janisj

Yes -you can camp at Yosemite or get one of the tent cabins where you use your own camping gear/sleeping bags. Try for 2 nights in Yosemite since it will take almost an entire day to get there from Las Vegas. If you only have one night there really is no time to see /do much in Yosemite Valley.

janisj

http://www.yosemitepark.com/curry-village-cabins.aspx

Tomsd

Think you can have a smashing trip - and I don't mind driving at all when I am looking at new scenery.

And not sure why you are stopping on the way to the GC -as I would just push through and be there to great the sunrise the next morning.

If it was me - I would leave by 5 AM to clear the Anaheim/LA basin traffic - and it's all freeway driving - so you could be in the GC before dark - setting up your tent.

Tomsd

BTW - from Anaheim to the GC is about 500 miles - and at 70 mph - that's about 7 hours of straight driving - so add another and if you left at 5 AM - you should be pulling in early/mid afternoon - with plenty of time to set up camp - visit the local store for whatever you need - and probably even enough time to catch the bus to see the sunset to the west.

Tomsd

Uno mas - we have driven straight through many of times from San Diego, which is just a little further than from Anaheim. Add an hour to drive time for gassing up - stopping to pick up sandwiches, etc - and it's doable in 8 hours or so.

clarkgriswold

GoldCoastCasino.com, click on "early booking bonus".

Not sure what you're paying at Mardi Gras, but Gold Coast is a much better choice, with free shuttle (or you can walk) to the strip, $42.50 per weeknight includes all taxes & fees. Easy on/off the freeway, too.

clarkgriswold

Flights on southwest.com , Las Vegas to San Fran, are $80 per person including baggage/taxes. The tickets are changeable (but can increase in price quite a bit if you change at a late date).

You might want to price out the car rentals...one for the whole two weeks, and another pricing Los Angeles drop in Las Vegas, then picking up a 2nd car when leaving San Francisco and dropping at Los Angeles. This might save you parking fees in SF, and since you're on a budget might even save you some bucks in total.

pyetookh

Brilliant brain storming from you all. Many thanks
My other half doesn't drink so there will be no partying in Anaheim. Therefore leaving very early is also an option. I'm just worried about camping in GC and Yosemite due to the very likely cold weather as i was warned. To sleep in a tent at temperatures just above zero (deg C) over night is not much pleasant. Considering you suggest to do 2 nights in GC and possibly another 2 in Yosemite. Heated cabin in Yosemite might be an option though.

hetismij2

We were at the Grand Canyon a few years ago from May 11 to 13th. It was freezing cold and we had snow. Not typical maybe but something that I was told does happen more often than you'd think.
Two years earlier we were there end of March and it was not only freezing cold but icy underfoot.
Don't underestimate the effect of the altitude of GC on the temperature. Make sure you can keep warm in your tent.
Are you buying a tent when you get to California or lugging one from the UK?

pyetookh

I have a relative in Orange who will provide me with a decent size tent and sleep mat and a sleep bag. That's why we stay in Anaheim for our the first two nights. The other mat and bag need to be bought. Will probably buy it on eBay and ask for delivery to my cousine in Orange.
My miss is actually very cold sensitive!

bear900

Tent camped one April in Yosemite and FROZE! Also used a camper one May and it poured.

Make sure the tent has a bathtub bottom, full rain fly, footprint tarp for under tent, and air mattresses to stay off the ground. Plenty of stakes and tie-downs. Google all this. It's the difference between survival and a freeze out, wash out or blow out.