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Driving Vegas to San Fran mid July.
Setting of early morning... looking to drive death valley and arrive at or near Yosemite national that evening.
Will drive via tioga pass Road.
Looking mostly for suggestions on accomodation. Looking for cheap digs (not camping), Would be more suitable for the accom to be before yosemite or in yosemite given the long drive and we will probably do yosemite sightseeing on the 2nd day.
Thanks for any suggestions :D
Enjoy
I love Death Valley, but a quick drive-through in the July heat? You wouldn't have time to see much, and it would be too hot for excursions. If you really want to just see some of it, I'd get a very early start from LV (like dawn or before). Other options would include taking Hwy. 95 north and then Hwy. 168 west over Westgard Pass (if you've started early enough, take a quick side trip to the Bristlecone Pines, oldest trees on earth), then up scenic Hwy. 395 to Lee Vining. The very quickest route (shown on Google Maps) would be pretty hot and boring, but at least you'd still see Mono Lake, and might save enough time to take a side trip up to Bodie State Park (ghost town).
ZD has a good list.
If you can make it, the xTioga Lodge is the closest to the park, right outside the border.
Remember you cannot sleep in your car in Yosemite National Park (or Death Valley NP) unless it is in a campground, and I'd expect difficulty in finding one during July.
I think bzookaj may be confusing Tioga Lodge, which is just north of the town of Lee Vining for Tioga Pass Resort, which is, indeed, just outside the park boundary up on Tioga Pass. Tioga Pass Resort is more expensive ($185 for one night) than Tioga Lodge. I have heard people having considerable difficulty in getting reservations there.
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VEGAS TO SAN FRAN
Probably one of the most requested answers but Ill post anyway...Driving Vegas to San Fran mid July.
Setting of early morning... looking to drive death valley and arrive at or near Yosemite national that evening.
Will drive via tioga pass Road.
Looking mostly for suggestions on accomodation. Looking for cheap digs (not camping), Would be more suitable for the accom to be before yosemite or in yosemite given the long drive and we will probably do yosemite sightseeing on the 2nd day.
Thanks for any suggestions :D
2
Stop in Lee Vining at the end of the day. Drive Tioga Pass into Yosemite the next morning. Buy a couple of 2.5 gallon jugs of distilled water and put them in the trunk before you leave Las Vegas; just in case.Enjoy
9
Are you planning to stay in hostels in San Francisco and California? The Yosemite Bug Hostel is on the western side of Yosemite National Park, which you would need to make reservations for. $150 would not get you a hotel room in San Francisco, but a room in a hostel.11
I'd check rates ahead of time for hotels in Mammoth Lakes, June Lakes and Lee Vining. Advantage of the latter is you'd gain a bit more time the nexst day in Yosemite if you have to drive through in order to get to accommodations on the other side (even if you go back into the park from there, you might not get back as far east as Tuolulmne Meadows). Rates and availability can vary widely by date. At this point you won't get accommodations inside Yosemite, cheap or not. Even finding someplace "cheap" outside the park, such as in El Portal or down at Midpintes (The Bug hostel/cabins) will be tough for July.I love Death Valley, but a quick drive-through in the July heat? You wouldn't have time to see much, and it would be too hot for excursions. If you really want to just see some of it, I'd get a very early start from LV (like dawn or before). Other options would include taking Hwy. 95 north and then Hwy. 168 west over Westgard Pass (if you've started early enough, take a quick side trip to the Bristlecone Pines, oldest trees on earth), then up scenic Hwy. 395 to Lee Vining. The very quickest route (shown on Google Maps) would be pretty hot and boring, but at least you'd still see Mono Lake, and might save enough time to take a side trip up to Bodie State Park (ghost town).
12
$150 would not get you a hotel room in San Francisco, but a room in a hostel.
That is not true at all. There are quite a few decent places around the $100 mark.ZD has a good list.
If you can make it, the xTioga Lodge is the closest to the park, right outside the border.
I love Death Valley, but a quick drive-through in the July heat?
Isn't that the point? Taste the heat and quickly move on before you become a charred steak?
13
Re #8 advice.Remember you cannot sleep in your car in Yosemite National Park (or Death Valley NP) unless it is in a campground, and I'd expect difficulty in finding one during July.
I think bzookaj may be confusing Tioga Lodge, which is just north of the town of Lee Vining for Tioga Pass Resort, which is, indeed, just outside the park boundary up on Tioga Pass. Tioga Pass Resort is more expensive ($185 for one night) than Tioga Lodge. I have heard people having considerable difficulty in getting reservations there.
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