DS

We are looking to spend 10+ days in the west...San Fran (including Yosemite National park), Vegas, Grand Canyon. Any suggestions for iternary? We are thinking about doing around the end of Nov...we are traveling from Nashville, fly into one place and drive? or fly around?

J_Correa

I would probably split the trip into 2 segments - California and Nevada - flying between the two. The reason being that you by late November, you wont be able to drive across Tioga Pass (Hwy 120 though Yosemite) so getting to Las Vegas will require a long drive down the California central valley and then across to Las Vegas. This is a long, boring drive and you may encounter lots of rain and/or fog enroute. On the otherhand, the flight is relatively short and cheap.

I would divide the trip up so that you have about 2/3 of your time for SF/Yosemite and 1/3 for LV/Grand Canyon.

janisj

excellent info from J_Correa. w/ 10 days I'd do 6-7 in SF/Yosemite . You need to book accomodations in Yosemite Valley as soon as your dates are firm.

Rent one car for a couple of days to leave SF and drive to YNP and back. Then fly SF to LV and split the other 3+ days between the Grand Canyon and LV.

Driving from N. California to LV in Nov is totally impractical.

DS

Thanks for the information!!

Is visiting Grand Canyon end November a good idea?(in terms of weather) We don't plan on any major hiking in the area.

curmudgeon

Grand Canyon south rim is feasible, though there is definitely potential for snow (it is at 7000 ft). Quite a bit of driving, of course; you can check some distances on Google maps or the like. Death Valley is also a decent option that time of year, though lots of driving as well (if you did this one, it might be worth driving Yosemite -> DV -> Vegas, even though you wouldn't be able to go via hwy 120/Tioga Pass this time of year).

Bay area to Vegas flights are often fairly cheap on Southwest airlines; you might find one of the smaller airports (SJC, OAK, Sacramento) a good option for that flight.

In SF area, you would probably like to spend a couple of days farther south, in Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur area; maybe enroute to Yosemite.

mrwunrfl

Drive from SF to Yosemite and then leave the car in Fresno. Fly from Fresno to Las Vegas. You can get a one-way FAT-LAS ticket for $80 or so.