cweldon

I have been planning a May visit to Sequoia and Yosemite on a limited amount of time. My wife and I will be accompanied by her parents 70 and 73. Not much walking more of a driving tour. I was thinking would it be better to leave off Sequoia NP and just see Yosemite. I had planned on visiting Sequoia for the trees. We were going to spend one day at each. Any time saved will be spent in San Francisco.

FainaAgain

As an alternative to Sequoia you can go to Muir Woods to see the redwoods, it's a short drive from San Francisco.

lvk

I don't recommend trying to see 2 huge national parks in 2 days.

May is a beautiful time in Yosemite. The waterfalls should be spectacular at that time. I think you should spend both days there. There is plenty for you to do and see. (We took my inlaws when my FIL was recovering from a stroke.) There are several nice tram tours and scenic drives within the park.

Are you aware that there are Sequoia Trees in Yosemite? The Mariposa grove, near the southern entrance is very impressive. There is a tram tour through the grove that I think your inlaws would enjoy (mine did).

kimamom

Yosemite and Sequoia are both gorgeous parks. We had a home outside of Sequoia for many years, so we visited the park many, many times. It's a different kind of feel to it, a lot less touristy, very unique in it's own way.

I really enjoyed the Sequoia Montecito resort where we would go for the day and hang out by the pool while the kids went sailing or paddle-boating in Lake Montavalo. Both are very beautiful, with Sequoia having a much more remote feel to it than Yosemite. have a wonderful time with your family! ***kim***

Johnwaron

These are two very different places. I would definitely go to Sequoia. King's Canyon NP is immediately adjacent to Sequoia on the north. In addition to the big trees, there's an over look called Moro Rock with an incredible view from it and the Lodgepole visitor center with a swimmable stream running through it. This is just an incredible area.

Yosemite is interesting in a different way. Although there are groves of redwoods, there's the rock formations in the valley to see - El Capitan and Half Dome just to name the two most famous. I'm not sure if you're still allowed to drive your own car in there. I think they were considering changing that. While I thought the valley was awesome and majestic, I think the highlight of my trips to Yosemite was the high country along the road that passes through it. Be sure to get a look at the high alpine field near the east end.

kimamom

There's also Grizzly Falls that is gorgeous and a fun little hike up to the falls. Stoney Creek is another favorite area of mine, it's where my daughter caught her first trout. ***kim***

easytraveler

There are two kinds of redwoods. I once ignited a debate on this forum by comparing them and saying that they are like Laurel and Hardy. The ones along the coast (in places like Muir Woods) are taller and "thinner", while the ones inland at Sequoia and Kings Canyon are "shorter" and fatter - that is, in comparison to each other.

Grant's Grove in Sequoia is really worth a visit and it's a relatively easy walk.

You can also see the Sierra Sequoias in Yosemite, in places such as the Mariposa Grove.

To catch a glimpse of the coastal redwoods, the easiest walk is the one recommended by Faina, the one at Muir Woods in Marin County.

Two days would the absolute minimum for visiting all three Sierra parks: Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Yosemite. If you could slot three days that would be better and less rushed.

Happy travels and welcome to Claifornia!

easytraveler

That's "Califonria"

easytraveler

Erh, one more try "California" ><

FainaAgain

Easytraveler, have you opened another bottle of your famous "bastardo" wine? I want some too

kimamom

easytraveler: =D>

easytraveler

Faina: I've gotten another great big bottle of "bastardo" for our next GTG! Haven't broken into it, although the temptation is great!

It's the Shiraz. I'm on a Shiraz craze at the moment. Trying all the Austrialian (arghhh! Australian) and other varieties of this wine. It's less strong than a Cab but has fine flavors.

Back to the sampling! Have a great trip, cweldon!

pollyvw

My dear husband and I did exactly what you are proposing on a trip when we were 50 years old. I had ALWAYS wanted to see Sequoia and before doing some research would have been content leaving off Yosemite. What a mistake that would have been. After seeing them both, my thought was...why bother with Seqouia! Yes, there are things there that you cannot see in Mariposa Grove, but at Mariposa Grove, you can have a wonderful experience with the magnificent trees. And your 70-something in-laws will be much better off without the additional wear. If you do leave off Sequoia, do add on Muir Woods!

maj

We loved all three parks, but I would definitely look at how long it takes to travel between them, especially if you are starting in San Francisco. If I remember right, it took about 3 hours to go from Yosemite to Grant's Grove, then about an hour from there down through the scenic part of Kings Canyon (which was a fantastic drive),then back to Grant's Grove and about another hour to get to the scenic part of Sequoia. I think it takes about 4 hours to get to Yosemite from San Francisco too. I also think you could do both--but it is quite a bit of driving, alot of it on winding mountain roads. We went last May and found it a fantastic time to see these parks.

Ellz

We took a tour with a guide in Kings Canyon. He explained to us that the difference in the trees is the ones along the coast and further north are coastal redwoods, and yes they are much taller and thinner. The ones in Sequoia National Park are Giant Sequioas and its the only place in the world that they grow. Apparently the seeds were deposited there by a glacier moving thru and the climate is perfect in exactly that spot for them to grow. They cannot survive further north or south.
Our trip to the park was awe inspiring. I will never forget the site of those trees.

Next question though. I have friends who wish to go in late May. Anyone know if the roads are clear by then? We went in July and by then most of the waterfalls were dry, so I would guess in May they would be running also.

utahtea

To Ellz:

Closed roads:

http://www.nps.gov/seki/pphtml/planyourvisit.html

maj

Following information I got here, I kept checking:http://www.nps.gov/yose/now/conditions.htm
for road openings. There is also a number you can call since it isn't updated daily.

We went May 15th through 25th last year and all the roads were open, but Tioga Road opened the day before we arrived and I think that may have been an early opening. We felt very lucky, we didn't know if we would get to go there or to Glacier Point. When I made reservations for Grant's Grove, I asked the clerk if the roads were all open there and he said yes--and that was early May. I think you just take your chances with the roads. The waterfalls were fantastic and also the Kings River was roaring--something to see. There were people in all the parks, but except for the first weekend in Yosemite which was crowded (could have been due to the great weather), it was very easy to get around. Even if some of the roads are closed, there is so much to see I think they will have a great time.