Stopover between Las Vegas and Yosemite
 

Hi all,

Given that it is quite a long way to do Las Vegas-Yosemite in a day by car, what would you guys suggest for a stop over? Through this forum I can see that Lone Pine seems to be a good idea, but what do you guys think about Barkersfield or Ridgecrest for example?

Thanks !

Ralph

What time of year . . . Makes a HUGE difference.

Re Bakersfield (an armpit) and Ridgecrest (another body part) -- no!

If you are traveling when Tioga Pass is closed, just bite the bullet and do the entire drive in one day. Leaving Vegas early in the AM you'll pull into Yosemite Village in time for a late lunch.

If you are traveling when Tioga Pass is open -- then Lone Pine makes a nice stop and gives you time to explore Death Valley enroute.

Yes true time of the year is important...
it is end of march in my case
the thing is we plan to go out the night before so might not leave vegas very early...that is why we wanted to do a stopover between vegas and yosemite...

OK -- Tioga will be closed. Unless you are totally hungover -- I'd still do it in one day. Leaving at noon, stopping for a quick late lunch enroute you'll still get to Yosemite in time for dinner.

Checkout for most of the hotels is 11AM so maybe eat a late breakfast/brunch in Vegas and hit the road 10:30 or 11AM and get to YNP while still daylight.

There is modest cuteness in downtown Hanford, just west of SR 99 near Visalia. Definitely small-town America, but an inexpensive and pleasant enough place to spend the night. Yosemite would be a couple of hours the next morning.

"Modest" is the operative word ;)

If you just can't face the extra two hours in the car, then yes, Hanford would work.

Bur NOT Bakersfield, nor Ridgecrest, nor Fresno . . .

Or Tehatchipi..Or Oakhurst..Or Baker.. Or Barstow.

Since Tioga Pass will be closed then Ridgecrest and Lone Pine are out of your way. Were you looking to spend the night or just a place to have a break?

The World's Tallest Thermometer in Baker is working again! ;)

Utahtea

>>Or Tehatchipi..Or Oakhurst..Or Baker.. Or Barstow.<<

Baker - no. That makes no sense since it is only a little over an hour from Vegas so doesn't solve ANYTHING

Tehachapi - no. OK-Ish place but not far enough - would leave a 4+ hour drive the next day.

Barstow - Definitely no

Oakhurst - no. If one can make it as far as Oakhurst it is only 90 minutes farther into Yosemite Valley

Hanford is semi OK - About 6 hours from the Strip and close to 3 hours into Yosemite Valley.

Sorry about your answers guys
I should have added something in my question: We do want to go through the Death Valley for some stops, which makes the trip longer

That makes for a longer trek (and yes -- <i>little</i> Details like that make a very big difference) . . .

OK - to start over - Tehachapi would work. Its about 5 hours car time plus the time you spend exploring DV. Then the next day 4.5 hours to YNP.

Ahhh...yes...those little details make a big difference. We've never stayed in Lone Pine because they were booked with some kind of event when we tried, but it would be the best location so you would have the least amount of driving on the day you left Las Vegas and give you time to spend in Death Valley.

Utahtea

But Lone Pine to YNP the next day will take forever . . . Like seven hours w/o a stop.

One of our fellow Fodorites, micheled, has a tasting room in Tahachapi. :)

I have Lone Pine to Yosemite Valley/Yosemite Village as 370 miles and approx a little over 6 hours of driving without a stop. The OP said they were going to be out late their last night in Vegas and weren't going to get an early start so to see anything in Death Valley I figured they would need a place close by that evening.

Utahtea

A little over 6 . . . or 7 as I posted - same-o, same-o.

W/ the traffic on 99 my guess is it would take even more than 7 hours.

A LOT depends on what you meant by a late start out of Vegas. If you mean in the afternoon then you either have one hellacious drive the 2nd day - OR - you'll need to ditch DV. But if you just meant a mid to late morning start, you can easily see a bit of DV and get to Tehachapi for the first night.

I would suggest going to Lake Tahoe instead of YNP at this time. You may have more winter activities there and can go through DV and then up north on 395, taking a night break in LP or Bishop.

Tahoe is great . . . but it is <i>not</i> Yosemite. And unfortunately, this year there is very little 'winter activities' even at Tahoe. For the last couple of months most of the outdoor equipment places have been renting out mountain bikes - not skis/snowshoes.