Driving from Las Vegas to Disneyland and looking for a Scenic Route.

[Mac4life30]

What is the most Scenic Route between Vegas and Anaheim? Sort of torn between driving the old route 66 on going a little south and driving through Joshua Tree park.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Joshua park is out of the way from Vegas. It is off highway 62. Other than that there really is no scenic route from Vegas to Anaheim.

 

[Mac4life30]

Im from Miami!!! So anything is scenic for me lol

 

[usnuzuloose]

You can drive that way, it just goes the opposite way. Other than that you could drive through Barstow there is worlds biggest thermometer. And in Calico you have the ghost town. There is a cost to get in there. But it is a nice stop to have a lunch and stroll about the town. What time of the year are you going? In the summer? If so just make sure to have plenty of water as desert can be very hot and dry.

 

[Mac4life30]

I was planning on going in August or September .

 

[Mac4life30]

Is it worth cutting through the Mojave Desert?

 

[sheetz]

Is it worth cutting through the Mojave Desert?

What do you mean? The entire area is the Mojave Desert. You have no choice but to cut through it.

 

[mr.bungle]

The drive to Vegas is incredibly boring. There is nothing "scenic" to see. It's the desert.

 

[Mac4life30]

My plan is as follows take I 15N to Kelso Cima Rd which cuts through the Mojave then Catch the I 40 to Calico. From Calico I would take the 247 and then the 18 and through the San Bernardino Forest (Big Bear Lake) eventually catching Riverside Highway to Anaheim.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Still a boring scene. Big Bear is beautiful. I lived in Riverside and corona and Orange county. Riverside and all that area is nothing but desert. So nothing really scenic about it. Barstow does have the worlds largest thermometer. And there is an outlet mall. But outside of calico not much to see until you hit Big Bear. And coming down the mountain from Big Bear can get backed up depending on the time or the day coming down as well.

 

[minty]

My plan is as follows take I 15N to Kelso Cima Rd which cuts through the Mojave then Catch the I 40 to Calico. From Calico I would take the 247 and then the 18 and through the San Bernardino Forest (Big Bear Lake) eventually catching Riverside Highway to Anaheim.

Many people from the LA area believe that there is nothing to see between LA and Vegas. I believe these people haven't stopped to look around. There's a lot of great stuff in the Mojave Preserve, just off of the 15. Most Californians don't even realize it is under the oversight of the National Parks Service.

http://www.nps.gov/moja/index.htm
http://www.nps.gov/moja/planyourvisit/visitorcenters.htm

Cima Road is a very nice detour off of 15, it heads into the densest forest of Joshua Trees in the Mojave Preserve. There's a short hiking trail about 15 minutes up Cima Rd- it's marked with a small parking lot on your right. Once Cima Rd ends onto Keslo Cima Rd, that will point you towards the Mojave Preserve Visitor Center at Kelso.

From the visitor center it's a short drive to the Kelso Dunes. They're unique among sand dunes because the sliding sand will cause the dunes to "rumble" under the right conditions- not all sand dunes will do this. The short drive to the dunes is on a decently maintained dirt road- my Prius has no problem on that road.

There's also some interesting landscape, a short hike (great for kids) and ancient native petroglyphs in a place called Hole-In-The-Wall. There's also a Visitor Center there, though the once at Kelso is better. Depending on the direction you travel, part of the way may be on a dirt road, but it's well maintained.
https://goo.gl/9A7opk

If you're very adventurous, search google for the Mojave Preserve Lava Tubes- the park rangers probably won't tell you about these, they may even deny they exist. You'll need a decent vehicle that can handle rough dirt roads. No driving a Prius here, you'll need an SUV. Autos will bottom out on this road (unless it's been graded since my last visit).

And finally, the great state of California may be re-opening the Mitchell Caverns soon. They're an impressive series of caves maintained by the state within the National Preserve. They've been closed for years due to budgetary reasons, but it looks like it the re-opening could be soon. A real, little-known gem in the Mojave Preserve.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=615

Have fun out there- pick up a few large bottles of water before you leave Vegas. You don't want to get stuck in the Mojave Desert with car trouble without an ample supply of water. This is also a place to avoid during storms, flash floods have been known to wipe out roads.

Keep an eye out for Desert Tortoises! They're a rare find.

 

[LizzyS]

As others have said, there is nothing scenic about the drive from Las Vegas to Anaheim! Whatever you do, don't drive down towards Boulder City and take 95 down towards the Palm Springs area and head to Anaheim that way (which adds a few hours, tbh). The road is only a couple of lanes at best and there are so many washes, it's ridiculous how much you are bobbing up and down. Just take the 15 and get there. If you're not used to the desert, it's liable to scare you to death how much "nothing" there is out there, anyway, haha.

 

[LizzyS]

Still a boring scene. Big Bear is beautiful. I lived in Riverside and corona and Orange county. Riverside and all that area is nothing but desert. So nothing really scenic about it. Barstow does have the worlds largest thermometer. And there is an outlet mall. But outside of calico not much to see until you hit Big Bear. And coming down the mountain from Big Bear can get backed up depending on the time or the day coming down as well.

It's actually Baker that has the world's largest thermometer.

 

[StageTek]

My plan is as follows take I 15N to Kelso Cima Rd which cuts through the Mojave then Catch the I 40 to Calico. From Calico I would take the 247 and then the 18 and through the San Bernardino Forest (Big Bear Lake) eventually catching Riverside Highway to Anaheim.

That's a nice drive. But be very, very careful and prepared along Cima. Few road services,
no cell phone service. One back on the 40 you're good. That drive over the mountains (Big
Bear/Running Springs) is beautiful. You could even go past Arrowhead/Crestline and then
down into San Bernardino. Have you calculated the time it will take? I've done that route
in bits but not in one drive.

 

[GoBears 1980]

Las Vegas is in the heart of the Mojave Desert so you will be there already.

Don't do it on a Sunday.

Carry lots of water in the car.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

The drive to Vegas is incredibly boring. There is nothing "scenic" to see. It's the desert.

So true. I had to laugh when I saw the title of this thread.

 

[usnuzuloose]

It's actually Baker that has the world's largest thermometer.

Thank you for correcting me. Brain Fog….

 

[LizzyS]

Thank you for correcting me. Brain Fog….

No worries, that's an easy mistake to make.

Poor Baker has nothing but the thermometer, really, haha.