Las Vegas to San Fran..the scenic route?

We%26#39;ve got a couple of days to kill between Las Vegas and our booked accomadation in San Fran so we%26#39;ve decided to drive...I%26#39;m guessing it can be done at a fairly leisurely pace. Can anyone suggest possible scenic route that we could take..stopping off overnight at a town on the way.

Thanks all

Mr Dudley

Las Vegas to San Fran..the scenic route?

Through Death Valley then up the 395 through Bishop, Mono Lake and the Bodie Ghost Town.

Then cut through Yosemite if Tioga Pass is open and over to San Francisco. I would stay in Yosemite or Mammoth Lakes.

Las Vegas to San Fran..the scenic route?

When will you be here? Tioga Pass is now open through Yosemite for the season (much earlier than usual due to scant snow--good news for tourists but not so good for people who drink water or irrigate their crops with it).

I would second the idea of seeing Mono Lake, which is not just any lake but a unique natural phenomenon (if Dublin does not have any lakes with tufa towers, don%26#39;t miss this chance). The ghost town of Bodie will take you out of the way from the Yosemite route but is well worth seeing if you have time. From Lee Vining (the eastern gateway town to Yosemite), the trip is about 32 mi/52 km on a paved highway and then a gravel road that is OK for any automobile when driven carefully. (Keep in mind any restrictions from your hire car company about off-pavement travel).

If you stay in or near Yosemite, the most direct route to San Francisco is Highway 120 to Oakdale. But you can take a side trip through the Mother Lode and see historic Gold Rush towns like Sonora, Jamestown, Columbia (my favorite), Angels%26#39; Camp (home of the ';Celebrated Jumping Frog';), and many others. Highway 49 is the ';Gold Rush route'; and you won%26#39;t get lost because it is all paved and has lots of towns and communities.

If no lodging is available in Yosemite, there are facilities at Mammoth, June Lake, and Lee Vining on the east side, and Groveland and Big Oak Flat on the west.

RBcal%26#39;s and Roadrunner%26#39;s suggestions are excellent BUT you haven%26#39;t enough time for any more than Mono Lake. Roadrunner%26#39;s advice to stay at June Lake or Lee Vining should be seriously considered.

The basic trip from Las Vegas is six hundred miles. Even though going through Death Valley and Yosemite adds a hundred miles, it is my preferred route.

Fill the tank in Pahrump. It should get you to Groveland or beyond.

Carry, and drink, large quantities of water.

I regret to report that the Tioga Pass opened today. That means there%26#39;s not much snow or water in the falls. Nevertheless, I%26#39;ll be in Yosemite May 24.

A suggested route -

Take Hwy 95 north from Las Vegas to Beatty, then 374/190/136 through Death Valley to Lone Pine. Lone Pine sits at the foot of Mt. Whitney and Hwy 395 north from here is at the foot of the Sierra Nevada which appear to loom straight up from the valley floor and is a beautiful drive. Lee Vining is where you will catch the eastern entrance to Yosemite...you have already been told about Mono Lake and the ghost town of Bodie. Getting to San Francisco from Yosemite is about 4 hours.

This trip can%26#39;t really be done in two days, comfortably. The minimum comfortable itinerary, giving you time to see some things things on the way ,would be to spend the first night at Lone Pine, the second night in Yosemite, with a few hours to glimpse at its beauty before heading to San Francisco the next day.