Things to see in California?

March 1, 2012 6:58 AM

Places not to miss roughly between San Francisco and Vegas?

I'm going on a road trip with my girlfriend for 10 days from San Francisco to Las Vegas, picking a rental car up in the former and dropping it in the latter. Our rough plan is that on the way we will see the big trees at Big Basin, visit Yosemite, then on to Vegas, spend a day or two there and then visit some friends in St George, UT.

But the itinerary is flexible - are there any hidden gems or even big attractions we should try and see on that route? We are pretty easy on the wine tour suggestion but if one was amazing, we would fit it in. Mostly we're into cultural/historical things and the great outdoors rather than bangin' nightlife, and I assume we'll get enough of the last in Vegas regardless.

Other AskMes on CA roadtrip seem to cover north rather than east, btu forgive me if I've missed one. Thanks MeFites!

posted by StephenF to Travel & Transportation around California (13 answers total)

Did this trip last year, but went down the Pacific Coast Highway rather than across to Yosemite. If you can do a small segment of that south of San Francisco before heading east I would heartily recommend it
posted by fatfrank at 7:03 AM on March 1, 2012

When? Because the weather in the mountains isn't great at this time of year.
posted by jon1270 at 7:08 AM on March 1, 2012

Response by poster: Jon, starting out on March 15. It's a bolt-on to a business trip so my hands were a bit tied. How bad is the weather likely to be?
posted by StephenF at 7:12 AM on March 1, 2012

They don't even attempt clearing the main roads in Yosemite until mid-April. Keep in mind, the elevation of some of these roads is in the 3000 meter range.
posted by buggzzee23 at 7:18 AM on March 1, 2012

This is a great time to visit Death Valley, Scotty's Castle and Bodie.
posted by buggzzee23 at 7:23 AM on March 1, 2012 [3 favorites]

Do you ski? I did the reverse trip, from Las Vegas to SF, on a motorcycle in May several years ago. I drove up 395 with the intention of crossing the mountains at Yosemite, but that turned out to be impossible even in May. I had to continue further north to Donner Pass, which is near Tahoe. In some places the road was just a vertical-walled trench cut through snow deeper than a semi trailer. I was told that snow chains had been required the day before. Did I mention this was in May?
posted by jon1270 at 7:44 AM on March 1, 2012

Here's a little more info on Yosemite in winter. And yesterday's snow update (PDF)

If you are deadset on seeing Yosemite, be prepared, carry snow chains and know how to install them properly, carry extra food, water, warm clothing and really good sleeping bags in case you become stranded. Also plan an itinerary, stick to the itinerary and leave a copy of the itinerary with someone who can notify authorities if you don't check in as scheduled. One of these could be a real lifesaver. And beware of ice chutes along side of the road if you stop to pee or enjoy the view.
posted by buggzzee23 at 7:45 AM on March 1, 2012

Yosemite should be fine but it will mean your entire trip will be on the west side of the sierras. Also, you'll need to take highway 140 to get there in March because highway 120 will be closed. You also won't be able to drive through the park to the east side so I'd just plan to drive SF to Yosemite, come into the park on the west side and leave through the Wawona entrance. From there you'd be able to take a detour out to Kings Canyon/Sequoia NP and do a bit of snowshoeing/hiking depending on the weather. Continue south to the high desert, swing by Joshua Tree then head east to Vegas.

If you want to go down the east side, I'd go to Tahoe then head south to Mono Lake, then to Lone Pine, if the weather is nice you should be able to do a fair bit of hiking/snowshoeing at both stops. Head east from Lone Pine through Death Valley to Vegas.

Yosemite is really the only reason to stay on the west side for the trip but it's a pretty great reason. The eastern sierras are also incredibly beautiful. I don't think you can go wrong either way.
posted by foodgeek at 8:05 AM on March 1, 2012 [1 favorite]

Death Valley is marvelous this time of year.
posted by dgran at 8:53 AM on March 1, 2012

Hearst Castle?
posted by luckynerd at 8:58 AM on March 1, 2012

I love both Yosemite and Death Valley, but I would vote Death Valley vs. Yosemite for ease of travel. March in Yosemite will take some special preparations and could turn out to be more stressful than you want (though it is a fantastic place year round, it just depends on what you want to get in to). Death Valley is also well worth visiting, and you are in the prime time of year to see it.
posted by handful of rain at 9:17 AM on March 1, 2012

Whenever I'm in the Bay Area, I visit Point Lobos. It has remarkable biodiversity for such a tiny park, and is best explored on foot using their trail system. I usually see lots of birds, sea otters, and sea lions, as well as all the invertebrates that inhabit the tide pools. If you go, be sure to check the tide schedules, because the tide pools are only explorable at low water.

I know it's not really between SF and Vegas, but it's an easy daytrip from SF, and can be combined with the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, which is also awesome.
posted by Metasyntactic at 11:29 AM on March 1, 2012 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks all for the answers!
posted by StephenF at 5:09 AM on March 4, 2012