wind

Hi Fodors,
Hubby and I are traveling to California the second week of June. Arriving in San Jose. We originally plan to spend two nights in Napa Valley, Big Sur, and Yosemite each, and the last night in San Jose so we can catch our flight the next afternoon. Is this too aggressive of an itinerary? Should we skip Napa? Given that we're going to Yosemite, should we stay at two different places while visiting Big Sur, and where should we stay so that it's easier to go to Yosemite? We're in our mid-twenties, love nature, good food, but only he enjoys wine. We'd appreciate any inputs.

Hearsh

Given your short time, I would recommend spending only one night each at Big Sur and Napa Valley and four nights at Yosemite or save Napa for another trip. Each place is great, but Yosemite is farther afield so it would easier to revisit Big Sure and Napa on another trip. Yosemite is unbelievable.

MichelleY

Kill two birds with one stone: Visit wineries on the way to Big Sur. Such as the Santa Cruz area or Monterey County Wineries.

utahtea

I would also skip Napa and you can visit the many wineries in Livermore on Hwy 580 either on the way to Yosemite or on the way back. Spend as much time in Yosemite as possible. It's a national park for a good reason!

Livermore Wineries:

http://www.livermorewine.com/wineries.html

Also by June the hills in the area will be brown.

Utahtea

DavidDJ_

Although Napa is a great place to visit, I agree with others who say to skip this time. Yosemite and Big Sur are magnificent. If you would like to visit wineries, there are many in the San Jose and Santa Cruz areas. Look at the links below for more information.

http://www.guidedsolutions.net/

http://www.scmwa.com/

http://sanjose.org/

wind

Thanks to everyone who replied. We value your suggestions, and so we've decided to skip Napa. Now, how does this modified itinerary sound?
Day 1: Arriving at San Jose at 10AM. Leave immediately to Monterey. Visit the aquarium and explore Carmel. Stay over at Carmel.
Day 2: Visit Big Sur and the state parks along the coast. Stay at Big Sur.
Day 3: Visit the southern part of Big Sur and take a tour at Hearst Castle. Stay over at Cambria.
Day 4: Leave for Yosemite. Stay in Yosemite (the Yosemite lodge has no rooms left, maybe stay at Tenaya Lodge).
Day 5&6: Yosemite. Stay at Tenaya.
Day 7: Drive back to San Jose.
Day 8: Catch the 2:30pm return flight.

Question:
1.How far is the drive from Yosemite to San Jose airport? Should we stay the last night in San Jose or Yosemite?
2.Any recommendation for places to stop along Big Sur? Is my current itinerary still too aggressive?
3.What's there to do and see in Yosemite? Other than Yosemite lodge, is there any other hotels in the park?

Many thanks.

DavidDJ_

wind,

Your itinerary looks good. It takes about 4-4.5 hours to drive from Yosemite to San Jose, so I would advise staying in San Jose the night before your flight. The most convenient place to stay in the city would be downtown, which is about 3 miles from the airport.

www.sjdowntown.com

Check out www.yosemitepark.com for more information on lodging in Yosemite. If you can, stay in the valley. It will save you about 45 minutes of driving each way to and from the park. The nicest hotel in the valley is the Ahwahnee, but it is pricey. There is so much to do in the park from walking and hiking to the base of Yosemite Falls, seeing El Capitan and Half Dome, and taking various guided tours of the park. Definitely take the Glacier Point and Valley Floor tours.

Along highway 1 in Big Sur there are various vista points for you to stop along the way.

Have a great trip.

MichelleY

Dear Wind:

You may want to stay at least 2 nights in Carmel/Monterey area. It appears you are doing 3 one-nighters, which will be tiring. If you do go down to Hearst Castle, it is about a 3 hour drive from Carmel and many of the motels require 2 night minimum(on weekends). Be sure to resevere a tour at HC. You will also be near the Paso Robles wine region, so you will still be able to get in some wine tasting!!! Good luck on your trip.

Bob1

I live in this area. Couple of comments:

If you have a 2:30pm flight out of SJC I would stay in Yosemite your last night to enjoy the area more. Then get up early and head to airport. I prefer staying in Yosemite to staying in downtown San Jose and hanging around all morning before the flight.

We have stayed in cabins at WAWONA on two separate visits to the park. They are on the southern end and most are privately owned. You can get about any size you need. They are very nice. They are called THE REDWOODS GUEST COTTAGES. Phone is 209.375.6666. Fax is 209.375.6400. Just something different to consider.

Advice on skipping Napa this trip is good. Glad you are doing that. Monterey County has a lot of good wineries to visit. Get the map and have at it.

On drive south on Big Sur you may want to stop at NEPENTHE. This restaurant in good for burgers and has great vistas overlooking the ocean along with nice gift shop.

Enjoy

SAB

There are also a number of very good wineries in Carmel Valley, so with this and other recommendations you should be able to get a farily good winery "fix". Also recommend stopping at Nepenthe for lunch if possible whilst driving through Big Sur.