Stop Over in San Francisco

[Scott Webster]

Flying from New Zealand to Vegas for NAB via San Francisco and looking at stopping over 2 nights in San Fran.

This will give me an afternoon 12/4, full day 13/4 and fly out to Vegas 14/4.

Looking for a 'must do' list in the time I have in San Francisco.

Or driving from San Fran through to Vegas over the 4 days and arriving in Vegas 15/4. I have been told some roads may not be open for a trip through Yosemite?

[Rob Lohman]

Two years ago I drove from SF to LV through Yosemite & Death Valley. Quite the experience. Loved Yostemite! Don't know if it's open then, I went in early October. Unfortunately I had to sleep in a tent in Yosemite and I've never been so cold in my life. If you plan to stay for the night there, book early!

I guess if you go to SF you need to go to Alcatraz. You can take any boat to the island and catch one back when you want (which unfortunately I didn't know, otherwise I would've gone way earlier to see everything). You can also go in the evening to see the city in the dark. You can see the Golden Gate from Alcatraz.

More touristy stuff would be to go on the cable cars and go to that crooked street.

I'm trying to remember what else I did in the area..... if you can it would be nice to drive to Vegas through Yosemite & Death Valley. However, that might pose some challenges depending on how you fly back.

[Scott Webster]

Thanks Rob. The roadtrip seems more appealing to me. I'll check with my travel agent on what the deal is with just flying out of Vegas to SF and home.

Haven't checked out rental car options but I guess Vegas must have a drop off depot option.

[Martin Ludwig]

Two years ago I drove from SF to LV through Yosemite & Death Valley. Quite the experience. Loved Yostemite! Don't know if it's open then, I went in early October. Unfortunately I had to sleep in a tent in Yosemite and I've never been so cold in my life. If you plan to stay for the night there, book early!

I guess if you go to SF you need to go to Alcatraz. You can take any boat to the island and catch one back when you want (which unfortunately I didn't know, otherwise I would've gone way earlier to see everything). You can also go in the evening to see the city in the dark. You can see the Golden Gate from Alcatraz.

More touristy stuff would be to go on the cable cars and go to that crooked street.

I'm trying to remember what else I did in the area..... if you can it would be nice to drive to Vegas through Yosemite & Death Valley. However, that might pose some challenges depending on how you fly back.

Hey Rob, good idea by car from frisco to lv. how long is the drive ? i am sure it´s a fantastic trip

[Steve Gibby]

That crooked street Rob mentioned is Lombard Street - tight switchbacks. With a full day and a half to spend, you could see a lot. Depending on what tweaks you, here's some ideas, some mainstream, and some that get you away from the normal tourist attractions:

In or nearby SF:

Fisherman's Wharf (good seafood, view across bay to Golden Gate, Alcatraz, etc.)

Sausalito (small town north of Golden Gate, inside bay, with houseboats, restaurants, etc.)

Chinatown (cluster of Chinese businesses and restaurants. The best Chinese food this side of Hong Kong)

Marin Peninsula and Point Reyes National Seashore (north of Golden Gate, if you like nature, it's beautiful hils, coastline, etc.)

Golden Gate Park (south side of Golden Gate Bridge, walking paths, great view of San Francisco)

Ocean Beach (just south of the Golden Gate area on the coast. Miles of beach and some cool views Northward)

Drive down to San Jose, then southwest to Saratoga, Los Gatos, Ben Lomand, and down to Santa Cruz (mountains, and Santa Cruz is a classic surfing culture city)

If you drive from SF to LV:

If upper Yosemite (Tualome Meadows) is unpassable because of snow, you might consider driving through Sacramento and through Lake Tahoe area (beautiful high mountains, lake, etc.)

From there you could either go Highway 395 south to Mammoth Lakes (more beautiful mountains) then east through Death Valley and into Las Vegas, or you could just go from Lake Tahoe to Reno, then south from Reno to Las Vegas (a long drive through desert, but that time of year it isn't hot, and it has a beauty of its own)

A third option would be to drive south on Highway 101, visit Monterey and Carmel, drive the spectacular Highway 1 along the coast through Big Sur to Cambria, then Highway 46 through the mountains to visit wine country in Paso Robles, then HWY 46 southeast to Bakersfield, and from there through the mountains and across the desert to Interstate 15 to Las Vegas. This route would give you the widest variety of scenery: bays, coast, wine country, mountains, and desert.

Around Las Vegas

Doesn't sound like you'll have a lot of time for excursions out of Vegas, but here's a few that are close by there:

Mount Charleston (45 minutes from downtown Las Vegas, a 10,000' foot pine-covered mountain, with a small village, restaurants, etc. You'd never know you were within 1,000 miles of Vegas when you're there.)

Red Rock Canyon (20 minutes west of Vegas, beautiful bright red rock formations, canyons, pines, wild burros, etc.)

Lake Mead (30 minutes east of Las Vegas, huge blue lake with a giant dam at its southwest end. Great views around the lake)

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Hope this gives you some ideas...

Cheers!

[Graeme Nattress]

Book your Alcatraz boat trip in advance. Or else you might not get in. It's well worth the visit though. Make sure you take your camera!

I also did some great photography along the waterfront, nearer to the Golden Gate Brdge.

Graeme

[Steve Gibby]

Hey Rob, good idea by car from frisco to lv. how long is the drive ?

Depends on which route you take. At 65 mph, and stopping for normal things (sights, food, etc.) here's some rough estimates:

I-80 east through Sacramento to Lake Tahoe = 4 hours

Lake Tahoe to Reno, then south to Las Vegas = 10 hours

Lake Tahoe down HWY 395, then through Death Valley to Vegas = 9 hours

San Francisco south to Monterey/Carmel, then south on Hwy 1 through Big Sur, Cambria, and to Paso Robles = 6 hours

Paso Robles to Las Vegas via Hwy 46, Hwy 166, and through the desert to Las Vegas = 8 hours.

SF to Yosemite = 3.5 hours.

Yosemite to Las Vegas via Death Valley = 10 hours

Cheers!

[Steve Gibby]

Book your Alcatraz boat trip in advance. Or else you might not get in.

LOL - that's true, I was just thinking that it wasn't that many years ago that that convicts were hoping not to have a boat trip to Alcatraz, and then were worrying about how to get out, not in!

[Rob Lohman]

I remember leaving from Yosemite at around 7'ish in the morning (like I said, it was freezing cold and I didn't get much sleep at all). Drove to a little town about halfway (I don't recall, but I can look it up for you, has a nice hotel there) and arrived somewhere during the afternoon. Stopped in a couple of places to eat & take photos.

Next morning I took off to Las Vegas which didn't take too long I think. It's all a bit of a blur. However, I have a pretty large photo collection from that trip so can check the time difference between start & finish if you really want to know.

Used some Microsoft route program to calculate travel time and had a Hertz rental with their NeverLost navigation system (highly recommend that, especially if it's just you). Helped me a lot to drive around Vegas (was my first time there, and it was just me).

[Jared VanLeuven]

A couple of years ago, my wife and I rented bikes at Fishermans Wharf and biked across the Golden Gate Bridge. Pretty cool, vertigo-inducing looks off of the edge!

We hit Muirwoods as well, which is just a gem. Didn't see Garrett Brown stealthily tiptoeing around though... :)

[Ken K]

If you're a driving enthusiast, I highly recommend you take a route from SF to Vegas that includes the east part of State Hwy 120 in California (east of Hwy 395). When I drove to Vegas from Oregon a couple years ago, I came down Hwy 395 at one point (through Mammoth) and then took Hwy 120 east towards Nevada. So, south on 395, east on 120, east on 6 (at Benton), 6 turns into 95 and then you go south on 95 at Tonopah, and 95 takes you into Vegas. You'll see some wide open frontier and it's just amazing, but let's get back to Hwy 120. By far the most fun road I've ever been on in my life. Not only do you get lots of twisties, but there's even more ups and downs. You will get air, guaranteed. Oh, did I mention you'll have the road all to yourself? I think I saw one car the whole time I was on that highway.

Here it is for you on Google Maps:
Driving Excitement (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=mono+lake,+ca&ie=UTF8&z=10&ll=37.84341,-118.786926&spn=0.534641,1.257935&om=1)

Watch your speed on 395 - I got a ticket there, but no cop in their right mind will be on 120 with the amount of use it gets (very little). Even after my ticket and hanging around the speed limit for the rest of my trip, I was going as fast as I could've gone safely on Hwy 120. Fun times... :D