MicheleVee

I would appreciate any and all advice regarding a trip my husband, daughter (age 13) and I are planning for late July/early August. We will be flying from NJ into SF to visit our relatives for a few days, renting a car, and then starting out on a 10-day adventure. This was our original plan: (1) Drive from SF to Sequoia National Park (to see the redwoods, not hike, camp, etc.) and stay overnight, (2) Head toward Las Vegas, visit the Hoover Dam and spend some time on the strip (2 nights), (3) Head for the Grand Canyon (1 or 2 nights), and (4) eventually finish up in Phoenix to visit other relatives and stay 4 nights. Since I've been perusing this sight for a number of days, I now am interested in adding Napa or Sonoma to the itinerary. Logistically I don't know if this makes sense, but it sounds like an area I'd love to visit! Does this sound like we're packing too many destinations into 10 days? I feel like I have so much information and don't know what to do with it. Thanks so much. Michele

bobludlow

Are you visiting your relatives during a weekend? Ask them to show you there favorite napa or sonoma wineries while you are with them.

As for San Francisco to Sequoia to Vegas to Grand Canyon to Phoenix, it is certainly do-able though you will spend lots of time in the car. You're talking about a grand total of over 1,200 miles driven for those four legs. I'm not sure many 13-year-olds would stand for that, but you know your daughter better than any of us know her.

GailLK

You are adventurous! Also from NJ and have done a trip similiar to yours. I would definitely add in Napa which can be done as a side trip from S.F.
I think Napa is closer than Sonoma to S.F. You can also do Hoover Dam on the drive through to Grand Canyon so you have more time to visit Las Vegas. You should also stop in Sedona AZ after Grand Canyon on your way to Phoenix. It's really a beautiful place.
Can't comment on Sequoia Natl Park, but we did stop and see Muirwoods which was nice. Have a great time!

MicheleVee

We will be visiting our relatives in SF over a weekend (Saturday through Monday), so perhaps we'll head over to Napa or Sonoma on Sunday and spend the day there. Thanks for the suggestion. Luckily my daughter is a really good traveler (especially because she will be looking forward to each of our destinations). I guess I'm most concerned about where to stay in the Sequoia and Grand Canyon destinations, and if the amount of time we're planning at each location is logical.

MicheleVee

Since we are most interested in seeing the giant redwoods (rather than hiking through the park, etc.), is Sequoia National Park the best choice? I am not familiar at all with northern CA (other than SF).

dmlove

Are you visiting your relatives during a weekend? Ask them to show you there favorite napa or sonoma wineries while you are with them.

Any chance your daughter could stay home (i.e. the relative's home) while you tour the wineries? Except for the possibility of poking around a couple of small towns (depending where you end up), winery touring is pretty boring for a 13-year old.

MicheleVee

Our relatives will probably want to come with us to tour the wineries, so that might not be an option. However, usually if there's any kind of shopping in the area, my daughter is happy ...!

J_Correa

Regarding Sequoia NP - it is a good park for seeing the giant sequoias without doing a lot of hiking. In Grant Grove and the Giant Forest area, there are easy paths (paved, mostly flat, less than a mile) that take you past some really magnificent trees. If you want a little more of a hike (still relatively flat, but on dirt) check out Crescent Meadow.

WuksachiStaff

I may be a little biased but I totally agree! Sequoia National Park is home to some of the largest trees on the planet, including the General Sherman tree (the world's largest living thing). You can see many of them without putting in a long hike, but there are a number of very easy 1 to 2 mile hikes taking you past some magnificent trees. I would also advise checking out Moro Rock during your time in the park. It is a big granite dome you can hike to the top of, and there are stone steps cut right into the side of it so it's nowhere near as intimidating as might be expected. From the top you have an amazing view of the valley and the High Sierra. For more information about the park I invite you to visit our website www.VisitSequoia.com. Good luck planning your trip and I hope you and your family have a great time!

MicheleVee

Thanks very much for the information on Sequoia NP. Does anyone have a recommendation for a nice, clean hotel in the vicinity of Sequoia NP, as well as one for the Grand Canyon area? Do you think it's worthwhile to book a hotel right on the South Rim?

J_Correa

We've only camped at Sequoia, so I can't recommend any lodging.

Moro Rock is great, but make sure if you do the hike, you do it on a clear day. We've been up there when the valley air was hazy - combination of heat, smog, and lack of wind makes for some reall bad air in the central valley. That really cuts down the views. On a clear day though, you can see really really far.

dmlove

Although I live in California, I've never been to Sequoia. Now I want to go! Is it like Yosemite, where you have to make lodging reservations a year in advance? Is there lodging inside the park itself?

J_Correa

We went to Sequoia for the first time a few years back - we had a trip planned to Yosemite that we had to cancel and this was our back up plan. We planned on going to Yosemite in May, but due to schedules, couldn't go until July. Even if we could have gotten lodging or campsites in Yosemite that time of year on short notice, I did not really want to go there in the height of summer. So we chose Sequoia instead and had a fabulous time.

I don't know what the lodging reservations are like since we camped - there are several choices inside the park though. We made campground reservations about 3 months in advance and were able to reserve a great spot right on the river. We were there for 4 nights and the campground was only full on Saturday night. Not nearly as many people visit Sequoia NP, so even though it was the height of summer, we found it really easy to get away from other people. The only crowded trail we were on was to Tokopah Fall, and the traffic on that trail didn't compare to say the trail to Vernal Fall in Yosemite.

spirobulldog

Wuksachi Lodge directly in Sequoia park and about 10 minutes away from the biggest tree on the planet. The lodging there is ok, and the food is very very good at the restaurant. If you are interested in seeing big trees this is the place. These are Sequoia Trees (inland redwoods). The coastal redwoods are taller but not nearly as big in diameter. You will want to hike Congress Trail. You might want to see Moro Rock, or the cave. You may not be hikers, but it might be hard for you to pass up a few of the easy hikes. They are really nice. You could go thru Death Valley in route to Vegas. This time of year will be unbelievably hot there. You will not want to get out of your car for long. Grand Canyon will be hot then as well. El Tovar is the best place for Lodging in Grand Canyon, but it is the most expensive. One night might be enough at the Grand Canyon if you aren't doing any hiking there. Consider a helicopter flight there.

WuksachiStaff

Thanks for the plug spirobulldog! Yes, Wuksachi is a great place to stay and is centrally located right in the heart of the park. If you are coming to Sequoia during the summer months I would advise making your lodging reservations as far in advance as possible. We take reservations up to a year and a day in advance, but unlike Yosemite it's not absolutely necessary to book that far ahead of time (Sequoia only gets about 1/3 of the visitors that Yosemite usually does). However, one of the factors that goes into our rates is how close we are to any given arrival, so you may get a lower rate by booking far in advance rather than waiting until the last minute. Additionally, rates are also generally lower during the off-season (approximately late fall to early spring). If you book directly through our website www.VisitSequoia.com you can avoid the commission and extra fees that some of the other internet travel sites charge, and you can cancel up to 48 hours prior to arrival for a full refund.

sandys

We stayed at Wuksatchi Lodge last September, and agree with others that it is the nicest place to stay in Sequoia. The food at the restaurant was very good also. You have easy access to very short trails not far from the lodge - within 10 miles or so. I would suggest two nights at the park, though. It will probably take you around seven hours to drive to Sequoia from San Francisco, so after picking up your car and then driving there, you will have very little time to see the park that day.

Also, as another poster has said, try to fit in Sedona, Arizona en route to Phoenix. Sedona ia absolutely beautiful and has fun shopping for your daughter.

MicheleVee

Thanks for all of your help! This is what we've got so far: (1) 4 days/nights in SF visiting relatives (and hopefully fitting in one day at Napa during this time); (2) leave early Tuesday morning for Sequoia and arrive late afternoon; (3) visit Sequoia N.P. on Wednesday, leave Sequoia early Thursday morning, arrive in Las Vegas early evening; (4) visit Las Vegas all day Friday and leave early Saturday morning; (5) stop at Hoover Dam on the way to Grand Canyon and arrive Williams late evening; (6) tour Grand Canyon (including train ride) all day Sunday; (7) head for Sedona early Monday morning and stay overnight; (8) head for Phoenix on Tuesday morning and spend 3 nights relaxing and visiting relatives; (9) Fly back to NJ on Friday afternoon. I know there are a lot of long driving stretches in this trip. However, we are very good car travelers (we have relatives and friends living 4-5 hours from our home and we are used to these long drives). But the people reading this forum are much more experienced vacation travelers than we are! We gladly welcome your comments/suggestions. Thanks again! Michele