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Which is the best place to stop for the night on the road from LA to Las Vegas?

I arrive at LAX at about 10pm and want to see some of the desert during the day, so I don't want to drive straight through the night. I need help on picking the most convenient/best town to find a motel at. Thanks!

Update:

Thanks for the answers! I can't change my flights to Ontario at this point (am arriving at LAX in 6 days). I was looking at Barstow, Victorville and Hesperia, but I'll definitely look at Fontana too.

I'm flying in from Europe, so when my plane lands at 10pm my bodyclock will be on 8am! So I'm not worried about falling asleep or anything, and I'm accustomed to driving at night, but I want to SEE the desert!

8 Answers

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  • Don
    Lv 5
    7 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    Hello My European Friend: Fontana, Barstow, Victorville, Hesperia, you such be able to find a hotel in each of these cities. I wouldn't choose Fontana, because it's to close to L.A. you haven't used up enough of that bodyclock energy you have stored up, & when you wake up and start driving again you could feel a little of that L.A. traffic. Sooo keep on driving! Hesperia has some hotels but not as many as Victorville and they are so close together you may as well drive to Victorville where you have many hotels & restaurants.

    Victorville is a great place for you to stop. NOW for me I can't stop in Victorville because my wife would hit the roof---you know we always stop in Barstow at that Tanger Outlet Mall!! She's Old School, I've get hit in the head with that old rolling pin, if I don't stop at that Tanger Outlet Mall. The outlet mall is just before you get to the heart of Barstow, you can't miss seeing it from the highway! Like Victorville there are many hotel & restaurants, around the outlet mall & the city of Barstow! I like to think of Barstow as the half way point from L.A. to Vegas. So if you have the energy, Barstow (if you like shopping)could be your best bet to wake up to. You can see a lot of desert from Barstow to Baker to Vegas---Baker is known to be the gate way to Death Valley---but don't gas up in Baker you will pay MUCH more per gallon there!! Gas up in Victorville, or Barstow but NOT Baker!! If you can gas up once in California and try to make it to Nev. before you gas up again. Save yourself some $$. Also not many hotel in Baker.

    Have a great trip!!!

    Peace

  • 7 years ago

    You land at 10pm. At a minimum it will be 11pm when you get out of the airport. It might be 3 hours. Then you have to go get a rental car, which is another hour to get to the rental car lot and on your way. You are looking at midnight before you are even on the freeway.

    If I was you, I'd head to Ontario/Rancho Cucamunga/parts of Fontana (If it was me, I'd go with Ontario or RC so I didn't have to worry about what part of Fontana I was in). I would not want to show up in Victorville or Barstow in the middle of the night.

    ** Note: I'm not a scaried-cat. I live in LA and there is no where I'm afraid to go. I have no problem walking around NY at night. I drive to Vegas living at 10pm to miss traffic. As a single female, I've driven across the country by myself. But I wouldn't want to show up at a hotel in the middle of the night in Barstow/Victorville. The likelihood of something happening is very small. But it's just an uncomfortable feeling.

  • 7 years ago

    The desert between Victorville and Vegas is very boring and this time of year dangerously hot if you're not familiar to it. I would recommend getting from LAX to Fontana/Ontario and you could and get a room there. The reason is if you stay in LA you are going to spend $$$ and then fight traffic in the morning all the way to Cajon Pass. Fontana is at the base of Cajon. LAX to Fontana, without traffic, will take you an hour. Fontana to Vegas - 3.5 hours nonstop. And if you start early A.M. you will have no traffic. Also, check to see if you can land at Ontario Airport instead of LAX.

    Source(s): I have made that drive / flight for years.
  • ?
    Lv 7
    7 years ago

    It is only a 4 to 5 hour drive. 10PM is too late to be heading out on the road.

    Instead, stay at a hotel near LAX and then after a good night's sleep, drive straight through to Vegas in daylight all the way..

  • 7 years ago

    Call ahead for late arriving reservations in Victorville. It's at the top of Cajon Pass and for practical purposes the entry way to the desert on the way to LV. Barstow is closer to LV. and still a relatiely large community. There is still a lot of desert on the way to LV. Pahrump would have been way out of your way since it's not on the direct, US 15 route. Be sure you have a lot of water.

    Source(s): LV Resident with family in CA that I visit.
  • 7 years ago

    For safety and peace of mind San Bernandino or Victorville. They would be your best places for an upscale or extended stay hotel at a lesser rate. Both are 24 hour towns. So there should not be a problem They are not resort towns, so you will not have an issue getting a room on arrival. One poster said Barstow. If you like Crystal Meth go there, or just avoid it if you are a respectable person.

  • 7 years ago

    Barstow Ca is about 130 mi, or 2 hours driving from LAX.

    Then Barstow to Vegas is about 160 mi or 2.5 hours .

  • Kini
    Lv 7
    7 years ago

    I agree about Barstow. Cheap and on the way to Vegas.

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