Road trips are all the rage right now in 2020, thanks to the pandemic limiting availability and safety via air travel. Luckily though, if you live in the United States, there are a plethora of beautiful places you can drive to, like Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, and Mammoth!
We have tons of gorgeous National parks, varying landscapes from sea to mountains, as well as varying seasons to experience these places differently at different times!
For my birthday earlier this year, I did a road trip from Mammoth Lakes to Lake Tahoe, to Yosemite National Park. It was beyond epic, but I will say, you definitely need to reserve hotels in advance because all of those places are extremely popular! Especially right now!
Below you’ll find my itinerary for this epic road trip, along with the accommodations I stayed at! If you book them with Hotels.com, and end up booking ten nights, you’ll get one free!
NOTE: During winter the “short cut” road from Mammoth to Yosemite is CLOSED! That is why I ended up driving six hours out of the way to Tahoe! So if you’re trying to do this in the summer and for a shorter time, you can save Tahoe for another time!
Disclosure: This post is written in partnership with Hotels.com, however all opinions, itineraries, and photos are my own!
Jump To:
Start in Either Fresno, San Francisco, Las Vegas or Los Angeles
If you don’t live near the Yosemite/Mammoth/Tahoe area, you’ll probably have to fly into a nearby city. The closest big cities to our target area are Fresno, San Francisco, Las Vegas, or Los Angeles.
I drove from Los Angeles, and yes, it was a looonngg drive, but not too bad. Depending on where you are coming from will determine if you start at Yosemite first or Mammoth first. From Los Angeles, Mammoth is closest, so I’ll start there!
Oh! If you’re flying in, you’ll need to rent a car! I’d highly recommend getting a Hybrid if you can to save on gas and carbon emissions! I also always recommend getting insurance on it…as someone who has flipped a rental car before.
Mammoth Lakes / Mammoth Mountain
Most people go to Mammoth Lakes / Mammoth Mountain during the winter for snow sports. However it is still very beautiful in the summer and fall!
In fact, there wasn’t much snow when I went in January! So with snow play out of the questions, I opted for finding other things to do, like hot spring hunting! I ended up finding quite a few, which were only a short drive from my hotel!
The map below pin points some of my favorite ones! Just be careful driving because the roads are very bumpy and sometimes icy!
There are several year-round lodges to stay at that are right in the heart of the city! They are already mostly booked for Fall, so book something ASAP! Some popular ones that are still available are: The Mammoth Creek Inn and Sierra Nevada Resort and Spa!
Mammoth to Lake Tahoe
As I mentioned in my Note, I ended up having to go to Lake Tahoe just to get to Yosemite. You can see on the map that Mammoth is VERY close to Yosemite, however the road that connects them is extremely dangerous during cold weather, so they close it for most of the year.
The only way to get around the mountain to get into Yosemite when the road is closed, is to go all the way up to Lake Tahoe. Well, or down and around, but you might as well hit up Tahoe since it’s the same distance.
It’s a straight shot drive up to Tahoe, and very scenic! If you have time, drive a little farther up the southeast part of Lake Tahoe to see the famous boulders in the clear lake water! The place to plug into your GPS for that is: Sand Harbor State Park,
If you want to spend a little time in Lake Tahoe, there are TONS of great hotels to stay at nearby! Some of the highest recommended are: Tahoe Beach and Ski Club, and Postmarc Hotel and Spa Suites!
Lake Tahoe to Yosemite National Park
IMPORTANT NOTE: As of 2020, you MUST have a reservation to enter Yosemite National Park! To get one, go to Recreation.gov!
The long road trip will amp you up for the grand finale; Yosemite National Park!
Definitely plan in advance if you want to do things like hike Half Dome. It takes a full entire day, and you have to register to do it.
Another thing to plan for is how you’ll get around inside of the park. The major sites to see are all spaced far apart! Depending on when you go, you might get lucky with finding parking spots around the park and driving the whole thing, but it’s unlikely. I went in low season and it was hard to even find spots then.
Alternatively you can park in the huge car lot, then take the bus shuttle that goes around the park. OR, for all of you active people, you can bike or walk it! I had my dog with me, so I attempted driving.
Here are the best things to see in Yosemite National Park:
- El Capitan
- Half Dome
- Yosemite Falls
- Yosemite Valley
If you’re fancy, and book far enough in advance, you can stay at the resort inside of Yosemite National Park at Yosemite Valley Lodge, or The Ahwahnee! Otherwise, you only have a couple options for nearby hotels in El Portal or Yosemite West.
BONUS: San Luis Opisbo
Depending on where you need to get back to, you can sneak in a cheeky trip to wine country! San Luis Opisbo is located just south of San Francisco, close to the coasts. It’s a small wine region, which makes it super quaint and chill!
You can also find the famous Madonna Inn here! A famous tacky yet classy hotel and restaurant that definitely looks like Madonna herself would stay there!
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