Greetings, fellow travelers, I will be in Las Vegas and San Francisco next month, and I am wondering if I should just get me a rental car that i can return at SFO, instead of returning it at LAS and entering a plane to San Francisco.
After a quick look at prices, it should not make that much of a difference, and even if it does, I dont really mind spending a few hundred more or less.
so the question is - is it worth it? I am an European, so driving through the US for a while seems kinda interesting, just for the sake of it, but I am not sure if that particular stretch of road is intersting enough for an approximated 9 hours total driving time. As a hydrologist, the central valley and the drought are of course very interesting to me, but I doubt I see much from the car window.
Passing through Yosemite might be fun, but seems like all the passes are closed already, so I would have to take a detour via lake tahoe or Reno, which would make this a 2 day trip probably.
I could also go through death valley, but that also seems to increase the time to 11 hours. Worth it? Or go along the coast for a bit, but that is also 11 hours.
tl;dr:
How to best get from Las Vegas to San Francisco.
>>1052978
You're right about not seeing much of the drought from a car window. And many people consider that stretch of highway as one of the most boring/worst in the entire country due to the road being straight with little in the way of scenery and lots of truck traffic.
The northern route across the Sierra Nevada through the Tahoe/Reno region is very pretty. If you combine that with the Death Valley idea you'd be able to see the eastern side of the Sierra, which is spectacular. There's nothing in Europe that compares to it.
And if you do take that route be sure to stop at the bakery in Bishop, California, and also at the South Tufa area of Mono Lake.
>>1052978
>How to best get from Las Vegas to San Francisco
The best way this time of year is by plane. You're right that the route through Yosemite is already closed; too bad, as that's the nicest way to go. The drive down the coast (on the Pacific Coast Highway) is quite nice, but isn't quick. The drive through the Central Valley of the state is quick, but not nice. Death Valley really is worthwhile; winter is a good time to go as it's not so incredibly hot then. I suppose it comes down to how much time you want to take -- if you're limited to 9 hours or so, go by plane. If you're willing to spend 3 days (and it's worth it), I'd take the PCH down to San Luis Obispo, head from there to Bakersfield, and then through Death Valley to Las Vegas.
>>1053003
>And many people consider that stretch of highway as one of the most boring/worst in the entire country due to the road being straight with little in the way of scenery and lots of truck traffic.
good to know!
As far as I see it, I can choose from three somewhat close options with the highway 5 being the one you dont reccomend.
what about 99 (east, going through Fresno) and 101 (west)?
the long way across death valley and the Sierra would probably mean that I have to make it two days, which will fuck with my hotel reservations, but maybe its worth it?
>>1053006
Interstate 5 and Highway 99 are pretty similar. Neither one is fun.
I'd say changing your reservations is very worth it.
>>1053006
>99 (east, going through Fresno) and 101 (west)?
The 99 is more of a "local" highway, so it goes through a lot of small (and fairly shitty) towns. On the plus side, you can easily detour to where James Dean died (car crash). The 5 is more of a "national" highway -- it's wider and faster, but goes through a whole lot of nothing (mostly vast farm fields on each side). The PCH is really nice if you can take the time; the California coast is really beautiful, and the coastal highway goes through lots of nice small towns.
>>1053245
Yikes -- sorry. Major brain fart. The 99 is the local through farm towns, very dusty, etc. The 5 is the high-speed major freeway through nowhere. The 101 / 1 (PCH) is the nice way to go along the coast. You can start immediately S of SF, in Pacifica.
>>1052978
100% worth it to alter your hotel plans. Death valley is absolutely incredible. Check out the NPS website with all the things to do there, it's a very strange place with a lot that can be done by car alone. There are also a lot of ghost towns in the area, like bodie and rhylolite. There's even one on titas canyon in the park. Temperatures will be pretty low in the mountains this time of year though, something to consider.
The area east of the Sierra is beautiful as well. There are some really neat lakes over there that are worth checking out. It feels very desolate. If you're into weird water stuff, you'll pass by mono lake, which is super dope. On 395 in Nevada you will pass through Carson city, the state capitol. You can walk in to their capitol building and sit at the supreme Court, no security at all and it's tiny. Virginia city is also really cool, abandoned mines there. On the way back you'll pass by lake Tahoe, worth a detour. Very popular destination for Bay Area residents. I'd suggest against driving west on I 80 on a Sunday, as you will hit traffic
The Mohave is a trip to go through if you've never seen one, but it's pretty much mile after mile of the same thing. Other posters are correct that there's not much to see on either 5 or 99 LA to SF. Aviation fuel is cheap as fuck right now, seats are cheap if you're not flying over the holiday and if you get a window seat you'll see a lot more interesting stuff from the air.
>>1053254
>I'd suggest against driving west on I 80 on a Sunday, as you will hit traffic
I'll probably be on the road somewhere around wednesday to saturday, so I'll probably avoid traffic.
>>1053268
>Aviation fuel is cheap as fuck right now, seats are cheap if you're not flying over the holiday and if you get a window seat you'll see a lot more interesting stuff from the air.
Its not really a price thing. In fact, I expect the road version to be more expensive, And I'll already pass over the area by air about three times (flying in AMS-LAX_LAS and out SFO-AMS).
Damn, I was booked a non-changeable reservation. So a two day trip would probably mean paying for a night I will not spend there. But from what I read here, It might be worth it. Have to see what I can do.
Is the PCH possible in one day? Like starting in Las Vegas at 5 in the morning and getting to SFO at 9 in the evening?
Oh, and how low is
>Temperatures will be pretty low in the mountains this time of year though, something to consider.
I am currently in the Swiss Mountains, so I am totally used to below freezing, but if its much lower, I will have to reconsider, since I cant be sleeping in the car without a sleeping bag, if I do the two day version.
Thanks, btw! Very helpful so far!
>>1053283
>I cant be sleeping in the car without a sleeping bag
LOL, there's no need to sleep in the car. You can find lots of motels along the road; if you're by yourself there's no problem finding a decent place for US$40/night to US$50/night.
>>1052978
If you're used to driving in Europe driving in Cali will be easy as fuck.
Bump
I am almost set on the north-east route, along the sierra, and then going to SF via lake Tahoe. And said place seems kind in the middle, but as a large skiing area, its probably expensive. Hows the area between, lets say mono lake and lake tahoe for finding a random, cheap, OK motel at the beginning of december.
>>1053294
>You can find lots of motels along the road;
>>1053341
how do you mean that?
I would guess its rather confusing, if you are not used to "switching tactics".
You are generally going rather slow (at least for someone used to German Autobahns), whereas your trucks are quite fast, and you can overtake on whichever lane you want.
I am sure I can handle it, but your "easy as fuck" sounds quite confusing.
>>1052978
I'd strongly urge you to drive along the coast of California on Highway 1 if time is not a major factor. It's also called the Pacific Coast Highway.
I've driven down it before and it is completely worth it.
Besides, 101 and 5 are relatively the same highway--pretty boring, really.
>>1052978
I drove from Bakersfield to Vegas last year in February. I'm from Switzerland so I have no clue about the specifics and the road's numbers sorry.
You could drive from Bakersfield to Kern Canyon then Lake Isabella, head toward Ridgecrest and Olancha on the 395 and have beef jerky there (real tasty real good). Then go through death Valley via Panamint Spring and Zabriskie Point and then pass by Amargosa Valley to Las Vegas. You probably should stop either in Beatty or Amargosa after you drove through Death Valley just so that you have the time to visit. We made the Bakersfield-Amargosa (including the visit of the park) in a day and it was ok !
>>1053466
Not that guy but I'm Belgian and have driven there. California is built around highways. They're super easy to get onto. Everything is signalled very well too. There are long stretches of road where you just have to drive in a straight line. No one cares about lanes, they just pick one and drive. That's annoying at first, but you get used to it after a while. All cars are automatics, driving those on an American highway is like driving a toy car, not much fun but anyone can do it.
I have to say, for a European, driving through such vast stretches of absolutely nothing was kind of fascinating, even after a few days. Never fully got used to it.
>>1053464
The NE route (along the Sierras on the 395) is fine, but I'd advise you to leave your options open -- if it's been snowing up in the mountains you absolutely don't want to go this route. It's very empty (not many towns, etc.) and it would be a real bitch to get stuck out there. If it's been snowing, take the Pacific Coast Highway route instead.
>as a large skiing area, its probably expensive
Correct, Lake Tahoe is very expensive.
>Hows the area between, lets say mono lake and lake tahoe for finding a random, cheap, OK motel at the beginning of december.
Again, it depends on the weather -- as I said above, there isn't much between the two places. Those towns that stay open all year are ski resorts (so will be expensive), lots of other places will have closed for the season.
Again, you're better off taking the PCH at that time of year. The 395 is really nice in the spring-summer-fall but it's really, really empty. If you absolutely insist on going that way, make sure you take snow chains for your tires -- if it snows only a few mountain pass roads will be open and the Highway Patrol won't let you take them without chains.
>>1053715
>-- if it's been snowing up in the mountains you absolutely don't want to go this route.
But I especially want to, especially given that I am living in the alps, so I am used to snow and driving on snow, but you are right, I also checked conditions, and the
>make sure you take snow chains for your tires
part will probably be rather hard to do with a random rental car from Las Vegas. It seems like it probably might even be hard to get winter tires, and I am certainly not going on mountain roads with summer tires.
so that plan is mostly scrapped, and I try to go through death valley and PCH if I make it a two day trip, or only one of those, If I am going for a real long single day.
But I am free for other suggestions or additions!
