Santa Monica to Las Vegas road trip.

[jimbolee12]

I am looking at flying to LA for my honeymoom, staying at Santa Monica then driving to Las Vegas.

a) Is this doable in a day?
b) What is the best route to do this?
c) Anything important or interesting i should know from people who have already done this trip....?

Thanks.

[Clanad]

It's do-able, but boring. You'd pick up Interstate 10E to Interstate 15 from L.A. to Vegas and take about 5 hours, (285 miles total from downtown Santa Monica)) depending on the traffic until you get out of L.A.
The route crosses the Mojave (can you say Mo-havay?) Desert and it's pretty desolate... sometimes a stray jack rabbit carrying his lunch and water bottle... so nothing much to see on the way (unless you're into the artistic potential of tumbling weeds).

I'd hope you were planning on at least one overnight in Vegas... I'd hate to do the roundtrip in only one day!

Welcome to the U.S., by the way (where I live, having done that drive many times, and flown it zillions of times).

[jimbolee12]

Cheers for that. Yeah looking to do 3 days in LA, 5 days in Vegas and then 7 days in Barbados. My other half wants to stay somewhere in between LA & Vegas for a night and i'm looking at Palm Springs. Been there before years ago and is really nice. Just loks a bit out of the way on your way to Vegas?

Is there anywhere else you could recommend staying en route?

Are there loads of petrol stations on the way to Vegas?

[Clanad]

Well, outside of the aforementioned jack rabbit there are the occasional Desert tortises... but don't miss the world's tallest thermometer... the thermometer is 134 feet high -- and is in Baker, CA., and of course, Primm, NV just across the border. (Seen here: http://www.primmvalleyresorts.com/). It's really an oasis just before the onset of the real desert. I haven't been there in a while, but it even had a pretty cool roller-coaster of the old style.
Plenty of places to fuel until Barstow, then I'd make sure I had a full tank... but even then there are other, shall we say, unusual places to stop for gas, like Roy's in Amboy, but that's kinda out of the way. For the truly adventurous, one could always drive through Death Valley or the Mojave National Preserve... but if you do emulate the jack rabbit... Again, welcome!

[jimbolee12]

Cheers for that. Doesn't sound all that great to be honest. Maybe a stop at Palm Springs and straight on to Vegas i reckon.

What's LA like these days? People who have been recently say that's it quite smoggy ad 3 days would be enough for a visit?

[sitges]

I don't think you said when you were going to be going to L.A. and Los Vegas. The desert, Palm Springs and Los Vegas will be extremely hot between now and the end of September. I hope you are not arriving before the middle of Autumn as that will be the best weather. Just be prepared for temps over 100 to 110 if you are going to be here in August or early September.

[jimbolee12]

Thanks for that. We were looking to come over in May of next year as doing my reading it seems like that will be quite a good time temperature wise to go to LA & LV & Barbados - would you agree? Hot but not too hot and not that much rainfall - what do you think? Where do you live...LA? Looking at the weather forcast in Vegas yesterday is was 105 degrees....wow!!

[buildersmate]

Stopping at Palm Springs then 'on to Vegas' just doesn't work. You have to go 40 miles back along the road you've just come along to San Bernandino to get back on the I15 towards Vegas.
We aren't talking about doing a diversion via Wolverhampton on the way to Birmingham - this is a big country with a modest network of good roads between the big cities.

[jno]

I had a night in Palm Springs earlier this year and the air was so dry I couldn't sleep. If you've been there already this may not worry you, but if I ever did it again (and it's a nice place) I'd find a more expensive hotel with humidifiers or something.

Five days in Vegas, well, I don't know. There's not that much to do there except gamble and see fancy shows in the evening. Personally I find LA more interesting (and that's not counting theme parks). But it's all a matter of taste.

[jimbolee12]

Thanks for the updates all. I also think 7 days in Vegas maybe too much too. I was going to do 3 days in LA and go to Beverley Hills and do all the sight seeing stuff - is there much else to do and see in LA?

Is there anywhere else to stay or see en route to Vegas that may break it up a little?

What's LA & Vegas like weather wise in May time?