California road trip - help!
 

DH and I have decided to plan a California trip for the first/second week of June. (Approx. June 5-11). We have a very basic plan, but we need some fine tuning. DH has only been to California on business, and I have never been.

Here is our basic plan:

Day 1 - Fly into SFO - rent a car and stay the night somewhere (needs to be a Marriott - we have points to use!) No idea where to stay in SF......Fisherman's Wharf? Nob Hill?

Day 2 - Check out the sights in Bay area - need day trip ideas.....

Day 3 - Napa Valley day trip?

Day 3 - Drive to Anaheim along the coast - evening in Disneyland (totally have this one covered, we LOVE Disney so I have this part planned out........)

Day 4 - Spend the day at DL

Day 5 - Spend the day at DL

Day 6 - Drive to Yosemite

Day 7 - Yosemite - any ideas on trails to hike, sights to see, etc?

Day 8 - Yosemite

Day 9 - Drive to SFO and fly home......

Is this too much to fit in the time alloted? I know that Yosemite is a place you could spend many days, but we really just want to check out the main sights and maybe do a driving trip through the park from South to North and stop at places along the way? Is there lodging within the park that we can start at the Southern part (Seqouia) and go north during a 2-3 day trek??

We are from Indiana, and this is our last trip before having kids, so we want to try to pack in as much "California" as possible in a short amount of time......

I seriously have no clue where to begin with this trip........so ANY thoughts are appreciated.......thanks!

Yourplan simply won't work. SF to Anaheim along the coast will take a minimum of 2 full days driving.

And it doesn't make sense to go from northern Calif to southern CA and then back north to Yosemite.

"<i>I know that Yosemite is a place you could spend many days, but we really just want to check out the main sights and maybe do a driving trip through the park from South to North and stop at places along the way? Is there lodging within the park that we can start at the Southern part (Seqouia)</i>"

Some confusion re the geography here. Yosemite isn't a 'south to north' place (well a small bit of it is between Wawona and the entrance to Yosemite Valley) and Sequoia is an entirely different park.

W/ just a week and IF Disneyland is a must -- you really would have to fly open jaw into SFO and out of LAX. 2 days in SF (no real time for Napa), 1 day/night in Yosemite, 2 days on the coast, and 2 days in LA/Anaheim - then fly home.

You don't have time to circle half the state in 7 days.

StuDudley will fill you in on everything you need to know about San Francisco and Yosemite.
As of today, you will not be able to travel much south of Big Sur on highway 1. A chunk of it washed into the Pacific Ocean this morning.
Cars are cheaper to rent in downtown San Francisco than at the airport. Drive from San Francisco to Yosemite and then go south to Disneyland. I suggest at least 2 days at Yosemite and maybe even forget about Disneyland until you have kids.
You might want to drive up Rt. 1 north of SF to Fort Bragg then take Highway 20 over to Willits and then US 101 south through the Napa Valley wine country.

meant to add -- your post is a bit confusing. You say June 5-11 but then list a 9-day itinerary. Even IF you mean 9 days instead of a week, you'd still want to fly open jaw. That gives you one extra day for SF and you could maybe squeeze in a day in the wine country (though there are other wine regions you'll pass on your route south so it doesn't HAVE to be Napa)

And that would give you another day to add to either Yosemite or Anaheim. For YNP -- you want to book immediately (and it is most likely booked up so you will want to hope for cancellations)

You clearly said Disneyland is a must so telling you to skip it seems a bit silly IMO.

You can do DL of course -- you just can't go from SF to DL and back again in your 7-9 days. Open jaw solves the biggest part of your problem.

tomfuller: They want Disney and you tell them to go to Willits??

You can't possibly drive along the coast from San Francisco to Anaheim, and then spend the evening at Disneyland.

Your first 3 days are not realistic at all.

Not a good idea to drive from Yosemite to SFO and then fly to anyplace in Indiana (no direct flights) on the same day. Might even be impossible.

I'm sure you'll disagree with this - but if you LOVE Disneyland - that implies that you've visited a Disneyland before. But you've never visited California. Why not visit something you've never seen before. My Hoosier wife LOVES San Francisco. She is even a tour guide for Victorian houses in San Francisco.
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...mendations.cfm

Stu Dudley

I'd probably drop Napa Valley. You can drive SF to Orange County in a day, along the coast, despite the nattering above, but don't do it from Napa. HOWEVER, do check the weather forecast and if it is foggy, then you can take one of the inland routings. Hopefully the Big Sur highway is fixed by June.

If you save Yosemite for the end of the trip, there is a chance the Tioga Pass Road may open. Allow at least one overnight either in Bishop, Lone Pine, or Yosemite (you may be stuck with Camp Curry).

So actually, in my opinion your plan will work, however I'd drop Napa Valley. If you wanted to, you could spend a night along the way between SF and OC somewhere around the Santa Ynez Valley, north of Santa Barbara, which has great wine tasting. That will give you more time to enjoy Big Sur if it's open.

You love Disney? Have you been to Disneyland or DisneyWorld before? If so, then skip it this trip. It is an 8 hour drive with no stopping from SF to Anaheim. Do a loop round N. Cal. San Francisco, Napa, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Monterey etc. Much easier and productive trip.

Okay a little clarification - the June 5-11 was an idea of the "timeframe" for which we are basing the trip around - everything is flexible at this point by adding a day, eliminating a day, etc.

As far as Disney - I have been to Disney World about 17 times in my 26 years - so it is very dear to my heart :-) So since we are going to be in California, I wanted to fit it in somehow. I am not married to the idea of going to Napa.....our plan was to stay in a hotel in San Francisco the first 3 night and only go to Napa for the day. (There is a typo in my original plan, the second day 3 should actually say day 4 and then going from there. sorry!) So basically day 3 would be only Napa, sleep in the hotel and one full day for driving from the bay area to Anaheim (arriving in the evening.)

And I have been checking on lodging around YNP and the lodging in the parks are pretty much booked at this point, so we would have to stay outside the park somewhere........which makes me wonder if that is more hassle than it is worth.

I guess my real dilemma is finding out what to cut......Napa, San Francisco, YNP, or Disneyland......because it just seems like too much to pack into 9-10 days......and I have no clue where to begin with that decision.....

MichellY - I think that is the direction I am leaning at this point......maybe save Disneyland for a trip with the kiddos in the future......

So everyone - let's say I eliminate Disneyland and we have 9 days flying in and out of SFO - what do you suggest as an itinerary?

Regarding SF to Disneyland.

According to Mapquest:
- If you drive Hwy 1 From SF to Cambira, and then on the fastest route possible to Anaheim - it will take you 9 hrs.
- If you take Hwy 1 from Cambria to about Ventura and then the fastest route to Anaheim, it will take you 10 hrs

This is without stops for gas, breakfast, lunch, dinner, pottie, picture taking, walks along Carmel Beach, visit to Pt Lobos, etc. Of course, it does not account for commute traffic in the LA/Orange Co area. At the bare MINIMUM, I would "plan" for a 1 hr lunch at Nepenthe in Big Sur, an additional 30 mins for pictuure taking, and an added 1 hr for the commute traffic (it could be more). So, now the trip is 11 1/2 to 12 1/2 hrs. It's a shame that this won't allow you time to enjoy the many wonders we have along our beautiful Hwy 1 (Nothing like it in Hoosierland).

If you check out of your hotel in SF and get on the road at 8:30 - that puts you in Anaheim at 8:00 to 9:00. Checking into a hotel, changing clothes, and getting to Disneyland will consume 30 to 60 mins (depending on the location of your hotel). So now you are at Disneyland at 9:00PM to 10:00PM - and after a tough driving day (with LA stop-n-go traffic) and no dinner.

Do-able - yes. But I wouldn't advise a friend of mine to do this.

Stu Dudley

I agree you can't do it all. You can do MOST of it with an open jaw flight. Fly into SF and fly out of LA.

If you had 9 days you could do 3 days in SF (with a day trip to Napa on 2nd day if you had to), 3 days driving down the coast, and 3 days in LA seeing Disneyland.

I did a similar 3 part split a few years ago and it was a delightful trip. I don't see a way to squeeze all of it in, especially flying back out of SFO.

>>So everyone - let's say I eliminate Disneyland and we have 9 days flying in and out of SFO - what do you suggest as an itinerary?<<

- Fly into SFO or San Jose, rent a car, and then drive down to Carmel and stay 2 nights there (1 1/2 hr drive from SJO, 2 hrs from SFO).

- Leave Carmel, visit Pt Lobos (just south of Carmel), and then make your way down the beautiful coast on Hwy 1. Stop for lunch at Nepenthe. Visit Hearst Castle, and stay overnight in San Simeon or Cambria.

- Leave Cambria and drive 5 hrs to Groveland, and stay at the Groveland hotel. 30 mins from entrance to Yosemite. Stay 2 nights.
http://www.groveland.com/
They have rooms available.

- Leave Groveland and drive 2 3/4 hrs to San Francisco & stay 4 nights. I would stay along the Embarcadero or around Union Square - not Fisherman's Wharf. Return the car when you get to SF - you won't need it. See my post above for things to do & see in SF.

- Take a taxi to the airport (20 mins)

Stu Dudley
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Try Camp Curry for Yosemite..

Stu has a great plan.

PS you should know that the California board is dominated by northern Californians who are SoCal and Disney Haters!! Hence advice will be just a tiny bit biased.

Why would I hate SoCal & Disney?? I was raised there, probably visited Disneyland as many times as DisneyDuck, I was a parking lot attendent at the Disneyland Hotel, lived in Laguna Beach for 5 years after I got married (loved it). But I find San Francisco & the Bay Area more to my liking - which doesn't mean I now "hate" SoCal & Disney.

DisneyDuck
Visit the Walt Disney museum in the Presidio area of San Francisco for your "Disney fix"

Stu Dudley

If you really feel the need to go to the original Disneyland, turn in the rental car in SF and fly to LAX from SFO, see Disney and then fly home from SoCal.
I don't hate Disney or SoCal but I can find so much more that I want to see anywhere north of Victorville (aka victimville).
For the record, I live in Oregon north of Crater Lake but I visit Helendale, CA at least twice a year to see my grandsons.

Day 3 may have to be changed, depending on how long it takes CalTrans to fix highway 1 south of Carmel.

Disneyduck--Disneyland is much smaller in size than Disney World. Even if you do both Disneyland and California Adventure you would need at the most two days max (not three as you had in your original plan).

Disneyworld as you already know has more parks (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot which needs two days for future world and world showcase, and MGM). Not to mention the water parks, Downtown Disney and non disney Seaworld etc.

Disneyland is much much smaller even when including California Adventure and it has a lot less places to eat. It has basically the same stuff as Magic Kingdom except one of the boat rides which is unique to Disneyland only. The California Adventure part has the Tower of Terror from MGM and some other roller coaster type rides.

I think San Francisco deserves more days. StuDudley outlines a great list of things to see and do. Highlights include Alcatraz, California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, many art museums, etc. The list really goes on.

Beach Blanket Babylon is an instituion (a really fun show to see at night). We can't go this time because they don't let kids in to see it. You have to be 21 and over. Since you don't have kids yet, go now-it is a hoot.

If you could add 2 days and omit Napa & coastal route you could easily do SF, DL and YNP.

Days 1-3 San Francisco
Days 4-6 Disneyland
Days 7-8 Yosemite
Day 9 early drive back to SFO, book a flight after 4 PM to be safe; approx. 250 mile drive.

Both Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp and Evergreen Lodge at the 120 entrancce to Yosemite have availability for your time frame.

I think Parrothead's plan works for an overview of California, particularly if you don't mind driving. You would have more time if you could fly into SF and out of LA (or vice versa). Just plan to do the straight, long drive down the 5 from SF to LA and not do the coast this trip. As for Yosemite, we stayed at Tenaya Lodge for several nights a few summers ago and thought it worked great (it is at the southern entrance which makes for an easier drive from LA). Be sure to plan a meal at Awahwanee to bask in its splendor. On one of the Disneyland days you could head over to the beach for an afternoon at the ocean (morning at park, be there when it opens, take a break at the beach and head back for evening dinner, fireworks and World of Color) or relax at the pool or spa. You could also reverse the trip, start in LA with two or 3 nights at Disney, drive to Yosemite, 3 nights, and end with three nights in SF.

Also, if the coast drive is really important, we have done it in one really long (it's about the drive) day. But do check traffic reports as part of Hwy 1 washed out recently.

FYI-any of the 3 Bay Area airports could work for you; SFO is nearest SF downtown but Oakland and San Jose are not too far away to be a deal breaker. As for open jaw through SoCal, Orange County is best for Disneyland whereas LAX, Burbank and Ontario are all in the 35-40 mile range from DL.

Also, if you opt for open jaw, then do Yosemite in the middle of the trip...SF-YNP-DL

Coast drive (Hwy 1) is closed indefintely between Carmel and Big Sur. They don't know how long it will take to fix but it's a pretty big slide and they don't expect it to open any time soon. http://www.mercurynews.com/central-c...nclick_check=1

europeannovice, doesn't Beach Blanket Babylon have one show (Sunday matinee, maybe) that allows under-21s in?

I am going on a trip to yosemite myself next month and i will be spending one night at a groveland hotel and 2 nights in the park. That being said it is much better to stay in the park.Do not miss Yosemite! People are cancelling thier reservations all the time so if you work on it you can get a room.One hike I love in Yosemite is downhill all the way and you also get to see the high country.Take the bus from curry village to Glacier point and walk the trail back down to the valley. It takes "around" 3 hours and is spectacular all the way.

<i>Take the bus from curry village to Glacier point and walk the trail back down to the valley. It takes "around" 3 hours and is spectacular all the way.</i>

Given the amount of snow we've had this year, this hike might not be possible until June at the earliest.

I grew up in the Bay Area and went to school/now live in Anaheim. Trust me...CA is huge! Can't do it comfortably in 9 days. Best bet...fly into SFO. Spend the night in Union Square some place (heart of most everything). Take Day #1 to rest and enjoy walking around. You'll be tired and jetlagged. Have a nice dinner, etc. Do the Fisherman's Wharf thing, Pier 39, Golden Gate Park, De Young museum, etc on day #2, day #3...travel down the 101. It will take longer (7-8 hours then the 5 (6 hours), but you're closer to it. Get settled and rest/go to D-land that night. Day #4= DLand, Day #5= Dland. Day #6= Travel back up the coast (leave early and maybe u can stop at hearst castle or monterey). Day #7- Visit napa or try for the redwood forest instead. Day #8-continue visiting SF. Day #9- go home. Bottom line= skip Yosemite. Also...better to fly into SFO and make 1 trip down and leave from Orange County. Not LAX!

assuming that the coast highway is reopened by then I am not sure I would take it both ways. if you followed Laetoli's plan through day 2.
Day 3:drive to Yosemite 4hrs but consider traffic
Day 4:Yosemite
Day 5:drive to D.L. 6 1/2 hrs but consider traffic You would probably want to visit the redwood forest as you are leaving Yosemite going south.
Get settled and rest/go to D-land that night-or not.
Day 6:D.L.
Day 7:Travel back up the coast (leave early and maybe u can stop at hearst castle or monterey or you will be passing through some famous wine country and you might want to explore that.You could spend the night in Monterey or go no to S.F.
Day:8 Use the remainder of the day visiting S.F.
Day:9 Go home
I have lived in and traveled all over Ca. and I will admit Yosemite is very near the top of my list.We are just trying to give you ideas so "you"can plan what you want to do.

The drive straight through from Anahiem to Monterey is a little over 7hrs consider traffic so you would probably want to drive north a ways after Disney land on day6 0r take Days 7&8 traveling from D.L. to S.F.

They are projecting mid April for completion of temporary repairs on Hwy 1.

sf7303~BBB does have Sunday matinees, and children are permitted, probably because they do not serve alcohol. I took my daughter when she was about 8; a lot of the politcal satire was a complete fly-by for her, but she loved the costumes and the hats.

Great recommendation by europeannovice to see BBB~it's worth it if you have the time, DisneyDuck!

I have stayed at both the Marriott Union Square and the Marriott Marquis on 4th Street. I found both to be convenient to public transportation. Keep in mind that parking is limited and expensive in San Francisco......there is usually a hefty overnight parking fee at most hotels.
Find out ahead of time so there won't be any ugly surprises when you check in.

Enjoy your visit to California........ :)

sf7307 and tenthumbs,

You are right! I didn't realize the Sunday matinee allows kids to see it. The costumes, hats and the antics were hilarious.

We haven't heard back from DisneyDuck in a while to hear how she finailzed her plans.

It's a great recommendation that often gets overlooked, and it truly is something you can experience ONLY in San Francisco. I've been to the evening show, where the satire is a little racier, and to the matinee, where there is cleverly disguised adult humor...........but the hats!!! Now I want to go again...... :)