More Nevada & California travel advice needed

[Tsmith]

I'm trying to work out an itinerary for my trip out West to Yosemite. I've decide to travel leaving Saturday May 27, 2006 (out New Orleans hopefully). My current plan is too arrive in Las Vegas (not staying here though) around noon and renting an a mid sized SUV. Since we've been to Vegas twice and having never taken in Red Rock we liked at least see it from a photographers perspective anyway and travel and get a room down the road. Question is: we wanna see the Sequoia National Forest on the way to Yosemite on Monday so we'll have all day Sunday to take it in. So which is the better path to take? After seeing Red Rock maybe take I15 South to Baker or Barstow for the Night? Sunday morning on the way to Sequoia Nat'l Park take Hwy 395 North (2 lane or 4 lane?) or just head to Bakersfield on Hwy 58? If taking the Bakersfield route which path do need to go from there to Sequoia? After our visit here my thinking is to get a room in Fresno for the night then heading on to Yosemite on Monday morning. As of now I've got 4 nights booked in Fish Camp at the Tenaya Lodge and hoping a mid week visit after Memorial Day weekend might not be too crowded.

Thanks for any advice

Fell free to edit this map if it helps:

http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/9316/calfmap2vw.jpg

[robertwgross]

First of all, don't confuse Sequoia National Park with Sequoia National Forest. The national forest is scattered all around. The national park is very specific, but 99% of all visitors go there by one of the entrances on the west side. It is extremely difficult to get into the park from the east side. Therefore Highway 395 and all that is sort of out of the question for you. There is no highway connection from west side to east side.

Once you visit Sequoia National Park via the west side, then you will be leaving the west side and heading onward to Yosemite and Fish Camp. That's fine, other than Fish Camp being outside the park and quite a drive from anything that is happening inside the park.

Apparently you are bypassing Death Valley National Park altogether. It is getting pretty warm there by May.

---Bob Gross---

[Tsmith]

Yea I understand Fish Camp is like 30 ~ 45 minutes from the Valley. Makes for an early morning departure to inside the Park but thats OK after a good nights sleep I hope. The Valley is either all booked for anything other than one night or way too expensive at the Ahwahnee. Can't get wife to do Curry Village ... :lol:

[robertwgross]

Fish Camp and Oakhurst are out the south door of Yosemite N. P. Then out the west door are El Portal and Mariposa. Then out the northwest door there's Groveland. There are alternatives, like Yosemite West.

The east door is Lee Vining, but you can't get in that way until the Tioga Road opens, and that can seldom be predicted far in advance, but is typically around the end of May.

Yosemite Valley proper gets booked up well in advance for normal lodging and also for camping.

I'll be up there next month, so there will be a lot of white to work around for exposure.

---Bob Gross---

[Maureen Souza]

We live at the base of the Sequoia Natl Park (Highway 198) in Visalia. I recommend taking 58 from Vegas to Bakersfield, take Hwy 99 North and get off at Hwy 198 East. That will take you right up to the park entrance , about an hour's drive. The Giant Sequoias are awesome and a sight not to miss out on. We get up there several times a year, both day trips and camping.

We would love to be your tour guide but we will be in Greece and Italy until June 6th.

[Tsmith]

We live at the base of the Sequoia Natl Park (Highway 198 ) in Visalia.
We would love to be your tour guide but we will be in Greece and Italy until June 6th.

Rebook or Cancel your trip ... ;)

Thanks for the input and I'm taking notes.

Bob > after seeing the Valley area would one be better to access Glacier Point and other points of interest within the Park via the South Entrance if staying in that area or enter through one of the other Entrances? You could pick me up a Park Map and I'd gladly forward you the postage ... :) ... I imagine its beautiful this time of year.

[primoz]

I was around those places last summer and perfect place for searching info about NP is National Park Service web (http://www.nps.gov/ ). It has all info about all parks (or at least all I was interested about). This includes park maps and for Yosemite you can find info here: http://www.nps.gov/yose/

[UncleDoug]

Rebook or Cancel your trip ... ;)

Thanks for the input and I'm taking notes.

Bob > after seeing the Valley area would one be better to access Glacier Point and other points of interest within the Park via the South Entrance if staying in that area or enter through one of the other Entrances? You could pick me up a Park Map and I'd gladly forward you the postage ... :) ... I imagine its beautiful this time of year.


Glacier Pt. road will most likely be closed due to snow. You will prety much have access to the valley floor only.
If you are doing a round trip from Vegas, I'd highly recommend traveling north to the Tahoe area and heading back to Vegas via 395 and the Death Valley cut-off.
Excellent eye candy around here and on the east side of the Sierra.
Don't have too much fun;)

[Tsmith]

Glacier Pt. road will most likely be closed due to snow. You will prety much have access to the valley floor only.
If you are doing a round trip from Vegas, I'd highly recommend traveling north to the Tahoe area and heading back to Vegas via 395 and the Death Valley cut-off.
Excellent eye candy around here and on the east side of the Sierra.
Don't have too much fun;)

Glacier Point could still be closed the first week of June? ... How often is it closed at that time? ... the North Lake Tahoe route has been a thought for sure.

[robertwgross]

Bob > after seeing the Valley area would one be better to access Glacier Point and other points of interest within the Park via the South Entrance if staying in that area or enter through one of the other Entrances? You could pick me up a Park Map and I'd gladly forward you the postage ... :) ... I imagine its beautiful this time of year.

There are two critical roads to be aware of. One is the Glacier Point Road, and one is the Tioga Pass Road. The Glacier Point Road is purely within the park and takes you out to Glacier Point (where all of the tourists are) and a couple of other spots which are possibly better. I'm assuming photography is a priority here. The Tioga Pass Road is Highway 120, and it leads through the high country of the park, including Tuolumne Meadows, and connects to the east side and US 395. These two roads are closed in winter, and then they are opened when possible in the spring. On a light snow year, they might open as early as about May 1. On a heavy snow year, they might open as late as about July 1. I kid you not. There have been years when we couldn't drive to Tuolumne Meadows until almost July Fourth.

The national park map is available online.

Keep in mind that 90% of the tourists visit only Yosemite Valley, which makes up less than 10% of the whole park. In the spring and summer, it can get very congested there. That's why I never go there in the spring or summer. I will perch my tripod on some high overlook above the valley and do my photography there.

However, if you are operating mostly between Fish Camp and Yosemite Valley, then you are lined up to cover the Glacier Point Road pretty conveniently. Alternatively, you could drive up to Tuolumne Meadows, but that makes for a much longer drive. On the other hand, in my opinion, the scenery up there is awesome.

I used to live 2000 miles from there, and I saw Tuolumne Meadows for the first time, so I put in for a transfer and moved to California. That was decades ago.

I still enjoy Tuolumne Meadows now, but I've been known to go there during March while the road is closed. That makes for a completely different experience. I'll be on the Glacier Point Road next month, so I can see how deep the snow is.

If I could make only one trip to Yosemite at the end of May, I think that I would be spending most of my time shooting around the west end of Yosemite Valley, especially if the dogwood trees are flowering. The waterfalls are running pretty high then. I would cover the trails on the north side of the valley, but I would expect the Glacier Point Road area to be either snowy or swampy. The flowers get good there around mid- to late-June.

---Bob Gross---

[UncleDoug]

Glacier Point could still be closed the first week of June? ... How often is it closed at that time? ... the North Lake Tahoe route has been a thought for sure.

Sorry, the dates went in one brain cell and out the other...:D

[Tsmith]

Thanks guys and I grab a map from primoz's link. Bob you provide some very good info and yes photography is a priority of course. I can get the same room rate at Tenaya Lodge until June 16th so bumping back a few weeks might be a better idea ... uh? I for sure wanna see Tuolumne Meadows ... heck I need to just hire you as a tour guide.

[robertwgross]

June 16 sounds like a better overall date for wildflowers.

The waterfalls will be slowing down somewhat by then, but still going good. Some will slow to a trickle later in the summer.

Here is the plan about wildflowers in Yosemite. The bloom starts down low, around 3000 feet elevation outside of the park, around late March. The heavy snow melt starts about mid-March. Then the bloom moves upward. April and May are good at 4000-5000 feet. MId-June, I would head for 7000-7500 feet. In fact, every June I go to the same place at 7500 feet on the north rim. For July, you move up to about 8500-9500 feet. August it is about 10,000-13,000 feet. There is some variation on that depending on whether you are on the sunny slopes, which dry out from snow earlier, or the shady slopes, which stay swampy much longer. There is also a lot of variation depending on whether you are on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada, or the east slope. The west slope is wetter on the average, and the east slope is drier, so you get completely different species of flowers from place to place. The highest points in the park are barely above 13,000 feet, but I've found flowers blooming up there around August 1. Yosemite National Park is all within the west slope, but you may be all around there when you make your visit.

If I were trying to do what you are doing, I would come from Las Vegas, through Bakersfield, hit Sequoia National Park, stop at Fish Camp, do Yosemite Valley and the Glacier Point Road... then (if you have time), head up through Tuolumne Meadows, out through Tioga Pass, and down to US 395. At that point, you have a decision. If you had the time, you could make it up to Tahoe and then come back this way. If you don't have the time, then you could head back to Las Vegas by way of Death Valley National Park. The only trick there is that by June, Death Valley routinely has daytime temperatures much higher than 100 degrees F. Typically maybe 110. Sometimes 120-125.

But, I don't know how fast you like to travel versus how much time you need to take for stopping to snap the shutter.

---Bob Gross---

[Tsmith]

I changed it to Monday June 12th ~ Friday June 16th with possibility of checking out on the 15th. Now I'm even considering Reno, NV as a return departure home on Saturday 17th rather than the trip back to Vegas. Enterprise will allow you to drop off the rental there also. Heck for that matter I might be better off just flying into Reno instead and bypassing Red Rock down South.

Now I might need to add something in the 10mm - 20mm zoom range.

[robertwgross]

If you get up to Tahoe, UncleDoug will show you the panorama from the Martis Peak fire lookout.

---Bob Gross---

[Tsmith]

If you get up to Tahoe, UncleDoug will show you the panorama from the Martis Peak fire lookout.

---Bob Gross---

Hey thats an idea. Actually looking right now I can get a flight out of New Orleans for two seats to Reno for under $600 RT ... :eek: ... thats about $150 cheaper than going into Vegas.

[Tsmith]

Well its a done deal now for June 10th ~ June 17th. Purchased the airline tickets since they were fairly cheap from what I've seen in past. Fly in to Vegas|see Red Rock over night in Barstow most likely|on to Bakersfield (Sequoia NP) day 2|Yosemite as of now 4 days|then hoping Tioga Pass will be open and out to Hwy 395 Lake Tahoe for a day then home via Reno, NV.

[jgjulio]

Great trip! Be prepared to have your breath taken away at some of the sights you will see. Everyone that enters the valley through the south will arrive by going through the Wawona tunnel. The panorama that will greet you at the end of the tunnel will elicit a gasp. Usually something like "Oh my God!"
Have fun.

[Tsmith]

Great trip! Be prepared to have your breath taken away at some of the sights you will see. Everyone that enters the valley through the south will arrive by going through the Wawona tunnel. The panorama that will great you at the end of the tunnel will elicit a gasp. Usually something like "Oh my God!"
Have fun.

We are looking forward to it for sure and actually changed my arrival to Fresno rather than Vegas so that'll allow more time to visit Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP areas.

[robertwgross]

Well its a done deal now for June 10th ~ June 17th. Purchased the airline tickets since they were fairly cheap from what I've seen in past. Fly in to Vegas|see Red Rock over night in Barstow most likely|on to Bakersfield (Sequoia NP) day 2|Yosemite as of now 4 days|then hoping Tioga Pass will be open and out to Hwy 395 Lake Tahoe for a day then home via Reno, NV.

Yes, it is early and difficult to judge the snow season, but Tioga Pass is open by June 10th at least 95% of the time. I would not worry about it.

The only trick is that if it is a big snow season, then the road will open, but there will be a lot of swampy areas in Tuolumne Meadows. That hurts your photography. You want the snow to melt off and the road to open in late May. Then the meadow area needs to dry out for a few weeks, and then the wildflower photography begins. The good news is that even if some of the wildflowers are too late for you, the long range scenery up there will keep you busy. There are places up there where you can see peaks 100 miles away.

---Bob Gross---

[robertwgross]

The panorama that will greet you at the end of the tunnel will elicit a gasp.

That is very true. Unfortunately, the parking lot will be cluttered up with tourist buses belching diesel exhaust. There are only a few perfect tripod spots along the wall to shoot from. Typically, those will be occupied unless you can arrive there at some off-hour. I've shot from there at just about every hour of the day, and in general I would say that the best light is during 3-7 p.m. (for June). The afternoon sun in the west will fill up Yosemite Valley for you. Mid-day is OK, but the sun in the south leaves the north-facing wall of the valley in complete shade. Early morning is OK, but then you have everything back-lit. Actually, there is a better location a walking distance from that parking lot.

Some years ago, when I made my first trip there with good photo equipment, I shot from about six locations around the west end of Yosemite Valley, and I marked each position with my GPS receiver. Later in the day, when I realized that I had lost something important, I could go back and retrace my steps exactly until I found the item. When I got the photos onto the computer at home, I could figure out the sun angles and times and locations better than if I had just gone wandering.

---Bob Gross---

[Tsmith]

Actually, there is a better location a walking distance from that parking lot.
---Bob Gross---

Thats the kinda spots I hope to find as were gonna be doing as much hiking as possible.

[robertwgross]

... as much hiking as possible.

Oh, that puts a completely different complexion on things.

You will still go to many of the same standard tourist views, and you will get some of the same standard photos from there. Then...

There are many good photographer hangouts that are well off the beaten track. Starting from Fish Camp, and entering the south end of the park, you will drive past a number of stream valleys on the way north on Highway 41 (prior to reaching the Glacier Point Road turnoff at Chinquapin). Each of those has its own flower specialties. The Glacier Point Road has some spots where you park and then walk in a mile or two to get to your scene. Taft Point is a biggy in that department. Stanford Point is nice.

There are about three major high points that overlook Yosemite Valley to some degree. One is Glacier Point, so lots of people hang out there with the tour buses. The second one is Half Dome. Unfortunately, that is a 17-mile round trip hike from the valley. The third one is my secret spot. Hint: look for one of the highest waterfalls anywhere in North America. Second hint: It isn't Yosemite Falls.

There are zillions of places to shoot if you are heading up to Tuolumne Meadows. Every turnout along the road will have something interesting. Then from Tuolumne Meadows to Tioga Pass, the scenery changes as you near treeline. The wildflowers above treeline are my favorites, although it can also be nice scenery in the snow season when the road is closed.

---Bob Gross---

[John from PA]

Consider some "inside the park" bed & breakfasts. Quite nice. Two that come to mind are at http://www.yosemiteperegrine.com/html/falconbb.htm and http://www.yosemiteperegrine.com/

Both are about 15 miles from the Valley floor.

John from PA

[robertwgross]

Yes, that one appears to be inside the park, but it isn't within the park boundaries. That is in Yosemite West, which is a private inholding. For any activity along the Glacier Point Road, that is a good location during summer. It can be a little awkward in winter.

---Bob Gross---

[Tsmith]

I chose the Fish Camp area being it has a few more evening dining choices with not too fair to travel from the lodging.

Bob: "Taft Point is a biggy in that department. Stanford Point is nice."

Are these kinda Points noted with signs or on the maps? As for that are most if not all the trails labeled?

How about staying in Sequoia/Kings Canyon NP? We plan on visiting it on part of the day arrival day Saturday (more time spent settling in after plane flight) and Sunday so would securing a room at the Wuksachi Lodge be of an advantage since its kinda central inside the Park?

[robertwgross]

Bob: "Taft Point is a biggy in that department. Stanford Point is nice."

Are these kinda Points noted with signs or on the maps? As for that are most if not all the trails labeled?

As you drive out along the Glacier Point Road, there are several places to park and walk some miles to a view. Some of these are marked ski trails, and some are marked hiker trails. They all have some sort of a sign at the road, but you have to know where to look for them. After the first several miles, you will pass the Badger Pass Ski Area. Then from there, you go about 8.5 miles on the road and then park. There is one trail that goes (maybe one mile northwest) out to Taft Point. Killer scenery, but don't go there if you are afraid of heights. There are several other viewpoints, but they will be a lot more hiking. Then, continuing on out the road by car, you will get to Washburn Point. It is good for a profile shot on Half Dome. Then Glacier Point is all the way at the end, so that is where the tourist buses crowd up. Most of my own travel along this road has been on cross country skis, so I am tuned into exactly how far things are.

How about staying in Sequoia/Kings Canyon NP?

I never stay in normal lodging when I go there. The Lodgepole area of Sequoia is kind of the hub of things. The adjoining park north of there is Kings Canyon, and now the two parks are being jointly administered. So, the main canyon of Kings Canyon is a little bit like the Yosemite Valley of Yosemite National Park, but it is not nearly so touristy.

---Bob Gross---

[Tsmith]

Bob I have another question: when hiking the trail descending from Glacier Point to the Yosemite Valley I noticed it states One Way as the Trail Type. Is that the case as in one can't return back up the trail to Glacier Point if he only goes part of the way down? Otherwise you'd have to leave your transportation in the Valley that morning and take a shuttle back up early to begin your hike.

Thanks