We are from Australia and will be holidaying in Canada & the USA

In mid October we will be driving from Las Vegas to San Fracisco via Yosemite.

Yosemite wasn't in our original plan. But we thought we could squeeze it in. Will this work?

We plan to drive from Las Vegas to Yosemite on the 18th stay overnight. Then drive on to San Francisco the next day stay the 19th & 20th and fly home on the 21st.

We want to stay overnight somewhere near Yosemite so we can explore a little the next day before driving to San Francisco.

I have a couple of questions.

1. Which is the best / shortest route to drive from Las Vegas to Yosemite?

2. We have been looking at available accomodation and we think we could stay in Oakhurst at either a B&B called The Hounds Tooth or at Cedar Lodge, but we don't know where Oakhurst is in relation to our drive from Las Vegas / Yosemite/ San francisco.

Do we drive through Oakhurst to get to Yosemite or is it on the other side of the park on our way to San Francisco. We don't really have the time to be retracing our driving.

Considering our restricted time frame I was hoping someone could give us some advice please.

Hope this makes sense.

Thank You

The Sierra Nevada mountain range is inbetween Vegas and Yosemite and in October the pass across (the Tioga Pass) will almost certainly be closed by snow for the rest of the winter. You should check if its open when you are there.

If it is open the shortest route from Vegas to Yosemite is through Death Valley and over the Tioga Pass. Its a hell of a drive for one day though.

If it is not open you will have to skirt around the southern end of the Sierras and come up the wetern flank to Yosemite. Thats an even longer drive and I dont know if you could do it in a day.

Checkout driving times on Google maps.

Oakhurst is a great place to stay, very quaint mountain town with lots of charm and some great restaurants also, including the Elderberry House which is a 5 star destination venue, we have dined here several times, our last visit was for New Year's Eve dinner. The Hounds Tooth Inn looks great from the outside, there are also several chain places for lodging, Shilo Inn, Best Western Gateway Inn, etc.

We also love staying at the Pines Resort in Bass Lake which will put you a little closer to Yosemite, this is a full scale resort with swimming pool, tennis courts, outdoor pool and the Suites are especially nice to stay in, we were there this past Valentine's Day for the night. If you want to stay in Fish Camp which is even closer to Yosemite, check out the Tenaya Lodge or the quaint Tin Lizzie Inn which is a Bed and Breakfast right across the street from teh Tenaya Lodge @ Yosemite. Have a fun trip! :)

Las Vegas to Oakhurst is a drive through Bakersfield,CA for the quickest route. It is about a 6 1/2 hour drive to Oakhurst. Las Vegas to the Yosemite Village is a drive through Lee Vining, CA.that if passable the Tiogo road takes longer to get to Oakhurst, but it is through the Valley and you could sightsee along the way through Yosemite to Oakhurst. Leave early in the morning to have time to enjoy for a short visit the Yosemite National Park. You will be able to see the highlights of Yosemite and go away in awe, wanting more. Oakhurst is after the south entrance to the Park on Hwy 41. See my tips on Oakhurst or Yosemite for ideas. Stop to smell the flowers.

As stated, mid-October can be a craps shoot on if Hwy 120 (Tioga Pass) will be open. It is probably 70-30 that it will, but you never know. If you take the Lee Vinning Hwy 120 route then Oakhurst will be out of you way as it is toward the southern edge of Yosemite. However, if you come the Hwy 58 route through Bakersfield then Oakhurst would be a good spot to spend the night.

However, that Hwy 58 route is dry, brown, and boring so I would avoid it.

There are a couple of other routes to the north if Hwy 120 is closed for the winter. The park service plows it and they stop once it gets buried.

However, the state of CA plows the other passes most of them all year around.

If Hwy 120 is closed you can stay on Hwy 395 north to Hwy 88 and take it west to Hwy 49 and south to Yosemite.

Anyway you cut it to drive from LV to Yosemite anywhere is going to be at least eight hours and probably more like 12 hours.

I drive from Stockton to Las Vegas in eight hours by going south to Bakersfield and over Hwy 58 to I-15. I do that only because it is fast.

I have driven Stockton over Hwy 120 to Hwy 395 to Lone Pine (which is the west entry down to death valley) in about the same time and I am guessing it is at least another four hours from Lone Pine to Las Vegas.

Another alternative is to fly from LV to Stockton. Allegiant Airlines flies once a day and if you book in advance sometimes you can get $39 one way.

It is a 50 minute flight and you can drive from Stockton to Oakhurst or Mariposa in about an hour. The flight is early out of LV so you could be in the Yosemite area by noon or 1:00 PM.

Hertz, Enterprize, and Avis rent cars at the Stockton airport. It is real small airport and very easy to get around in.

Downside by flying is you will miss Death Valley and Tioga Pass, but having more time in Yosemite will off set that.

Hey, James3939, that's a good response. I didn't realize that this flight existed. Arriving at the Stockton airport is a easy as it gets, and renting a car in Stockton is about as cheap as it gets, relative to the elsewhere in the Bay Area, that is. I also agree that October surprise is possible for bad weather, so it might be worthwhile waiting until the last moment to decide this. Incidentally, Tioga Pass road doesn't go through Yosemite Valley, as it really exits through the Big Oak Flat entrance; however, its true that just before this exit, the road branches, and another heads for the valley, and then from there one drives to Wawona and on to Oakhurst...

The Stockton to LV flight and now Stockton to Mesa, AZ on Allegiant is the best keep secret in the central valley.

It is cheap, easy, and quick. I have seen the one way fare as low as $29 and never higher than $165. They just started the Mesa flight, but it is only a couple of days per week and goes to Mesa not Sky Harbor.

Parking is free, security takes about 20 minutes so getting to the airport anymore than an hour in advance is a waste of time. Allegiant flies full size 100 passenger jets, not those mini-commuter jobs.

If you are using Mesa or LV as a connection to somewhere else the limited schedule might not work for you. The Stockton - LV isn't to bad for catching a flight out of LV early afternoon, but the LV - Stockton flight is really to early to fly in from any where and catch it.

So, I guess you just have to spend the night in LV....OH DARN!

One thing I've noticed is that the less busy Stockton Airport is also convenient for politicians. Bush, Clinton, and most recently, McCain, have all arrived there, then have taken motorcades to Sacramento to the north, or more rarely, Modesto to the south. I guess the landing must be long enough for 747s.

My two penn'orth: I stayed in the Yosemite Bug hostel, which was comfortable and good value for money. The YART bus stopped outside, so I didn't need to take my car into the Valley itself.

I liked the suggestion of driving through Death Valley and then catching 395 north to 120 which takes you into the park. I think the east side of the Sierra from Lone Pine to Lee Vining is some of the most stunning scenery anywhere. Yes it would be a very long day but a very beautiful day.You could actually stay in Lee Vining and then go into the park the following day. Of course, all of this is dependent on the road being open. If it isn't, take I 15, to 58 at Barstow, to 99 at Bakersfield to 41 in Fresno which will take you to Oakhurst where you could spend the night and then head into the park the following day. If you come over 120, I would stay in Lee Vining, Yosemite Valley or the El Portal area where Cedar Lodge is. Oakhurst is really out of the way unless you are coming from the south. Yosemite is stunning and to me it is a must see.

Here is the web page for checking park road conditions
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
and here is the phone number
Call 209/372-0200 (press 1 then 1) for the most up-to-date conditions

Thankyou everyone for the great replies. You have certainly given us some great advice. This is exactly what we needed. Now back to the drawing board for some exciting planning.

The Stockton airport is well equiped for 747's. The made it longer about 10 years ago so the major airlines could use it for training. If you know anything about flying then you will understand that it is just outside the "controled airspace" for SFO and OAK and not near as busy as Sacramento. With full ILS and a 24/7 tower it is a perfect training strip for 747's.

It used to be really fun to see foregin airlines doing touch and goes.

OH, I almost forgot, part of reason you see Bush and McCain around these parts doesn't have so much to do with the airport, but more with the AG Spanos Company, family, and jet center being located here. Mr. Spanos took Bush-41 to the opening cermonies of the Olympics in Greece on Spanos' jet; if that tells you anything.