Las Vegas to Los Angeles
 

My husband and I are going to a wedding in Las Vegas in September. We decided to take the drive across the desert to LA after and spend a few days there. Anyone out there made this trip?
I would also like to make a side trip to Catalina Island.
The whole trip needs to be completed in 5 days. Is that enought time?
What should I skip? (other than the cheezy Vegas wedding--I have to go)

Try to avoid leaving Vegas on Sundays, L.A. residents will be returning and the trafffic will be bad.
I enjoy the beauty of the desert and I don't mind the drive(4-4.5 hours on a good day). Pretty good food in Baker at the Mad Greeks.
Many people enjoy visiting the Caloco ghost town near Barstow, and a chance to stretch you legs at the half-way point.

So you have 5 days once you leave Vegas for LA? If that is the case you will have time to hang and sight see in LA a couple of days and then make a day trip or even an overnight trip to Catalina. I believe you can leave from the San Pedro Port (In LA) so that should be all do-able in the 5 days!

Hope this helps

Hill
www.edufire.com

Not sure what you're asking -- are you looking for things to do BETWEEN Las Vegas and Los Angeles (because there isn't much, and it's not a very long drive anyway)? Or for things to do IN Los Angeles? I'd simply leave Vegas after the wedding (but then, I don't like Vegas), and drive straight to Los Angeles and stay there (with a day trip to Catalina) the rest of the time.

If you want to avoid some of the LA-bound traffic, take the long way and go through Death Valley via Pahrump. When you're ready to leave DV, you can go south via Baker and reconnect to the Interstate or you can go out over Townes Pass and catch Highway 395 south of Lone Pine. Lots of scenery that way. And, as previously mentioned try to avoid I-15 toward LA on a Sunday.

My Wife and I did the drive last September, and we LOVED IT!

As we were holidaying from Europe, the desert and long, unbending highways were such a new experience for us. We had a really great time.

Realisticly it is a major part of one day out of your trip, but well worth it I feel.


I'd agree with one of the above posters that a stop in Baker is a great idea. We could not believe the heat when we opened our car door!

In Baker, we went into a restaurant called Coco's Bakery Restaurant.

They served the nicest apple/cinnemon pie I have EVER TASTED in my life!!! on our return journey to L.A we had to stop again to taste it. I even wrote to them to enquire about the recipe but still no response!

Hope this helps.

Good luck.

P.

I just made the drive from Vegas to Riverside County in a little over 4 hours and I found it a beautiful drive. Desert and mountains everywhere with a few quirky stops along the way if you have time. Other than downtown Vegas, go see Red Rock Canyon if you get a chance, it's quite a lovely side trip.

We have driven through the Mojave Desert several times, on trips to the USA from Australia, and will do it again, I'm sure, between LA and Vegas.
From Vegas, turn off the I15 towards Cima (2 choices there, one goes towards Nipton first) and continue to Kelso, then Amboy and come out on the I10 at TwentyNine Palms.
It's another world - of solitude, Joshua trees and teddy bear cactus, blue skies, and huge freight trains with drivers who will toot in welcome when they see you. At the Kelso Sand Dunes once, we met a group of real live cowboys, hats and all, mustering burros with horses and a helicopter. They said one burro cost about a million dollars to catch and resettle! At Kelso, is the romantic Train Depot, ruins when we first saw it, now a museum, and at the Amboy Crater, lots and lots of lava. From some places, one can glimpse the eternal stream of traffic along the I15, yet on this wonderful two lane tarred road, there is hardly another fellow traveller. Shhh, don't tell too many people - as I said, I want to go back!

If you decide to drive, check for construction delays first - both California and Nevada hightway departments. There's always traffic on I-15 and it could cause you some delays and headaches. An alternate route might be a good idea, especially if time isn't a huge problem.