Road trip route for first timer (from Britain)

Locals always seem to find L.A./Hollywood and Las Vegas uninteresting. I know I do. But visitors
from other parts of the U.S. and others countries find both places fascinating. Sure, "Hollywood"
doesn't meet expectations but it's still a "must see".

That said, I, too, would lose one night in Vegas. If you drive in around 9PM (leave Lone Pine
around noon and you'll have a nice, leisurely trip through Death Valley) you will have one night
and two full days/night there. You may actually find that's enough. I second S.Lopez's suggestion
of cutting a day from San Francisco and spending a little more time on the HWY 1 drive. My
advice of one night in Lone Pine is to give more time in Yosemite and Death Valley - trying to
get from Yosemite to Vegas in one day is doable (about 7 hours) but you can't enjoy Death Valley.

I've done this road trip - home in Hollywood to Yosemite to Vegas back to Hollywood - twice.
It's beautiful.
 
Perhaps either cut Santa Barbara or Moro Bay? One night in Monterey? Skip Lone Pine, not much to see there. Reduce nights in Las Vegas? Add a night in San Francisco? You also seem to be missing LA.
 
The only real thing to see in Lone Pine is Mount Whitney, which is also the turnoff to Death Valley from US-395, CA-136 to CA-190. Keep in mind that most the roads into Death Valley are hilly, windy, and sometimes have single lane sections.
 
1) Consider driving north after your last day at Disneyland and staying somewhere in LA. I'd even linger in LA instead of SB, but that's a personal preference.
2) If you're staying in hotels, skip the night in Morro Bay and drive from SB (or SLO) to Monterey. If you're camping, visit SB and then camp at El Capitan or Morro Strand Campground. Make sure to catch a meal at Cold Spring Tavern.
3) SB or SLO or Morro Bay to Monterey is a 1 day trip. Eat at Nepenthe. Try the Ambrosia Burger.
3) Skip Lone Pine and stay in Stovepipe Wells if you can drive that far. If not, make sure you visit Bodie.
4) Stay at or near Yosemite. (The lodge at Sequoia is also great.)
5) I can't imagine spending more than 2 nights in Vegas, and I've been there several times. I don't gamble. You may gamble. I'd rather spend more days in LA or SF or even visit the largest trees in the world at Sequoia.
 



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