Hello. We are currently planning a late May trip to San Francisco and surrounding area with wife and two daughters 13 and 16. First time to this area. We will have 8 full days. Original thought for itinerary looked something like 2 or 3 days in SF followed by 3 days at Yosemite NP, then two days for Sequoia NP and Kings Canyon, then back to SF. Now we would like to squeeze in a scenic drive down Hwy 1 from SF to maybe Cambria including Half Moon Bay, Point Lobos Reserve, 17 mile drive near Monterey, and Big Sur. It seems like Sequoia/Kings is adding a lot of drive time and I am also wondering if this will be anticlimactic after visiting Yosemite for three days.

Should we skip Sequoia NP and Kings Canyon altogether and maybe add those two days to our time in Yosemite and/or Hwy 1 tour??

Thanks so much for any input.

Welcome to Fodor's!

Do you already have space booked in Yosemite? If not, this is Job No. 1 with a bullet; you may need to move your itinerary around quite a bit, or even come up with an overall Plan B. It's an extremely busy time in Yosemite and things are often booked up a year in advance.

You don't need to go all the way down to Sequoia/Kings Canyon (for some reason abbreviated as "SEKI") in order to see giant sequoias, the main draw. There are impressive groves of sequoias in Yosemite National Park (the Mariposa grove being the most famous) or you can see some excellent stands of sequoias in the Calaveras Big Trees State Park, on California Hwy 4 inland from the gold rush town of Murphys.

In fact, with or without an overnight in Yosemite Valley, driving Calif. Hwy 49 through the gold rush country is a fantastic trip all on its own. There are numerous historic and picturesque towns, lots of up-and-coming wineries if that's of interest, gorgeous landscape, and of course Yosemite. Even if in the worst case you can't get accommodations in the national park, it's possible (not preferable but beggars can't be choosers) to stay outside the park boundaries and do a day trip into the valley to see the waterfalls, Half Dome and El Capitan, etc.

From there it's not impossible to shoot over to the Monterey Bay for a couple of nights visiting the various (numerous) sights - the Big Sur coast, Point Lobos, Carmel with its twee shops and historic Spanish mission, the remarkable aquarium in Monterey, Cannery Row, etc., then maybe return to San Francisco via some coast redwoods (taller than sequoias but less big around) in one of the state parks near Santa Cruz.

Here's a rough map showing some of these places; google the points on the map for more information. https://goo.gl/maps/yGqgS2epqRv

No, we do not yet have reservation and it does appear we are too late for the valley. I am seeing numerous, albeit pricey, options in Wawona (inside south gate?) and also the surrounding towns of Mariposa, Oakhurst, and Groveland. I would also be interested in hearing any opinions on accessing the park from those locations.

Thanks

>>No, we do not yet have reservation and it does appear we are too late for the valley. I am seeing numerous, albeit pricey, options in Wawona (inside south gate?) and also the surrounding towns of Mariposa, Oakhurst, and Groveland.

I pretty much agree with janis, book El Portal if you can and also try calling daily for a cancellation (they happen fairly often).
I would drop 17 Mile Drive unless you are golfers and want to stop at Pebble Beach Lodge.

Good advice so far. If you can get a reservation at El Portal, leave the car there and ride the YARTS bus into the park instead of the rental car. You may be surprised at how much snow is still left in the park.
Hope that you can get to the Mariposa Grove to see some great Sequoias.
I hope you get a stop in good weather at the viewpoint at the north end of the tunnel. The view of the Yosemite Valley from there is fantastic.
Depending on the weather, you might want to visit Monterey instead of Big Sur. The aquarium in Monterey is very good

Yosemite is quite large, beautiful and diverse. I have stayed at the hotel just outside the park near wawona. one question would be whether there will be much of line of cars waiting to get into the park. But I think if you have not seen Yosemite, give yourself that treat, no matter where you have to stay. the valley itself is fabulous, just hike around the lower falls and the valley floor. the old Ahwanee hotel is also a very special place for a meal.

I spend a lot of time in Monterey and big sur, and would also vote for a visit there.