Driving From Las Vegas to Palm Springs for ALT Summit | Field Trips and Travel

I’ve mentioned in previous posts about how I love myself a little bit of adventure. I mean, I’m not so crazy that I hike huge mountains (although I hope to get there one day), but I am adventurous enough to not let having to do something solo stop me from doing it at all.

So here’s the thing, I love travel but I strongly despise (hate, really, but I try to limit using that word) over paying for it. Or having unreasonable delays or transfers for what should be a simple trip.

Once I was accepted as a speaker (cue incredibly happy but also poop-my-pants nervous dance) for ALT Summit, I needed to figure out a way to get from Hope, BC to Palm Springs – and it was proving to be incredibly difficult. Every flight I checked was over priced, or required a redirect or stop over in Calgary, Seattle or both.

So typical me refused to accept those options and kept looking. Not long after, Swoop Airlines popped into my inbox with a seat sale to Las Vegas – and I immediately decided my problem was solved. I’d fly into Las Vegas and drive to Palm Springs. Simple, easy, I love driving, I love adventure, I love direct flights. Sign. Me. Up. Basically – Swoop Airlines to the rescue.

I learned a lot from this little mini adventure, and while it wasn’t initially something I had planned on writing about – I feel like it is my public duty to share what I know on this topic. I mean, I’d be doing the public a disservice by not sharing it… so here we are… and here’s what you should know.

It’s Hard to Fly Into Las Vegas and Immediately Leave

This isn’t really a technical thing. What do I mean? Basically, it’s not logistically hard. It’s just hard if you’re me, and you love Vegas, and you see the strip looking so alluringly beautiful in the distance but you don’t even get to visit her.

I mean, this one is kind of a joke to ease you into the real tips, but still guys. She was singing her siren song and there were almost tears. If I ever do this trip again (heyyyyyyy Swoop), I’ll leave myself a few days to spend in Viva Las Vegas before I leave.

Give Yourself Extra Time to Get Your Car Rental

My flight arrived in Las Vegas at 11:00am, and while baggage and customs were a breeze, do know that you will need to take a shuttle bus to their new car rental hub. Once you get there though, it’s basically the coolest thing ever. It’s essentially a mall for all of the car rental companies – you find the company you booked through, wait in line to complete your reservation, and then head into their designated parkade to pick up your car.

Some tips here – if you are considering upgrading your car (but don’t require a bigger vehicle), book the cheapest option online and upgrade at the desk. This is usually the cheaper way to go, as they are trained to try to upsell you at the last minute and have more leeway with pricing. The only time I don’t recommend this is when you definitely need a bigger vehicle, because booking a bigger one guarantees they will have one for you.

I booked with Hertz on Expedia (I’m a heavy researcher, and they offered the absolute best pricing for the week I was traveling). I didn’t upgrade since I didn’t need to, and booked the compact car rate. Want to know the coolest I thing?! Once I was finished with the agent, she told me what parking aisle to go down and I got to pick my OWN CAR! Like legit wander down the row and decide which one spoke to me.

Obviously this one did – why yes I will choose a 2019 Hyundai Veloster over a Ford Focus or a Chevy Aveo. So I named her Zozo and her and I got real close over the next week.

Stock Up on Water and Snacks Before You Drive from Vegas to Palm Springs

This is not the only time I will say this – you are driving in the desert. You need sustenance and delish road trip snacks and you will not find them in the desert. I decided to go to Target in Las Vegas, but if I was going to do the road trip over again, I would definitely stop in Primm instead. It’s about 15 minutes into your road trip, is immediately off the highway and has great fast food options, an outlet mall with a food court, a Starbucks and a great corner store style shop for goods. There’s also Buffalo Bills casino, resort and roller coaster ride too if you have time and are up for a ride #justincase.

Take the Scenic Route from Las Vegas to Palm Springs (but only if you’re comfortable)

Ok – so the thing to know is that there are two main routes from Las Vegas to Palm Springs. One is via the I-15 and one is via the Nipton Rd. exit towards Cima and the Mojave Desert. I took the scenic route through Cima and the Mojave Desert because I’m adventures and slightly naive (maybe crazy?!), so that’s mostly what I’m writing about in this post. You’ll find the Nipton Rd exit shortly after Primm and after passing the California border check point.

The route is beautiful but I do want to say that it is remote. I was fully expecting a desert route with very few amenities (I have driven solo through Joshua Tree State Park in the past and was expecting something similar). But what I didn’t expect was how few other vehicles would be on the road. I’ll talk more about the route itself shortly, but I did want to make sure I passed this information along. I swear it drives my mama crazy – but my dad just smiles and laughs and says I am my father’s daughter. In all seriousness through, make sure you have stopped for food and water, and that your cell phone is set up to help you navigate the roads. As long as you do these things, you’ll be fine.

Try Not to Drive from Las Vegas to Palm Springs on a Sunday

I did this for you. I suffered long traffic delays to tell you, many people drive into Vegas for the weekend, and head back to Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon. What a surprise, I know.

The first part of the trip follows the same route as everyone else, leaving Las Vegas heading to Los Angeles. So imagine Los Angeles traffic in Nevada. Got it? Now try to avoid that.

If you have to travel on a Sunday, don’t worry, the route splits off just after you pass the Nevada/California border. Then, the Los Angeles traffic goes Northwest on the I-15 and the Palm Springs traffic goes South West towards Cima. Turns out, not a whole lotta people are driving from Las Vegas to Palm Springs on a Sunday (lol). It’s worth noting though, that if you’ve decided to take the non-scenic route, you would continue going east here on the I-15 and will travel with the Los Angeles traffic flow a little while longer.

Stop Everywhere You Can for a Bathroom Break

Ok so you’ve decided to take the scenic route and are ready for an adventure. If you take anything from this post it’s this: stop everywhere you possibly can for a bathroom break. I stopped in Primm (because I needed a Starbucks and the sign told me it was the last Starbucks for 100 miles, and I listened to the sign). Shortly after Primm, you will exit the highway onto Nipton Rd – and basically say goodbye to bathrooms as you know them.

I joke, but I’m also serious. Remember how I said my car Zozo and I got real close? Yeah, It’s because I didn’t stop at the basically 3 bathrooms I seen on our 4.5 hour drive together and I had to use her as a privacy shield between me, the desert and oncoming traffic.

Let me say that again for the people in the back. You will pass approximately 3 bathrooms on this long journey. One near the end of the Mojave Desert Park and 1-2 restaurants/remote gas stations. Even if you don’t have to pee, go try. I am a mom right now, telling you, my 5 year old child, to try even when you’re certain you don’t need to go.

You will thank me later. Out of all of the articles and research I did on this road trip, not one of them mentioned this. You’re welcome.

Where to Stop When Driving From Las Vegas to Palm Springs

Since I got behind schedule due to some traffic and some road construction, and a slight wandering eye during my Target stop, I didn’t really get a chance to stop at the places I wanted to. I knew I didn’t want to risk driving in the desert in the dark, so I kept on driving straight through. BUT I’m including them here because I did the research, they were on the way, and I would like to live vicariously through you if you do get to see them. Here were my top picks (feel free to search for them on Pinterest for more deets):

• 7 Magic Mountains – pretty close to the beginning of the trip, and are colourful pillars just out in the desert for you to see. Great photo opportunities!
• Lava Caves – so stinkin’ cool! These caves were formed because of lava flow, and there are ladders down in them so you can safely explore them.
• Sand Dunes – I seen these from afar and they are huge! You can also hike them as well.

Do Stop to Take Some Pictures

I did take some time to do this for a couple of reasons. I wanted proof that I did this drive and lived to share it on a blog post and because my car kept telling me to take breaks. Realizing she was probably right, I tried to get out and stretch my legs every couple of hours.

The scenery really is incredible and like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It’s so hard to effectively communicate the feeling of just being out in the desert, and even though a picture doesn’t do it justice, it’s the only way I could even start to convey the beauty to my friends and family back home.

Pretty quick after turning onto Morning Star Rd, you’ll start driving through a beautiful Joshua Tree forest. I wish I’d known that these beautiful trees didn’t continue on further, or I would have stopped to take a few pictures where they were more plentiful. I recommend stopping here to check them out, especially if you won’t be exploring Joshua Tree National Park while you’re in the area.

My favourite spot to stop for photos was at Boulders View Point – there’s actually a little lookout sign and parking lot just off the main road, so it’s pretty hard to miss. Definitely stop here if you can and take a moment to take it all in.

Keep An Eye on the Time

Like I’ve already mentioned, this route is pretty remote, is not heavily travelled and is not lit by street lights of any kind. Make a point to check the sunset time for the day you are going to be travelling, and keep that in mind as you go. I rolled in to the town of Twenty Nine Palms just as the sun was setting, and drove the last half hour from Twenty Nine Palms to Palm Springs in the dark. This wasn’t as bad because it is a highly travelled route, but I would have hated to still be in the desert and racing against the sunlight. This is especially important if you are a female travelling solo, but worth mentioning for anyone making the drive.

Returning Your Rental Car in Palm Springs

The nice part about my return trip, was that I was able to find a great flight out of Palm Springs Airport via Alaska Air once the ALT Summit Conference was over. I decided to keep my car for the conference – and was thrilled to learn that the majority of Palm Springs hotels do not charge an additional parking fee per night. I could have easily done the full loop back to Las Vegas to fly out, but I knew I would be tired from the conference so opted to fly out of Palm Springs.

Returning the car at the Palm Springs airport when it was time to leave was a dream, if you haven’t rented a car in the Palm Springs airport, it’s the cutest little set up and everything went super quick. The fee for picking the car up in Nevada and dropping it off in California was about $40, which I found to be reasonable, and it was accurately calculated on my Hertz quote through Expedia.

Review of the Route From Las Vegas to Palm Springs

Looking for the exact route I took through the Mojave Desert? I’ll pop a snap shop of the route below so you can get a visual. However, please, please, please utilize a GPS device of some kind along your journey. There were a lot of turns, and it wasn’t all straight driving. You could easily take a wrong turn – so please be prepared!

That’s all for now folks! If you have any questions about the route – leave a comment below or reach out to me on instagram! Overall – I highly recommend this drive if you are looking for some incredible desert scenery. There is nothing like driving the desert on a sunny day, with the windows down and the music blaring. It’s kind of magical.

P.S. Like this post and interested in my other field trip + travel posts? You can check them out here!

This experience was not gifted, all expenses AND all opinions are my own.