Hi,

We are going to California for 10 days (arriving LAX at noon on May 19 and leaving from San Jose on the 28th in the evening)and need help planning how many nights we should spend in each of the following locations:

Los Angeles
King's Canyon NP
Yosemite NP
San Francisco

We have been to Los Angeles before so we only plan to relax on the beach for a few days there. We are in our mid forties and love the outdoors

Thanks to all

With only 10 days I really don't see how you would have "a few days there" to spend in LA. A "few" to me means 3 to 5 days and you simply don't have that much time.

Kings Canyon needs a day's drive to get to and 1 or 2 nights there -- unless you just want to say you've been there, done that.

Yosemite needs a minimum of 2 full days/nights - more if you have to stay outside the valley and commute in. And it is getting pretty late to be finding accomodations in the Valley for May. I would get on that ASAP, or count on needing 3 days.

SF needs as much or as little time as you can spare. But 3 full days is about as minimal as you can do and actually see much of the city.

So 3+ days SF, 3 days Yosemite, 2 days Kings Canyon plus your arrival day in LA and travel day to KCNP totals 10 days.

Hi,

Thanks Janis, we plan to stay 2 full days in LA but since we have seen it all before in that area, we will just relax on the beach there (weather permit). We plan to leave LA early Sunday morning and stay outside King's Canyon (cheaper accomodation).

How about San Francisco, if we have 3 full days there, how would you plan those days? Is Alcatraz worth it or is it a tourist trap?

Thanks again

Here are some ideas for SF:

* Alcatraz is a really interesting tour. The place has quite an interesting history and you get a boat ride out on the bay.

* If you don't go to Alcatraz, take another boat tour - there are ones that tour the bay and go under the bridge, some that go out to Angel Island or over to Sausalito.

* Cable Cars - no trip to SF is complete without a ride on a cable car.

* Coit Tower - terrific views from the top, murals, and some fun stairstep streets to explore in the area.

* Golden Gate Bridge - you can walk or ride a bike across. Renting bikes and riding along the waterfront and out the the bridge is fun.

* Chinatown is great to wander around in. City Guides (www.sfcityguides.org) is a non-profit organization that gives walking tours in SF. The Chinatown tour is really great. A morning tour and dim sum for lunch is a great combination. City Guides gives other tours too.

* Golden Gate Park is really nice. The Japanese Tea Garden is really terrific and in May everything should be blooming.

Ok - so there is a start.

Wow thanks J Correa! I will follow our suggestions sounds really great!

Now I have to plan our 2 days in Yosemite and our trip is pretty much all organized!

Anybody could help me with that part of our trip?

Thanks so much

Going to the Visitors' Center first and viewing the film (maybe 15-17 minutes), will give you a greater appreciation of Yosemite NP. Of course, the 2 hour valley tram tour is a must, too.

Also, I suggest doing a search on this forum, "Yosemite trip report", and there are many reports, suggestions and descriptions of the area. Enjoy!

I second the recommendation for the tram tour - it is very good and you will learn a lot about the park. It is also a good way to orient yourself and see what you want to go back and take a closer look at.

With 2 days, I would spend them in the valley. Yosemite Falls is a quick walk from the Lodge area. The Vernal Falls trail in the Happy Isles part of the valley is a longer hike, but the nice thing is that there are 2 or 3 falls along the way so you can do a shorter or longer hike, depending on what your fitness and interest level is. Mirror Lake is a reasonably short hike and very picturesque. If you want a longer hike, there is a loop trail from Mirror Lake.

One of my favorite things to do is walk along the river and past the meadows. It is very relaxing and incredibly beautiful.

One year we took our bikes to Yosemite and spent our time riding around the valley. That was a lot of fun.

There are also horses you can rent. I haven't done that - maybe this year.