San Francisco Itinerary help
 

Hello,
We are a family of four. Daughter 23 and son is 21. We are planning our trip for August 10-19.
Land at 1:20 on Aug 10 in San Francisco.
San Francisco 3 nights Aug 10-13
then to Monterey 1 night Aug 13
then to Yosemite for 3 nights Aug 14-17 staying in Groveland ( is this a good location to go to the park daily?)
then heading to Napa for 2 nights Aug 17-19
back to San Francisco for afternoon flight back to PA Aug 19
I have never been to the San Francisco area. Is this a good itinerary?
Thanks for your help!

>>then to Monterey 1 night Aug 13<<

1 night will give you very little time -- the Aquarium, a bit of Big Sur, Point Lobos, and some time in Carmel would require 2 nights.

>>then to Yosemite for 3 nights Aug 14-17 staying in Groveland ( is this a good location to go to the park daily?)<<

Nope. Groveland into Yosemite Valley is more than a 90 minute drive each way. If you want to be close to YNP and can't get accommodations IN the Valley, book at Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal. It is about a 25 minute drive.

I'd actually ditch Napa and add those two days one each to YNP and Monterey.

Or since you seem to be more interested in Napa than Monterey, skip Monterey and add the night to Napa & vicinity.

>>Land at 1:20 on Aug 10 in San Francisco. San Francisco 3 nights Aug 10-13<<

San Francisco 2 1/2 days

>>>then to Monterey 1 night Aug 13<<

Monterey for 1/2 day - to "sniff the air"

>>then to Yosemite for 3 nights Aug 14-17 staying in Groveland<<

We used Groveland as as an overnight stop between SF & Yosemite on our last trip. As Janisj says - it is a "haul" from the park. We then stayed in Yosemite Valley for the next 2 nights.

>>then heading to Napa for 2 nights Aug 17-19<<

1 1/4 days. You can visit a "few" things.

>>back to San Francisco for afternoon flight back to PA Aug 19<<

Friday - "Get-away day". You'll probably need to leave Napa 5-6 hours before your departure time (I've lived next to SFO for the last 35 years). Rent a good car - because that's where you'll be spending most of your time.

My opinion??? Nix Napa - and spend more time in the San Francisco, Yosemite, Carmel/Monterey/Big Sur areas. Nothing in the US compares with these regions.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...mendations.cfm

Stu Dudley

Might be better to end in SF.

Would you be able to start in Yosemite? Then Napa.

Keep trying for lodging inside Yosemite. August is difficult, though. And terribly crowded. You may even want to shorten that part.

I agree with the others that you should cut out something. What you cut out depends on your interests. I personally would cut out Napa, but I understand that for people not from Northern California, it's a "destination", I just like the Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur area, and Yosemite more.

Thanks everyone! I was able to get a room at the Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal...but, I'm going to keep trying to get a hotel in park. I am also going to ditch Napa like many of you suggested and add onto Monterey/Big Sur and possibly Yosemite. Any suggestions how to tackle Yosemite??
Thanks again for your help!!!!

I think Monterey Car Week starts August 15 this year, not sure how many if any people get there earlier. Maybe one of the others knows.

hopefully Patty will know more (I used to go pretty often but it has been more than 15 years) but I think as long as they are out of town by the 16th they should be OK. Will be a two night minimum for sure though.

We live in this area. Be very cognizant that the traffic in the SF Bay Area is terrible! Do not plan on going anywhere quickly during commute times. 10 am to about 3 pm is your best window and those are not that good sometime.

Car week in Monterey is packed. Search Concours de Elegance to get the timing. The big show at Pebble is on Sunday but the entire week prior is filled with events and crowds. Hotels may already be booked.

But I <i>think</i> they will be out of town and on their way to YNP just before Car Week settles in.

How to tackle Yosemite in August.

Get up early to be sure you can actually get into the park and find parking. Realize that you're going to want to use the shuttles. One day go to Glacier Point, and one day to the Valley. If you hike and don't have much fear of heights, Sentinel Dome gives a fantastic view (it looks scarier from below than it really is).

Go to the park website under plan your visit, especially park alerts

https://www.nps.gov/YOSE/planyourvisit/index.htm