I am looking for some insight on my travel plans for 2 weeks in May.
We want to see the Redwoods and Sequoias and lots of beach.
What I really need to know is if its worth it to drive all the way up to the Redwood National forest or if we should just spend more time down south?
May 13th Fly In San Fran
May 14th San Fran
May 15th Carmel
May 16th Carmel
May 17th Cambria/San Simeon
May 18th General Sherman Grove Sequoia
May 19th Yosemite
May 20th Mariposa Grove Yosemite
May 21st Tuolumne Grove Yosemite
May 22nd Napa Valley/Willet
May 23rd Lady Bird Johnson/Newton Drury Grove Redwood/Emerald Forest Cabins
May 24th Redwood
May 25th Founders Grove Ocean View Lodge/Ft. Bragg booked
May 26th San Fran
May 27th Fly Home San Fran

Thanks!

May 18/19 is difficult. It take about 4.5 hours to drive over from Cambria and then the next day you'd have another 4.5 to 5 hour drive. We won't know the snow conditions in Sequoia NP -- there are trails one can use even if the roads are closed but it is too soon to know.

And if this is a normal or heavy snow year you won't be able to visit Tuolumne Grove in Mid May.

If it was my trip (which it isn't) . . . I'd do SF, Carmel/Big Sur, Yosemite and the north coast/Redwoods and skip Cambria, Sequoia and maybe even Napa.

Is "Willet" the town of Willits? Yosemite Valley to Napa to Willits would take about 7 hours not counting lunch or anything you hoped to do in the Napa Valley. Even if you drop Napa, the drive to Willits would take more than 6.5 hours.

I basically agree with janisj. This itinerary involves a whole lotta driving and not much time anywhere. I would either do the northern bits or the southern bits but not both. At a minimum I wouldn't stay "in" San Francisco twice. After landing at SFO, I would drive immediately to Carmel.

Do you have lodging reservations in Yosemite Valley?

I'm not seeing where is "lots of beach" in your plans? Agreeing with others that you need to plot out the drive times. I am no expert on California road trips but seems like your list is too long for your time frame.

Head south from SFO to Carmel/Monterey. End the trip with a day in the city of San Francisco if you still have the time. You may be able to see both Mariposa Grove and Touolome Grove on the same day in Yosemite. To see large Coast Redwoods you don't have to go all the way north to Redwood NP. You can visit Muir Woods not far north of San Francisco or you can see the big Coast Redwoods at Big Basin or Henry Cowell north of Santa Cruz on your way to Monterey/Carmel.

To get to Santa Cruz/Monterey, or back from, drive Hwy 1 through San Mateo County along the ocean all the way & lovely little beaches. Our go-to beach in the 60's with my high school friends was San Gregorio & it's just as nice now.

Nice beaches for walking all along US 1 from San Francisco South as well as Carmel and Pacific Grove (Asilomar). Basically use Google Maps street view and look at all the beaches where maps says "State Beach". Yes San Gregorio, Pescadero. Also fun to stop around Santa Cruz and watch the surfers at Capitola.

Then from San Simeon south all the way to Malibu there are TONs of beautiful beaches. I don't especially think Avila Beach is very attractive (you know it was dug up and replaced due to oil spills, right?). Pismo/Shell Beach is nice. I like the coves around Montana de Oro/ Morro Bay etc, also.

The area around Lompoc has had some famous shark attacks. BTW Lompoc is a good stopover if you haven't planned well, there is an oversupply of motel rooms due to Vandenberg AFB.

I agree that suze doesn't know much about California road trips.

I don't think you need to go up north beyond San Francisco. Especially that early in the year, when it may still be raining.