Yosemite area side trips
 

My adventurous 9 yo daughter and I (father) will conclude a week (7/14 - 7/21) at family camp located 20 miles west of Yosemite on HWY 120. We would like to spend another 4 days exploring/camping/fun-seeking before attending a family reunion in Hollister. We would be interested in any area between Yosemite and the central coast region. Thanks

Yikes,

Hollister is hotter than blazes in mid summer.

Unfortunately, the area between The mountains and the coast is the central valley. Nothing much to do other than look at farm land.

I would suggest either going farther east into Yosemite proper, or over shooting Hollister and going to the coast, such as Monterey or Big Sur.

Addendum to original message: We are interested in any trip around Yosemite, and the Sierras, given our reunion time constaint. Gold country and cave exploration somewhere in Calaveras are two suggestions given us.

How about making a loop through San Jose, Big Basin Redwoods Park, Santa Cruz, and Monterey and back over to Hollister? There are many things for you and your daughter to do along the way. In SJ The Tech, Roscicrucian Egyptian, and the Chidren's Discovery Museum would be fun. Big Basin has some impressive redwood trees. I also like Henry Cowell Park in nearby Felton. You can take the Roaring Camp Railroad steam train ride through the redwood forests. The train goes all the way to Santa Cruz. In Santa Cruz the Beach Boardwalk is great. In Monterey the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Point Lobos south of Carmel and 17 Mile Drive are nice.
Check the following urls for more information:
www.sanjose.org
www.bigbasin.org
www.roaringcamp.com
www.beachboardwalk.com
www.monterey.com

I think the Gold Country is a good idea - you could make your way up Hwy 49 to Nevada City. Or you could go to Lake Tahoe area - the north and west shores offer more opportunity for adventures than the south shore and stateline areas because they are a little more remote. Another option would be to go south a bit and see Sequoia and Kings Canyon. Since you have 4 days, a trip out to the coast is definitely doable - Monterey, Big Sur, Santa Cruz all have great opportunities for adventure and aren't too far from Hollister.

Zack, Sorry, I just posted this after reading your last message. I like the idea of Sequoia of Kings Canyon if you want to stay closer to Yosemite. However, with 4 days you do have enough Silicon Valley and the Central Coast.

Sorry for the typo: the last sentence should read "enough time for Silicon Valley and the Central Coast."

Big Basin will be nice and cool. Actually, so will most of the coast. Fog and all that.

If you wanted things to be at all educational, you could detour up highway 49 to Coloma. This is where John Sutter discovered Gold. They have docents on site that are just wonderful, including some living history type exhibits such as blacksmithing.

The aquarium at Monterey is great, the Boardwalk at Santa Cruz is very family oriented, they have a nifty antique roller coaster that isn't too, too scary. Kids love it.

17 mile drive is a big golf course, don't know how into that kids would be.

Maybe you'd be interested in the eastern Sierras. I thought my kids 8 & 12 would be bored with Mono Lake last summer but they loved it! You'd go east over Tioga Pass from Yosemite which would also give you a good view of the eastern part of Yosemite which is a part that lots of people miss when they focus on the valley. Also Bodie which is a pretty neat "ghost town". Take water and a hat as it can sometimes be warmer there.

Down the road from there is Mammoth Lakes which has Devil's Postpile and Rainbow Falls. I could go on and on but if you're not interested in the eastern sierras I may be wasting your time! ; )

Oh man! I reread your original post and you are interested in the area between Yosemite and coast! Sorry!

Susie. We're flexible. Perhaps eastern sierras might stretch us a little, but we are interested in the possibility. Thanks for your help.

Ok how about going to Calavaras County. The Big Trees area is really fabulous. Shady too when you'll need it on those hot July days. You could visit the Mercer Caverns near Murphys or the California Caverns near San Andreas. Need more info: http://www.visitcalaveras.org/caverns.html

Visit New Melones Lake near Angles Camp and the other gold rush towns of Murphys, Sonora & Columbia.

The town of Columbia is really fun. The downtown area is actually a state park. It's like an old west town: dirt streets, old shops, stage coach rides etc. My kids love it.
Also, right in that area is Moaning Caverns. If you like caves, this one is fun because it is different. It goes down. You either have to go down this enormous spiral staircase or (this is the best way) repel down in!