Driving from Anaheim to Vegas. Any experience?

[Soprano]

Has anyone drove from Anaheim to Las Vegas?

We're off in April. Looks fairly straight-forward on googlemaps. 2 hour drive to Barstow. Get brunch, stretch legs. Then another two hour drive to Vegas.

Plan is then to have two nights in Vegas, then pop back to Anaheim..

Sounds simple enough...

Anyone do this?

 

[Monkey Monkey]

Traffic can get REALLY bad on the way to and from Vegas, especially if you are driving to on a Friday and back on a Sunday. A lot of Southern Californians like to go to Vegas on the weekend and the highways just aren't big enough to support the congestion.

Leave either very early in the morning or very late in the day. Or fly. It's a short flight and Southwest has good deals.

Good luck!

 

[SandraC]

I picture the drive being very beautiful...is it? From Anaheim, do you drive thru mountains? San Andreas Fault? The desert? I'd love to see California mountains and desert. Sandra

 

[CPT Tripss]

You will see more desert than you ever will want to see again on the stretch between Barstow and LV

 

[Monkey Monkey]

You will see more desert than you ever will want to see again on the stretch between Barstow and LV

And it's not pretty! It's desolate and depressing.

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

The drive is horribly boring after you come out of the mountains. Straight, flat roads with nothing to look at. Be careful of your speed and watch for cops.

 

[SandraC]

I'd love to experience beautiful mountains and desert.....can you suggest a destination? Thanks! Sandra

 

[Soprano]

Thanks everyone.

Is 4 hours realistic?

Plan on taking off 9am on a Tuesday.

I feared it would be pretty boring. Two kids will have their DS's so hopefully they'll be okay.

Whats the speed limit? Do you get to see many cars along the way?

Small fear of mine is breaking down or meeting some crazy trucker from 'Duel'

 

[CPT Tripss]

Thanks everyone.

Is 4 hours realistic?

Plan on taking off 9am on a Tuesday.

I feared it would be pretty boring. Two kids will have their DS's so hopefully they'll be okay.

Whats the speed limit? Do you get to see many cars along the way?

Small fear of mine is breaking down or meeting some crazy trucker from 'Duel'

Yep! He's out there!

 

[CPT Tripss]

I'd love to experience beautiful mountains and desert.....can you suggest a destination? Thanks! Sandra

We eenjoyed Death Valley . . . don't go in the summer. It was really nice combined with Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Yosemite. You can loop them from Las Vegas, Bay Area or Los Angeles - for us the airfare, rental car prices made the decision . . . LV!

 

[BillyFan]

We just did this drive a couple of weeks ago. We left Disneyland at 12:45 and were in Vegas by 5:00. This was Valentines' Day, a Thursday. The traffic was not bad at all, the mountains were pretty, and then we hit desert. We stopped at a Starbucks in Baker and had a good laugh at the "Tallest Minimart."

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

Thanks everyone.

Is 4 hours realistic?

Plan on taking off 9am on a Tuesday.

I feared it would be pretty boring. Two kids will have their DS's so hopefully they'll be okay.

Whats the speed limit? Do you get to see many cars along the way?

Small fear of mine is breaking down or meeting some crazy trucker from 'Duel'

It can take anywhere from 3.5 to 8 hours depending on traffic.

Very boring. Speed limit is 65 or 70. Many signs are posted. There are a bunch of cars and a lot of interstate trucker traffic. It is a 4 lane (2 in each way) highway most of the way.There are slow vehicle/truck lanes in some areas. These are for slow cars and trucks only not for passing or as a 3rd lane. Barstow is a good place to stop to stretch and for gas. Baker is also a good place to stop and stretch but gas is ridiculously expensive. Everyone I know can get to Vegas on 1 tank of gas.

 

[VegasMike21]

done this drive several times, it's a boring drive. took us 3.5 hours to get from vegas to anaheim making 1 stop for gas.

 

[marlaymike]

We will be doing it... do you think going and returning the same day is worth it? We just want to see so we can return just to LV. We have also done Orlando to Miami on a same day and is almost the same time.

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

We will be doing it... do you think going and returning the same day is worth it? We just want to see so we can return just to LV. We have also done Orlando to Miami on a same day and is almost the same time.

No. Stay overnight somewhere. That drive will kick your butt.

If you want to do a turn around trip I'd suggest looking at flying. It's a 45 minute - hour flight compared to a 4-5 hour drive.

 

[BillyFan]

No. Stay overnight somewhere. That drive will kick your butt.

If you want to do a turn around trip I'd suggest looking at flying. It's a 45 minute - hour flight compared to a 4-5 hour drive.

Ditto!

 

[VegasMike21]

We will be doing it... do you think going and returning the same day is worth it? We just want to see so we can return just to LV. We have also done Orlando to Miami on a same day and is almost the same time.

i would stay overnight someplace, that drive is a pain. i've done orlando to miami in the same day three times when i used to live in orlando, that drive isn't too bad as it's a little bit shorter or least if feels like that especially when you can drive 85 mph all the way on the FL Turnpike.

 

[marlaymike]

Thank you WatchinCaptKangaroo we are thinking then to stay overnight!!

 

[marlaymike]

VegasMike21 thank you!! Now I'm prepared since I thought is was like the Orlando-Miami drive..