Road Trip Loop San Fran south to Monterey - then -east
May 31st, 2016, 10:02 AM
#1
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Road Trip Loop San Fran south to Monterey - then -east
Heading out to Cal in July with my 2 kids.
Looking to do the following and hope to hear your thoughts/experiences.
Note: My kids are great for road trips, love the beach and the mountains and we want to get in as much as possible in the 10 days we have.
San Fran: Arrive at 9:30 am on Friday. Collect bags, rental car and head to
Point Reyes National Seashore to relax after a flight from Boston...
Head back to San Fran for the evening/night.. My kids are 14 and 16 and not big on city's. I figure they will get back some day on their own to San Fran to enjoy what a great city it is.
Saturday: Leave around 7:00 am to Big Basin. Saturday afternoon, Henry Cowell. Saturday night head to Santa Cruz and crash for the night.
Sunday: Breakfast in Santa Cruz, do the amusement park and then relax on a beach. Crash for the night. My kids love amusement parks so I thought I would throw that in as a change of pace.
Monday: Monterey, light sight seeing then do the 17 mile drive. Head back to Monterey for the evening/night.
Tuesday: Point Lobos then off to Pfeiffer Big Sur Park. Is there a good beach we can crash at for a few hours there?
Wednesday: Off to Hurst Castle and then to San Luis Obispo - chose this as it looks like the best jumping off point to head east to Sequioa National Park the next day???? Crash there for the night.
Thursday: Sequioa and Kings - crash for the night. Any recommendations on where to get a reasonable hotel?
Friday: Yosemite. Any recommendations on where to get a reasonable hotel?
Saturday: Yosemite
Sunday: San Francisco - hope to be there by 10:30 am. Maybe do Alcatraz. Any suggestions for kids ages 14 and 16? We have a 10:20 pm Red-Eye back to Boston.
Love to hear your thoughts - much appreciated.
Looking to do the following and hope to hear your thoughts/experiences.
Note: My kids are great for road trips, love the beach and the mountains and we want to get in as much as possible in the 10 days we have.
San Fran: Arrive at 9:30 am on Friday. Collect bags, rental car and head to
Point Reyes National Seashore to relax after a flight from Boston...
Head back to San Fran for the evening/night.. My kids are 14 and 16 and not big on city's. I figure they will get back some day on their own to San Fran to enjoy what a great city it is.
Saturday: Leave around 7:00 am to Big Basin. Saturday afternoon, Henry Cowell. Saturday night head to Santa Cruz and crash for the night.
Sunday: Breakfast in Santa Cruz, do the amusement park and then relax on a beach. Crash for the night. My kids love amusement parks so I thought I would throw that in as a change of pace.
Monday: Monterey, light sight seeing then do the 17 mile drive. Head back to Monterey for the evening/night.
Tuesday: Point Lobos then off to Pfeiffer Big Sur Park. Is there a good beach we can crash at for a few hours there?
Wednesday: Off to Hurst Castle and then to San Luis Obispo - chose this as it looks like the best jumping off point to head east to Sequioa National Park the next day???? Crash there for the night.
Thursday: Sequioa and Kings - crash for the night. Any recommendations on where to get a reasonable hotel?
Friday: Yosemite. Any recommendations on where to get a reasonable hotel?
Saturday: Yosemite
Sunday: San Francisco - hope to be there by 10:30 am. Maybe do Alcatraz. Any suggestions for kids ages 14 and 16? We have a 10:20 pm Red-Eye back to Boston.
Love to hear your thoughts - much appreciated.
May 31st, 2016, 10:07 AM
#2
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Note on the kids and cities: They do like cities but have both been to Boston, Providence, New York, DC, Philly, Toronto, etc. Nothing against cities and I know from personal experience that San Fran is great, just not the point of this trip.
May 31st, 2016, 10:26 AM
#3
Clarification, please, re the word "crash". Does it simply mean "sleep"? Or does it mean any accommodation will do, or cheap? Difficult to recommend without knowing.
Regarding a place to crash near Yosemite, failing availability in your price range or just availability, a friend recently stayed about an hour away from Yosemite Village at a hostel with decent reviews: http://www.yosemitebug.com
Regarding a place to crash near Yosemite, failing availability in your price range or just availability, a friend recently stayed about an hour away from Yosemite Village at a hostel with decent reviews: http://www.yosemitebug.com
May 31st, 2016, 10:44 AM
#4
Looks like your first post; welcome to Fodor's!
I wonder if a long transcon flight followed by a longish drive through the city and over the GG bridge to Point Reyes is all that great an idea. (Actually, I'll answer my own question - no.) Instead, what if you took off for Santa Cruz right away? You could visit the redwoods as a day trip the following day, instead of doubling back through SF in weekend daytime traffic. See below; maybe hitting the Mendocino/Sonoma/Marin coast at the end of the loop might be a better idea.
Big question, when is this? Reason for asking is that accommodations in/near Yosemite are booked up months in advance. If this trip is during this coming summer, you might well be too late, which would force a reprogramming of the whole shebang. You might be able to find something an hour or so outside the park, but maybe not.
An alternative to investigate:
Do Hearst Castle as a day trip from Monterey. It's around 2 1/2 hours each way. Pfeiffer redwoods is fine, but after the Santa Cruz-area groves it's not that big a deal, so skipping them wouldn't be the end of the world.
Then after Monterey head across to the Yosemite area, staying the night someplace like Oakhurst or Mariposa. The next day drive into Yosemite, see the valley, then back out and spend the night somewhere along Calif. Hwy 49.
The following day, take your time and explore the gold rush country along SR 49. See the museum town of Columbia, visit small towns like Volcano, Murphys, Mokelumne Hill... all the towns along SR 49 and tributaries are marvelous.
From Angels Camp along SR 49, head up to the Calaveras Big Trees State Park, full of giant sequoias and a reasonable substitute for Sequoia/King's Canyon (or "SEKI") farther south. This will save numerous (hot) miles and hours on the Sacramento Valley floor.
Finish by heading west to the Marin (or Sonoma/Mendocino) coast if you've skipped this earlier.
Just some ideas.
I wonder if a long transcon flight followed by a longish drive through the city and over the GG bridge to Point Reyes is all that great an idea. (Actually, I'll answer my own question - no.) Instead, what if you took off for Santa Cruz right away? You could visit the redwoods as a day trip the following day, instead of doubling back through SF in weekend daytime traffic. See below; maybe hitting the Mendocino/Sonoma/Marin coast at the end of the loop might be a better idea.
Big question, when is this? Reason for asking is that accommodations in/near Yosemite are booked up months in advance. If this trip is during this coming summer, you might well be too late, which would force a reprogramming of the whole shebang. You might be able to find something an hour or so outside the park, but maybe not.
An alternative to investigate:
Do Hearst Castle as a day trip from Monterey. It's around 2 1/2 hours each way. Pfeiffer redwoods is fine, but after the Santa Cruz-area groves it's not that big a deal, so skipping them wouldn't be the end of the world.
Then after Monterey head across to the Yosemite area, staying the night someplace like Oakhurst or Mariposa. The next day drive into Yosemite, see the valley, then back out and spend the night somewhere along Calif. Hwy 49.
The following day, take your time and explore the gold rush country along SR 49. See the museum town of Columbia, visit small towns like Volcano, Murphys, Mokelumne Hill... all the towns along SR 49 and tributaries are marvelous.
From Angels Camp along SR 49, head up to the Calaveras Big Trees State Park, full of giant sequoias and a reasonable substitute for Sequoia/King's Canyon (or "SEKI") farther south. This will save numerous (hot) miles and hours on the Sacramento Valley floor.
Finish by heading west to the Marin (or Sonoma/Mendocino) coast if you've skipped this earlier.
Just some ideas.
May 31st, 2016, 11:23 AM
#5
>>San Fran: Arrive at 9:30 am on Friday. Collect bags, rental car and head to
Point Reyes National Seashore to relax after a flight from Boston...
Head back to San Fran for the evening/night.. >Friday: Yosemite. Any recommendations on where to get a reasonable hotel?anywhere except in the Valley (which is almost certainly booked up at this late date) or at Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal (or as a last resort - Cedar Lodge in El Portal). Or there are some condos in Yosemite West which about as close as El Portal -- but may be booked up for summer weekends. Anyplace else will have you driving 90 mins to 2 hours to/from Yosemite Valley.
Point Reyes National Seashore to relax after a flight from Boston...
Head back to San Fran for the evening/night.. >Friday: Yosemite. Any recommendations on where to get a reasonable hotel?anywhere except in the Valley (which is almost certainly booked up at this late date) or at Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal (or as a last resort - Cedar Lodge in El Portal). Or there are some condos in Yosemite West which about as close as El Portal -- but may be booked up for summer weekends. Anyplace else will have you driving 90 mins to 2 hours to/from Yosemite Valley.
May 31st, 2016, 11:28 AM
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There would be nothing relaxing to me about driving to Pt. Reyes for an afternoon after getting off a cross-country flight. Plus you'd have to return to SF during heavy traffic hours on a Friday night. I'd skip Pt. Reyes and head down the coast. Go all the way to Santa Cruz. Visit Henry Cowell and some time in the cute little beach town of Capitola, and the rest of your time on the beach and the boardwalk (and amusement park, which is on the boardwalk) in Santa Cruz. Basically, I'd do Friday and Saturday and maybe even Sunday in Santa Cruz, then the next two days in Monterey, then two days driving down the coast (including Hearst Castle)(I understand there are often 2-night minimums in the hotels along the coast in summer). Friday-Sunday I can't give any advice as I've never been to Sequoia or Kings.
May 31st, 2016, 11:58 AM
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I'd skip 17 Mile Drive unless you like golf courses and instead visit the Aquarium or go kayaking.
You may have to start calling daily to snag a cancellation for Yosemite, it is not a place you "wing it".
You may have to start calling daily to snag a cancellation for Yosemite, it is not a place you "wing it".
May 31st, 2016, 03:25 PM
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To me it doesn't make sense to do a Big Sur day trip on Tuesday and then head to Hearst Castle on Wednesday as you'll be retracing part of the same route. You can see Pfeiffer Big Sur and other Big Sur sights on your way south on Wednesday. Pfeiffer Beach is south of Pfeiffer Big Sur. The parking lot is at the end of Sycamore Canyon Rd though it can sometimes be full in summer.
Point Lobos is just south of Carmel so doing that on Tuesday is fine. Carmel city beach at the end of Ocean Ave is very nice.
I agree with jamie99 about 17 Mile Drive.
Point Lobos is just south of Carmel so doing that on Tuesday is fine. Carmel city beach at the end of Ocean Ave is very nice.
I agree with jamie99 about 17 Mile Drive.
May 31st, 2016, 04:42 PM
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Another vote for something "other" on Friday. That's "get-away day" for most folks and the City, bridge, and other roads you'll be traveling on will be crowded. Plus - if you visit in the summer, Pt Reyes will probably be fogged in.
I would go to Half Moon Bay or Santa Cruz on Friday. Half Moon Bay is about 45 mins from SFO.
Stu Dudley
I would go to Half Moon Bay or Santa Cruz on Friday. Half Moon Bay is about 45 mins from SFO.
Stu Dudley
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