Las Vegas to Los Angeles 15 – A short route in Utah, Nevada and California that includes Zion, Bryce and Yosemite National Parks, and the magnificent coastline of California (Route 1) as well as the cities of Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles. This trip includes driving the Tioga Pass road in Yosemite that is open for a relatively short period every year (see opening and closure dates here).
Day 1 – Land in Las Vegas and spend the afternoon in the city
Lodging location: Las Vegas
Day 2 – Enjoy the day in Las Vegas
Lodging location: Las Vegas
Day 3 – Spend one more day in Las Vegas
Lodging location: Las Vegas
Day 4 – Drive to Zion National Park and visit the park, 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Springdale
Day 5 – Spend the day in Zion National Park, short drive
Lodging location: Springdale
Day 6 – Drive to Bryce National Park on scenic route 9 and visit sites along the way, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Bryce
Day 7 – Visit Bryce National Park, short drive
Lodging location: Bryce
Day 8 – Drive Tonopah, 6 hours drive
Lodging location: Tonopah
Day 9 – Cross north Yosemite National Park along the scenic Tioga Pass HWY (route 120) and go on short hikes along this route, 4 hours drive
(the Tioga Pass HWY is usually open from the end of May/June until October. See status here)
Lodging location: near Yosemite Valley
Day 10 – Travel and hike in Yosemite Valley, short drive
Lodging location: near Yosemite Valley
Day 11 – Visit Glacier Point and Mariposa Grove in south Yosemite, 1.5 hours drive in each direction
Lodging location: near Yosemite Valley
Day 12 – Drive to San Francisco and enjoy the afternoon in the city (or spend the morning in Yosemite), 4 hours drive
(on the way you may go on a rafting trip here)
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 13 – Spend the day in San Francisco
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 14 – Enjoy one more day in San Francisco
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 15 – Drive to Monterey through HWY 1 and the coastal towns of Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz (which has a unique amusement park) and Capitola, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Monterey
Day 16 – Spend the day in beautiful Monterey
Lodging location: Monterey
Day 17 – Enjoy the day in Monterey’s surroundings (17 Mile Drive and Point Lobos State Park), less than 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Monterey
Day 18 – Travel south along the most famous portion of HWY 1, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Cambria or Morro Bay
Day 19 – Drive to Los Angeles and visit sites along the way, 4 hours drive
Lodging location: Hollywood or Santa Monica or Venice Beach
Day 20 – Spend the day in Los Angeles or visit Universal Studios
Lodging location: Hollywood or Santa Monica or Venice Beach
Day 21 – Fly home
– In order to fill this route with content – see our California and Southwest USA destinations pages, where you can find articles that include suggestions what to do in various locations along this route.
