Anyone been? I'm planning a 2 week trip in October and looking at the following circular itinerary. If anyone has been I would welcome any suggestions / recommendations. Thanks in advance! 3 days - San Fran 2 Days - Yosemite NP 2 day - Sequina NP 2 days - Santa Monica 2 days - Big Sur area 2 days - Monterey 1 day - San Fran
All looks good. I’ve done a similar itinerary a few times so happy to provide advice and @SFOTyke will know better than anyone (probably). I don’t know where you are staying or how you are travelling but I’d be taking/dropping off any hire car on exit/entry to San Francisco so you don’t get rinsed for parking charges while in the city.
All good locations however can I sugest . Williamstown on route 66,jump on train to Grand Canyon . Amazing watch out of the train window first glimpse of the Canyon takes your breath away. Not massively out of your way. Santa Monica lovely don't waste any time in Venice beach ot LA waste of time. Yosemite keep your eyes peeled you may see black bear we did.
Be sure to have a drive down 17 Mile Drive when you are in Monterey. Absolutely stunning area. Trip to Napa from San Fran? Maybe go on the wine train if it still runs.
I'd check the weather a few days in advance and be prepared to change your route in the mountains if the snow comes early - so if possible look at hotel bookings you can cancel for no loss if the roads to/from the parks are closed. The main road along the coast is currently blocked south of Monterrey due to a landslip last year IIRC. You might want to consider Napa Valley or Lake Tahoe on your way from SF to Yosemite - especially if the Tioga pass is still open. Tahoe is stunningly beautiful but also got skiing, a beach, casinos and various food options. Between the two is Bodie - a proper western ghost town. From Santa Barbara, you can sail to the Channel Islands NP - and indeed its a short extension to Kings Canyon (from Sequoia) and Pinnacles (from Monterrey) so you could visit several of the California National parks. Petrol in Ca is, for America, eye-wateringly expensive with prices very close to what we pay. Pick up the car when you leave SF - apart from the cost of parking there is nothing worse than walking off a 10 hour flight, driving for 1/2 mile then turning onto a 12 lane freeway heading for the city (we also struggled with the 1-way system near the hotel due to tiredness). You might also scrap - or switch around - your last night in SF and drive straight from Monterrey to the airport.
I work in travel, planning trips to this part of the world and have been a number of times. The first thing I'd say is why not fly into SFO and out of LAX? Cost should be the same and it would save backtracking. Also it would mean driving south along highway one so you are on the correct side of the road for all the views, as well as the weather getting better as you move south. I'm not sure if 2 nights in Sequoia is the best use of time, just go to Mariposa Grove in Yosemite instead to see redwoods. Hard to make further suggestions without knowing what your interests are, what you like to do, and the demographics of your group? Would say the drive from Santa Monica to Big Sur is too long, there's so much to see en-route, so maybe breaking it up in Santa Barbara, Morro Bay, or San Luis Obispo could make sense. Also if you're into your wine, beer and food, Napa Valley or indeed Sonoma are incredible. Tahoe is great, but a bit of a detour and adds quite a bit of driving to a 2 week itin.
I got married there at Logan Shoals. We returned last year for a belated 25th anniversary celebration (it should have been 2021). The photo isn't us, but I think it is the exact spot where we got married.
Doing one between Vegas, LA and San Francisco in a few week's time (fly into LV, fly from San Fran) and did one a few years ago which added in Yosemite and Death Valley. You're probably early enough in the year for it not to be an issue, but check the winter road closure schedule around Yosemite. We were sweating on a road remaining open that, once closed for the winter, would have added about 4 hours of extra driving to the route. It was open for our trip but, once closed, it stays shut for the remainder of the winter so is worth keeping an eye on. The one essential thing to do early, if it's part of your plan, is to book the tour of Alcatraz as early as possible via the government website (it's a national park, so that's the only way to book to get on the island). It will be sold out by the time you get there and many people don't realise that the boat trips that are advertised to book on as tourists don't actually go onto the island. It's well worth a visit, particularly the sunset tour, where you'll be in the prison grounds as darkness falls, but you need to book early.
