Family of four, kids are 8 and 5, will be going to Yosemite for just one night mid-October.

Planning on leaving SF around 8:00 on a Monday morning, hoping to arrive in Yosemite Village around 12:00 or 12:30. Does this sound reasonable? We will have a rental car. Already have one night's reservation at Yosemite Lodge.

Thought we could rent bikes and tour the valley after we arrive in Yosemite on Monday afternoon. Would be great exercise after being in the car all morning.

Would love to take the kids to Mariposa Grove Tuesday morning. This is about an hours drive from the valley, correct? How much time would we want to spend there?

Would also want to take in the views from Glacier Point. Could this be done on Tuesday as well or is this too ambitious? How long of a drive from Mariposa Grove to Glacier Point?

We are planning on heading back to Oakland Tuesday evening as our flight for home leaves early afternoon on Wednesday. Prefer not to be on hilly, curvy, unfamiliar raods after dark. Having said that , what time of day should we head out of Yosemite for Oakland?

Finally, should we take Highway 120 or 140 to/from Yosemite? Is Highway 120 between Modesto and Chinese Camp curvy and hilly? For reference, we come from the midwest--pretty flat and straight!

Thanks for your time!

This was our experience. 120 is hilly and curvy, beautiful views but not for the faint of heart. We went into the park this way and exited 140 which is not bad at all. Of course we didn't have a choice as we ran into a snowstorm and all roads except 140 were closed.
I believe it took us 5hrs to drive from SF to Yosemite and about 45min to one hour the next day to drive to Mariposa Grove which we dearly loved! Did not go to Glacier Point. Have a great time!

The trip should take less than 4 hours, plus traffic time, which is unpredictable.

Sounds like you have a lot planned for 1 day.
Take hwy 140 to hwy 99 as it is not as intense as 120. but neither road is that bad.

I ride that route often both in a car and on a motorcycle. Your times sound reasonable. You will be doing the reverse commute so you should not hit much in the way of a traffic jam, once you get outside SF.

I would take Hwy 120 in both directions. It is not that bad of a drive and I don't see it much better or worse than Hwy 140. It will save you much time vs Hwy 140.

Not sure where Mariposa Grove is located, but if it is near the city of Mariposa then take Hwy 140 from there.

But take Hwy 140 all the way to I-5, not Hwy 99 and then take I-5 north to San Francisco.

As mentioned by a few posters, I would suggest H120 vs H140 as 120 is faster - we live in the East Bay and almost always take H120 (starting on H580) for that reason (although we took 140 home last time for a change of pace but regreted it)...

Plan on 4-5 hours to get to Yosemite Valley depending on where in SF you start and stops along the way. The bike idea is great with your kids as there are nice (and flat) bike paths all around the valley and they rent cruiser style of bikes so very easy.

You can do Mariposa and Glacier point easily in one day but it will be a rather long day in the car since you are then driving back to SF (but we've done it). If I were to only choose one spot out of the two, I would choose Glacier Point over Mariposa Grove due to the shorter distance from the valley floor and because of the absolutely gorgeous views of the valley from Glacier point.

I think Mariposa is closer to 1.5 hrs from the valley floor because it's about 30 min. from the valley floor to the Glacier Point turn-off, approx. another 45min to Wawona, and then about another 20 min to Mariposa Grove.
Mariposa grove is a small area and many people don't spend more than 1/2 hour there unless they stay to picnic or hike around (some nice short trails right around the area for the kids to stretch their legs).

If you then head back to the Glacier Point turn-off, it is approx. 30 minutes to Glacier point. Beyond the small visitor center, there are some great trails in that area for short hikes/walks (Taft point/Sentinel dome trails, Panorama trail if you just walk a bit down that trail, etc). Of course, you have to be a bit careful with the kids not running ahead due to the drop-offs.... The views are amazing.

Then, you'll head back towards the valley to re-connect to H 140 or H 120 (again, H120 is shorter and you'll have driven it once already plus you'll likely be out of the curvy sections and back in the valley/farmland sections before it get dark).

Don't miss Glacier Point.

Going to Mariposa Grove could be a 13+ mile day-long hike or 1+ hour stop to see some giant sequoias. It's down in the southern part of the park and would involve a good bit of driving on winding roads.

Driving out to Glacier Point, which you can't miss and must do, also is on winding roads for a good part.

Considering the amount of driving you are doing and since you can't miss Glacier Point, you might with some regret drop the visit to Mariposa Grove. But this will give you more time to spend in the valley.

It'll be getting dark a bit early in mid-October, won't it? So don't leave Glacier Point, which you must see, to too late in the day.

Was thinking about taking Hwy 140 in to Yosemite so we could visit Mariposa Grove right off the bat. We could plan on a short hike after our commute from SF to see the trees and have lunch there as well. What is near Mariposa Grove in terms of family friendly restaurants?

Could then make our way up to the valley later in the afternoon, catching the tunnel view en route.

This would leave us with the entire next day to explore Glacier Point and more of the valley before taking Hwy. 120 back to SF.

Feedback appreciated.

OK, just realized that Hwy 140 will not take us to Mariposa Grove--would have to take Route 49 to 41 off of Hwy 140.

hi scarlet and gray!

Just spent the last 1/2 hour trying to link our '05 trip report to this post -- been posting here for years and still can't ... can someone pleeeease tell me how??

But since you're going soon i wanted you to know so you can plan -- we stayed at the lodge for two nights, and did glacier point and mariposa grove the thrid day, the day we left. What you need to know is there are only TOURS now of mariposa grove, and only a handful a day so there are probably even less in october. The fare is $12 pp maybe? But i remember we just made the last tour late one afternoon, as they no longer allw you to wander thru the grove as we did on previous visits.

Also from the grove we drove to the town of mariposa overnight, about an hours drive.

Hope this helps, i'll try to link my report later.

ok, topping my report for you - hope it hleps!

ScarletandGray, at Yosemite Lodge, be prepared to ask for a different room if the first one they offer is not up to snuff. In March, our first one reeked of paint and the patio was literally in the edge of a briar patch. The second one was nothing to write home about (very small, stains on bedspreads), supposedly their deluxe. Many people I know give them a pass because of their location ... I wouldn't stay there again. I don't care if it's a state park; it's expensive enough that they could do better. I prefer staying in Mariposa, and riding the YARTS shuttle. You have a great trip!

Good info! Will check out tour schedule of Mariposa Grove before we leave. Also good to know that Mariposa Grove and Glacier Point can be done in a day, even with a commute back to Oakland. Flexibility is the key!