we will be visiting for 3 weeks in August flying to las Veags (4 night stay0 and are planning to travel on from there.
We would like to visit yosemite,lake tahoe and Salt Lake City and travel back to vegas for a day or so before returning home,can anyone tell me if this is possible given the time also we would prefer to travel by car.
we have been to Vegas before and loved it as we do with all of the U.S.a we have visited.
We are 2 Adults and a 12 year old.
Most grateful for any info.

Thanks

sally

I believe you can do all that you described in your note. BUT it is quite a ways from Tahoe to Salt Lake. You will have no trouble driving from LV to Yosemite in a day if you want, and from there to Tahoe it is another days drive. From Tahoe to Salt Lake it is a good two days drive thru the desert.
I live about 100 miles from Tahoe in the Sacramento Valley and it has taken us 2 days to drive to Salt Lake. We are not very good in the car even thou we are 2 adults, and try to limit our time to no more than 6-7 hours at a time.
It is very boring thru the desert and you may want to stay at it to get thru there.
I believe you will have enough time to cgo back to LV by way of the major Federal Parks south of Salt Lake. Look on the internet for US Parks (or similar) and you can map out a route to the south and thenm sw to LV.
If you have any trouble getting info, let me know as I have a lot of information on that area.

Happy trails,

Fred W

You have plenty of time for your route, although you might consider doing it in reverse, stopping the first night at Bryce Canyon or Zion National Park, an easy drive from LV. SLC is quick from there. Consider making the SLC-Tahoe trip at night or leaving early in the morning, so the sun's at your back as you blast across the desert. Plan on a 10-hour drive (plus stops) to get there, then a nice long sleep. Tahoe to Yosemite is fairly easy, Yosemite to LV another 10 hour, hot day. Better book your Yosemite accommodation right away if you haven't already.

I guess I'm going to agree with John in reversing your itinerary. My son and I drove from the Bay area (Palo Alto, so two hours west of Tahoe) to SLC in 12 hours with a couple stops. We left at 6 am on a Saturday morning so almost no traffic on 80 through SF. It's a terribly boring route through Nevada--we had stupid mystery "books" on tape to take our minds off the drive. The drive from Las Vegas to SLC is actually quite pretty through Utah near Bryce and Zion. You might want to stop a while there. Then I would continue on to Tahoe and from Tahoe, drive through the old Gold Rush country to get to Yosemite. I would plan a stop in Murphy's or Grass Valley to break up the trip a bit. Wineries here though not well known and old gold rush towns with antique shops. Your son most likely would like Columbia, where the whole town is a historical gold rush town. Then on to Yosemite. After Yosemite, I would be tempted to break up the trip again with a stop somewhere in the LA area. Lake Arrowhead or Big Bear might be fun to see if you've not seen a southern CA mountain lake. Pasadena would be an alternative. Yosemite to Las Vegas through the whole of the desert in August would be brutal. We've never done it except very, very early in the morning (as in 4 am) or as a night trip.Whatever route you take, have your rental car looked at for water and oil and hoses and make sure you take lots of water for yourselves. You have plenty of time for this trip, just know that parts of it will be strenuous.

Thanks for all your info but now I am wondering if it would be better to fly some of the way.
the reason that we wanted to travel by car was so that we could see the country, however driving through desert in blistering heat is not my idea of fun.
I know the weather is not good here in the summer but there is a limit!!!

Thanks gain and any further suggestions or travel tips (hotels etc) wold be great.

sally

What if you did your trip as planned and after your visit to Tahoe you fly out of Reno to SLC and then home?

Sally, the simple fact is that you're visiting one of the hottest parts of the US at one of the hottest times of the year. By UK standards it will be extremely hot, although, of course, humidity is typically (but not always) very low at these times of year. You will certainly be more comfortable at 110F in Las Vegas than your countrymen will be on 90F days at Disneyworld. Tahoe and Yosemite will be cooler because of the altitude, but one can also burn very easily because of the same altitude and the increased UV light.

If the heat has you worried, you can do like most desert locals and simply adjust your activities - busy in the mornings and early evenings, siesta time in the heat of the afternoon. Crossing the desert during the day isn't the worst way to pass the time - the car will be air conditioned as will all the restaurants and places you may stop. You've been to Las Vegas so you know the scene there - chilly casinos then boom - heat like a brick - then back into the dim and din of the slots.

An alternative to consider is to keep on driving on Interstate 80, all the way to San Francisco, about 3 hours or so past the Lake Tahoe cutoff. In August SF will feel downright cold compared to the desert or the Sacramento Valley, and even if it's just for one or two nights it might be refreshing for you.

Sally: I am a northern Californian who likes to spend most of my holidays in the UK - while most of my British friends spend their holidays here. Go Figure!?

Anyway, my suggestions - assuming you have already booked your Yosemite accomodations (or are booking VERY soon) - -

Drive LV to Yosemite, stay 2 to 4 nights, then on to Lake Tahoe and stay another 2 to 4 nights there. Then through Sacramento to either the Napa wine country or San Francisco (or both if you have the time). Turn in your rental car and fly to Salt Lake City and finally fly from SLC to LV to return home.

Southwest airlines offers very inexpensive, especially if booked on-line fares and they serve Sacramento, Oakland, SLC and Las Vegas. This would have you flying over the worst of the desert routes.