Am making plans for a vaction to California this summer for my husband and myself. We would like to include a couple of days in San Francisco, a visit to Yosemite, and a drive down the coast at least as far as Hearst Castle.

What would be the best time of year to visit weather wise and crowd wise? We are flexible with this.

We have at least 12 days and could expand to 14 if needed. Would anyone care to point us in the right direction for an itinerary for this trip?

I am not sure which city to fly into, and if I should back track and fly out of the same city. I guess that may depend on the cost of the rental car drop off and the airfare for doing a one way?

I would appreciate any help you guys can give in planning this trip.

Just a little info. We have visited San Franciso once before, for a short 4 day trip, so have seen the major sites there, but loved the city and would like to at least spend a night or two there on the front or back end of the trip.

What if you flew into Sacramento and went from there to Yosemite. Then to SF and then South to Hearst Castle and eventually flying home from Los Angeles..either Burbank airport or LAX??

just one quick comment right now

BTW the open jaw suggestion into Sacramento (or Reno) and out of SF or LA makes a lot of sense and drop off fees won't be much compared to the hassle of back tracking.

What do you mean by "summer"? Do you have flexibility? Unfortunately, high summer is not a great time at Yosemite because of the massive crowds and the low water levels in the waterfalls. And high summer can be cold and foggy in SF and along the coast.

So if you could go in May it would be better - great weather on the coast, lots of water in the waterfalls, and fewer crowds everywhere. Or in Autumn - the absolutely best weather on the coast. Low water levels in Yosemite but clear crisp days and fall colors partly make up for it.

Thanks for the quick replys. Yes, we do have flexilbity in our schedule. May would be doable, but I would need to get cracking to get flights booked soon. I am not familiar with booking open jar tickets like that and not sure about the added price. Was also not sure what the weather would be like in May. I had heard lots of Yosemite may still be unaccessible due to snow. True?

Is the drive southward from around Hearst Castle to Los Angeles also scenic? I have heard so much about the one just south of San Francisco, but not so much farther south.

Jan

Yosemite Valley will be totally accessible in May. What we are talking about being closed is the Tioga Pass road in the high country. It is really the only pass across the Sierras between Tahoe and southern California. But it is a long way and several thousand feet elevation away from Yosemite Valley.

If you are thinking May - then don't consider Reno airport since getting to Yosemite would mean driving the long way around to bypass Tioga Pass. Into Sacramento/San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose and out of LA would mean you wouldn't need to back track.

Open jaw tickets usually don't cost more than R-T - you need to look at "multi-city" options on most airline/booking websites. Or if you can fly Southwest, you just book 2 one-way flights since they don't price everything round trip like most of the others.

Thanks janisj,
Does my time allotement of 12 days seem okay for doing a trip such as this? How much time is required to get a decent look at Yosemite? Should I venture into Sequoia- Kings Canyon while there? What about the timeline long the coast? Just trying to figure out a scenario for how many days to spend where and in which order.

How long is the drive from Hearst Castle down to LA? Had not even thought about that in our original plans, but seems you guys think that is the best option for the return.
Jan

I've been checking out "open jaw" flights to other destinations in the US. It seems like they are pricier than they used to be (a few years ago). Still they are a good option, if the price is workable for you.

It's about half a day's drive from Hearst Castle to LA. The central coast wineries around Solvang and Santa Ynez would be on your way to LA. You could also add a night in Santa Barbara, then it's about a 2-hour drive from Santa Barbara to LA (but allow three).

I'd go immediately to the Yosemite website and see what is available, and then build the trip around that. If you can go before June 1st or after Labor Day, it will be better, but isn't really summer. April or May is good, especially for the waterfalls in Yosemite. However the Glacier Point road may be closed due to snow. September is also good weather, but often Yosemite Falls is dry by then. However you will be able to go to Glacier Point which is the tradeoff.

I'd suggest flying into the SF Bay area (SF, Oakland or San Jose). The drive to Yosemite is about 3 1/2 to 4 hours depending on what gate you go in. There are places to stay in Yosemite but they are not cheap. You may want to consider staying in Oakhurst or even in Groveland (lots of rental homes). Both are near entrances to Yosemite.

If you are planning to drive from the Hearst Castle to LA, there are some great places to stop on the way so plan a little longer than normal to get there.

As mlgb said, the Central Coast wineries are a great place to stop.

I'll reiterate mlgb's suggestion of getting lodging reservations in Yosemite Valley first and building the trip around those dates. There are options outside the park, but on a short visit you don't want to spend time driving or shuttling into/out of the Valley on multiple days.

There is no reason to get an open jaw ticket. Get the cheapest flight available RT, whether Sacramento, the San Francisco area or LA and do a round trip. You can go up or down the coast and then inland to Yosemite and perhaps Sequoia, or the Gold Country north of Yosemite, without duplicating any of the itinerary. The scenery and sites will be different coming and going.

Oh I disagree, there certainly is good reason to get an "open jaw" ticket. For one thing, in this market they are the same price as a "round trip", sometimes even cheaper.
Why backtrack when you can see more of the state? Santa Barbara is well worth a day and a night, and you can drive easily from there down into Los Angeles to experience the wonderful Getty Center and the spectacular Griffith Park Observatory.

Air tickets will be at their lowest, generally, between 45 and 60 days before your trip. Don't buy now unless you're really set on certain flight times and have no flexibility. Car rental can be booked anytime, but afterwards check monthly, as rates will generally go down closer to your trip (at least in this particular market SFO, LAX etc)...and then you can re-book.

Back in 1968 my wife and I did our first California trip. We flew to San Diego, went up the coast to SF and back down via Yosemite and Sequoia. If there was any "backtrack", it was only between LA and San Diego. I think that the OP whould look for the cheapest ticket, whether open jaw or RT, and plan accordingly.

Open jaw makes the most sense since this is such a HUGE state and having to return to your starting point really cuts how much time you have to explore. Plus w/ Southwest service so many airports in CA,. it really isn't an issue since each leg is priced separately and there is absolutely no premium for flying in/out of different cities.

janis brought up what I was thinking about using Southwest Airlines. travlrjan-Where are you flying in from? JetBlue also lets you buy separate legs.

Many thanks for all your relpies so far. I am rather confused on the logistics of making this trip. It seems in order to visit Yosemite, we will have to make a drive from San Franciso of about 4 hours. Should we then return to San Franciso in order to do the southward coastal drive to end in LA for the flight home? If not, where do we fit the Yosemite visit into the drive down the coast without back tracking?

We will be starting out from Louisville Ky, so I do have access to Southwest Airlines. I am not sure that will be my choice, however, since I have FF miles on American and hope to use them instead.

I plan to look into booking Yosemite as soon as I get a handle on this itinerary. Is it really that big an advantage to staying at an NPS property versus say one in Fish Camp? I have been reading lots of pros and cons on this.

Thanks again for all your help.

Jan

No - you don't have to go back to San Francisco after Yosemite in order to drive down the coast.

A typical itinerary could be SF > Yosemite > more or less straight across the state to Monterey > then down the coast through Big Sur, etc > LA

Or another option: Sacramento > Yosemite > SF > Monterey > southward . . . .

"I have been reading lots of pros and cons on this." The only "con" about staying IN Yosemite Valley is that you can't just pick and choose and get reservations whenever you like. If rooms are available, then it is 1000% better to stay in Yosemite Valley. Staying outside the park is only the "best" option when it is the only option.

many properties describe themselves as being just out side the park - and they are. But YNP is very large and being just outside the park does not mean you will be near Yosemite Valley

Just outside the park will be a 45 minutes to 1 hour drive from the Valley.

We've stayed in Fish Camp and in the Yosemite valley - much prefer to stay in the valley. Fish Camp is "just outside the park", but that is the south entrance, which is a good 45 minute drive into the valley where the main sights are - and we were there in the fall, so traffic was minimal. In the summer time, the drive will be longer. Staying in the valley, it is nice to already be there - you get the mornings and evenings, which are neat times of day in Yosemite and before and after the day trippers so it is less crowded.

If you can stay in the valley, I'd do it. Another option in Yosemite West, which isn't technically in Yosemite, but the access is through the park and it is closer to the valley than Fish Camp.

I still think the best use of your time is to fly SWAir into Sacramento. From there drive to Yosemite...then across to SF and South. Flying home either from LA, or back tracking up to San Jose or SFO. You could drive up/down Route #1 and see the Hearst Castle, and back via #101...thereby not backtracking over what you have already seen. Consider visiting some of the Calif. missions. They are unique and there will be several along #101 between San Francisco and San Luis Obispo..or south of there ...