Four of us are taking a trip out west. We do not want to drive more than 4 or 5 hours at a time. We will be going in September.

Day 1: Check out Napa Valley. (Suggestions)
Day 2: Drive to the north side of Lake Tahoe then drop down the east side to South Lake Tahoe.
Day 3: See the sites around Tahoe. (Any suggestions) Spend the night in South Lake Tahoe (Any suggestion on a place to stay the night)
Day 4: Drive to west side of Yosemite, sleep in El Portal.
Day 5: Drive through Tioga Pass, sleep in Bishop.
Day 6: Drive through Death Valley to Las Vegas.
Day 7: Take a tour to Bryce (Need a break from driving, anyone know a good tour company)
Day 8: Take a tour to Death Valley (Still tired, did not get to see much when we drove through on day 6, still need a good tour company)
Day 9: Drive to North Rim of Grand Canyon. (I have already seen the South Rim)
Day 10: Drive to Sedona and drive to Jerome.

(Does anyone have any suggestions on things to do or see or places to stay around the North Rim or Sedona. Also could use some ideas on things to see and do on the whole trip;.

You may find that the town of Sedona is nothing more than motels and t-shirt stores.

However, it's the amazing setting that's the attraction.

Unless you're planning to take a few hikes (they range from easy and short to long) and/or something like the Broken Arrow Pink Jeep tour, you may be disappointed.

For Bryce, do you want a tour in the park or to get there from some other location.

If all you want is a tour of the park, it's not very large.

I would do the following: spend the night there and be at Bryce Point for sunrise, visit the Natural Bridge lookout and do a short hike down into the hoodoos such as Navajo Loop down and either back up the other side or Queen's Garden back up.

Unless you do at least a short hike down you will not get a feel for the park.

Hi Renes,

Where are you traveling from? Why so rushed?

I would limit this 10 day trip to either the CA destinations or those around LV/UT/AZ.

Just to drive through Yosemite? What a shame. Have you been to Zion already? I guess I don't get the whole idea of not wanting to drive more than 5 hours a day and then planning a trip where you are doing nothing but driving.

It it were me I would try something like this:

2 days Napa
2 days Tahoe
3 days Yosemite
1 day Death Valley
1 day Vegas
the additional day could be either in the Gold Rush country of CA before visiting Tahoe, or at Mammoth Lakes between Yosemite/Death Valley drive.

Or,

2 days Vegas
2 days Zion
1 day Bryce
2 days Hwy 12 & Capitol Reef
1 day GC
2 days Sedona
fly home from AZ

Thanks for responding
To Myer: I,m going to do a tour to Bryce and Zion from Vegas. I was planning to go back to vegas for the nite, that way my wife get's to see the sites and I get to gamble. The jeep trip sounds nice. My wife would like that.We are to old And out of shape for hikeing.

To Dayle: We have to be in vegas the 6th nite, because the other couple flies out of vegas early on the 7th day We only want to drive about 5 hrs.because, of back problems.I want at least 1 day to relax in Vegas Altogether I have 14 days for my part of the trip after the other couple flies out I still have 7 days. I did not put down anything past day ten till I get some feedback on things to do. I ffly out of Pheonix early on day 14.
And,

RENES, are you planning to go into Yosemite Valley? That's the most beautiful part of Yosemite and you will want to spend at least a full day there to see all the sights and really enjoy it.

Do you mean September 2009? If so, there's only one hotel at the North Rim, and there's a good chance it's already sold out. Other lodging is a ways away.

We will be in Yosemite Valley part of 2 days. Sept. 09. if we have to drive little for a room it will be ok.

the first half of your plan has some serious "issues"

You are building in several more than 5-hour drives. W/o knowing specific dates -- Some of the issues do depend on the day of the week - but things to consider:

Fall is the busiest time of year in the Napa Valley. You may hit bumper to bumper traffic all the way up/down hwy 29. Have you booked rooms yet? Especially if on a weekend most places will have a 2 night minimum. And finding anything at this late date may be tough

day of the week will make a HUGE difference how long it will take to drive from Napa to SLT via NLT. On a Tuesday morning - about 4.5 hours. On a Friday - maybe 6 hours.

Finding rooms at SLT won't be a problem.

Sounds like you mean to drive around the west side to El Portal. That is easily a 4.5 hour drive - but could be more depending on the route.

That gives you about 1/2 a day in Yosemite Valley since you have a long drive the next day and you'll want time in Tuolumne Meadows

IMO Death Valley is not a place to go in September -- and definitely not twice . . . .

All I can say is you're insane! That trip is way way too rushed and way too much driving. Slow down!

Thans to all for your input. We'll be in Napa on a Weds. And, driveing to Tahoe on a Thurs. We have rooms in Fairfield and S.Lake Tahoe. We are planning to take RT.88 to Yosemite. If we find DV. is to hot on the drive thru. We mite try Salt Lake City or Arches N.P. instead of going to D.V. again .

You don't really say you will be in Yosemite for two days (as I read it) and I was going to comment that it would be a shame not to give that wonderful park it's just due.
We stayed in Tioga Pass cabins one time--great experience.
I don't have a map in front of me but coming into Yosemete from the west entrance is stunning. Then leave through Tioga.

For one of the trips from Vegas to DV, go up 95 to Beatty and then west with a short stop at Rhyolite to see the Ghost town and the house made of bottles (only a couple of minutes off the beaten path. Then stop for a panoramic view of the valley across the road from the bathrooms at the top of the hill. From there drop into the valley and if you want to see Scotty's Castle, take the north fork, otherwise go south, stop at the Borax works, Visitor's center, and go south to devil's golf course, bad water, artist's bpallet drive, and out through Zabriski point and back to vegas through Parumph.

Have a great trip.

Fairfield is a crap (not at all an exaggeration) place to stay.

There is no way you'll have 2 days in Yosemite Valley - not even one full day.

But you have an answer for every suggestion/warning you've received so it does look like your plans are sort of set. So go for it.

(Salt Lake City makes no sense)

Thanks too all:
To emalloy: those are the things we wanted to see in D.V. if it isn't to hot.

To janisj: We picked fairfield because it was closed to Napa. We didn't want to drive to far after the wineries. We are only sleeping there.

"IMO Death Valley is not a place to go in September -- and definitely not twice . . . ."

Boy is that true!
If you like mile after mile, hour after hour of hot, dusty, dry, Yucca trees, Joshua trees, and cactus, go for it. It's pretty boring and such a waste of what California has to offer.

It sounds like you have two separate trips. I would do the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Lake Havasu, Hoover Dam, maybe a short trip to Las Vegas in one separate vacation.

I would do the San Francisco, Bay Area, Wine country, over to Lake Tahoe, Yosemite as another separate trip.

To combine the two is just a lot of driving time - but if you like being in your car for 6-8 hours at a time go for it!

Have you been to any of these places? Those if us responding have (and most of us live in the area). So when we suggest something isn't doable or doesn't make sense -- we aren't just making it up.

I'm tired just thinking about this trip - lots of driving and moving around. I'd eliminate some locations - for the Napa-Lake Tahoe-Yosemite portion, I'd pick 2 of the 3. The Sierra Foothills produce some good wines and you could skip Napa and check out a couple wineries on the way to either Lake Tahoe or Yosemite. Or given that this trip is next month, if you don't already have reservations for lodging in or around Yosemite, a visit might be a no-go anyway.

I am not as familiar with the Nevada, Utah, and Arizona areas you are considering, so I can't give specifics like others have, but try to keep in mind that distances are quite long and not underestimate the time it takes to get from point A to point B.