One-way RV rentals are a great way to see the country. One of the most popular trips is Los Angeles to Las Vegas RV Rental. One way RV rentals can be harder to get because of availability. Be flexible when planning your trip. If Los Angeles to Las Vegas is not available, try requesting Las Vegas to Los Angeles. Always book one-way rentals as early as possible so that you will not be disappointed.
Los Angeles
If you are in Los Angeles I am sure that you will want to spend some time at the beach. Leo Carrillo State Park is located across the Parkway from South Beach and has great camping facilities. Mature sycamore trees provide shaded campsites and there is a general store for those extras you may need. At low tide, there are tide pools to explore and several caves and tunnels to adventure into.
Joshua Tree National Park
After you have spent some time at the Pacific Ocean it will be time to leave Los Angeles and move on to do some hiking in Joshua Tree National Park. During the busier months, campgrounds tend to book out, so it is a good idea to book your campgrounds in advance. Cottonwood Campground can accommodate RV’s up to 35 feet and is close to many hiking trails of all skill levels.
Route 66
On your one-way RV rental trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, take exit 153A near Deer St and travel up old Route 66 from Victorville to Barstow. Route 66 was first established in 1926 as one of the main fairways of travel through the USA. Businesses along this route prospered until the new interstate put many of these local businesses out of business in the 1980s. A trip down Route 66 is like taking a trip through time as not much as changed over the last 6 decades.
A must stop is Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch. Just like the name implies, this unique piece of artwork has metals poles stuck in the ground with thousands of bottles decorating them to make them look like trees.
The next stop on Route 66 is the old Mohawk gas station. Though this gas station is no longer open for business it looks just like it did when it was first open for business more than 80 years ago.
Just around the block from the Mohawk is Antique Station. While it does not look like much on the outside, it is an antique collector’s dream come true. If you like old things make sure you leave yourself a couple of hours to wander around this store.
Lunch Stops
Make sure you stop for lunch at Emma Jean Hollands Burgers. This little restaurant has been serving locals and travelers since 1947 and has great food. It has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, it has also been featured in a number of movies and TV shows. Show up early as some days they are closed by 12:30 pm and bring cash.
Have you ever wanted to eat a McDonald’s Big Mac in a railway car? Well here is your chance. Barstow Station has a McDonald’s housed in a couple of old passenger train cars. There are other fast food options here if you are not feeling McDonald’s. Also, there are a couple of souvenir shops, a convenience store and a liquor store.
There are many Route 66 museums along the way, many with old signs collected as the old businesses slowly started to close down. This little piece of American history may slowly be gone as some of the local businesses have closed and some have been lost to fire over the last years. Take the time and see it while you can.
Calico Ghost Town
Next stop on our one way RV rental from Los Angeles to Las Vegas is Calico Ghost Town. The Ghost town offers 265 campsites with full or partial hookups and also has spots for group tent camping. The campground has hot showers, restrooms, grills, and fire rings. There are also two dump stations. Calico is an old west ghost town that startup in 1881 during the biggest silver rush in Californian history. The town was abandoned a few years later as the price of silver plummeted. In the 1950s the town was bought and restored to its former glory.
Calico has some great places to explore. Check out the house made out of old green glass bottles, an old one-room schoolhouse, a general store, a barbershop, and a place to try your luck at gold panning. There is also an old mine that for a couple of dollars you can take a walkthrough. The mine is safe, well lit, and well ventilated but be careful if you are a little claustrophobic as you are underground in an old mining tunnel.
Mojave National Preserve
The Mojave National Preserve is a place that you could definitely spend some time. Plan out your one way RV rental trip to make sure you do not rush through this spot. Things to know before you go:
- there is no gas in the park, so make sure you fill your tank.
- there is no food in the park, so stock up.
- many of the roads are washboard dirt roads, while most can be driven on by an RV, do your research.
- you can camp almost anywhere in the park as long as it has a fire ring.
Built in 1924 the Kelso Depot housed the train station, telegraph office, ticket office, restaurant, reading room, and accommodations for the railroad employees. Now it’s a National Park Service Visitor Center. The building now has an interesting little museum with lots of interesting information about the history of the railroad and the surrounding area, indoor bathrooms, and a great visitor’s information center with maps and lots of ideas of things to do in the park.
Teutonia Peak
Teutonia Peak is a 2-mile hike up to the summit where you can see miles and miles to the snow-covered peaks in the distance. As you turn around to go down the way you came you will see many old mine shafts littering the landscape. These shafts are now covered with metal grates but you can still not see the bottom of some of these shafts.
Kelso Dunes is another great hike, it can be a bit hard to climb as you are walking up sand but once you reach the top the view out over the dunes is totally worth it. Ring Trail is another worthwhile hike. Again part of the hike can be a little challenging but between the very narrow canyon, the giant limestone cliffs, and the petroglyphs it is a must travel kind of trail.
Nevada
Your one way RV rental from Los Angeles to Las Vegas has now brought you into Nevada. A quick stop into the Whiskey Pete Casino has a small exhibit dedicated to Bonnie and Clyde. The exhibit has the actual car that Bonnie and Clyde were shot in complete with bullet holes.
While the Pioneer Saloon and the general store that sits next to it look like they should be on the set of some wild west movie. They are actually establishments that serve food and drink. The saloon was built in 1913 and has many of the original finishings, such as the bar that was actually built in the 1860s and the brass rail that you can rest your feet on that was installed when the bar was built. The history of this bar is immense and the owner has kept bits of this history around for all to live through.
Valley of Fire State Park
Before you finish your one way RV rental from Los Angeles to Las Vegas make your last overnight stop in Valley of Fire State Park. The layers of red, orange, pink, and yellows rise up out of the landscape, making the views and the trails in this 40,000-acre park something that you will always remember. This park has some of the highest concentrations of petroglyphs and petrified trees anywhere in the US. These petroglyphs date back over 2000 years. The park is open year-round and has campsites with shaded picnic tables, fire rings, and water available.
Las Vegas
Well, the last stop is the iconic Las Vegas, Nevada. Is it the casinos that get you excited? Or are you looking for a family adventure? Maybe you want to see some of the mob history that Las Vegas is famous for? There are so many great things to do in Las Vegas.
This list is just a few of the amazing things you can enjoy on your one way RV rental from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, there are so many more adventures to be had. If you’re looking for more information, check out our Top 5 Attractions in Las Vegas and Local Attractions articles.
