Best route: Las Vegas to Lake Tahoe(road trip)

I'm planning an 11 day Vegas trip in September. I've decided to take a break from the glitter of Sin City mid-trip and drive up to Lake Tahoe for 3 days. I am wondering about the best route; take hwy 95 all the way to Fallon, over to Reno and then to Tahoe or to take 95 north of Vegas then cut over to US hwy 395 in California and proceed north to Lake Tahoe. Mapquest says that the driving distance and times are similar; but I am wondering if the Hwy 95 route would be better....mostly open desert & I could "put the hammer down" on the cruise control for a good portion of the trip. The hwy 395 route looks to go thru the mountains..might be more scenic? I've been to Death Valley, so I can eliminate that area from my itinerary.

I am not familiar with the road conditions of either route and I am curious if there are some things/places on the way that would be worth a short side trip. I would appreciate any constructive suggestions/tips that you guys might have. Thanks.

Glasses can affect your vision; especially when they have been emptied several times.....

Spring Break 2000 !!!

We frequently drive from LV to Reno/Tahoe. Taking 95/80 to Tahoe is a little longer and mostly boring. Take 395 and there are a myriad of things to do along the way: Mammoth Lakes, Yosemite, Mono Lake (a real gem IMO), Schat's bakery in Bishop (you don't want to miss this place), Mt. Whitney, Bodie Ghost town and Grover Hot Springs in Markleeville. There are websites dedicated to things to do along 395; depends on your interests but if you like the great outdoors, this is the trip for you. Any one of the places I mentioned would be worth your while.

Agreed, take the 395!

I love Bishop, it's such a cute little town and the best burgers are at the bowling alley. They also have a little casino on the drive out of town(towards Tahoe/Reno), so you can get your fix in if needed.

If you decide to go to Bodie (cool, kind of eerie place), it's off the beaten path and you take a dirt road to get there. Not sure what you're driving, but if it's a nicer car I wouldn't take it up there.

That sounds like an interesting trip; I think I will put it on my to do list

Indeed it does.

If you really enjoy driving, I have two suggestions.

I highly recommend crossing into California via Westgard Pass. Very remote but well-paved road, the last portion heading west is through a narrow rock canyon, so narrow that only one car can travel in some spots.



Then, to climb up to Tahoe, cut west on CA-89 just north of Topaz to Monitor Pass and Markleeville, then over Luther Pass to US-50, a beautiful climb over another well-maintained strip of pavement



You won't regret it.

How many miles is this drive?