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Yosemite, the Eastern Sierra & Death Valley: 6-Day Plan You Can Actually Drive
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The 6-day version for September: every day fits real transit, opening hours and daylight. Prefer more or fewer days? 6-day plan · best time to go.
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6
days
500 km
distance
13.4 h
driving
13
curated stops
💡 Good to know for this plan
- Tioga Road and the Eastern Sierra crossing are normally in season, while Death Valley requires a paved-road, vehicle-based heat plan. Exact pass, fire, flood and temperature conditions can invalidate the route and must be rechecked.
Day 1 Yosemite Valley public circuit day
- Transit
- none
- Finish
- ~15:30
- Temperature
- 6.4°C–22.1°C
- Rainy days
- ~1
- Daylight
- 12.2h
09:00
14:30
Overnight here
e.g. Bridalveil Creek · White Wolf Lodge
Day 2 Tioga Road and Tuolumne public corridor day
- Transit
- 2h33
- Finish
- ~18:00
- Temperature
- 3.6°C–19.5°C
- Rainy days
- ~1
- Daylight
- 12.2h
11:15
15:25
17:10
El Capitan read more
Stand in awe of the towering granite cliff that dominates the valley view.
50 min · Tioga Road and Tuolumne public corridor day
Overnight here
e.g. Tuolumne Meadows Lodge · High Sierra Camps
Day 3 Mammoth Lakes public landscape day
- Transit
- 2h23
- Finish
- ~17:25
- Temperature
- 4.6°C–20.3°C
- Rainy days
- ~1
- Daylight
- 12.2h
11:25
Mammoth Lakes public landscape circuit visitmammoth.com map ↗
Use public town, lake-basin and signed landscape stops; lifts, skiing, rentals and backcountry activities remain optional.
300 min · Mammoth Lakes public landscape day · Confirm current admission where applicable
16:25
Convict Lake Restaurant convictlake.com map ↗
Savor Mono County's famed Alpers Trout.
60 min · Mammoth Lakes public landscape day
Overnight here
e.g. Cinnamon Bear Inn · Discovery 4 Condominiums
Day 4 Bishop and Owens Valley public day
- Transit
- 1h22
- Finish
- ~16:25
- Temperature
- 10.1°C–25.9°C
- Rainy days
- ~1
- Daylight
- 12.2h
10:25
Bishop and Owens Valley public circuit bishopvisitor.com map ↗
Use the public historic core and signed Owens Valley viewpoints; festivals, climbing guides and remote tracks are outside the baseline.
300 min · Bishop and Owens Valley public day · Confirm current admission where applicable
15:25
Mahogany Smoked Meats smokedmeats.com map ↗
Delight in rich, smoky bacon and artisanal deli meats.
60 min · Bishop and Owens Valley public day
open: 7AM-6PM
Overnight here
e.g. Wayfinder Bishop · Vagabond Inn Bishop
Day 5 Lone Pine and Alabama Hills public day
- Transit
- 1h39
- Finish
- ~15:40
- Temperature
- 7.9°C–23.5°C
- Rainy days
- ~1
- Daylight
- 12.2h
10:40
Overnight here
e.g. Best Western Frontier Motel · Dow Villa Motel
Day 6 Death Valley paved-overlooks day
- Transit
- 5h26
- Finish
- ~17:40
- Temperature
- 19.2°C–34.4°C
- Rainy days
- ~1
- Daylight
- 12.2h
12:55
14:50
🔍 Check before you book
Every stop is a real, sourced place, but opening hours change, roads close and businesses move. Check anything you're paying for before you book.