I'm late in planning a 14 day trip for late June - early July to California. We (DH & I)would like to experience the coast (Monterey), Sequoia NP, Yosemite, Point Reyes. We can only do easy, short hikes, but enjoy nature, history, etc.
Day 1 – Fly MSP to San Jose, late flight overnight San Jose
Day 2 -3 Monterey area; Pigeon Point Light Station, Aquarium, Whale Watch, Point Lobos State Reserve; overnight Monterey
Day 4 Continue down coast to Big Sur, San Simeon, Hearst Castle tour overnight San Simeon???
Day 5 Drive to Sequoia National Park, overnight Sequoia NP where???
Day 6 Sequoia National Park, overnight SNP
Day 7-9 Drive to Yosemite, overnight Yosemite area
Day 10 Drive to Lake Tahoe with side trip to Devils Postpile National Monument; overnight Lake Tahoe
Day 11 Lake Tahoe area, drive to Marshall Gold Discovery State Park, overnight where??
Day 12 Napa Valley, overnight Napa Valley
Day 13 Point Reyes, Muir Woods
Day 14 Fly Home from SJC

Is this doable? Or are we spending too much time driving? Is the drive to Lake Tahoe area scenic? Since we can’t do a lot of hiking, is three days in Yosemite too much? We’re open to suggestions. I’d much rather stay in a location for more than one night, if possible.

Thanks! Wall67

tt

It looks doable to me; however, I would cut out Sequoia National Park unless you have a specific reason to go there.

Lee Ann

I was thinking to cut out Sequoia as well. I think the park is really neat, however your itinerary is pretty tight and would probably benefit from a little trimming.

I would add one of the free nights to the San Simeon area - you want to plan on the drive through Big Sur taking most of the day, so adding another night would give you time to see Hearst Castle and the surrounding area the next day without being rushed.

The drive from San Simeon to Yosemite valley will take about 5 hours, so most of that day will be dedicated to the drive.

Lodging around Yosemite fills up very quickly, so you should make those reservations ASAP and perhaps be prepared to adjust your intinerary a bit if the availability at Yosemite is such that you can't get the exact dates that you are wanting.

For visiting the Marshall Gold Discovery Park, the town of Auburn is not far away. It has a neat old town and would be a convinient place to stay. I like Grass Valley and Nevada City a lot too, although they are a bit farther away, so not as convinient.

Thanks for the input. Given the choice would you choose the Lake Tahoe area over Sequoia NP? We've always enjoyed NP, but we've always been able to do lots of hiking in the past. We're on to a new phase in our lives.

I like the idea of spending an additional day on the coast. Would you add a day to Yosemite, or are 3 nights there sufficient, considering we won't be doing any moderate or strenous hikes?

Thanks...

I think the question of Sequoia or Lake Tahoe is really dependent on what you want to do with that particular segment of the trip.

Sequoia has lots of outdoors stuff to do, but not much infrastructure - typical for a national park. DH and I spent a week camping there a few years ago and loved every minute of it - it is a beautiful area, not nearly as crowded as Yosemite (not by a long shot), and has a lot of places to check out. And there are a lot of good things to see that are a short walk from the car, so no worries about needing to do long hikes to see the good stuff. On our trip, we also spent a lot of time just relaxing - lawn chairs, feet in the creek, reading a book Now that is living.

Lake Tahoe is also a beautiful area, but there is a lot more civilization. You've got the casinos on the Nevada side, several towns around the lake, lots of development. So there is a lot more non-outdoors stuff to do in addition to the hiking, biking, boating, swimming, etc. - you've got restaurants, shows, shopping, gambling, etc. I love Lake Tahoe too and although I haven't been there in several years, we are considering a trip up there in the fall.

As for how much time to spend in Yosemite - 3 nights is good. More is better, of course Given 2 full days you could spend I day exploring the valley and the next day exploring the high country or the south end of the park - Glacier Point, Wawona, etc. If you have more time, you could incorporate time sitting by the river reading a book (detecting a theme yet? )

I didn't think Point Reyes was worth the drive. Muir Woods is so beautiful and plenty to see nearby. I did that area last April and it's just beautiful, the coast is spectacular and sections look just like the west coast of Ireland!

I live near Marshall Gold Discovery Park. Personally, I would not make a stop there. Far more interesting is Empire Mine State Park (www.empiremine.org) just outside Grass Valley. It is also the site of the Bourn's (they built Filoli south of San Francisco) summer cottage. There are tours of the cottage, the grounds and the mine offices. I would spend the night in Nevada City. It is a very cute Gold Country town.

bookmarking for Oct.

I will add my recommendation for Empire Mine as well - really neat place.

I would also suggest staying in Nevada City and touring the Empire Mine instead of Coloma. If you drive up to the north shore of Tahoe and then head up to Truckee, you can take CA 20 from I-80 down to Nevada City. Nevada City is in my top three favorite towns in California.

Also, I would skip Devil's Postpile. That will be a long detour out of your way and with the shuttle bus system may take a long time. Unless you are going to hike down to Rainbow Falls or camp there, it's not worth the time needed to visit it. Instead, spend some time at Mono Lake and drive out to Bodie, a spectacular ghost town.

And I agree with others, skip Sequoia and spend another day in Yosemite. You will see enough big trees in Yosemite if you have the time to look for them. Sequoia and Kings Canyon are great parks but they deserve more than one night and a drive through. They are also way out of your way so you would be wasting lots of precious time driving.

Thank you for the suggestions. Please keep them coming. I've revamped our trip using your suggestions.
Day 1 – Fly MSP to San Jose, late flight overnight San Jose
Day 2 -3 Monterey area; Pigeon Point Light Station, Aquarium, Whale Watch, Point Lobos State Reserve; overnight Monterey
Day 4-5 Continue down coast to Big Sur, San Simeon, Hearst Castle tour overnight San Simeon???
Day 6-10 Drive to Yosemite, overnight Yosemite area
Day 11 Drive to Lake Tahoe overnight Lake Tahoe
Day 11 Lake Tahoe area,Empire Mine, Nevada City
Day 12 Napa Valley, overnight Napa Valley
Day 13 Point Reyes, Muir Woods
Day 14 Fly Home from SJC

November_moon- Will this allow us to have a little more R & R time? I like your suggestion to have time to sit and read a book somewhere.

Because I'm so late, I'm having a hard time finding lodging in the park. Help please I'm ok with a simple room as long as it's clean and has an attached bath.

Thanks!

My Aussie relatives enjoyed staying at Evergreen Lodge just outside Yosemite NP.
http://www.evergreenlodge.com/

I LOVE Empire Mine State Park, but it is a longer distance to drive there. I'm wondering if you will find the last sightseeing days a bit too rushed.

The Marshall Gold Discovery Site is not all that impressive, although it is really amazing to see what a lark it was ---and that, in itself, is impressive! It's a nice drive, there are nice places for picnics, and it is an easy connect between the two highways (80 and 50) which eventually connect together at highway 50 in Sacramento - making it an easy drive down to Napa.

I'd suggest seeing the Gold Discovery Area and then driving to Napa Valley to relax and be ready to enjoy a full day in Wine Country the next morning. You might even like to spend 2 nights there.

Or consider 2 nights in Lake Tahoe. Or both.

Don't short Lake Tahoe. You should spend at least 2 nights there.

MY

If you can't find logding in the park, check out El Portal - it is a little place just outside the Arch Rock entrance to the park, about 20 minutes from Yosemite Valley. Yosemite View Lodge is there along with Cedar Lodge, I think it is called. There are also privately owned condos and places at Yosemite West - they are on private property, but accessed on roads through the park, so it is almost like being in the park. At the south entrance is Tenaya Lodge, which is nice, but a bit of a drive to Yosemite Valley