jfawp

I have read so many post, books, maps, etc, I'm going around in circles, it seems - plese help. Finally decided on south of SF instead of north so here goes:
Arrive SF Sept. 8th - reservations at Rex Hotel for 3 nights (may need to cancel 3rd night and do only two nights at start of trip) Leave SF on 11th and go to Mariposa via 120E to 140 E, stay in Mariposa 2 nights, see what we can of Yosemite. (waited to late to get in Yosemite Lodge).
Leave Mariposa on 13th - drive to Cambria vs. Hwy 140/49 then 41 S - view Hearst Castle, night of 13th in ______?_______. That would leave 2 days/nights to drive up coast back to SF for a week, checking back in Rex Hotel on 16th for a week.
Does this sound crazy, doable or what. Do I need to leave out Yosemite all together and spend week on coast from SF to Hearst and back? Help please. According to Google, it's roughly 600 miles to do this loop. Don't want to feel like we're spending a week in the car. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks

saps

Be aware that there is a major detour around 140 and it is closed to normal traffic. They have two escorted trips around the rock slide a day.

Make sure you do your research about this trip. There is lots of information on this site.

saps

See this current thread

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34850611

Suzie

You are aware that a rock slide on 140 has cut off Mariposa from Yosemite? Right now they are busily trying to build 2 bridges to take travelers around the slide since the slide area is o huge that it can not be repaired. Here is a link to the incident report and information on the twice per day escorted trips:

http://inciweb.org/incident/announce...icle/236/1260/

If you miss the escort you will have to drive up to Groveland and enter via Big Oak Flat entrance unless you want to drive to Fish Camp and enter on 41 and drive to the valley.

Suzie

Wow we all posted together. Sounds like we are a naggy bunch!

jfawp

Susie, no you're not a naggy bunch. It's like I said, I've read so much I'm going in circles, forgot all about the slide. THANK YOU. I was just looking at Mariposa cause they had reasonable room rates, etc and couldn't get inside the park . Anyhow, a post on Trip Advisor said Sept. was his least favorite out of all the months, should I just cancel this part of the trip and spend the week on the coast? Thanks - Jean

Suzie

September, least favorite time? Well that’s one opinion. One year my DH “had” to spend 3 weeks in Yosemite. I took our 1 year old there to visit his daddy several times and I thought that Yosemite was soooo beautiful. I am so over the whole waterfall thing though so maybe that has something to do with it. Since then we have gone many more times in the fall. I would not miss Yosemite in September if I had the chance. We had a really snowy winter this year and when we were in Mammoth during July there was still plenty of snow on the mountain. Since Mammoth has similar elevations to those in Yosemite there is probably enough snow to make the waterfalls at least marginally interesting. The weather is about perfect in Sept. Don’t pass it up.

Check this site often for cancellations.

http://www.yosemitepark.com/lodges2c...D=22&PageID=36

Lots of last minute cancellations free up rooms in the valley. You can also continue to try Yosemite View Lodge which is really close to the Arch Rock entrance that is on the Yosemite side of the rock slide and not affected by it.

J_Correa

I think Yosemite is beautiful all the time - the waterfalls wont be raging in September, but there is SO much more to Yosemite than the waterfalls.

I agree about trying to stay in El Portal rather than Mariposa if you can't get into the valley. There are also places in Yosemite West, which is outside the park, but you would never know it. Check and see what you can find. Staying in Mariposa, which is west of the slide, would be a hassle.

janisj

Trip Advisor can be a dangerous site . . . .

"sept. least favorite" - that is plain silly. There is something wonderful EVERY month. The waterfalls are reduced - but the weather is terrific, the crowds are gone, and the views will knock your socks off.

Book a place in Yosemite West or El Portal and then keep checking for cancellations at the Lodge - or heck even Camp Curry if you want to rough it a bit.

jfawp

Thanks gals & guys - I like the looks of Yosemite West, will call when I get home from work to see if anything available. Now back to my original critiquing - please help me on the other things - have about decided I need to cancel the 10th at Rex to get on the road sooner for the outside of SF trip. Hubby wanted to rest up a day or two before taking off to parts unknown, but that looks like to few days to do/see areas on my first critique question. Thanks, Jean

jfawp

One more question (For the time being), how does Yosemite Cedar Lodge compare to Yosemite View Lodge? Are they near each other and how long a drive from them into the main section of the park? Woops - more than one question, I'm sorry!!

saps

I don't understand your first critque question.

This is what I understand your trip to look like:

You will be in SF 2 nights.
You leave for Yosemite for 2 nights.
You will go to Cambria for 1 nights.
You will drive back up to SF in 2 days.
You will spend a week in SF.

Yosemite to Cambria to SF will be alot of driving but it is very doable and Yosemite is worth a visit even if for 2 days.

Suzie

Yosemite View Lodge and Cedar Lodge are both in El Portal but the Yosemite View Lodge is right on the Merced River. Yosemite View would be my first choice.

jfawp

Yes, that is pretty much what I was looking at, but after I started mapping it, I realized it was quite a bit to put in that space. I could drop Hearst Castle, how much driving would that cut off, and head straight over to the Monterey area or would it be better to drop Yosemite and just hit the coast line for a week? Thanks for ALL your help, Jean

saps

I am assuming that you have to be in SF on the 16th. You can always take a day or two off of the final SF visit (if you are able to) to make your trip a bit more leisurely.

If you want to see Yosemite, Hearst Castle and Monterey it is doable.

SF to Yosemite is about 4 hours
Yosemite to Cambria (going south through Big Sur) is about 5.5 hours
Cambria to Monterey is about 2 hours
Monterey to SF is about 2.5 hours

These are travel times without traffic.

No one can tell you what is better! It all depends on your priorities.

If you pass on Cambria just be aware that you are missing some of the most beautiful coastal views anywhere.

4bams

we just did san fran to yosemite to monterey to san fran in 10 days. yosemite was the highlight- why spend so much time in san francisco? if you have a week at the end, why not cut out a day or two earlier and give yourself more time to the the rest of your itinerary

jfawp

4bams - it's a long story!! I was in SF in Dec/Jan of this year on my honeymoon. Had to cut it short because of emergency back home - promised hubby we'd come back - if he had his way we'd spend the WHOLE 2 weeks in SF - he's never traveled much, I've traveled a lot - so I know what else is out there!! Anyhow, that's it in a nutshell!! He thinks we need the down time in SF (if there is such a thing!!), But I have talked him into a day later getting back into SF - maybe I can swing 2 more extra ones - thanks for everyones help. Jean

jfawp

trying to finish my itinerary this weekend. Would it be better to go down the coast from SF to Cambria then to Yowemite and back to SF or reverse that trip. If driving from Sf to Cambria, is Hwy 1 the way to go all the way? Maps on Us says it is 297 miles going down Hwy. 1 to Cambria is 3 days enough to drive this, seeing the main attractions?

trippinkpj

We had a lot of rain and snow in CA this year. So I'm thinking the waterfalls may be better than most Septembers.

Micah

FYI, Highway 140 leading to the Arch Rock entrance to Yosemite Valley is now open during dayligt hours - 6am to 8pm. There is a half-mile detour to cross two bridges and that is it. The Arch Rock Entrance is the closest entrance to Yosemite Valley. Staying in Mariposa is delightful and away from the crowds in Yosemite.