CA first time Yosmt, Sequoia, Coast drive, Angels camp, 8 days
 

Hello!
We are planning a CA trip. We fly into SanFran from Manhattan, and will be spending 2 days in SF. Then we drive to our resort in Angels camp for a few days (we are staying in a resort here, as a gift from my bf's parents!) to relax, etc. Then we plan to drive down to yosemite for a day (or maybe two; we are not really hikers!), then to Sequoia N.P. for a day, then drive across to the coast and drive up the coast stopping along the way for a day or two. Returning to SF to fly home. Alternately, we may take a day trip to yosemite, drive back to Angels camp (we are staying in a resort, for free) and relax for a day or two and then drive to SequoiaNP in one long stretch (4 hours on mapquest). We DEF want to see 1) Yosemite, 2) Sequoia NP AND 3)drive the beautiful coast, but don't want to spend any more days in hotels in these areas than we have to as we have free accomodations in angels camp! Although we are not super frugal as we are from NYC (where everything is expensive!)
Is a day enough at Yosemite? Is a day enough at Sequoia? Is the drive from Sequoia to the coast long/boring? is there an alternate drive that is more interesting to get to the coast? How much time should we allow for that? How far south of SF should we start our coastal drive? How long should we allow ourselves to drive up the coast back to SF? is a day or two enough? Any thoughts would be much appreciated! Or suggested modifications from our itinerary! thanks!!

If you are not hikers, one day is enough at Yosemite. Get there early and you will have no problems with parking; taking the 'trolley tour' of the basin and then driving to the places you want to see. Definitely walk into the lobby of the hotel there (forget its name as I'm typing) and definitely drive up to Glacier Point. Near the south entrance of the park is Mariposa Grove which is a forest of the giant sequoia redwoods. Having done Yosemite and Sequoia on the same trip (one day each), I can tell you that the extra drive to Sequoia is a bit redundant after you have seen Mariposa Grove. But...all my life I have wanted to go to Sequoia...so I understand that you do not want to be dissuaded. :-) One day is enough there too if you don't want to hike.

I will get back to you about your other questions later. Have to get to work...sigh! :-(

OK - you have 8 days, you want 2 in SF and you are based in an Angel's Camp timeshare. But you also want Yosemite, Kings Canyon/Sequoia and teh coast. SOMETHING has got to give. You either have to drop Sequoia and/or the coast - OR drop several free nights in the foothills.

You have to make the choice - we can't for you. There is enough to see/do in SF/Gold Rush Country/Yosemite to totally fill your 8 days. So if maximizing the freebie is a priority - I would forget about Sequoia/Kings Canyon and the coast.

If, on the other hand, you don't care about the free nights - then I'd skip Angels Camp altogether and do a Yosemite/Sequoia/Coast/SF loop. That would totally fill 8 days as well.

So you need to make the decision - you just don't have time to do it all.

With your time and other factors, I would skip Sequoia NP. I've spent a lot of time there, and I love it, but it is similar to Yosemite (but without the grand valley), and it is a lot of additional slow, sometimes stressfull, mountain driving. I think I would suggest 2 days SF, 4 Angels Camp/Yosemite, and 2 on the coast.

From AC/Yosemite, head down thru Fresno on Hwy 41/46 over to Paso Robles. You could check out the memorial to James Dean on Hwy 46, where he was killed in an auto accident.

From Paso, head over to Cambria, visit Hearst Castle. The go up thru Big Sur to Carmel & Monterey.

Hwy 41/46 is boring, but this is the major farming area in California. Nothing like you are used to back east.

MY

You have me a bit worried.

If you are from Manhattan and you are not hikers, have you been on outdoor hikes at all on the East Coast?

Your itinerary is one for hikers and nature lovers. It takes TIME to do both. And it takes EXPERIENCE, since most of what you will be travelling through is still wilderness areas. What if your car breaks down? Or you meet a bear? Or, more likely these days, a mountain lion? I'm not saying these things will happen to you, but you should KNOW WHAT TO DO if something should happen. Cell phones don't normally work in the mountains and particularly not in the canyons. In other words, do you know how to take care of yourselves in the wilderness?

If you had said you wanted to go to Yosemite only - lots of tourists there, but Kings Canyon and Sequoia have huge stretches where you will not meet anyone even on a paved road.

You need to know to take the proper clothes, shoes, minimum emergency supplies, etc.

Guess this is just my way of agreeing with everyone else: skip Kings Canyon and Sequoia and just do Angels Camp, Yosemite, and San Francisco - maybe toss in a sidetrip (one night) to Big Sur.

There is sooo much to see and do in California, you need to spend TIME in Yosemite just walking around, even when not doing any hiking. You don't want to be driving all day in a car, dashing from place to place.

Whatever you do decide, have a safe trip and welcome to California! :)

Forget Sequoia! You have plenty to do with SF, Angels Camp, Yosemite, then 41 to Cambria (good suggested route).
Drive from YOsemite to Cambria will take most of a day. Yes it is boring and mostly on two lane highway.
Angels Camp may very well surprise you with the activities and Gold Rush flavor. Lots more to do and see than most people expect.
When is all this to happen? Reservations in Yosemite may be tight.

Like everyone else has said, forget Sequoia. But, one day is not enough for Yosemite even if you're not planning on doing long hikes. As you live in Manhattan, do you do much driving at all? You seem to have little idea of how long it takes to drive from place to place. With the exception of crossing the Central Valley (which is kind of interesting, but a bit boring after a while), none of these roads are the kind you can speed on. In addition to the advice you already have, I'm going to suggest some extended time on Mapquest (www.mapquest.com) figuring out how long your drives will take.

We arrived at the Visitors Center in Yosemite Valley about 9 AM; took the valley tram tour; did the obligatory shopping in the gift shop/chatting with the rangers; then had lunch; drove to the Lodge; to Yosemite Falls; to Bridal Veil Falls and back to the 'valley overlook'. We spent a gracious amount of time at Glacier Point. We did not hurry this day...left ourselves plenty of time to soak up the aura. We then dove to Mariposa Grove and it was not dark (in June) when we left via the South gate. Staying another day would not have added to our trip. Just our experience.

Why do you want to go to SequoiaNP? We went to Yosemite, Mariposa Grove, Sequoia and Kings Canyon and although we really enjoyed it because we were able to spend 10 nights between the places (hiking, etc.), I would have to agree that if your purpose is to see sequoias, you can definitely accomplish that at Mariposa Grove alone. It will take about 3 hours to go from Mariposa Grove in Yosemite to Grants Grove (between Kings Canyon and Sequoia) -- a non-inspiring drive for the most part. If you really want to go that route, I would see Yosemite, stay a night at a motel along the way, take the road through Sequoia (there is only one) and continue onto the coast. I know when you go that far that you want to see as much as you can because you're not sure if you will ever get back, but I would definitely try to limit any backtracking along your route if you can.

As a local (Fresno), I'd also agree, you don't need both Yosemite and Sequoia. We're just an hour from each and rarely head to Sequoia. A day in Yosemite will do - there's a light snowpack and the falls will dry up early this year (a warning to all).

Driving the coast isn't something to rush. I'd also suggest heading from Yosemite to the Coast on 41/46 (which will take four to five hours) from Yosemite Valley, then head up Highway 1. The best stretch of 1, in my book, is from Cambria to Carmel. It's one amazing drive..... You'll stop to take in the sights many times.

To cut your total drive time, get off 1 at either Monterey or Santa Cruz, and head to 101 or 280 for the final drive back to SF. From Santa Cruz to SF on 1 is "ok", but it's not the same as the drive up through Big Sur....

Between Sequoia and Yosemite, I would rather spend time in Sequoia because it's much less crowded. Sequoia has a different feel compared to Yosemite (in my opinion) so it really depends on what you like. If you're mainly interested in seeing the sights and less about hiking, I agree with other posters and would suggest you pick 1 national park instead of trying to do both so you can also fit in the coast.
Our favorite places along the coast close to SF are Point Lobos (going south) and Mendocino (going north).

If you only have one day in Yosemite, a jewel of this state, please don't drive from waterfall to waterfall.

Park your car and walk or bike throught the fields, take the tram tour and get off at each stop. Pack a lunch and find a pretty spot to eat it, sit on the bridge and enjoy the sounds of the river. Look at the photos from the flood and imagine how high the water was at different points in the part. Have cocktails at the ahwahnee hotel and visit the chapel. Soak up the sights and sounds and imagine how John Muir felt when stumbling into the valley... better yet, read some of his writings before you come and then put yourself in his shoes. If you're coming all this way...make the most of it. You will miss it by driving through the park all day.

lol2g and onemoneygir: This thread is <u>two years old</u>.