Las Vegas to Los Angeles 16 – 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 the day in Las Vegas’s Water Park
Lodging location: Las Vegas
Day 4 – Drive to Zion National Park and visit the park, 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Springdale
Day 5 – Enjoy the morning in Zion and drive to Bryce National Park on scenic route 9, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Bryce
Day 6 – Visit Bryce National Park, short drive
Lodging location: Bryce
Day 7 – Drive Tonopah, 6 hours drive
Lodging location: Tonopah
Day 8 – Cross north Yosemite National Park along the scenic Tioga Pass HWY (route 120) and go on short hikes along this route, 3 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 9 – Travel and hike in Yosemite Valley, short drive
Lodging location: near Yosemite Valley
Day 10 – Visit Glacier Point and Mariposa Grove in south Yosemite, 1.5 hours drive in each direction
Lodging location: near Yosemite Valley
Day 11 – 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 12 – Spend the day in San Francisco
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 13 – Enjoy one more day in San Francisco
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 14 – 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 15 – Spend the day in beautiful Monterey
Lodging location: Monterey
Day 16 – Travel south along the most famous portion of HWY 1, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Cambria or Morro Bay
Day 17 – Drive to Los Angeles and visit sites along the way, 4 hours drive
Lodging location: Hollywood or Santa Monica or Venice Beach
Day 18 – Visit Universal Studios and drive south to Anaheim, 1 hour drive
Lodging location: Hollywood or Santa Monica or Venice Beach
Day 19 – Visit Disneyland
Lodging location: Anaheim
Day 20 – Visit Disney’s California Adventure Park or drive to Legoland Park (1 hour south of Anaheim)
Lodging location: Anaheim
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.
