Need 7- to 8-day Itinerary for San Francisco to LA in June w/3 Teens. Yosemite too?
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Need 7- to 8-day Itinerary for San Francisco to LA in June w/3 Teens. Yosemite too?
We want to to a California Trip in June w/ our 3 teen boys. We are "fast" travelers and don't linger or need lots of site-seeing time. Is there any route that might work for us to fly ito
We want to to a California Trip in June w/ our 3 teen boys. We are "fast" travelers and don't linger or need lots of site-seeing time. Is there any route that might work for us to fly ito San Francisco, drive to Yosemite, AND then get back to coast points down to LA (or in reverse). I couldn't find an itinerary that included all this. Is it just too much to cram in? Any suggestions or any links that tackle all this?
There are plenty of driving routes that cover where you want to go. Google Maps is a good tool for this kind of planning. You'll quickly discover that a route such as San Francisco to Yosemite Valley to Monterey then the coast highway State Route 1 / US-101 to Los Angeles is around 750 miles and a solid 16 hours of driving. Granted it isn't all in one day, but you will be spending a lot of time on the road. Frankly with a week I'd choose either Northern or Southern California and leave the other half for another trip someday.
Yosemite N.P. is wonderful but it is somewhere I tend to avoid in the summer - see the referenced post above.
Also as you plan your trip, keep in mind the dramatic climate differences in California during the summer - it is typically overcast, foggy and in the 50s/60s (F) along the coast while just a few miles inland to the east the skies clear and temperatures climb rapidly into the 80s, 90s and even over 100 degrees F. Pack accordingly.
OK, since I did the other poster a favor and gave him an itinerary, here's one for you. Also start reading some guidebooks and studying those maps!
Day 1: Arrive San Francisco, overnight there. Day 2: Sightseeing SF, overnight there. Day 3: Early morning rental car pickup - drive to Yosemite N.P. planning to arrive no later than noon. Spend long afternoon exploring Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point, and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Redwood trees. Start heading west toward Monterey in the evening, stopping when you get tired. Day 4: Arrive early morning Monterey; tour Monterey/Carmel area. Overnight there. Day 5: Drive coast highway 1 south toward Cambria; visit Hearst Castle if that's something that interests you (advance reservations for tours essential in summer). Overnight in Pismo Beach or Santa Barbara. Day 6: Early start to drive to Los Angeles - suggest overnighting in the Santa Monica area. Day 7: Sightseeing LA, overnight there. Day 8: Return car and fly home from Los Angeles.
We want to to a California Trip in June w/our 3 teen boys. We are "fast" travelers and don't linger or need lots of site-seeing time. Is there any route that might work for us to fly ito San Fran, drive to Yosemite, AND then get back to coast points down to LA (or in reverse). I couldn't find an itinerary that included all this. Is it just too much to cram in? Any suggestions or any links that tackle all this? Posted by TripHogan
TripHogan,
Thanks for your post and welcome the Frommers.com Community. If you don't spend your time sightseeing, what is it that you like to do when you are on vacation?
David, I think he gave us the answer in his post. He's what is known as a drive-by tourist. Never stop the car and heaven forbid get out and walk about, just cruise on by and check it off the list. I once worked with someone like that. It's like those birdwatchers who are obsessed with getting through the list to a magic number and aren't really interested in birds at all.
But hey, at least they know themselves well enough to know this.
Ha! I have to laugh at you folks commenting on my non-siteseeing/driveby style. We aren't quite "driveby" siteseers. We DO actually get out of the car, walk around and have even been known to actually take a hike or 2. What I meant is that we aren't the type to need to linger at any one location and we're happy to just get a "taste" of an area, not necessarily go on multiple tours, etc. Even at beaches we arent the type to stay from morning til night. We are happy w/3 or 4 hours at a beach. But yes, I do usually have a check list and am happy when we've checked everything off! :) thanks for the previous posters' helpful itinerary!
Well no matter how long it takes you will see everything you see. Sorry for the snarky response, but I'm seriously not understanding the question. Are you referring to having enough time in SF and/or LA in which case you want to minimize travel time between the two cities? Driving takes around 7 hours via mostly straight & boring I-5 depending on traffic and flying time is approximately 1 hour.
Or are you looking for driving a "more interesting/scenic" route between the two cities? If so, where do you want to go? You can go via the coast (SR-1) or slightly inland (US-101) or even through the Central Valley (SR-99) visiting Sequoia/Kings Canyon/Yosemite N.P. en route. Each route takes different straight-through drive times but depending on your interests you could plan on multiple stops. Use Google Maps and examine the mileage and driving times of different options. If you plan on sightseeing en route, no matter which route you pick, I'd allow a minimum of three days/two nights. More is better depending on your interests and where you plan to go en route.
I think it's doable. We did a similar trip a few years ago. Flew into San Fran, went to Muir Woods instead of Yosemite since it's closer and less crowded, not as impressive but still beautiful. Stopped at San Jose to see Winchester House then traveled down highway 1. Stayed one night in Salinas at Vision Quest Ranch on the way to LA. Sent 3 days in LA (saw Queen Mary, Disneyland and Knots Berry Farm) then went to San Diego for 2 days (Sea World and Wild Animal Park) then drove to Las Vegas and flew home. Have a great trip!
Ha! I have to laugh at you folks commenting on my non-siteseeing/driveby style. We aren't quite "driveby" siteseers. Posted by TripHogan
If you look back at your original post, that's what you gave us to work with. If you're not used to the scale of California it's tempting to cram too much into a trip and spend all your time sitting in a car. Just driving straight from LA to SF can take 6, 7, 8 hours - we are a big place! Use guidebooks to create a punchlist that's a good mix of driving, walking and seeing. And use the Rick Steves approach that you'll return one day, so it's not now or never.
