Yosemite
 

My husband and I will be taking a trip to California in May. First flying into orange county and staying in Disneyland for 3 days/nights then headed to LA for some sightseeing and then on Wednesday night heading to San Francisco and will probably stop somewhere for the night. We have never been to San Francisco and plan on sightseeing and then after a full day in SF we want to go to Yosemite. What is the best scenic route to go there? We also will be needing to fly back home after Yosemite and need to know the closest airport from Yosemite. We will be leaving SF Thursday night and head on our way to Yosemite and will need to stop somewhere for the night. It's actually going to be a quick trip because we need to fly back home sometime Saturday. Any suggestions would be great since we have never done this trip before

Let me make certain I understand your itinerary:

Wednesday - Leave LA, heading for SF, and staying somewhere south of the latter.
Thursday - Arrive in SF. Tour SF. Leave for Yosemite, staying somewhere outside that natural wonder.
Friday - Arrive at Yosemite. Tour Yosemite. Leave Yosemite.
Saturday - Return home from SF.

Is the above correct? Because if it is, I'm going to suggest something that I consider akin to blasphemy: skip Yosemite and just spend Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the Bay Area. There's MORE than enough there to occupy just under three days, and you'll save a lot of gas, money, and stress just sticking to that one area.

The Bay Area is worth three days (minimum). Yosemite and Sequoia are worth three days (minimum). But you can NOT do both SF and Yosemite in three days. I suggest you simply not even try.

>><i>if it is, I'm going to suggest something that I consider akin to blasphemy: skip Yosemite and just spend Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the Bay Area.</i><<

I agree - OR - Skip San Francisco. One or the other. You simply don't have adequate time for both. The only reason I'd suggest dropping SF is that this has been the wettest year for five years and the waterfalls in Yosemite in May will be SPECTACULAR.

I'd visit San Francisco sometime in the future - preferably in September/early October when the Bay area weather is at its best.

My husband will have a hard time even agreeing to one day in San Francisco so that's not really an option he has never been to California and the only way for me to even get him there is for Yosemite. We could fly back home on Sunday. We knew we wouldn't be able to explore much of Yosemite and just to see part would be awesome.

>>California and the only way for me to even get him there is for Yosemite.<<

Then follow my suggestion and skip San Francisco . . .

Try for a booking NOW -- likely they are full but there are frequent cancellations. If they are full, make a 'provisional' booking at Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal (you can always cancel if you are successful eventually getting a reservation in the Valley)

You DON'T want to visit SF, then leave in the evening and stay somewhere on the way to Yosemite. There is nowhere nice to stop.

If you don't have kids or grandkids to take to Disneyland, I sure wouldn't spend much time there.
The closest airport to Yosemite is Fresno (FAT).
You didn't let us know where you are flying into Orange County from.
You can get from San Francisco to Yosemite without a rental car by using the Amtrak bus over to Oakland and taking a San Joaquin train to Merced and the YARTS bus into the Yosemite Valley.
Check the YARTS schedules for a bus to Fresno from Yosemite.

>>If you don't have kids or grandkids to take to Disneyland, I sure wouldn't spend much time there.<<

Why the heck not? Some adults love DL -- some don't get it. Apparently you don't - but since the OP is planning 3 nights there my guess is they are in the pro-DL camp.


We get the same thing on the Europe -- almost every single time someone going to Paris mentions they plan a day at DL Paris we get all the "WHY?" "Waste of time/money" "Ridiculous" - putting people down.

I love Disneyland and some of our kids/ grandkids are staying where we are. The only reason I was considering stopping in San Francisco is because our youngest and her husband were going to take the drive that far with us and they would fly home Thursday evening. Then my husband and I were going to go to Yosemite after we drop them off at the airport. We both love visiting old towns and read that there are a few between Yosemite and San Francisco. So if we don't actually make it all the way to the park would it still be worth going part way?

"So if we don't actually make it all the way to the park would it still be worth going part way?"

No. There is plenty to do and enjoy in SF without venturing into the basically featureless Central Valley.

There is really nothing interesting in between SF and Yosemite and the drive takes about 4-5 hours. Keep trying to reserve in the Valley, you might have to keep calling.
I love Disneyland also and do not visit with children. Have fun.