Planning a California Trip
 

Hi all! My boyfriend and I are looking to plan our 2nd trip to California for next summer, and we're trying to figure out how to divide up our time.

We plan to fly into LA, and out of either San Fran or Oakland.

Tentatively, we're looking at the following:

June 27: Fly into LA

June 28: LA

June 29: Drive from LA to Sequoia National Park, overnight in the park

June 30: Drive from Sequoia National Park to Yosemite

July 1: Yosemite

July 2: Yosemite

July 3: Yosemite

July 4: Drive from Yosemite to Oakland overnight in Oakland

July 5: Fly home

The reason for LA and Oakland specifically is to visit baseball stadiums in each town (we're trying to visit every MLB stadium).

Does this look like a good plan? We want to spend as much time in the parks as possible-we spent 3 days in Yosemite last year and loved it..

Also, I've heard that for the Oakland game we could stay in San Fran, which is where we visited this past summer as well to see a Giants game..but we don't really have anything else we'd like to see in San Fran. Is Oakland ok to stay in? If not, is public transportation to and from the Oakland stadium easy to manage?

Thanks in advance!

That's a holiday period, have you got your Yosemite reservations already?

No sense in going to Sequoia just for an overnight stay. You might as well go to Yosemite and see the giant Sequoias there.

Although it's a holiday, we're planning on staying at Curry Village, which still has plenty of rooms available for those dates.

@Michael..we did Mariposa Grove in Yosemite last year, which is why we were hoping for something different. Is it really a waste of time to go to Sequoia?

I would not do it as a drive through.

I don't think it is a waste of time to go to Sequoia, but I would add another night, if at all possible. 2 nights in Sequoia and 3 nights in Yosemite would be great - or even flip it around and spend 3 in Sequoia and 2 in Yosemite since you have been to Yosemite before. Sequoia is a neat park and when you combine it with Kings Canyon, there is a lot to see. Also, because there are a lot fewer visitors to Sequoia/Kings Canyon, it is a different experience than Yosemite.

It is possible to do this trip with 2 car rentals and 2 trips on the San Jocquin Amtrak train to avoid a large drop off fee on your 1 rental car.
How I would do it-your mileage may vary: land at LA-rent car to see LA-return rental-taxi/bus to LAX Amtrak station-Amtrak bus to Bakersfield-San Joaquin train to Fresno- taxi to Fresno airport to get rental car to see Sequoia and Yosemite- return rental at FAT (Fresno)-return to Fresno Amtrak and take the San Joaquin all the way to Oakland. Flying home from Oakland may be easier and cheaper than trying to get to SFO.
Flying from LAX to Oakland or SFO may be cheaper than the drop off fee.

You can stay in Oakland, but don't stay near the ballpark or the airport - neither is a particularly desirable area (that's putting it nicely)

Public transportation to the Coliseum is easy from SF as there is a Coliseum stop on BART.

Oakland has some OK parts and some very not-nice parts. If you are going to stay there, I'd be careful with where you pick. As mentioned above, you could stay in San Francisco or Berkley and use BART to get to the game instead.

Only 1 day for Los Angeles? Really???

Thanks everyone!

I think we are going to change it so that we have a full day in Sequoia, and take one day away from Yosemite so that we can have different experiences.

@tomfuller .. we did a different drop off for our rental car last year, and our fee was only $25..I doubt that 2 of us could fly from Los Angeles to San Fran for less than that..

As for Los Angeles and only having one day, the only things we're planning on really doing are the following:

Dodgers game
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Grauman's Theatre
Walk around a bit
Hopefully a brewery tour if I can find a brewery that offers a tour the days we're there

We're not really the type of people to stop and sit and stare in big cities..we like to pick out what we want to see, give ourselves a bit of time if we get sidetracked, and move on :)

"<i>It is possible to do this trip with 2 car rentals and 2 trips on the San Jocquin Amtrak train to avoid a large drop off fee on your 1 rental car.</i>" Not to mention buses and cabs . . .

I've got to say that is one crazy, convoluted, time consuming mess . . . :(

Kayla_Dawn: Your plan is fine, except as others have mentioned, not enough time for Sequoia. The drive up from LA depending on exactly where you are staying will take at least 5 hours and maybe more. So staying 2 nights will net you about 1.5 days in the park.

As for where to stay in the Bay area- first get your flights booked then we can help you find the best location . . . Which probably is not in Oakland, except for maybe Jack London Square. If you end up flying out of SFO, I'd probably stay there. You could hit the coliseum on your way in from Yosemite , and then carry on to SFO. If you fly out of Oakland -- then I'd stay in either Emeryville or Jack London Sq.

If you can drop your car for less than $30 by all means do it that way. I had the opinion that it would be over $200.
Let us know which rental car company is reasonable on drop off fees on a holiday week.
About 2 years ago, my DW and I took the Amtrak bus from Adelanto to Bakersfield and the San Joaquin to Fresno. The rental for 4 days at FAT was enough cheaper to cover the taxi.
We had a great time at Yosemite and made it back to Fresno with nearly an hour to spare for our train to Sacramento.
I have been on several trips where I rented 2 or more cars with train trips in between. I like the advantage of sleeping overnight while moving toward my destination and not driving at night. The Amtrak buses are included in the Amtrak fare or in the segments of the USA Rail Pass. DW and I will be traveling from Spokane to Baltimore next year using Rail Passes. I remember too well when we flew cross country in "B" seats five rows apart.

While in the Bay Area you could also stay at the Marina in Berkeley, which has a beautiful view of SF Bay. Or stay near the U of Calif. campus. From downtown Berkeley you can take BART to the Coliseum for a game, and avoid the traffic.

In my opinion the trees in Sequoia are far far superior to those in Yosemite. I disagree with Michaels statement. Furthermore, since Yosemite will be unbelievably packed with people for that holiday period, I would be tempted to spend far more time in Sequoia. There is a lot to do there and far less crowded(although might be busy during holiday time)

The drive from Oakland to LA would be a great way to spend 2 or 3 days on HWY 1. Channel Islands National Park, Hearst Castle, Monterey, Monterey Aquarium, McWay Falls, and Point Lobos are a few of the things to do.

Yosemite is my favorite, but since you have there and July 4, you might consider coupling it with Sequoia.

,i>While in the Bay Area you could also stay at the Marina in Berkeley</i>

good suggestion by Charnees above. We have used the Marina (Doubletree Hotel) as a base while visiting daughter in Berkeley..
BART available at several stations in the Berkeley area (to go to Oakland or San Fran..) Only five minute drive from the Marina, 4th Street in Berkeley is a fun place to visit..many restos, shops, acoiding downtown and the campus area, etc...ample parking.
Sorry you're scheduling such brief San Fran/L.A. stopovers.
stu

Thanks everyone! We'll look into staying in the Berkeley area while we're there.

We're not planning on spending much time in the cities because we would much rather spend times in the parks...I suppose living right outside of NYC you get a bit jaded of big cities. Also, we did spend a few days in San Fran just 2 months ago, so we're not itching to go back quite yet.

I think it is fine to spend most of your time in the parks and not in the cities - you can't see and experience everything in one week, afterall so you have to choose based on your priorities.

I love the fact that you are a baseball fans. Lots of minor league parks to see on the roads you are driving down too. But that is an entirely different type of trip I suppose.

I echo others in that Sequoia is a great choice. But most of the park is nowhere near the road. You have to hike a bit to see the real good stuff. But you will be utterly and entirely alone as most people just drive up, look at the trees and drive away. Once you get off the road half a mile the real Sequoia park begins. But you would have to camp.

Yosemite valley in the summer is not something most locals do if they can avoid it. Better to be up 120 Tioga road but it means you would have to camp.

In Oakland you can camp at Anthony Chabot Regional park which is a great base of operations for the rest of the bay area. But you would have to camp.

If hotels are the only option Curry Village is fine. I have never stayed in a hotel around Sequoia so I can't comment on that.

I agree with Chris about spending time along Tioga Road. As much as I love the valley, I don't love it during the summer. It's ridiculously overcrowded. But the high country is just as beautiful, with a fraction of the visitors. You wouldn't necessarily have to camp, you could stay at Tuolumne Meadows Lodge which is a step above camping.

If it were me, I'd take time away from the valley and spend it in the high country and at Sequoia.