Trip to San Francisco, redwoods and Yosemite
Jul 15th, 2013, 07:48 PM
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Trip to San Francisco, redwoods and Yosemite
I am attempting to plan a trip to San Fran, redwoods and Yosemite. We have 10-14 days and 5 kids. My husband wants to see the redwoods and Yosemite The kids and I want to do that and see San Francisco. Where should we fly in? Their ages are 9-14. What are must-sees? Where should we stay? So much to do and so little time. Any advice is very appreciated!
Jul 15th, 2013, 08:02 PM
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Fly into SFO,
To see a variety of redwoods plan on visiting Muir Woods to see coastal redwoods then when you visit Yosemite you will see the Giant Redwoods which are shorter but wider.
Get your accommodations in Yosemite right away of you haven't already:
www.yosemitepark.com
To see a variety of redwoods plan on visiting Muir Woods to see coastal redwoods then when you visit Yosemite you will see the Giant Redwoods which are shorter but wider.
Get your accommodations in Yosemite right away of you haven't already:
www.yosemitepark.com
Jul 15th, 2013, 08:51 PM
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If it's for this year, you're probably SOL on Yosemite. It will be solidly booked through the middle of October.
To refine Suzie's link, http://www.yosemitepark.com/lodging.aspx
There's a lot to see in SF, which should take up several days by itself. Go to a Giants game, if the season is still on. The kids will love it.
To refine Suzie's link, http://www.yosemitepark.com/lodging.aspx
There's a lot to see in SF, which should take up several days by itself. Go to a Giants game, if the season is still on. The kids will love it.
Jul 16th, 2013, 06:37 AM
#5
Do a price compare on flying to Oakland, San Jose or even Sacramento including the car rental. If you do fly into SFO take BART into the city and than rent the car downtown when you need it the next day.
When you decide on the dates, get the Yosemite reservations ASAP. Be sure to see Mariposa Grove in Yosemite.
The easiest place to see Coast Redwoods from San Francisco would be Muir Woods going over the GG bridge.
When you decide on the dates, get the Yosemite reservations ASAP. Be sure to see Mariposa Grove in Yosemite.
The easiest place to see Coast Redwoods from San Francisco would be Muir Woods going over the GG bridge.
Jul 16th, 2013, 06:49 AM
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You might also want to check the fares for flying into Oakland...across the bay from SFO. Might be cheaper for five, might not but worth the effort. Children might enjoy: Alcatraz tour (famous closed prison on an island in the bay..have the older ones read the novel Al Capone Does My Shirts beforehand), a cable car ride, going down the Crooked Street in the World, visiting the reopened Exploratorium, not sure where you are from but walking Ocean Beach, having a sundae at Ghirardelli Square, looking and listening to the sea lions off Pier 39, researching what Golden Gate Park has to offer to see if any of the museums/the academy/tea garden will appeal to your family,walking across the Golden Gate Bridge. Whole-heartedly agree on a Giants game and Muir Woods.
Can't offer you much advice in the way of accommodations...maybe by the Wharf area? If you are going to rent a car, the parking of the car will be a consideration with the SFO hotel. Feeding your family in SFO will require some thought, too. The food court in the basement of Macys at Union Square may provide some reasonably priced soups, salads, sandwiches. Find postings from StuDudley on this board. He provides good info. about the Bay Area. Closer you come to Sept. and Oct. (historically) the "better" weather meaning a little more warmth...a little less fog so August might be better than June. But who knows? So many weather patterns are off! You will have a grand adventure here!
Can't offer you much advice in the way of accommodations...maybe by the Wharf area? If you are going to rent a car, the parking of the car will be a consideration with the SFO hotel. Feeding your family in SFO will require some thought, too. The food court in the basement of Macys at Union Square may provide some reasonably priced soups, salads, sandwiches. Find postings from StuDudley on this board. He provides good info. about the Bay Area. Closer you come to Sept. and Oct. (historically) the "better" weather meaning a little more warmth...a little less fog so August might be better than June. But who knows? So many weather patterns are off! You will have a grand adventure here!
Jul 20th, 2013, 07:14 PM
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We just did a family trip to this area, returning yesterday, as well as having visited the Bay area multiple times in the past (and my husband used to live there). We are a family of 5, with 2 teens and a 12 year old.
Where you should stay hinges on your budget per night for lodgings. Please post back with your maximum budget/per night total.
Yosemite: The most quintessentially Yosemite lodgings are the platform tents at Curry Village. When I played with the search engine in February, it seemed their maximum was 4 people per tent, so if you rented two of them, that would be perfect.
Our own visit to Yosemite was short--two nights bookending a long day and a partial day. We stayed at the Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal. The Family Suites in the Maple building were quite large physically and slept 6 total--there is plenty of room for a rollaway bed or a sleeping mat/sleeping bag. Not sure how strict the management is on room number max. This is the closest lodging to the park outside the gates.
San Francisco: You will probably save money staying by the Airport and driving or taking Bart into the city. You are also more apt to get a hotel with a pool, as there are very few in San Francisco proper. A pool in my mind is a great way for the kids to decompress in the evening. We opted another route and stayed in Marin County at a Courtyard by Marriott. We really enjoyed it, but you could probably do better pricewise with the Airport. I would google-map any hotels to see how close they really are to a Bart station.
I would suggest you consider adding either Santa Cruz and/or Monterey to your destinations this trip.
Where you should stay hinges on your budget per night for lodgings. Please post back with your maximum budget/per night total.
Yosemite: The most quintessentially Yosemite lodgings are the platform tents at Curry Village. When I played with the search engine in February, it seemed their maximum was 4 people per tent, so if you rented two of them, that would be perfect.
Our own visit to Yosemite was short--two nights bookending a long day and a partial day. We stayed at the Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal. The Family Suites in the Maple building were quite large physically and slept 6 total--there is plenty of room for a rollaway bed or a sleeping mat/sleeping bag. Not sure how strict the management is on room number max. This is the closest lodging to the park outside the gates.
San Francisco: You will probably save money staying by the Airport and driving or taking Bart into the city. You are also more apt to get a hotel with a pool, as there are very few in San Francisco proper. A pool in my mind is a great way for the kids to decompress in the evening. We opted another route and stayed in Marin County at a Courtyard by Marriott. We really enjoyed it, but you could probably do better pricewise with the Airport. I would google-map any hotels to see how close they really are to a Bart station.
I would suggest you consider adding either Santa Cruz and/or Monterey to your destinations this trip.
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