sf7307

I have lived in San Francisco for nearly 45 years. It is often cold (freezing to me, but that means 50 degrees), often warm, hardly ever (but sometimes) hot, most often, glorious (sunny and fall-like). Dense fog in town is a thing of the past.

marvelousmouse

How do you go to SF 3 times a year and never learn to bring an appropriate jacket or fleece? That sounds like a personal problem

Kay2

So glad that on your first visit to the US that you are getting out of the NYC-Disney-LA rut that so many follow. I vacationed in California for years because I love the mountain and trees and think San Francisco is a fabulous tourist city, and I've been in DC over July 4. I've visited the falls and NYC several times.

My suggestions:
You've made the right decision to cut the falls.

I think it is good to split time between NYC and DC. You won't "see it all", but if you have your priorities (for example, theater, museum, views, architecture, or just experiencing neighborhood life in NYC; museums, monuments, July 4 parade, fireworks in DC) then you can be realistic about what can be done in July heat/humidity in crowded cities. I was in DC July 4 just a couple of years ago and there was a fence around the mall from Lincoln Memorial with security/metal detectors with long lines in the mud (it rained terribly that year). We chose to sit on steps across the street and watch the highest fireworks above the trees. OK. We watched the parade earlier in the day--it is a citizen/community parade, not a military parade. Fun. Anything that is ticketed should be reserved in advance--lots of tourists in town. Hop on/off shuttle will take you to most museums and monuments.

In addition to flying from any of the DC area airports, you can fly into any of the San Francisco area airports. If you plan to immediately head for the hills, then Oakland may be an option. SFO is on the east side of the peninsula, but you have to cross a long bridge and use some busy highways, so avoid rush hours. San Jose SJO is further south, but closer to Monterey. Another option (but may be more expensive) is to fly into Sacramento SMF, which is a smaller city/airport closer to Lake Tahoe. Closest to Sequoia/Kings Canyon would be the small city/airport of Fresno FAT (usually much more expensive).

I love Lake Tahoe (got married there), Calaveras, Sequoia, Yosemite, and Henry Cowell as well as Muir Woods, Redwood National .... but there is not enough time. I've never made it to Mammoth Lakes.
I think it is a good idea to stay on the west side of the Sierras to maximize your sightseeing.

Lake Tahoe (can go up a lift for view, walks in parks, boat onto lake, chilly swim), drive south through gold mining areas (you may also go through these on way to Lake Tahoe) with several interesting town centers, various opportunities to see old mining equipment, pan for gold, etc.
Enjoy Yosemite Valley and see the giant sequoias. It will be more crowded than Calaveras, but you see the trees in combination with the valley. Skip the Tioga Road and back country, Bodie, and Mono Lake.
If you want more wilderness and more sequoias, then Sequoia National Park is hard to beat, but it is a long drive. I have driven there from Yosemite, spent 2 nights, then drove to Monterey. I had a good day of hiking and driving in the park, but would have liked 1-2 more, but it was all I had for that trip. The difficult part was making the long, boring drive to Monterey afterwards.

Monterey is not my favorite place. It is an OK city and the aquarium is good. The drive down Big Sur is the highlight, but I have not visited since the bridges washed out, so I don't know what will be open next summer. I also have not had any luck on my whale watching trips out of multiple ports in California. So I do not think it is as important a destination for a first-time visit to the US.

To see redwood trees (different from the sequoias), you can visit the above mentioned Henry Cowell Redwood State Park or Muir Woods just north of San Francisco.

sf7307

Please clarify - SFO is on the east side of the peninsula, but you have to cross a long bridge and use some busy highways, so avoid rush hours.

From where? There is no bridge between SFO and downtown SF. There is a bridge between Oakland and SFO, but not sure why you'd be going from one airport to the other.

Patty

You can check the sighting logs for the month you're planning to visit https://www.gowhales.com/sighting.htm but it would be very rare to not see a whale on a boat trip in the Monterey Bay. That's not the case in other parts of California where whale watch boats can go for stretches of time without seeing any.

5alive

<Monterey is not my favorite place. It is an OK city and the aquarium is good. The drive down Big Sur is the highlight>

Agree that Monterey is not my favorite city either. But I really like Carmel and would stay there if possible. My brother found a place in Carmel on Travelocity that was quite affordable this summer, so look around. Monterey Aquarium, a whale watching trip and also a visit to the Mission at Carmel together make for a nice short trip to this area.

If Big Sur is closed but you have an extra--hour?--you could choose to drive from San Francisco to Monterey/Carmel via the coast, rather than on 101. I stayed at Half Moon Bay last summer and did this route. Some beautiful coastline and impressive high waves. It really depends on your itinerary and where you end up staying in the Bay Area whether this is feasible.

Kay2

"Please clarify - SFO is on the east side of the peninsula, but you have to cross a long bridge and use some busy highways, so avoid rush hours. "
I was referring to the poster's plan to fly into the Bay area, then drive to Lake Tahoe. One route is across the San Mateo bridge on Hwy 92 to I-880, but one could drive up through SF on 101 to the Bay Bridge I-80 (through Oakland and Sacramento).

5alive has a good idea for someone who wants to see a bit of dramatic coastline closer to SF than Big Sur--Hwy 1 from Pacifica to Half Moon Bay. I like the tide pools at Half Moon Bay, but not a major destination for an international visitor.

Another Redwood Park is Big Basin Redwoods State Park between the coast and San Jose.

Patty

Hwy 1 is open for about 60 miles south of Carmel through Big Sur to the town of Gorda. I like the stretch of Hwy 1 between San Francisco and Santa Cruz as well. It's not as dramatic as Hwy 1 through Big Sur but still very pleasant.

5alive

Kay2--yes but I'd have them just do the whole route, Pacifica all the way down to Monterey. I actually also liked the part south of Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz or so.