California Itinerary
 

My wife and I are planning a 3 week vacation in California in September and are looking for a good itinerary that takes in San Francisco, Yosemite and the best bits of the coast. We will be driving and like to spend 2 or 3 days in one place to explore before moving on.

Hello, sorry I can not help you with any suggestions, we are planning the same "type" of trip in September for 16 days. Planning to hit SF (Alcatraz, Muir Woods, Pt Reyes) 3 days, South Lake Tahoe (emerald bay, va city, hot springs) 3 days, Yosemite 5 days, then the central coast (cambria, big sur, hearst castle, pt lobos) 4 days then dept SFO. Instead of hotels we went with renting "homes" this way we will have privacy, laundry and kitchens. Plus room to spread out since this is a Honeymoon/Anniversay trip. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR PLANS AND HOPE YOU ENJOY WE ARE LOOKING SO FORWARD TO IT BEING FROM THE EAST COAST (NEW YORK)

Just to get things started, here is one suggestion but it would be helpful to know your interests (hiking/outdoor activities, museums, dining, wine tasting, shopping etc). Also are you flying in and out of SF or can you fly out of two different cities.

3 days SF (city activities, Sausilito, nearby redwood parks, fine dining)
2 days Napa/Sonoma (pick a wine country destination; wine tasting, fine dining, hot air balloon ride)
3 days South Lake Tahoe (hiking, gambling, water activities)
3 days Yosemite (lots of gorgeous scenary, eat a meal at the Ahwahnee)
long drive to LA area (we stopped in Fresno but could be done straight through)
2 days Pasadena (museums, gardens, shopping, luxury hotel/spa - such as The Huntington) or similar spa stop like Ojai
2 days Santa Barbara (relax, wine tasting, beach walks, horseback riding)
1 day Cambria overnight (visit Hearst castle)
5 days coastal drive with stops back to SF (Big Sur, Monterey, Carmel)
I'm not that great with the map (I leave that to my DH) but it should get you thinking (in other words the parts you don't like will help you focus on what you do want). You might also prefer to skip Southern California altogether and just head back to the central coast as suggested by sarge1. This would give you more time on the coast, but I happen to like the LA area so I brought you further south.

It sounds like a wonderful opportunity to see a good bit of California.

There are so many threads with California ideas. You will probably find it very helpful to read through lots of them and then we can help you refine your plans. But maybe try to put something together on your own from the post first, so we have something to work with.

Have fun!

Thanks for the intial suggestions. I am now firming up on our itinerary.
San Francisco 4 nights,
Lake Tahoe 2/3 nights
Yosemite 4 nights
Sequoia 3 nights
Santa Barbera 2 nights
Cambria 1 night
Monterey/Carmel 2 nights

I'd appreciate any comments about feasibility, want a fairly relaxed timetable. Should we spend more time on the coast to appreciate the Big Sur etc? I'm not sure if Lake Tahoe is worth the visit(we are not into casinos).

Lake Tahoe in September will be just beautiful. You won't even notice that there are casinos nearby.

Are you flying into one city and then flying home from another?

I know you will receive a rash of replies telling you that Lake Tahoe is a wonderful place to visit. As an antidote to those raves, I have been there several times over several decades and I have yet to discover its charms.

The time you have scheduled for Lake Tahoe would be much better spent lolling around on the coast.

Your plan is basically fine. I personally would cut a day from Sequoia (and maybe even 1 from Yosemite) and add that time to the coastal bit. Sequoia is great but unless you are doing some high country hikes/camping, it is not a "3 day destination". There is so much to see along the coast.

BTW - I could not disagree more w/ happytrails re Lake Tahoe. Just Sand Harbor alone will make you think you've died and gone to heaven. Yes - the casino strip at southshore is a built up "city" - but it only stretches along a short part of the lakeshore. W/ things like the gondola, sailing a catamaran across the lake, Sand Harbor, a day trip to Virginia city, Emerald Bay/Eagle Falls etc etc - Lake Tahoe is definitely worth 3 days. Especially once the summer hoards have gone home after Labor Day weekend. It will definitely be un-crowded.

To be more specific, if I had three weeks, my routing would include:

San Francisco
Napa Valley and/or Sonoma
Yosemite
Sequoia
(Ojai)
Santa Barbara
(Solvang)
(La Purisima Mission)
(Pismo Beach)
(San Luis Obispo)
(Pismo Beach)
(Moro Bay)
Cambria
(Route 46 to Paso Robles)
Carmel

Parentheses indicate places to visit but not necessarily spend a night.

the OP mentions no interest in Napa/Sonoma. That may be the trip you would take but it does seem to me grb9uk has a pretty good handle on what sorts of things they want to see.

The critic is a bully who attempts to erode your confidence by nitpicking and faultfinding.

Is there a reason why you have three weeks and choose to spend it only in the North-Central parts of California?

The corollary question is: why the heavy emphasis on staying in the Lake Tahoe-Yosemite-Sequoia areas? Are you hikers? Nature photographers? City-haters?

As for "the best bits of the coast" - those "best bits" stretch from the Oregon border clear down to Mexico, what especially of the coast do you want to see?

I agree. And some of us believe that the coast from Oregon's south to north border is worth a visit, too.

Thanks for all the comments and a bit of controversy! I realise there is so much more to see in California but we want a fairly relaxed time, not driving many miles all the time and we are keen walkers but may take the advice to cut down on Yosemite and Sequoia in favour of the coast. Any more ideas gratefully received.

Muir Woods and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park are good places near SF to enjoy the redwoods.

The drive on Highway 1 from SF to Santa Cruz via Half Moon Bay is spectacular and often overlooked.

SF is a great walking city. Get a transit pass and a map of the system (available in the tourist information office near Powell and Market). Then, when you find yourself far from your hotel, you will know how to get back.

htty: What I tried to say -- why try to change the OP's very well considered itinerary adding on extra bits you like when they have already included several totally "worth it" stop overs.

My own personal favorite parts are farther north on the Sonoma/Mendocino coasts, and the northern Redwoods are better than anything down south. But I did not say "oh you must go north -- you have to go to Alexander Valley, and the northern redwoods"

That is like someone asking the best way to see Disneyland and answering them "oh, you'll like Universal better".

If grb9uk was off in a ditch like some of the crazy itineraries we see here - then fine. Suggest other areas they might like more. But Tahoe, Yosemite, Sequoia, and the Central coast are all world renown for a reason - they are WONDERFUL.

grb9uk: California is a huge place and you could visit and enjoy hundreds of other places - all totally worth seeing. But that would take a lifetime and your current plan is is quite good and a very sensible pace. If you want suggestions for other parts of the State - ask. But I've stayed from twice (Sequoia) to 30 or more times (Tahoe, Monterey Peninsula) in each area and you can not go wrong w/ any of them.

Looking at this itinerary you proposed:

San Francisco 4 nights,
Lake Tahoe 2/3 nights
Yosemite 4 nights
Sequoia 3 nights
Santa Barbera 2 nights
Cambria 1 night
Monterey/Carmel 2 nights

I'd say that looks great. You could take several nights from Lake Tahoe and/or Sequoia and add them to the coastal trip time, if you want more time around Big Sur.

The one concrete suggestion I would make is to figure out your Yosemite dates as soon as possible and secure your reservations there (inside the park, reserve at:

http://www.yosemitepark.com/Reservations.aspx

These will be the hardest to get, but if you are flexible on your date a few days one way or the other, you should be fine. Friends of mine from the UK were recently able to book rooms at Yosemite Lodge for their September visit.

Choices in Yosemite range from tents and rustic cabins at Curry Village, to the motel-like Yosemite Lodge, to the lovely historic (and pricy) Ahwahnee. (Most people aim for Yosemite Lodge, unless they have an occasion for a splurge at the Ahwahnee). If you will be there the first half of September, and are a bit adventurous and/or love to hike, you might also consider a night or two at Tuolumne Lodge in the high country (at 8200 feet). They only have tent cabins, but it is a beautiful place and well worth "roughing it" for one night.

Definitely agree with others' suggestion to trim time off Sequoia in favor of more time along the coast.

Your right enzio, Yosemite lodgings are already booked for early September, do you see any problems in reversing the trip, doing the coast first and reaching Yosemite around September 15th? Rather ties us into specific dates towards the end of the trip but may be the only way to get lodgings in the valley

Reversing the trip would be fine---in fact I've often seen it recommended that way, so you will be on the "seaside" on the trip down Highway 1, enjoying the best views and pull-out opportunities.

Yosemite should be fine, weather-wise, through September (although they do get the odd early snowstorm in the high country, usually bright and sunny 2 days later).

You could put your time in San Francisco at either the beginning or the end.