kukulemon

Hi,
We are going to California for 10 days for a first time. (We are from Moscow). Planning to take HW1 from LA to SF, then drive to Tahoe, and then down to Yosemite NP. And then back to LA. We found place to spend night in LA and SF, but have trouble finding a reasonable priced lodge in Tahoe and Yosemite. Could somebody recommend us couple of lodges there with a nice view? Or may be a good book about it. However I am not sure we could get it in Russia.
Would appreciate any advice.
Olga [email protected]
Thank you, Olga

Yamamoto

What is your price range? As far as Lake Tahoe is concerned, do your prefer to stay near south shore where most of the casinos are, or north shore which is more of a relaxed atmosphere.

In Yosemite he Yosemite Lodge and Curry Village are two places I would recommend. In Lake Tahoe I'd recommend Harrahs or Harveys. Both have nice vies of the Lake and mountains. Wherever you decide to stay in Yosemite, it's best to find a place in the valley, otherwise it will be about a 40 minute drive each way into the park.


http://yosemitepark.com/

http://www.tahoe.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage

Rox

I think that you will need to cut down your itinerary. Your entire trip would require 1,200 miles (1,930 km) of driving. You will not have much, if any, time to sightsee. I'd say not to do SF or Lake Tahoe this time around.

For a 10 day trip I would go to LA, drive up Highway 1 to Monterey, and from there go to Yosemite and back to LA. Also, the most scenic part of Highway 1 is between LA and Monterey. North of Monterey it is not as scenic. I would recommend 3 nights in LA, 2 nights in Monterey, 3 nights in Yosemite, and the final night in the LA area before your flight home. Another option that would save you some driving would be to fly out from Fresno or San Jose instead of driving back to LA.

janis

That is an ambitious itinerary - and I usually advise less rather than more. But 10 days is enoungh to see all the things you want. Coming all the way from Russia, I assume you will not be back to California any time soon, and want to make the most of it.

So an itinerary something like this would work: 2.5 days in LA, drive to Monterrey and stay 1 or 2 nights. Then over to Yosemite for 2 days. Then to Tahoe for 2 nights (assuming you are traveling in the summer when Tioga Pass is open). Then down to SF for the last 2 or 3 nights.

If you can do an open jaw ticket -- in to LA and out of SFO or Oakland it would be a BIG time saver. If you cannot do that - the drop your car at SFO (or Oakland) and fly to LAX on Southwest. They have very low airfares even on one-way tickets so you would save the time needed to drive all the way back to LA.

In fact - since you don't need a car in San Francisco you can turn in the car and save 3 days of rental charges - which would pay for the cost of flying to LA.

There are a LOT of places to stay at Tahoe in all price ranges - what did you hope to pay? As for Yosemite - when you are traveling makes a HUGE difference. Becaus eif it is between now and the end of August you will have a fairly hard time finding a place - they often book up months ahead.

Braun

I would have to agree with Rox. There is no way to realistically fit all of your itinerary into a 10 day trip. You would need at least 3 weeks to be able to see all of the places on your list.

I like Rox's suggestion of LA, Monterey, and Yosemite. Another possibility would be LA(3 days), Monterey (2 days), Yosemite (2 days) and Lake Tahoe (3 days) and then fly out of Reno/Tahoe International Airport. With your limited time it is not worth it to go to San Francisco. With the above itinerary you will have a very good overview of California: City (LA), Coast (Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur), Mountains (Yosemite and Lake Tahoe).

One thing to keep in mind is that when you pick up a car at one location and drop it off at another, you may be charged a surcharge which can be quite expensive. It's a good idea to ask about that in advance.

Have a nice trip.

hilda

We were in Tahoe 5 years ago in June and found the summer lodging plentiful and inexpensive along the South Shore. Prices go up for July and August. Check chain web sites such as Best Western, Embassy Suites or Tahoe web sites for independent hotels. We stayed for $60-70 in a Best Western, mid June. Yosemite pricing is a different story, much more expensive, fewer rooms and bargains will be rare. Driving distances are great so stay inside the park boundaries. Yosemite is the one place you should splurge for lodging. Check natioanal park web site lodging for Yosemite. If you go outside the park, Try the Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp, formerly a Marriott if you cant get inside the park. Not the cheapest place but they generally have rooms and its nice. The driving distances into the park are vast so keep that in mind if you stay off site. If you can splurge 1-2 nights try to get the Awhannee hotel in the Yosemite valley. If they say it is booked keep calling for cancellations. It's unforgettable.
I like your itinerary, lots of driving. I understand your need to see a lot in a short time. We have done SF to Tahoe to Yosemite to SF in 7 days, its unforgettable. I have a better suggestion for your flights - fly into LA and out of SF so you are not backtracking. It may cost a little more but less driving. Enjoy our beautiful national parks.

Calitravel

I completely agree with the previous posters about eliminating some of your itinerary. I would say that LA/Yosemite/and Monterey makes the most sense.

Patty

Your itinerary is definitely possible. You will only get a taste of the areas you're visiting, but Americans do this all the time too when we're visiting foreign countries.

What time of year will you be here? Summer lodging is hard to find in Yosemite, but there are usually last minute cancellations inside the park. Go to www.yosemitepark.com to check availability and pricing. You may not have much choice and may have to just take what you can get. Curry village seems to come up most often as being available. Your best bet is to try for a mid-week stay. Monday through Wednesday gives you the best chances of finding lodging so try to time your Yosemite arrival for those days.

kukulemon

Wow! Thank you very much. I checked this website several times after I post my quetsions and there was no reply. So I lost hope. And today I just decided to try to do a search myself and found all the answers. Very happy!
Unfortunatly, we cannot cut SF and we already have a tickets to/from LA. Should we cut Tahoe? I thought it would be OK to spend 1 day on Tahoe and 2 days in Yosemite. We are not realy in casino mood (I love cards, can play all night, so better do not go
Will try to book Yosemite Lodge now.
Thank you guys again!
Have another question (actually tons, but I am trying my best to keep them inside). What food should we definitly try? What wine is your favorite in CA?

janis

You do not have to cut Tahoe - there is a LOT to see and do without ever setting foot into a casino. The mountain scenery is magnificent, the water is an amazing blue and the whole lake is easily accessible by car. Some of my east coast friends actually prefer Tahoe to Yosemite. While I would not go that far - you will not be disappointed. Places like Emerald Bay/Eagle Falls and Sand Harbor are as pretty in their own way as Yosemite.

The best way to accomplish your route is to drop you rental car off at San Francisco (or Oakland) airport and fly back to LA. This will save you a full day's driving. Plus you do not want or need a car in San Francisco.

Check the website for Southwest airlines www.iflyswa.com/ to see how cheap their fares are. And you do not pay a penalty for flying one-way.