CA & AZ - where to spend that extra day?

In fact, I'd go so far as to call it dangerous to attempt it in one shot unless you had more than one driver. The last 100 or so miles are on twisting mountain roads with an average speed of maybe 30 miles an hour, and there's another 125-mile section east of Bakersfield where it's an expressway (not limited access) where you've got traffic entering from the sides and an average speed of maybe 50 miles an hour. Given those constraints, it's the equivalent of about a 900 mile ride on Interstates. When I pulled into Bakersfield after having started at the South Rim, I was a tired dog. No way I could've made it to Yosemite.

One more thing, and that's whenever you stick a second person in a car, i.e., your girlfriend, the ride is slower than it would otherwise be. Nothing against your girlfriend. It just goes that way, if for no other reason than varying bathroom schedules. When I do those marathon drives it's always by myself, stopping briefly to take a leak, gas up the chariot, wolf down a Subway sandwich and some coffee. I don't think I've ever driven more than 650 miles with someone else in the car, at least not since college when we'd pile into a vehicle and take turns driving and do 1,500 miles at a stretch. Those were always on Interstates, and the dynamic was totally different.

About GC:

Based on the way your describe your hiking interests (fit and willing but not much experience), the Bright Angel or Kaibab would be a fine choice....BUT... The Kaibab has stunning views right from the get-go. It would be a more scenic choice for a shorter hike. However, consider this: if you take the Bright Angel to Indian Garden (4.5 miles one way) and then out to Plateau Point (6 miles one way), you'll be getting the full range of scenic variety: starting in a side canyon, descending to a stream-side area, then traversing out to an incredible viewpoint over the river. Bottom line, if you go out to Plateau Point the BA is the all-around better choice, but for shorter hikes the Kaibab has better views.

There is another option to doing the whole GC-Yosemite drive in one day. You could drive as far as you could go along the route Yaralin links to and either (1) arrive in Yosemite late at night dog-tired; (2) stop in Tulare, Visalia or Fresno and stay in a motel for the night, then head out bright and early in the morning (you won't be spending much time there, plus you'll be pretty tired, so it doesn't matter what the town looks like). There's a Courtyard in Fresno right off highway 41 at Shaw that would be suitable for such a stop.

Option 1 and 1/2 would be to drive to Wawona in Yosemite and spend the night there. With this and option 2, you avoid having to drive Chinquapin pass in the dark and you get to enjoy Tunnel View.

The route from Grand Canyon to Bakersfield is all freeway except for about 20-30 miles of 2 lane road between Barstow and Bakersfield. The only really slow part will be from Fresno up to the park. I would do it in one day, but some might consider me marginally insane when it comes to long haul drives. Mapquest lists it as 11 hours 15 minutes, and they do factor in lower speed limits on non-interstates. In fact, if you drive faster than the speed limit (who doesn't?), the driving time will be shorter. And as others said, this is the only route to take before May. The next road that crosses the Sierras that's kept open in the Winter is 88/Carson Pass all the way up by Lake Tahoe!

#15, I can't say for sure exactly how much two-lane road there is, but it's more than 20-30 miles between Barstow and Bakersfield. Fresno to Yosemite is 90 miles, and Mapquest overestimates the average speed on that stretch. The 11 hours and 15 minute total time estimate doesn't include any stops. Yes, it's possible to do the drive in one day but it is not practical to do the drive in one day.

Thanks to all - Willysnout, Yaralin, Flagstuff, Wahinekat and Bassman1 - you've given us plenty of food for thought as we plan how best to use those few days between GC and SF.

Regards,
Eoghan (& Nadine, the gf!)

Unless you fly part of the way (eg., Las Vegas to Fresno or Reno), you will be hauling ass just to get to Yosemite and on to SF in time for your gigs, so do not even worry about having more than one day in Yosemite. If you were not going to the GC, you could drive from LV through Death Valley to Hwy. 395, take that north almost to Reno, then cross the Sierra on Hwy. 88 or 50, then Hwy. 49 south and into Yosemite. Waterfalls should be at their peak about then. Reservations at Camp Curry or other lodging, especially in Yosemite Valley, could be hard to get even this early. Check out Wawona, outside Yosemite Valley near the redwood groves. You are trying to see two places (GC and Yosemite) far apart. If you cannot give one up, prepare for a lot of driving, and do not attempt to go from the GC to Yosemite in one day, especially since you will have to pre-pay lodging in Yosemite (limits your flexibility and you may feel pushed to get there by a certain time). Camp Curry is nice (wooden floor tent cabins), though you have to walk to central rest rooms and showers and keep food, perfumes, etc. in a locker due to bears.

Hey Willysnout,
Just drove Barstow to Bakersfield three weeks ago, enroute from Phoenix to SF. THere's about 20-30 miles of 2 lane near the beginning. Once you get close to Edwards, it's freeway the whole way.

Fair enough #19. In fact, thank you for your persistence! I can't argue with tires on the ground. Sometimes people will just MapQuest it and then post here. When I drove it last year, the two-lane portion between Barstow and Bakersfield seemed a lot longer than 20 or 30 miles, maybe because I was stuck behind a truck going about 40 miles an hour.

I'm as adamant about the general question because I have fairly vivid memories of both days being pretty rigorous driving, including the short segment from Bakersfield to Yosemite. And, like I wrote above, I'm a guy who loves driving and will often do one of those marathon long hauls. But the idea of the Grand Canyon to Yosemite in one shot kind of scares me, given that right at the end of that drive in Yosemite you need to have your wits about you. Not something I'd want to do right at the end, in the dark, dog tired.