taylorcpa

I am trying to plan a 2 week trip to California to include the following (and maybe more if there is time):

San Diego - 3 or 4 days to visit family
Joshua tree and/or Death Valley
Sequoia National forest
Yosemite
Lake Tahoe
San Francisco

I'm not sure if it would be best to do a loop from either San Francisco or Sacramento or if I should fly into San Diego and out of San Francisco (or vice-versa).

It will be me, husband, son age 10 and daughter age 8. Looking at early June time frame.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Michael

Joshua Tree is less of a detour than Death Valley, and might be less hot given the differences in elevation.

janisj

Two weeks will be really rushed but doable. You'd need to do open jaw into San Diego and home from SFO (or the reverse) to make it work really.

In Early June it is very possible that Tioga Pass won't be open. If so, Death Valley would definitely be the outlier.

One potential route would be SD > Joshua Tree > Sequoia > Yosemite > Tahoe > SF.

But you will want to book your accommodations in Yosemite immediately -- once you have that, then arrange the itinerary around those dates. If all accommodations in the Valley are booked up -- then make a reservation at Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal. Then keep trying for a cancellation in the Valley. If successful, you can cancel at Yosemite View. Don't stay any farther from Yosemite Valley than El Portal . . .

taylorcpa

How long should I plan to spend in each place?

janisj

That is up to you but in general I'd do this: 3 days/4 nights in SD, one day/night for Joshua tree and maybe Palm Springs. Then you have a 6 hour drive to Sequoia so at least two nights. Then a nearly 5 hour drive to Yosemite so I'd stay 3 nights. From there (assuming Tioga Pass is closed) it is about a 5 hour drive to South Lake Tahoe or 6 hours to North Shore -- so again at 3 nights would be good -- but you really don't have the time so say 2 nights. Then you have a 4 to 6+ hour drive to San Francisco and have 2 nights left.

jamie99

Death Valley will be very hot in June, I would only do a drive through. AFAIK there is no entrance to SEKI from the east so you would have to drive through Bakersfield to get there.

janisj

To clarify - My proposed itinerary assumed Tioga pass being closed.

If it is open -- then you could do Death Valley but skip Sequoia. If the Pass is closed, then you can include Sequoia and skip DV.

(But I would include DV in June no matter what.)

Thinking about your dilemma (too much in too little time) some more, another very viable option would be to fly from SD to SFO and do a SF/Yosemite/Tahoe/SF loop. Or possibly SF/Sequoia/Yosemite/Tahoe/SF loop .

taylorcpa

Would it be easier if we skipped Death Valley/Joshua tree this trip?

I imagine we could visit Death Valley on a trip to Las Vegas in the future.

janisj

>>I imagine we could visit Death Valley on a trip to Las Vegas in the future