it if you like some adventure. Fill up with gas, carry some drinks. There is no place to stay till you get to Primm and by that time you may as well go into Vegas.

An unusual place to check out near 29 Palms is Pioneertown. It was built in 1946 as a movie set for western movies, including those of Gene Autry.
It is in the middle of nowhere but there is a western saloon there, Pappy and Harriett's, that has shows for pretty well known musicians (Cracker, Leon Russell, etc).

http://www.pappyandharriets.com/

i think one night between the two would be enough. leave san diego in the morning, you can be at joshua tree by 11:00-12:00 p.m. spend the afternoon there. go back to palm springs for the evening and next morning and then head onto vegas. i enjoy the drive through the desert but stretching it over two days is a bit much.

what is the difference in driving time if you backtrack or take the dessert route?

Temecula, Idylwild and Joshu Tree all would be good. Great time of year to be in the desert. I didn't know about Pioneertown, which sounds fun.

One important fact nobody has mentioned: make sure you have water in your trunk. Fill up with one or two empty water jugs, just in case your radiator overheats in the desert. You could be there quite a long time waiting for assistance otherwise. Also, heed the signs advising you to turn off your air/conditioning at certain points to give it a rest.

A great way to go from San Diego to Palm Springs is through the back country. From Downtown SD take 8 East to 67 North. Take 67 to Ramona. Continue through Ramona, 67 turns into 78 East. Take 78 East to Santa Ysabel, stop at Dudley's Bakery for a snack, then turn left (north) on 79. This is where it becomes very scenic. You'll pass Lake Henshaw, go through Warner Springs and continue north to highway 371 where you'll go right (East). 371 ends at highway 74 where you will turn right (east). At this point you are at 5000 feet elev and will drop into Palm Desert (300 ft elev) in only 25 miles. It's a beautiful winding drive and will take about 3 hours total.

Taking Interstates 15 and 10 are boring and can take just as long if you come upon traffic.

I would avoid I15 on Friday going to, and Sunday coming from Vegas.