sarge1

Will visit CA 3sep-19sep 07. First I apologize for what may be a LONG post, but would like suggestions/critiques for my travel plans. I have already reserved "homes" through VBRO (OCD) and retired military.
3sep08
Arrive SFO rent car (reserved already) drive to TIBURON settle in
4sep-Larkspur ferry to SF check out ferry bldg etc then Alcatraz(reserve 2 weeks out)
5 sep muirs woods,Point Reyes (lighthouse,drakes beach.limantour)
6sep to South Lake Tahoe
7Sep Emerald Bay,Vickingsholm,Eagle Cascade falls
8 Sep Grover hot springs state park
9 sep dep for mariposa (yosemite) stop at bodie along the way
10-13 sep visit yosemite hike and explore maybe hit Mono Lake
14 sep leave for Cambria
15 sep Hearst Castle(reserve before trip) and elephantseals at piedras blancas
16 sep julia burns pfeiffer state park,pfeiffer beach (mcvay waterfall etc and limekiln trail, pacific valley bluff trail, jade cove and sand dollar (not sure if we will have time to do all of these in one day from cambria but it seems like the hikes are of short duration)
17 sep if not able to hit all locations listed on 16 sep hit them this day or visit pablo rosa wineries.
18 sep cambria head up coast stop at point lobos onway to sf airport depart sfo on 19 sep

Thank You for your input I have travel in Europe (want to go there for 10th year) and have visited 30 states and southern ca. thanks again!

Jean

10-13 Sept "... maybe hit Mono Lake." From the Valley floor to Mono Lake will take 2-3 hours in each direction. If you got an early start and didn't mind taking all day, you could see both Mono Lake and Bodie which is just 15 miles farther. The last few miles to Bodie are on a well-maintained dirt road. If the weather is very warm, go to Bodie first before the heat of the day. Be sure to visit the Mono Lake Interpretive Center (north of Lee Vining, look for signs). There are a couple of restaurants in Lee Vining including the Whoa Nelly Deli (at the intersection of Tioga Pass Road and Highway 395). It looks like a gas station with a cheap diner inside, but the food is good.

16-18 Sept. You plan to stay in Cambria and drive back and forth to Pfeiffer State Beach and then drive back up the coast on the 19th? That's a lot of back and forth.

"Pablo Rosa wineries." Do you mean Paso Robles?

BTW, when you go to Piedras Blancas, be on the lookout for elephant seals on/near the highway. There was an article in the L.A. Times this week about the seals leaving the safety of the beach and, for some reason, crossing the road and/or travelling through a culvert to the other side. Some seals have already been hit. The state is going to close the escape routes, but they don't want to do anything right now while the babies are being born and weaned. Should be fixed by September, but who knows?

sarge1

Thank You for your informative reply Jean. We live in NY and have traveled extensively in new england so the mileage "thing" is hard to judge until you are actually there(then it may be too ambitious). Thanks for the info on bodie and mono lake, we are EARLY risers so the early start to travel is not an issue. As far as the (by the way I did mean Paso Robles sorry)cambria to Pfeiffer things goes just wish to hit the "must see" attractions/views/hikes so figured we would try the hikes mentioned as day hikes maybe take two separate days to cover them. Since we are not familar with the PCH not sure of travel times to the hikes I figures an hour or two there and back this would give us 4 to 5 hours to experience the area. Does this make sense? thanks again glad I joined this forum! Also I meant to say 2008 September not 2007.

Jean

Well, that part of Highway 1 between Cambria and Pfeiffer is gorgeous, but I'm not sure you need to travel it three times. You're already doing a lot of driving. (FYI, you can check distances and time estimates on Mapquest.com.)

Why not re-work the days after 9/14 so that you work your way up the coast from Cambria, staying the night somewhere on the way. Paso Robles is a little bit off your path, but the drive there is nice. There are also wineries in the San Luis Obispo area.

I hope you already have your Yosemite reservations. Is that the reference to Mariposa? Are you aware that Mariposa is probably an hour's drive to/from Yosemite Valley?

sarge1

I have already booked the homes we are staying at on our vacation, received good deals on them all and I like the fact that they all have full kitchens, washers, dryers, decks/balcony and outdoor hot tubs. We will just play it by ear once we get to each area on what is feasible to do and what is not, just being away from work and the kids for a couple of weeks is the greatest. We reserved a beautiful home in Mariposa (we are aware of the distance etc since speaking with the owner and are willing to sacrifice the in yosemite feeling for the seclusion and home away from home feeling. Not opposed to long drives since I have traveled quite a bit being in the military for 20 years. Thanks again and ALL of your information has been very useful for our vacation plans.

Jean

It's going to be a great trip. Have fun in the Golden State!

Suzie

Here's my 2 cents:

Night of the 6th 7th & 8th - I love Tahoe in September. The hike to cascade falls will be nice but don’t expect falls. You will see both cascade lake and then Tahoe from above so that’s worth it.

Vikingsholm will not be open after Labor day so think about if you want to hike down. It’s pretty steep so going up is a lot less fun than going down. If you don’t mind looking at only the exterior then go for it.

Night of 9th - Head out to 395 to visit Bodie. You can also visit Mono Lake since it’s right at Lee Vining. You may want to spend the night in Lee Vining or near Tuolumne Meadows rather than go all the way to the valley or to Mariposa, which is 1 hour west of the valley. I say spend the night in Lee Vining with dinner at the Whoa Nellie Deli.

Night of the 10th, 11th, 12th & 13th - The next day you can take your time enjoying the trip from Lee Vining into Yosemite Valley. Spend as much time as you need on the drive in lso you don’t miss Tuolumne Meadows etc. Then you can make your way to Mariposa.

sarge1

Thank you Suzie (and Jean also), thank you for letting me know Vickingsholm is closed after labor day would have "sucked" if we hiked all the way down and the closed sign was up! Will take your other suggestions to mind, what do you think of Virginia city, have you been there? I have heard alot about that whoe nellie place, will probably have to hit it on our way to Mariposa, we will not be able to spend the night there since I have already reserved the "house" in mariposa, sounds like we should hit bodie on the way down from tahoe and maybe catch mono later, like I said we are not opposed to driving 2-3 hrs one way since we will have a nice and comfortable home with an outdoor jacuzzi to come back to. Thanks again and reply if you wish. Ever been to grover hot springs park? sounds interesting but probably not for the whole day. thanks again!

Suzie

What is it you plan to do at Mono Lake? If you are just looking it's actually right there as you turn from 395 to 120 in Lee Vining. You could just take an extra 45 min 1 hour to go to the visitors center and walk to the water. You will be driving along the west shore as you drop down the Sherwin Grade to Lee Vining anyway.

sarge1

Did not have any real plans for Mono Lake the pictures look very interesting so just thought since it was on the way to Yosemite that is would be worth an hour or so stop over. The visitors center and South tufa reserve looked interesting. will just see how much time we have after visiting Bodie just want to get to mariposa before dark.

Jean

Yes, Sarge1, just play it by ear. Let your enjoyment of different areas determine your pace. Don't make this a test of how much you can see/do. There are just too many great places in California, and you could easily spend your entire 16 days just in the Eastern Sierra/Yosemite area.

We go to the Lee Vining/Mono Lake area every year for a family mini-reunion. I think Mono Lake is fascinating and Bodie a little less so. But that's me, and this is your trip.

Just FYI, every year as part of our reunion, we drive to Saddlebag Lake (just north off Tioga Pass Road in the Hoover Wilderness Area, east of Yosemite N.P.) and take the ferry to the opposite side of the lake. From there, we hike around to numerous small lakes (it's called Twenty Lakes Basin) and then take the ferry back. We've seen deer, bighorn sheep (rare), lots of hawks and other birds, bears in the distance (yikes!) and once a congregation of robed-clad monks hiking and chanting (gotta be the rarest).

Happy Trails!

sarge1

Suzie, thank for all of your insightful information. Might check out that wilderness area if we are inclined. If you ever need advise on New England/New York or Germany/Europe give me a yell!

jtrandolph

You have yourselves driving from Tahoe clear to Mariposa before entering the park. Check the map again.

I don't know where Grover Hot Springs is, but your trip would be easier if you take Hwy 395 south from Lake Tahoe to Lee Vining and the eastern entrance to Yosemite, driving over Tioga Pass and down into the valley. This route takes you past the turnoff for Bodie, and Mono Lake is in Lee Vining. Therefore you do not have to leave the park to see either one.

If you really do want to enter the park from the west, it would be shorter to enter by Hwy 120 than to continue south the Mariposa and Hwy 140.

jtrandolph

I just noticed that Suzie gave you the same advice. So much more efficient.

sarge1

Thank You jrandolph, maybe I was noy clear in my orginal post. We are going to grover hot springs while we are still at lake tahoe for a day trip it is only 30-45 minutes fron tahoe. If you see any other things we may improve on please do and thank you for taking the time to post!