Hi all,

I posted some time back about plans to spend our honeymoon touring the Desert area/West Coast. Since investigating it a bit more I would be grateful for any feedback, i.e. covering too much, driving distances too long, dersert too hot that time of year etc. Thank you all in advance.

We are from Ireland (pink/pale/white skinned) We are arriving May 1st 2006 and leaving May 31st.

Arrive Las Vegas 2/3 nights

Grand Canyon 3/4 nights
Plan to spend time seeing Monument
Valley, Zion National Park etc

Back to Las Vegas maybe 1 night to
pick up car.

Drive from Las Vegas through Death
Valley to Yosemite onto San
Francisco. 3/4 days

San Francisco 6 Days
Tour Nappa/Sanoma valleys.

Fly to Hawaii/Kauai 7 days
(will post on seperate thread, don't
know which island yet).

Back to San Francisco. Drive down
coast to LA. 3 days

Los Angeles 4 days
(fly home to Ireland)

Tentative Itin. Is it mad? Are we totally doing it the wrong way around? Have no clue on driving distances. Any one who has been to Ireland will understand that short driving distances take time. We want to take our time and enjoy the journey. Would you add or subtract days to any where?

Thank you in advance.

P

ttt

I'm exhausted just reading about your honeymoon!

Sounds perfect and I'm jealous!

Thanks GoTravel - hope we won't be exhausted by the end of the trip. We planned a month to do it all,so that it wouldn't be too hectic.

Have been saving for 3 years for this trip, so am trying to get it right.

I don't think it sounds too hectic at all!

You've done a wonderful job planning!

Makes sense to do the desert portions early in the trip as it won't be quite as hot then. I'd suggest buying some UV-protective clothing if you're planning on doing some hiking and spending time out in the sun. There are shirts/pants, etc. that are lightweight yet made of UV-protective material that would help.

Keep in mind that Memorial Day weekend will be somewhat busy (tourist-wise), so figure out where you're going to be then and adjust plans accordingly. Memorial Day is the last Monday of May.

The one hitch in the plan is the drive from Death Valley to Yosemite. The most direct route will take you over Tioga Pass on Hwy 120. This route closes in the winter due to snow - they don't plow it until spring. Depending on the weather it can open anytime from mid May to late June. So, it *might* be open, but I wouldn't count on it. Yosemite Valley should be perfectly nice during that time, it is just the high country that could still have snow.

So, to get to Yosemite from Death Valley, you will likely have to come at it from the west side, which will add some distance to your drive.

Sounds like a great trip. Each of the national parks would have a website that is updated frequently, ton advise you on road closures and conditions. There were some closures from Las Vegas to Death Valley this past year. And be sure to book well, well in advance if you plan to stay at the Furnace Creek Inn.

J_Correa is correct. If next year is anything like 2005, the road into Yosemite from the east (Tioga Pass) will not be open. But next year could be entirely different. I never count on Tioga being open before June 1 and usually it is later - even into July sometimes. You won't know until late Spring if the road will be open.

To get to Yosemite from LV w/o going over Tioga Pass entails a God foresaken jaunt through Barstow and Bakesfield, then north to Fresno. And from Death Valley it is even worse, going through Ridgecrest enroute to Bakersfield.

Consider this instead. You could easily visit Death Valley as a day trip from Las Vegas.

Then you could fly from Vegas to SF, Oakland, or San Jose for the California part of your trip. Yosemite is about a 4 hour drive from the SF Bay area.

Janis' post got me thinking about your car rental arrangements. What were your plans for this? Generally, most car rentals are returned to the same place you rented from. If not, it's considered a one-way rental and the price is considerably more. It seems like you'd be doing several one-way rentals with your current itinerary, which would really add up. The suggestion to fly from Las Vegas to SanFran makes a lot more sense given the car rental issue. That would give you only 1 one-way rental (from SanFran to LA).

I'll give you an idea of miles and driving times and some other info too.

North Rim will be closed until Mid-May because of winter snow so I assume you are planning on the S. Rim of the Grand Canyon. Las Vegas to S. Rim is 280 miles and approx. 5 hours driving time. I'd spend at least two nights at the Grand Canyon to give you one full day to explore all the scenic over looks on the free shuttle buses.

I'm not sure if you planned on using the Grand Canyon as your base to do Monument Valley and Zion. If you are, then you will be doing to much driving and be going way out of your way.

Grand Canyon to Monument Valley is 180 miles one way and 4 hours driving time. I'd leave the Grand Canyon early in the morning, making stops along Hwy 64 between Grand Canyon Village and Desert View where you will exit the park. There are several very good overlooks between these points. I would either spend one night at Monument Valley or drive to Page, AZ which is 125 miles and a little over 3 hour drive. This also puts you closer to Zion.

The next morning I'd get up early and head to Zion National Park which is 120 miles and approx. 2 1/2 hours driving time. You will have most of the day to see Zion. Spend at least one night in Zion.

The day you leave for Las Vegas, you can spend the morning in Zion and then drive the 165 miles and less than 3 hour drive back to LV.

I really wouldn't try to do this leg of the trip on just 3 nights. I would take a night from San Francisco or Los Angeles and put it on this part of the trip.

May should be a good time to be in the South West weather wise!

You have already been told about Tioga Pass. Las Vegas to Furnace Creek in Death Valley is 140 miles and approx. 3 1/2 hours driving time.

Furnace Creek to Yosemite Valley is 440 miles and approx. 10 1/2 hours driving time via Bakersfield and Fresno. As noted this is not your most scenic route.

Yosemite to San Francisco is 185 miles and approx 4 hours driving time. This will all depend on what day of the week and what time of the day. Bay Area traffic can get really bad even 45 miles from SF!

Utahtea

Thank you all very much. Exactly the information that is needed, from clothing to wear, weather/temps in May and driving distances and times which I've found on previous trips is one of the main factors that catch people out and loose them valuable vacation time.

Thank you all again, will add your thoughts to my itinerary. When I've decided on lodgings I would again appreciate help. The lodgings in the main cities are easy enough, its the ones in the National parks that I find a little more difficult to assess.

Paul

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