For location info, I live 2 hours south of San Francisco

It depends on what National Parks you wish to see. Are you looking for Yosemite or the Monterey/Big Sur ocean drives in California, or the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and Red Rock areas closer to Vegas? Keep in mind if you're looking to stay overnight in Yosemite, many of those camp sights are sold out a year in advance....

Curious as to why Vegas might be too much for you?

Not only do they have gambling, but even on the Strip they have so much to see, even for a non gambler. That and drives to the above mentioned places, plus many great shows makes Las Vegas the dream vacation for many people....

Okay, as I clicked my last answer I noticed you said August. Keep in mind that many times Las Vegas temps could be over 110 degrees in that month. So trips to outer places could be a wee bit hot.

Have you booked your flights yet or are you planning on flying into SF and out of LV as planning will depend on which airports you are using.Also are you happy to book a fly drive holiday.Driving from San Francisco through Yosemite and Death Valley to Las Vegas will take about 15 hours and i would stay at least 2 nights at Yosemite and 1 night in Death valley.

Thank you so much for the prompt replies it really helps. The reason i posted was that being from the u.k we sometimes find it difficult to judge the time it takes to travel between locations ( England being so small compared to the U.S). My husband and i were discussing the idea last night and decided it would be best to post for some advice. We have only decided to do this in the last week as we both hit 50 this year thought it would be a good way to celebrate. Possibly haven't put enough thought into what we would like to do.

My comment about vegas being too much was probably meant to mean busy and we are possibly visiting at peak time. Did not mean to offend. Friends who have been to LV have all enjoyed it not realy gone to gamble and all loved the fountains and various themes in the hotels. I suppose its just that would like to see as much of the area as possible as you never know when you will be able to do a trip like this again. It seems it may be a good idea to fly then hire a care and visit some places in the Las Vegas area. We spent 5 nights in New York during Oct and managed to see loads absolutley loved it even tho' i was worn out. We also love Orlando even tho' it is busy.

Basically we love our trips to America.

Thanks again

Karen

Karen,

Last year we flew to Las Vegas, rented a car and drove to Lake Tahoe (6 or 7 hours, I think)and spent a night. We then drove over to San Francisco (4 hours or so), stayed three nights. We then drove back to Las Vegas through Yosemite (it seems like this was a 10 or 12 hour drive total). We thought that Yosemite was absolutely beautiful and well worth the drive. We were able to see so many wonderful sights in that part of the country. Just make sure that you allow yourself plenty of time to enjoy your stops. I would definitely allow at least a night in Yosemite if you choose to go there. I understand wanting to see as much as possible but you are right that there is a balance between seeing a lot and wearing yourself out. Good luck whatever you decide.

No offense was taken at all Kim. I was just trying to understand the question, so I could offer a better answer. The other 2 posters have answered what you were looking for I think

Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks all have lodges and or hotels where you can stay if you don't want to camp. They do book up quite aways in advance, so check availability now. Death Valley and or Joshua Tree park are two National parks in the desert that can be beautiful and interesting in an entirely different way from the other parks.

I'm doing an opposite Journey from Vegas to San Francisco via Death Valley and Yosemite.

My first day is spent going from Vegas to Oakhurst which is just outside of Yosemite (cheaper to stay and easier to get a room) I estimate that the drive including stops will be anything from 10 to 14 hrs, a long day.

Second day spent in and around Yosemite before going onto San Francisco later in the day.

Obviously Yosemite to San Francisco and vice versa is a much shorter drive

Hi Lyndale,

I just returned from a trip where we combined Vegas with some National Parks and loved it.

We flew London to Vegas and spent 3 nights there, I felt this was a perfect length of time as I felt that I'd seen most of what I'd wanted to and was ready to see some other sights (although you could probably while away a few extra days shopping!)

We hired a car and drove to the Grand Canyon (4.5 - 5 hours, stopping at Hoover Dam) where we stayed in a lodge on the South Rim for one night. I highly recommend this! Sunset and Sunrise at the Canyon were amazing. We then drove back to Vegas where we spent one more night (only as a stopping point on our way to the coast, as the drive from Vegas to LA was too far in one day)

We skipped LA as didn't feel we had enough time to do it justice, and drove straight to Santa Barbara, spending a night in this lovely, quiet seaside town. We then drove up Highway 1 to Big Sur. The views are amazing and there are a lot of stops on the way. We stayed 2 nights at a little lodge in Big Sur and walked amongst the Redwoods and on the beach, also went into Monterey to the Aquarium. We then drove up to San Fran. We had 10 days in all and felt we had a good mix of towns and nature!

I'm sure whatever you choose you will Enjoy!

I forgot to mention, I spent a week getting quotes from various car hire companies, some of which were quite expensive! We then booked through autoeurope website, where we got a great price, only a third of some of the other companies quotes. The car was booked through Hertz so all the services were as per a reputable car company for a fraction of the price!