janisj

Sorry but that is waaaay too aggressive. For instance you say one night in Sequoia/Kings Canyon. After driving more than 6 hours (more than 350 miles) from Mammoth Lakes to Sequoia -- you will have to turn around and leave first thing the next morning for another 4+ hour drive to Yosemite . . . leaving you essentially no time for Seq/KC.

And how do your kids like 6 or 7 hours in the back seat on winding mountain roads???

Really -- waaaay too much in too little time.

kevingalea74

Would it make more sense if I added another night at Sequoia?

janisj

Not if you had to take a night from Yosemite.



That tour is terrific -- really nice. But is is NOT a 5 day trip w/ a family. From Lake Tahoe down to Mammoth and around to Sequoia is more than 500 miles and not a freeway/motorway in the lot.

And the whole drive SF > Tahoe > Mammoth > Seq > YNP > Calaveras > SF is about 1200 miles/1900+ kilometers. (mostly in the 50MPH/80 KPH or less range. Some a lot less than 50MPH)

Just my 2¢ worth (I live in CA, have been to all your sites multiple times -- and Lake Tahoe/Calaveras County and Yosemite -- countless times) Do you just want to drive through the mountains and say you've been there/done that? OR do you want time to hike, and kayak and explore?

If you want to visit Sequoia then do NOT fly into SFO. Fly into Burbank (or even LAX) and drive north to Sequoia/KC -- about 4 hours. Then visit Yosemite, Then either Lake Tahoe or Calaveras -- you don't really have time for both. Then to SF. This route is only about 800 miles total.

Forget about Mammoth.

Sassafrass

It is wonderful that you will be here for the 4th. It is spectacular!

If I count correctly, you have 18 nights, so 17 days. You will use one day getting from East Coast to West Coast. That leaves 16 days. At least 2 more will be used traveling between parks, returning for departure, etc., leaving 14 possible for actual sightseeing. I am not knowledgeable about time involved for your drive in parks, mountains and lakes, but others certainly are. You will have to cut things. Decide your first priority and how long it will take to properly see it and how long to get there. Continue from there. When your 14 days are filled, that is it - all you can do.

Because it is so far out of the way, I would cut Niagra and concentrate on the natural scenery of the West.

Then, choose either NYC or Washington DC for 5 nights (4 days). I personally love D.C., but the rest of my family loves NYC. Lots to do in both places. I can give you a basic itinerary for either as a start. Either is great for the 4th. I prefer D.C. For the 4th, with so much space and all the music, etc., but would not base my choice for 4 days only on that.

So, rough start - rearrange for your own interests, with 1 nt left to play with.

5 nts (4 days) NYC or D.C.
Fly to the best place for seeing all the natural wonders. (1 day of travel)
8 nts (7 days) visiting national parks and natural sites
Go to SF (1 day of travel)
4 nts (3 days) San Francisco

If you want to rush (I absolutely do not recommend it), you could take a nt from NY, one from SF and the one left over and have 3 nts in .D.C., giving you
3 days in NYC,
2 days in DC
2 days in SF

The problem will be jet lag the first day in NY, making it not very useful for sightseeing.
On the 4th, by mid to late afternoon in NY, some streets will be closed and taxis will be busy. It is not a problem. You just plan for it. If you choose D.C., stay in a downtown hotel and take the metro or walk.

Any places you choose will be wonderful.

marvelousmouse

Honestly, I think I’d drop Niagara. I think it’s a ridiculous distance to go for just that, given your limited time.

4 nights NYC
3 nights DC
4 nights SF

I’d focus on Mammoth,Tahoe, and Yosemite, and I like the idea of Henry Cowell and Monterey. I don’t entirely agree with Janis on the impossibility of your original plan, but I also don’t see much of a point of subjecting your teens to that plan. There’s not much of a point to go to somewhere like Tahoe if you’re not planning to leave time for relaxing and water sports.


Unless you really have no intention of coming back to the states, though, I’d pick either east coast or West Coast. There’s nature on the east coast too, and there’s tons of stuff to see. Philadelphia and Boston are great cities as well, colonial Williamsburg, there’s Cape Cod, Maine coast and Acadia National Park, etc. and then on the other side of the continent, less than 2 weeks in California is crazy given your apparent interest in nature and the cities.

Patty

If you stick with Sequoia/Kings Canyon, then skip Calaveras Big Trees. Or you could do a smaller loop of Tahoe/Mammoth/Yosemite as marvelousmouse suggests and add Monterey where you can go whale watching. Whale watching out of San Francisco is less reliable.

bachslunch

Another vote to drop Niagara Falls. Too far out of your way, and frankly not worth that big a detour regardless.

Would recommend including the falls if you ever take a trip to Toronto — a city which is well worth a visit— assuming you have a car. Much more reasonable jaunt to take.

Dukey1

Yes, please do not think there isn't any "natural scenery" east of the Mississippi

Gretchen

Another drop Niagara.
Do NOT short change Washington DC--and that is the place for the July 4th.

Maraudermick

I agree with Vincenzo ; skip Niagara Falls, unless you plan on crossing into Canada. The Canadian side of the Falls is much nicer; no vendors selling cheap chinese junk and cheapo T-SHIRTS!

Otherwise, just do DC. Many DC museums require pre-purchased timed tickets online, even if the place is free!

suze

I don't know what you want to keep and what you want to leave out, but YES you are WAY underestimating distances and overestimating what you can do in this short timeframe.

Sassafrass

So glad you said that, Gretchen. I too think D.C. is the place to be for July 4th. It is really a once in a lifetime opportunity for someone coming from another country to experience the biggest celebration in the US. What better place to do it than the Capitol of the country?

NYC seemed to be a priority for the OP though, and I am not sure they could do both if they still stick with that big National Park part of the trip.

However, now that you posted, I do think you are absolutely right about DC for the 4th and they can work everything else around being there then.

Sent from my iPad

Gretchen

IMO after reading these boards for years, our capital is the most under-recommended city in the US, and the possibilities there are ENDless. And actually, for ages of their kids, it would be even better--air and space, the spy museum, etc.!! They would do well to cut a day or so off NYC--and most certainly Niagara Falls!!

kja

I must admit a bit of a different perspective on DC's fireworks: I like them less than those of any other city in which I have celebrated the 4th! Too loud, too concentrated (very few to start, too many with the "finale"), too hard to get into / out of the Mall, etc. I haven't been in NYC during the 4th, but loved Philadelphia's fireworks celebration....

5alive

If you click on my name, you can read my trip report from 2012 to New York and DC. My kids were roughly the ages yours are.

We loved doing the 4th in DC. I thought the event was incredibly well run and enjoyable. They also have a national parks texting service that would issue alerts for a lost child, etc.

I think you have a lot to see in California. If you decide to trim, Yosemite also has a groove of sequoias. They were still pretty amazing. The California regulars can give you details.

smetz1

I would agree with janisj and others on the California mountains portion of your trip. It's not just the distances you're covering, those mountain roads tend to take much more time to navigate than it would appear on paper. You'll be spending a huge amount of time in the car on some winding up/down roads. In short, it's a lot of driving that requires heavy duty concentration. You can really get the flavor of the area by concentrating on just a couple of those places. You might also consider Dukey's idea of flying into Reno, then visiting nearby Tahoe, then making your way from there down to San Francisco.

sf7307

<too hard to get into / out of the Mall>

I don't know by what means of transportation kja was traveling, or from where, but we've been twice and both times we not only just strolled over after dinner in the Galleria Park area, we also just wandered around the mall easily from the Capitol to the Washington Monument which is where the main fireworks are set off (16th and Constitution?). Then we walked home.

sf7307

Correction, once we walked home, the second time we got on the metro to go home.

kevingalea74

Thank you all for your very valuable feedback. We have taken on board your suggestions and the trip is now shaping up as followsbr /> New York - 4 nights
Washington DC - 3 nights
Lake Tahoe - 2 nights
Mammoth - 1 night
Yosemite - 3 nights
Monterey - 2 nights
San Francisco - 4 nights

My only doubt now is whether to do Monterey or skip it and add another couple of nights in the parks...

Votes?

MichelleY

Keep Monterey.