Driving from San Diego to Sequoia nationa park/ Kings Canyon and Yosemite
 

My husband, myself and my parents are planning to travel by car from San Diego to Sequoia park/ kings canyon, yosemite and than go back through San Francisco, route 1, and maybe stopping in some vinyards or stopping in Santa Barbara on the way. We have aprox. 8-9 days for that. how many days do you suggest is best for each location? or if you have other locations that you recommend to stop and visit at on the way to/ from?

If the trip is for this year, be aware that you cannot through drive the coastal route between Carmel and Hearst Castle because of a massive landslide in the Big Sur area.

http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/highway_conditions.html

When is the trip? Does your itinerary include time IN San Diego or is that just your start/finish point? Makes a big difference what is doable/advisable/possible 8-9 days is not really enough time for SD > S/KC > YNP > SF and back down the coast. That would fill a two week trip. However IF you don't need any time in LA or SD, it would be just about doable.

But basically, you'd need 2 nights for S/KC (it is a 6+ hour drive from SD so one night would give you almost no time in the parks). Then 2 nights in Yosemite, 2 nights in SF, 2 nights in the Monterey area, one night in Santa Barbara and back to SD. While hwy 1 is closed through Big Sur you can see the northern bits and Point Lobos then detour back through Monterey and down 101 before heading back to the coast south of Big Sur.

We're going on 9/17-9/25. We don't need time in LA or SD. Yosemete and Sequoia are more important to us. In SF I think one night maybe two is enough and SB also. My husband and I are more into Vineyards but my parents are a bit less. Also, you think that hwy 1 would still be closed in that area until than?

>>We don't need time in LA or SD.<<

OK -- good that makes it easier. But you need to book accommodations in Yosemite and near Carmel/Monterey NOW. Try in Yosemite Valley first -- Most probably at Yosemite Valley Lodge (previously Yosemite lodge at the Falls). Then if nothing is available book (cancelable) at Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal. Then keep trying for a cancellation in Yosemite Valley.

In the Carmel/Monterey and Santa Barbara areas most places will require a 2 night minimum on weekends and September is very popular along the coast.

Hwy 1 will be closed still, yes, the bridge will not be replaced until end of September but after that is the Mud Creek slide with no ETR since it is still moving.
You can drive about 25 miles south of Carmel to Bixby Bridge and see part of Big Sur still, just cannot drive the entire length of it.
Plenty of vineyards in the Santa Ynez valley inland and just north of Santa Barbara.

Beautiful vineyards in Paso Robles:

Halter Ranch
Calcareous
Niner
Sculpterra
Villa San Juliette

I could go on all day!

janis j is right. You need to make your reservations in Yosemite now and Yosemite View Lodge is a good back up for Yosemite Valley Lodge. Be persistent about searching for cancellations. I was doing so 1x hour before our trip to the Rockies. My persistence paid off with a view cottage both in the Grand Tetons and in Glacier National Park.

What you want to do is put the website in your favorites:

www.travelyosemite.com and try whenever you can. Do not call. It takes too long to get through and what's available on the screen is now real time. Takes only 2-3 minutes to try. They go like hotcakes. The Lodge is nice and well located. Getting up early is a great crowd avoidance technique. Good luck. I have a trip report on Yosemite crowd avoidance and there are also several others.