Wawona to Vegas in 2 days
Replies: 14 - Last Post: Feb 14, 2013 12:53 PM Last Post By: johnsang
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Wawona to Vegas in 2 days
I plan on driving from Wawona to Vegas in 2 days in September. Leaving Wawona hotel, I will already have spent 2 full days around the valley floor, so heading onwards, I won't need to revisit this area.What would be the best route to Vegas and where would be best to overnight and see on the way.
I'm thinking Tuolumne meadows and on to Lone Pines on day one
Day two - Vegas via Death Valley. What's the route via Death Valley?
Or is staying in Bishop or somewhere else preferable?
Any advice on this section of the trip would be much appreciated as I feel that there is a lot to see en-route
1
I would spend the first night in Lee Vining, unless you snag a room at the White Wolf Lodge in Yosemite.The second night is tricky. Death Valley will still be incredibly hot. That means some lodging and services will still be closed for the season.
You could stay in Lone Pine the second night, and maybe explore the Alabama Hills (still hot) and/or some of the trails leading to Mount Whitney (and area).
3
sorry, I'll be leaving Wawona early in the morning and staying over night in just one place for one night before Vegas, so 2 days, 1 night.I'm looking more for places to visit whilst on the road and the overnight will just be somewhere convenient to sleep. But a nice place would be a definite bonus
I don't think Lee Vining is far enough along the route.
What is the most scenic route to take down to Vegas? I wouild like to experience some of Death Valley for sure. It will actually be early October if this helps with info?
4
I'm looking more for places to visit whilst on the road and the overnight will just be somewhere convenient to sleep.
In that case, Bishop would do.What is the most scenic route to take down to Vegas?
US 395, then through Death Valley.It will actually be early October if this helps with info?
It will still be hot, but less so. Lingering for a bit in Death Valley won't be as much of a chore.
6
Lone Pine is smaller, with more of a scruffy hiker/climber/backpacker vibe than Bishop. Neither town is really anything special from a tourism viewpoint, beyond being gateway communities to the spectacular eastern Sierra, and either would serve for a night's sleep.7
You will be passing by Mono Lake, Bodie, June Lake Loop, Mammoth, Hot Creek, The White Mountains, Devils Postpile and a few other worthwhile places, Death Valley can be skipped in my book.8
hmmm interesting. So maybe one night Wawona, one night Lee Vining, one night Lone Pine/Bishop might be better than two nights Wawona, one night LonePine/Bishop. Or is there too much too see in the Yosemite Valley areas for just one day? Where are the most spectuacular sights? This is where we want to concentrate our time rather than seeing as many sights as possible. We'd rather focus on the unmissable parts of this regionAny ideas?
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Or is there too much too see in the Yosemite Valley areas for just one day?
It depends on you. If you're a hiker, you could easily spend a couple more days in the valley. If you want to go horse riding, you'll need another day. If you just want to ride the main shuttle to its stops and take pictures, a day is fine.Since you are discussing the option of changing where you stay, why aren't you staying in the valley itself? You can pass by Wawona (and the sequoia grove) on your way in.
Where are the most spectuacular sights?
This is a highly subjective question, which depends on what you consider "spectacular" and your desire to hike. In general, most people spend most of their time in the valley.
10
I liked teh Sierra Lodge in Mammoth Lakes and the restaurant next door.11
Wawona works but actually staying in the valley is much better. Two nights one full day minimum. Be sure to get to Glacier Point. The scenery on the drive up to and over Tioga Pass is pretty spectacular. Dropping down from Tioga Pass to 395 is very close to Lee Vining and Mono Lake, this is very BIG country and has tremendous vistas. For my money the June Lake Loop is much more scenic than Mammoth unless you are skiing or hiking. The views of the east side of the Sierra and the White Mountains is awesome on your way down 395.12
We chose Wawona Hotel due to the lack of accommodation choice on the valley floor. ie: not to standard or too expensive. The Wawona seems to have its own charm and is closer than most hotels to the valley floor. I've also already paid a deposit for one night accomodation, so have to stay there one night minimum.Our main interest will be taking in the impressive sights and walking rather than proper hiking. So the rather crap answer is that we want to see beautiful scenery.
Based on this, is there any advice for where to spend the second night. I'd rather stay in the same place for 2 nights, but if this involves a lot of backtracking, then it might be counter productive if we want to get the "most" out of Yosemite in the 2 full days we have
13
regarding my query, the plan has slightly changed as I can only use my air miles to get a rental car if I return it to the same place!!Wawona is already booked and paid for so can't be changed. Therefore, we would have 3 full days and the next day we could head back to SFO airport for a flight at about 6pm (so an early start from anywhere should be ok to make the flight)
Would it be better to concentrate on the valley area or would it be better to head towards Vegas as far as mammoth and back track to SFO?
What's the best balance between unmissable natural beauty and too much driving? Maybe Lee Vining could be an option for the last night? Then back to SFO via Tahoe?
14
If you haven't been to Tahoe before then returning that way makes a lot of sense. If seeing scenery is your highest desire then two nights in Yosemite Valley , over Tioga and south as far as Mammoth then head north spending the night where ever it gets dark or you get tired. Then continue back via Tahoe. If you have time at Tahoe I would take Highway 50 up from 395 then circle around the west side of the lake on Highway 89 to Truckee then Highway 80 west to San Francisco. I think the scenery is better that way, I-80 goes over the very dramatic Donner Pass region and is much more scenic than Highway 50
