May 26th - Jun 3rd in North California
 

Hello..

I am in the initial stages of planning a trip to California for 10 days in May (May 26th - Jun 3rd). We are just two of us husband and wife, and have already been to some parts in southern CA like Disney, San Diego, LA etc..and so would like to explore the north this time. We would like to spend some time in Napa/Wine county and Yosemite..but are looking for suggestions on how we should plan this trip..

We will be coming from NYC area, so can fly directly into San Francisco..and start and the end the trip from there.

Any suggestion on how to plan the 10 days? and would we get any accomodations in yosemite if we were to try and book now? if yes, what accomodations in yosemite should we try for? and how many days should we keep for each of these places? Also any other places that we can visit or should visit while in this area?

Thanks as always for all your inputs..

In-park lodging at Yosemite almost impossible to get at that time. http://www.yosemitepark.com/yosemite-lodge.aspx for lodging link. That is your hardest booking. I'd work the trip around any possible lodging you can get. I would say a minimum of 2 nights for Yosemite.

I would not be in wine country during the weekend. It's getting way too crowded. There are only 2 north-south roads, Highway 29 and Silverado Trail. ST will have lots of bicyclists on the weekends.

Depending on your interests, your place to stay there would differ. I like Calistoga, although it's losing it's small town charm. Lots of mud baths and good cuisine there.

There's also Sonoma's Valley of the Moon, just about 10 miles west of Napa Valley. Less crowded, no less expensive.

It's hard to know where go that weekend. Napa/Sonoma and Yosemite could be crowded then. As previously suggested you really have to find lodging for Yosemite first and then you can proceed with the rest of your visit.

If you can't find in park accomodations then about 30 min outside the west entrance you can try El Portal. Save your entrance receipt -it's good for 7 days.

http://www.yosemiteresorts.us/

Yosemite View is right on the Merced River which will be roaring at that time due to snow melt.

How much do you plan to spend per night?

This is Memorial day weekend. Make your plans ASAP and start making reservations if at all possible for Yosemite. Call daily for cancellations.

Have you been to Lake Tahoe? Great place(s) to visit too.

You might want to consider including the beautiful coastal areas between SF and Big Sur.

Thanks everyone. Some really good suggestions...I see that there are some accomodations available in tht week in curry village, which are basically non-heated tents..There is also some availability in Tenaya Lodge, but its very expensive:-(..We are ok to spend upto 150/night if possible...

How are the tents in curry village? They are $142/night+tax, so wondering if they are worth staying in for two nights or so, or are they uncomfortable? We have done camping before in tents and we do love the experience..its just that paying 142/night for the same is different:-)

Also, we were thinking if we should do Napa/Sonoma and Yosemite or should we skip Napa/Sonoma and instead so Yosemite and Lake Tahoe..any suggestions here? We will be flying in and out of SFO..

Thanks!!

If you find it difficult/impossible to get lodging in something nicer than a tent in Yosemite, try lodging in El Portal or even Midpines. You just have to get up earlier in the morning to get to the valley. http://hotelguides.com/california/el...ca-hotels.html
For a 1 or 2 night stay that is cheap (comparatively) DW and We have stayed at the "BUG" HI Hostel near Midpines. They have a YARTS bus stop at the foot of their driveway. We never rode that bus but it could avoid a parking hassle if the parking lots are crowded.

Personally, I'd grab those Crury tent accommodations (they may even be gone by now). You won't do better for the price/location for a short trip.

The tents at Curry Village get mixed reviews. Personally, I hated them. We are campers, so I didn't mind the tent idea - it's just that the tents are very close together and you have to be a sound sleeper to ignore all the snores and baby cries and other sounds in the next tent. After 1 miserable night I begged my way into a rustic cabin in Curry Village. Much better! I can't believe they charge $142/night for those tents.

My Australian relatives stayed at Evergreen Lodge just outside the park and enjoyed the cabins there. Lodging in El Portal is not that far away either. You might not have much choice at this late date, but only you can decide if the tents at Curry Village will work for you.

As always we are making a last minute trip plan and will be buying our air tickets this week sometime monday or so, when the prices will be a lil better as compared to the weekend, once we have that, i'll do the reservations. We might just go with El Portal..those tents from the photos look very close to each other,and dont really look worth spending $150/night..Lets see how much do the el portal hotels charge.

Any opinions on whether doing Yosemite + Lake Tahoe is better or Yosemite and Wine counties?

Thanks

Since the Curry Village tents have a full cancellation policy, I would snag the reservation, and then if you find something better - go for it.

I can't sell my family on tent cabins in Yosemite at $100+/night anymore - they say it isn't worth it - but we've all been several times, so our perspective is different. If we'd never been and this was our only way to stay IN the park, they might have a different opinion.

There is a lot to be said for staying IN Yosemite Valley, esspecially when you only have a couple days. The morning and evenings there are my favorite times - and you don't get that first-thing-in-the-morning experience if you stay outside the park.

But then there are a lot of negatives for Curry Village too, as people have pointed out - crowding, noise, expense... It really is a trade-off and you just have to decide what is most important to you.

If you have never been to Napa or Sonoma, then you should go, at least spend one night going to/ from Yosemite. You could also fit in Tahoe, depending on the time you have for the rest of the trip. BUT, there are wine growing areas all over California. Napa and Sonoma are just the most famous. Amador County is in the Sierra foothills, along Hwy,49 on the way to Yosemite. This viticultural area is known for it's Zinfandels.

http://www.touramador.com/wineries/

This area is also part of the historical gold country. Closer to Yosemite is the Calaveras wine country:
http://www.calaveraswines.org/

Murphys is the main tourist town in this area.

These areas have cute inns and historical gold country towns.

Lot s of choices. Tahoe is beautiful too. Hummmm, I would try to do it all!