What's to be expected...

Tikitoi

DIS Veteran
Joined
Apr 23, 2006
We will be driving from L.A. to the Grand Canyon then onto Las Vegas, all in a matter of a few days.

But what is along these roads as far as interesting things to see (not looking to venture off too much ) places to eat and places to fuel. How are the roads the traffic etc. Never did this route. Only drove in L.A. and I do remember the traffic but what about outside L.A.

Thanks
 
At this point looking at I-15N and I-40E to 64N to get us from L.A. to our Hotel in Tusayan. That's our main concern because I know that drive can take 8 or so hours. We definitely plan to be there before night (which I'm sure we will).

Haven't really looked into the drive to Vegas yet since that is about half the time and still deciding whether or not to stop at the Hoover Dam...

This will probably be leaving on a Thursday then final destination (Vegas ) by Monday.
 
It's going to be a lot of desert. Maybe you see joshua trees. You might make pit stops in Barstow, Needles, Kingman, and Williams. I certainly would need to stop at least once or twice even if it's just for a bathroom break or to switch drivers. All California safety rest areas along that route seem to be closed right now, so you won't have that as an option.

BTW - if you're renting a car from a location in California, they're required to allow a spouse to drive the car at no additional cost and you theoretically don't even have to declare a second driver if it's a spouse. A spouse is legally considered an authorized driver by law. I'd probably still declare a spouse though just in case, and they can't charge additional driver fees.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=1939.01.
(e) “Authorized driver” means all of the following:

(1) The renter.

(2) The renter’s spouse, if that person is a licensed driver and satisfies the rental company’s minimum age requirement.​
 


@bcla Thanks for that info especially regarding the additional driver. We aren't going until May so hopefully some of the rest areas will be opened by then. But I figured a lot of desert. Will definitely be paying attention to signs for fuel as well as restrooms.

What type of gas stations are in these areas because I can possibly stock up on gift cards. As well as I'm wondering how cellphone service would be...
 
What type of gas stations are in these areas because I can possibly stock up on gift cards. As well as I'm wondering how cellphone service would be...

You can check with Gasbuddy. Just enter a location along the route and once it pulls up a list click on the little box that says Map. It's kind of expensive along the way (and California gas prices are high) but Costco is consistently cheaper. You should have enough gas to make it to the Arizona border where gas prices will be much cheaper. The other thing is that there are a lot of independent gas stations along the route.

https://www.gasbuddy.com

As for cellphone service who's your carrier? You can check their coverage maps. AT&T looks pretty solid all the way along your route until getting to Kaibab National Forest and Tusayan, where it shows "3rd party coverage" which I believe it from a joint agreement with whatever service provider has towers there. There should be decent coverage in Grand Canyon Village.

I looked it up and Verizon has the only service in that area, but they do share their signals. It might even be a requirement since they set up towers on NPS and Forest Service land.
 
Again @bcla Thank you for your information. As far as carrier's in our group we will have 2 Verizon and 1 Virgin Mobile. I checked out gasbuddy and it seems as far as for CA I could work with Shell since my credit card offers me something like five cents off/gallon using their fuel. Just want to save some, I know things are going to cost.
 


Again @bcla Thank you for your information. As far as carrier's in our group we will have 2 Verizon and 1 Virgin Mobile. I checked out gasbuddy and it seems as far as for CA I could work with Shell since my credit card offers me something like five cents off/gallon using their fuel. Just want to save some, I know things are going to cost.

Well - I'm not sure about saving 5 cents a gallon when Shell prices are consistently higher in California or Arizona. I remember once I got a $100 Shell gift card as a promotion. When it came time to use it I was wondering where it all went because the Shell stations were always more expensive in California or when I was on vacation in Washington. What I preferred to use it for was to buy convenience store items and then I'd buy gas at Costco. There are always exceptions, but that's sort of what I've seen on the West Coast.

For example, right now in Kingman, AZ the highest prices I see on Gasbuddy are at a Shell station. A Mobil station in town is literally 60 cents/gallon less for regular. If you have a mobile device, I prefer the mobile app to the website. The mapping is much better.

https://www.gasbuddy.com/home?search=kingman, AZ&fuel=1

Also check the price "heat map" that gives an idea of the average price of fuel. The price of gas in Williams and Tusayan is higher because of all the tourists visiting the Grand Canyon. However, the prices are lower in Flagstaff because it's less of a tourist town. That's not unusual. I know there's a gas station just outside of Yosemite National Park where the prices can be up to $1.50/gallon higher in the Central Valley.
 
It's sounding like just be prepared for the difference in gas prices. We're not Costco members if that makes a difference. But hopefully highway miles make a difference...At least I have a better idea now. Thanks
 
It's sounding like just be prepared for the difference in gas prices. We're not Costco members if that makes a difference. But hopefully highway miles make a difference...At least I have a better idea now. Thanks

I mention Costco because it's so much cheaper. Right now I'm buying premium at my local Costco cheaper than any other gas stations. There really aren't any Costcos along that route though, except maybe Victorville which is really early.

And for whatever reason, Shell typically comes at the highest prices you'll see locally. While in California, other than independents, Arco seems to have the lowest prices of places open to anyone. There are no hard and fast rules though; sometimes you just need to check the prices online. However, if you're thinking of Costco and have a friend who's a member, their gift cards can be used to buy gas without membership. In fact as long as you have a gift card (they call it a "Cash Card" with remaining value, you can use that to enter a Costco and buy stuff even if the amount doesn't cover the entire purchase.

https://www.costco.com/Costco-Cash-Card.product.10024438.html

But if you feel you have enough gas left, wait until you get to Arizona to refuel. It's going to be much cheaper. Maybe a good stop for refueling would be Victorville where Arco and Valero are cheaper. Then make it to Kingman before refueling. Of course if you're running on fumes you're going to need gas.
 
I agree with bcla on this, don't use the Shell even if you save 5 cents per gallon as you'll still be paying the highest prices. I drive through LA/Orange County/Inland Empire all the time, and just got back from a trip to Las Vegas, and Shell is consistently highest priced (and Arco lowest). Definitely try to get gas in Arizona as much as possible. Nevada prices were consistently at least $.35/gallon cheaper than CA and AZ is about the same.
 

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