AboutSteve Springer Expertise I can answer questions about campsites, reservations, things to do and places to go in Yosemite National Park. I can also answer questions about the same for the California State Beaches in Southern and Central California. My nickname is "Kamping Kahuna". No relocation/moving questions, please.
Question We(my husband and our 5yr and 4yr old kids) are planning a trip from LA-Sequoia NP-Yosemite NP -San Francisco-LA in oct. for 1 week.Can you suggest how we make our itinerary...like where to stay, how much time we need to spend in NP,which hike is must considering that we have 2 young kids.
Thanks
Answer Hi Laxmi,
That's really a VERY tall order for just a week. You can easily spend a week in LA alone, or even San Francisco. And going from LA to Yosemite AND Sequoia is not a good idea if you only have a week. I would advise against it. It takes about 8-9 hours to get from LA to Sequoia, and proabably 5-6 hours to get from Sequoia to Yosemite. You have to come down from the mountains, then go back up into the mountains. And Yosemite to SF is about 6-7 hours.
At the most, I would recommend an LA to Yosemite to SF trip. It's 400 miles (640 km) from LA to SF, and takes about 6-8 hours to drive.
Days 1-3: Disneyland (2 days), Universal, Hollywood Blvd. Stay at the Howard Johnson Hotel in Anaheim, or for a special treat, the Grand Californian Hotel right on the Disneyland Resort property. After visiting Universal Studios and Hollywood, drive to Oakhurst, which is a city in the foothills, about 90 minutes from Yosemite. This way the kids can sleep in the car while you drive. There isn't much to see along the way.
Day 4: It's about an hour to get to Yosemite National Park from Oakhurst. Once inside the park, you can see some giant redwoods at the Mariposa Grove, right at the park entrance (which is why I recommend you just skip Sequoia). Drive down into the valley, which should take another hour. Stay at either Yosemite Lodge or a cabin in Camp Curry. It can get cold in the valley at night. Easy hikes include hiking to Yosemite Falls, or a more strenuous one up to Vernal Falls. I've seen kids younger than 4 do it, but it depends on the child. Degnan's Deli in Yosemite Village is a good place to get a sandwich for the hike.
Day 5: Spend the morning in the Visitor's Center and Yosemite Village. Maybe even rent a bike and go on a ride. Leave in the afternoon for San Francisco, via highway 120. Have dinner in San Francisco. I recommend staying at the Radisson Fisherman's Wharf, which is right in Fisherman's Wharf. You can take a cruise of San Francisco Bay, going under the Golden Gate Bridge (we did this during the summer), visit Pier 39, and walk to Ghirardelli Square for Dessert. I highly recommend Bubba Gump Shrimp Company on Pier 39, or having clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl at the Boudin Bakery, right across from the hotel. I introduced my youngest (now 8) to "white soup" in this manner, and she likes it. And she thought that eating the bowl (or at least a part of it) was a total hoot. Hot fudge sundaes at Ghirardelli just can't be beat, and you can buy some chocolate for the trip home. Even if you don't get a meal there, visit the Boudin Bakery in Fisherman's Wharf, seeing how they make sourdough bread. They have the BEST sourdough bread there, using yeast that is over 150 years old: When they make a new batch of dough, they use a bit of leftovers from the previous batch, preserving the yeast and the flavor.
Day 6: Explore more of San Francisco, including the Exploratorium. You might want to take a city tour. Remember the Disneyland/California Adventure trip? In California Adventure, they have several areas in the park that represent San Francisco: The Golden Gate Bridge, Palace of Fine Arts Rotunda, and the "San Francisco" street. If you point these out to the kids while you are there, they'll get a big kick when they see the real thing. This summer, we rode bikes across the Golden Gate Bridge. If you want, you can rent bikes by Fisherman's Wharf and do the same thing.
Day 7: Drive back to LA. It takes between 6-9 hours, depending on your route. Interstate 5 is the fastest, but has no real scenery. Highway 101 has more scenery, especially once you get to the Pismo Beach and Santa Barbara areas. But it takes 90 minutes longer. Your choice.
Can you fly from SF to LA? Or from SF back home? That would give you an extra day either in LA or SF.
