I've got flights booked for San Francisco for the last week in April and have feverishly been trying to organise an itinerary with some difficulty. I think I've read every topic out there going back several years and it just seems to confuse me more!

I'm travelling with my mother, she has a wrist problem and I have hip issues so we're trying to limit our driving times per day as much as possible, especially since I think I've worked out just how stressful the roads are going to be!

Because of that we're not planning on anything that even vaguely resembles hiking, unless a 30min stroll to see some really awesome trees counts! So if you do have thoughts on places to stop, that's something to keep in mind along with the fact that I'm a landscape and wildlife photographer so that's what I'd prefer to be aiming for with all of the stopping points and side adventures.

I know weather's pretty changeable and unpredictable, but what's the best guess as to rain/temp/general climate?

We absolutely want to visit the Avenue of the Giants as well as Big Sur and Yosemite. And this is where I've started running into problems with distances!

I've tentatively planned the following, but would love advice, especially to do with if the distances are realistic albeit with plenty of stops for photos. We want to try to arrive at all destinations well before dark but fairly early starts aren't a big deal.

Day 1 - Arrive San Francisco at 2pm, potter around Union Sq where our hotel is
2 - Sightseeing in San Francisco
3- Sightseeing in San Francisco
4 - Drive to Mendocino (on 101 until Cloverdale and then 128) whale watching quick trip and then overnight in Mendocino - question, am I missing lots of coast that's so good it's worth cutting over earlier, say the 116 that will get me to Jenner and then up the 1 from there? How much time will that add? Is there any point heading out in a boat to try to see resident Whales as I know the migration is well over that late in April?
5 - Wine tasting in the morning and then drive to Ferndale, heading back to Garberville to stay the night
6 - Drive back to San Francisco via Avenue of the Giants - anything else that's a must stop for on that route back down?
7 - Do a minibus/Van tour of Yosemite then back to San Francisco for the night. I absolutely want to see the park, but know it's not on my mum's to do list at all, so think this is the best way of getting there in an efficient manner if i only have the one day to spend
8 - Drive down to Big Sur as far as Julia Pfeiffer Burns state park and then back up to stay the night in Pacific Grove
9 - Drive to San Francisco doing the 49 mile drive
10 - Flight at 6pm.

Basically I'm looking for some kind of sense check that this isn't totally nutty and I'm not missing something that will make me hit my head on the desk when i get back to the UK!

Spend at least one night at Yosemite. Really. Truly. Don't rush through it. Well, even one night would be a rush, but at least you'd have an evening and a morning to spend there - and those are typically the best times for landscape photography.

You mentioned that you don't like to spend a lot of time driving in a car. You do realize that it's about four hours from San Francisco to Mendocino? Point Reyes National Seashore, and Armstrong Woods (a redwood preserve), and Sonoma Coast State Park are lovely spots between San Francisco and Mendocino. And stop in the Marin Headlands for glorious views of the bridge, bay, ocean, and San Francisco.

I realize that you wrote that you really want to see Big Sur but I'd recommend that you drop that part of the trip so you have more time for Yosemite and the area north of San Francisco.

We arrived at Mendocino in deep fog. Left Mendocino in deep fog. Scariest drive of my life on Rt 1 in the fog. Didn't see one single thing in Mendocino. You could hear that ocean but you couldn't see it. We spent a day in Fort Bragg and went to Glass Beach -- very cool. Avenue of the Giants --- you will be able to just pull off the road and stroll back through some gigantic redwoods - majestic, beautiful trees.
We drove back to SF through wine country and spent a night in Calistoga (mud baths at Dr. Wilkinsons) - a nice little town.

no. 5 is off. The wine tasting is on 128 in the Anderson valley, before you get to Mendocino. You would have to backtrack and then go back to Mendocino to continue on route 1.

"no. 5 is off. The wine tasting is on 128 in the Anderson valley, before you get to Mendocino."

Actually there is wine tasting IN Ft Bragg and at the Pacific Star winery north of there so makes perfect sense leaving Mendocino.

"6 - Drive back to San Francisco via Avenue of the Giants -" Ave of the Giants is just north of Garberville so you would have seen it on the way to Garberville, not after leaving Garberville enroute to SF.

You say you want to avoid long drives - but that is just about all you have. Even day 9-- Pacific grove to SF isn't a bad drive, but then you throw in the 49 mile drive and that takes about 3 hours to complete. And if I had a bad hip - the very last thing I'd want to do is sit in a bus for 8 hours to get a glimpse of Yosemite.

I'd maybe go back to the drawing board and tweak things a bit.

Yosemite is spectacular and not to be missed. Your mom will enjoy it. I don't see how anyone couldn't help but enjoy it. I could spend a month there. I think I would pick going North from San Fran or going South. I think trying to do both is a bit much.

That is a lot of driving, too much for me. Basically, plan as follows:
San Francisco to Avenue of the Giants - 5 hrs (could be less, but it always takes us that long with rest stops, lunch, etc.)
San Francisco to Yosemite Valley - 5 hrs.
San Francisco to Big Sur - 2 1/2 hrs.
To Mendocino, about 3 1/2 hrs.
Any coastal driving will be slow and windy.
For better estimates of drive times, use www.googlemaps.com

If you decide to keep the Avenue of the Giants in your plan, I think I'd go there first (because it's further north) and then cut over to the Mendocino Coast. That way, if you get a weather report of bad fog or something, you can skip that section.

For Yosemite, you could take the train. It's a combination of train and bus through Amtrak. Yes, it would take longer, but it might be less stressful and more enjoyable. I think your mother might find she likes it afterall. There are tour packages for this trip, and I would spend 2 nights here.

With 10 days I think you'd probably be happier with only 2 locations outside San Francisco.

Agree with all of the above. In particular, a day trip to Yosemite is just too much driving, even if the views are spectacular once you get there. You've planned for 4 areas -- I think you have time for, at most, three of them.

Also agree with all the above. If you want to take Amtrak to Merced and don't want to use the bus to the valley, you can rent a car in Merced (or even Fresno). It gives you a lot more flexability with your schedule and where to stay.
Many people miss the Mariposa Grove simply because it is so far from the Valley and the waterfalls.

#5 How are you going to do wine tasting and then drive?

California is larger and things more spread out than most people think. Take elnap's advice and check maps!

Thanks all so much for your replies, we're now revising things as I get the impression we have underestimated driving times! I'd checked all distances out and didn't think there'd be any days where we'd be driving for more than five hours, but if I've muddled this up then back to the drawing board it is!

I know that a van tour of Yosemite isn't the best option, but for me it's the only one. I definitely can't do the whole drive myself, so letting someone else play chauffeur seems most sensible, and as I'm not able to hike, a longer tour isn't really of interest, and I know it seems horrific to some of you, but I am happy to snap pictures and then head back again, despite losing awesome dawn/dusk light! If one thing does get dropped off the list, this would be it and I'd just spend the extra day in the city so if anyone has done one of these tours and has a view on whether it is worth it, or particular companies to go with/avoid it would be much appreciated.

The pacific star winery was where we were planning, but I don't drink at all, so would just be going along for company and then to do the driving for the rest of the day.

Well, if the van tour is your only option, I guess I would do it. Really Yosemite deserves at a minimum 3 days, IMOP


Your day 7 and day 8 look like absolute nightmares. Either one of those cannot be done in a day. You really are not going to be getting much out of your trip after Day 3 in San Fran. I would forego a few things in order to do a few of them right.