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Trip List by Cannelle

A short trip around the Sierra Nevada for budget travelers

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Mar 27, 2006  “A young French couple living in the United States”
2.0 of 5 stars based on 6 votes

From SF to LA, across through Yosemite, Death Vally, Joshua Tree etc.

  • 1. San Francisco, Adante hotel
    Adante Hotel, San Francisco, California
    Show Prices ABS:HotelCheckRates-d80756?&src=GoListDetail&fromServlet=GoListDetail&Action=QC_Button
    Avg price: $180

    Tiny rooms, with kitsch paintings on the ceilings and on the walls in the bathroom, clean. No breakfast, rooms on Geary street are noisy, but ok when you just want a place to sleep in (I recommend earplugs).

  • 2. Merced, stopover at Motel 6
    Merced, California

    Awfully situated in a commercial area surrounded by McDonalds, Taco bells etc, along the highway. Motel wasn't very clean, night staff unfriendly.

  • 3. From Merced to Angels Camp, driving across Yosemite
    Yosemite National Park, California

    We drove through Mariposa, which we found was a charming little town. But the aim of the day was to discover Yosemite. We drove around the Park on the roads that were open at that time of year (mid December), and the myth became reality: we were in the Yosemite! As we planned to go back another time, we didn't stay very long, we only drove the scenic roads and were amazed by the wonderful landscapes.

  • 4. Angels Camp, Angels Inn Motel
    Angels Inn Motel, Angels Camp, California
    Show Prices ABS:HotelCheckRates-d119585?&src=GoListDetail&fromServlet=GoListDetail&Action=QC_Button
    Avg price: $94

    Was ok for the night, very large and comfortable rooms on Main Street, and friendly staff. That was the begining of the trip.

  • 5. from Angels Camp to Bridgeport

    A very scenic drive across the Sierra, we drove through lake Tahoe, packed with tourists, then we arrived the the Owen River Valley and stopped in Bridgeport, which was very quiet in the winter, exactly what we were looking for! This valley is wonderful, because it is surrounded by the Sierra Nevada (west) and another range of mountains (east), it is wide, and a river flows in the middle.

  • 6. From Bridgeport to Bishop
    Mono Lake, Mammoth Lakes, California

    Another scenic drive along the Sierra. We visited Mono Lake, a huge lake reflecting the surrounding mountains. The lake is famous for its tufa towers emerging from the water. A long hike around the 695 square miles of the lake would be a wonderful experience!

  • 7. From Bishop to Shoshone, across the Death Valley
    Death Valley Junction, Death Valley National Park

    I guess that when you drive across the Death Valley in December you cannot imagine how hot it can be in the summer, even though you can read on every brochures and signs that you have to be very careful not go get lost, to have enough water and gas, etc. So, in the winter, you're not scared and just enjoy the amazingly dry landsacapes, nearly alone.

  • 8. Night at the Shoshone Inn
    Shoshone Inn, Shoshone
    Show Prices ABS:HotelCheckRates-d119392?&src=GoListDetail&fromServlet=GoListDetail&Action=QC_Button
    Avg price: $80

    A "town" (there is nearly nothing there except a gas station and a dinner!) in the middle of nowhere, very strange for us, Europeans ! The motel was very basic and far too expensive for the quality, but there is no other choice if you want to stop in Shoshone for the night.

  • 9. From Shoshone to 29 Palms, across the Mojave Reserve.
    Mohave Desert, Nevada, United States

    Another desert, with high sand dunes, less colourfull than the Death Valley, but still beautiful, for people who like to be "lost"in a desert! We drove on Road66, which is totally dead now that there is a new highway: no gas, no food, nobody, nothing alive along that portion of the road. Terrible!

  • 10. Harmony Hotel, 29 Palms
    Harmony Motel, Twentynine Palms
    Show Prices ABS:HotelCheckRates-d274176?&src=GoListDetail&fromServlet=GoListDetail&Action=QC_Button
    Avg price: $115

    In this awful city full of fastfoods restaurants , harmony Hotel was like an oasis of peace and good taste, with a new owner who might change the hotel into a very different place.

  • 11. Joshua Tree National park
    Joshua Tree National Park, California

    A Natural wonder of sandstone rocks and… Joshua trees! Enjoy a scenic drive across the park, hike or climb the rocks, it is just wonderful.

  • 12. From Palm Springs to LA
    Palm Springs

    Highway boring driving across windmills from the ugly city of Palm Springs to the polluted LA.

Explore locations featured in this Trip List: San Francisco, Merced, Yosemite National Park, Angels Camp, Mammoth Lakes, Death Valley Junction, Shoshone, Nevada, Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree National Park, Palm Springs