Hey there, we are planning to fly into Vegas, stay there for 2 nights and then drive up to Yosemite from Vegas. Obviously, we don't mind driving long distances and have done it before out west, using Vegas for a start/end point. We will probably drive up east of Death Valley and Seqouia NP the first day and stay overnight somewhere around there, any ideas??? The next day we would love to check out the area more and then cruise north and enter into Yosemite through the east entrance. We plan on staying in the Yosemite area for 2-3 days and want to see as much as we can, scenic drives, good pics, take short hikes, etc. We are both in our early 30's and we are looking for recommendations on some specific places to stop at (wouldn't mind swinging into Sequoia NP on the way up), nice short hike recommendations, and of course, a decent place to stay that is convenient to the parks (we don't have to stay in the park, but wouldn't mind something middle of the road - no camping this trip). I've looked around for sample itineraries, but haven't found any. Has anyone taken this trip from Vegas?? If so, what would you recommend?? Thanks in advance.

oh yeah, we are going in mid-September this year...

There isn't an easy access to Seqouia National Park from the East. I've heard there are roads, but they will be very slow driving. I'd recommend going from Death Valley up Hwy 395 and entering Yosemite. Then exit Yosemite at the southern entrance and enter Seqouia from the western entrance before returning to Las Vegas.

Utahtea

There are no roads into Sequoia or Kings Canyon National Park from the east. There are roads up into the east side of the Sierra, but they all dead end at about 8000 feet. Any further is by foot or horse, over 12000 foot passes. It's about a week's hike to the giant sequoias on the High Sierra Trail.

Anyway, if you go east of Death Valley you'll be in the Nevada desert most of the way, and there's isn't much to stop for there. If you can, take US-395, it's very scenic, with the east face of the Sierra on one side and the White Mountains on the other.

Thx for the tips so far, as I looked closer at maps, i noticed no Eastern entrance into Sequoia, ugh.. Maybe we'll take 395 up to Yosemite and spend a few more days there... Thx for the help.

Make sure you stop and visit Mammoth Lakes and the Mammoth village, you can spend a whole day there.

Mammoth is a good place to stop for seeing the east side of the Sierra, there's some infrastructure there, meaning places to eat and sleep other than camping and campfires. Still, it's an "in and out" situation, you can't cross the mountains there, or anywhere before Yosemite.

There's also several small towns down in the Owens Valley along 395 where you could stop. Lone Pine, Big Pine, Independence, Bishop.

Mammoth is a winter ski resort, so has something more of the high life, while the Owens Valley towns are more geared to hunters of deer, bighorn sheep, antelope, and so on. Not that they turn away yuppies arriving in their Beemers.