We enjoy traveling the roads of the western United States by car as a family. We have traveled over 5,000 miles. And every time, when preparing for a trip back home, I work out routes for long journeys where stops are either necessary or simply desirable.

Let it may seem simple to someone, primitive and even useless. But, I really hope that for some, these tips will be quite helpful. Some of the directions described will be quite trivial, but in such cases there will also be some useful grain.

What I advise you to do in advance for all routes – get familiar with the numbers of the necessary exits from the highway, and do not rely only on the navigator (or maps.me), and look at the panoramas in the areas of these exits. It will be easier for you, and the road will already seem familiar. Some specific options (out of the many available) will be suggested below.

Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
What could be easier – get up on I-15, set the cruise control for 65-70 miles and enjoy the scenery and the light rustling of the tires. About four hours behind the wheel.

It’s important to fill up early so you don’t run out of fuel in the desert. The price of a gallon of gasoline between Barstow and Vegas today is often over $4 – not critical, of course, but you can save money.

In Primm you can “kill a few birds with one stone”. If shopping – to wander through Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas (by the way, the tax is a little bit, but lower than in Vegas). If you want to eat – you can do it in cafes and restaurants of Primm Valley Resort or thicker and cheaper there in the buffet Country Club ($ 13 for breakfast / 15 $ for lunch). If you can’t wait, you can even bet once on red at the local casino.

And there are a few more interesting places to stop by on the route if you have a lot of free time, or have an overwhelming desire to see something new:

  • In the town of Baker 35.266465, -116.072785 is a classic American landmark in the style of “the world’s greatest.” In this case, a 40-meter thermometer.
  • Kelso (35.012124, -115.653254) in Mojave National Preserve with a historic railroad station building. The hook is 35 miles one way from I-15.
  • Zzyzx Township (35.143341, -116.106143) with a curious name (the last township in the U.S. in alphabetical order). The hook is about 5 miles one way from I-15.
  • War Memorial Cross (35.314816, -115.550396) in the middle of the desert. There are several hiking trails nearby. The hook is 11 miles one way from I-15. Technically aligned with Kelso.

Las Vegas to Yosemite (Oakhurst) – southern route via Bakersfield and Fresno.

This route is more likely to be suitable between November and April. In the warmer months, when the CA-120 (Tioga) road is open, the route through it is more scenic and can be combined with a visit to Death Valley.

In this case, we fill up in Vegas and head south on I-15. It’s a long 7-8 hour drive, so we’re leaving early. Try to get through the first section without making any major stops. Past Barstow, we’ll take CA-58 exit #179.

At Bakersfield, take Golden State Hwy (CA-99) north. In Bakersfield, you can grab a bite to eat if you get hungry. There are a lot of coffee shops, bistros, and coffee shops along the way, for example at CA-99 and California Ave (35.368327, -119.041681). Or you can drive farther to the town of Tulare and combine relaxation and lunch at one of the cafes with shopping at the Tulare Outlets mall.

At this rate in the afternoon we approach Fresno. There is a good point to mention – Fresno is not a small town, and if you are there after 4 PM on a workday you may get stuck in a heavy traffic jam on the way out of downtown just after the exit (#131) on CA-41. Well, it’s quieter from here. The scenic hills begin and Oakhurst is just a short drive away.

Whether or not you stop in Fresno depends on how the previous part of the trip goes and whether or not you have a couple of hours left. It’s a good idea to get to the end of the route before it gets dark. In the city you can see the classic American architecture of downtown, the historic water tower building (36.739154, -119.787234) and the modern city hall building (36.739377, -119. 784923), stroll through the park near the courthouse – also incidentally of curious architecture (36.735996, -119.789656), see a Catholic cathedral (36.740706, -119.782620) and even a Buddhist temple in an unattractive area (36.728291, -119.794845).