awd

I am planning a road trip from SFO to LAS the primary point of which is to visit Yosemite and Death Valley and would like some feedback on the plans.

Intended dates are 1 Oct - 9 Oct but we have not booked anything yet and the end date is flexible.

I live in YVR and have found some reasonable (but not great) flights into SFO and out of LAS.

I am not intending to spend any time in either SFO or LAS

Intended itinerary is

SFO -> Monterey / Carmel -> Big Sur -> Yosemite -> Death Valley -> LAS

Is this trying to do too much? could skip Big Sur and do that on another trip.

Any tips to avoid a large drop-off fee for the one way car rental?

Any recommendations for accommodation.

The only places available in Yosemite are unheated and in Curry Village and Housekeeping Village. Is it likely to be too cold? If so we could stay outside the park.

Anywhere on this route that we should not miss?

Thanks

biggestbopper

I'd skip both LAS and SFO and fly into Fresno (quite close to Yosemite) or Monterrey or maybe even SLO or San Jose. Then, do a circle trip and save on the drop fee.

Yosemite Valley weather in early October is likely to be great, during the day. But, it can get into the thirties or even to freezing at night. Guess if an unheated cabin is okay or not depends on how many blankets you have. I wouldn't worry about it if you have a down type sleeping bag.

If you need other type lodging you might try http://www.yosemitebug.com/. The Bug is close to the entrance to the Park and is kinda an interesting place--especially if you like the Sixties.

Italy98

We did the SFO - LAX drive last year and are ready to make another trip (in the same direction). The coastal scenery is beautiful and there are numerous places where you can take photos.

I don't know availability, as biggestbopper suggested, of flying into someplace other than SFO. IIRC, returning a rental within a certain radius from the rental location will not incur a drop-off charge. Personally, unless there is a compelling reason to return to the originating rental city, I am not a fan of retracing my route.

Enjoy and travel safe.

awd

I hadn't considered flying into Fresno because I just assumed that it would be much more expensive - in fact it isn't nor are the travel times ridiculously long. Doing that round trip might allow us to visit Kings Canyon or Sequoia as well. Thanks for the adice

Of course we would then miss Big Sur - just have to save that for the next trip

cblaisd

I would HIGHLY recommend traversing Death Valley and onwards to northwest of Las Vegas via the suggestion I was given, referenced in this post. It was one of the most amazing days of driving I have ever had

awd

Sounds great but I will be in rental car which is not supposed to be driven on any unpaved road let alone a rough one

JerryFF

Driving from Big Sur to Yosemite will be a little awkward. You will either need to drive back north to Monterey and then head east or drive quite a bit out of your way south along a very winding coast road before turning east through Paso Robles and then back northeast to Yosemite. But if you have the time, it's only an hour south of Monterey and, IMO, well worth the short diversion.

SoCal

Whether it's too much depends on you-- how much you like to drive, how many times you want to move hotels, and how much you want to do along the way (e.g., the drive from Yosemite to DV itself is worth a couple of days if you want to stop places like Bodie, Bristlecone Pines, Manzanar, ec.).

I definitely would not fly into Monterrey--that's in Mexico. :-) Flying into Monterey, California, or even Fresno, or SLO, could result in higher air fares, since those are smaller markets, but doesn't hurt to check. You might find a decent fare into Sacramento (SMF), which which is a somewhat larger market than these, but which would still put you closer to Yosemite than would San Francisco. Even flying into Oakland would save you a little bit of driving. If you're going as far as Death Valley, might as well drive to Las Vegas for your flight out. L.A. airports (e.g., Burbank, it not LAX) would be next closest. Returning all the way to the Bay Area or Sacramento to save any drop-fee on the rental car (and there is not always one on one-way rentals, and if there is MAY be $100 or less) wouldn't make sense to me. If you decided to go with just Monterey, Big Sur and Yosemite and skip Death Valley, a roundtrip would make more sense.

In Yosemite, only Camp Curry has tent cabins, among places still open in October, and those should be heated by October, especially if the temps dip. There are, of course, heated rooms in Yosemite Lodge, Ahwahnee, Wawona, and the Park Place. The Yosemite Bug is near Midpines, close to an hour's drive from Yosemite Valley. It's a hostel but also has some private rooms. Not nearly as scenic as Yosemite itslef, IMHO. In Death Valley you have the Furnace Creek Ranch, Furnace Creek Inn and Stovepipe Wells. There are also accommodations in nearby Panamint Springs, Beatty and Death Valley Junction.

abmj-jr

If you decide to skip the coast this trip and concentrate on Yosemite, Kings Canyon/Sequoia NP and Death Valley, flying into FAT would make sense. Fresno is only a bit over an hour from Yosemite - if I am driving - or less than 2 hours for first-timers.

In this case, you would forego the route over Tioga Pass and down SR 395 to Death Valley. Instead, you would go the Valley route - Fresno-Yosemite-Fresno-Kings Canyon NP-Sequoia NP-Death Valley via Tehachipi Pass souteast of Bakersfield. A decidedly different driving experience but with its own "charms."

SoCal

I've done both routes. Going down the San Joaquin Valley and over Tehachapi Pass to Mojave, then to DV, would be fast, but, IMHO, very boring (a bit less boring if you take Walker Pass past Lake Isabella instead of Tehacnapi Pass). Route over Tioa and down 395 is, again IMHO, one of the more scenic drives in California. Flying into Fresno (FAT) would indeed be closer to Yosemite than even Sacramento, but fares I've seen are higher and/or involve more stops. As I said, worth checking. And you might just hit on a lower fare.

Google Maps, which can be conservative on expected driving speed, says 2 hrs. 41 mins. from Fresno Airport to Yosemite Lodge, which is in Yosemite Valley, not just at the park entrance near Wawona. Says 96 miles, so if someone can drive it in an hour, over mountain roads, they'd be smoking. 3 hrs. 34 mins. from the Sacramento Airport (going the quickest way, not down scenic, historic Hwy. 49), 3 hrs. 53 mins. from San Francisco Airport (less than I thought), and 3 hs. 32 mins. from the Oakland Airport. Says 5 hrs. 48 mins. from Yosemite Lodge to Furnace Creek in Death Valley (where the visitor center is). Side trip to Bodie would add a couple of hours. Enjoy whatever route(s) you decide on.

awd

Thanks for the advice all.

We have decided to fly into and out of Fresno and do a circular trip

Fresno - Kings Canyon + Sequoia - (south route) - Death Valley - (Tioga Pass) - Yosemite - Fresno

Fares to Fresno were lower than I was quoted for YVR-SFO, LAS-YVR and about the same as in and out of LAS

abmj-jr

That will make for a very nice trip in October. For the Sequoia Park exit portion, please see my post lower down in this group "Travel Advisory - Sequoia National Park." There are some issues on the main route out of the park to Visalia.

azepine00

Good plan. Mammoth Lakes is a great point to spend a night or two and explore the eastern sierra (mono lake, eastern yosemite, june lakes etc). October is a perfect time to be there with changing leaves and no crowds at all.

RichardInSF

It's possible that Tioga pass could be already closed in October, although the odds are in your favor. Death Valley could still be rather hot in early October. Furnace Creek Inn, the upscale pre-depression hotel, doesn't open for the season until October 8, but the Ranch -- which is more like a motel -- will be open.

Titus Canyon, mentioned by cblaisd above, is the day trip that has everything, especially when you start with a visit to nearby Rhyolite. I am tempted to say that if you are careful and the road is open, you should try it in your rental car regardless of what the contract says. It is accessible to careful drivers with a 2WD car although higher clearance makes things easier. It's worth changing change rental companies for. But call the Park Service first, the road is not always open.

If you choose to rent a 4WD, I have other suggestions for you, depending on your skill level driving it.

awd

Yes, I realized that. Hopefully there won't be an early snowfall and that the temperatures are not too high

Yes. We are booked in at the ranch

Are there some rental companies that allow a normal 2WD to be taken on unpaved roads? I am currently booked with Alamo - but can change this if necessary

Thanks, but I wasn't intending to get a 4WD