Help with California trip planning please!

ToyStory3

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 29, 2013
Hi - looking to possibly plan a trip to California in summer 2019 with our family (2 adults, 14 yo, 11 yo). I've been to California several times for work so I know a few places that I definitely want to take the family. I think I'd like to:
  • Start in Yosemite and stay for about 2-3 days
  • Drive down the coast stopping at a couple places (not sure where)
  • Stay in Laguna or Dana Point (my favorite place on earth!) for about 3 days
  • Go to Disneyland and stay on-site for about 3 days
  • Fly out of John Wayne
I know there are tons of other great places to see (SF, SD, etc.) but these are our big bucket list places. And, I don't want to be packing up and moving every day.

Thoughts? Should we just drive straight from Yosemite to the coast and work our way south? Where should I fly into if we start at Yosemite?

Thanks!
 
I'm curious to see the replies you get as I'm trying to make decisions as well! We have 5 nights in Anaheim, and 3 in San Diego, but have 4 more to play with and I'd like to see what others have to say! :)
 
I know you want to drive down the coast, which is stunning, but have you considered visiting Sequoia/Kings Canyon national park? We started south and worked our way up, hitting Sequoia then Yosemite. You could do it in reverse and then head to Disneyland. I just thought those national parks were so beautiful, we loved them. We only did the coastal drive from SF to Big Sur, also beautiful, but different.
 


We are going to Yosemite this summer. My advice is to use Trip Advisor forums for discussion on that leg of your trip. The experts in that group are really helpful. Be ready to book when your dates open up exactly 1 year in advance. Like, at 6am or whatever time the website is updated. Summer accommodations in the park will be full in a matter of minutes or hours, depending on the type of room you want. In-park concessionaire's official website is travelyosemite.com. All others advertising in-park lodging are re-sellers with a bad reputation. There are condo and cabin rentals in the park, too, owned privately. I'm told that in-park lodging saves valuable driving time.

We are flying into Sacramento the night before we check-in at Yosemite. Many people fly to San Francisco, San Jose, or even Reno if you are late enough in the summer to guarantee an easy drive over the Sierras. I believe Fresno is the closest, but we could not get a good price going there.

Your itinerary sounds wonderful!
 
Sacramento will be your cheapest closest airport to Yosemite. Fresno is much closer however. I'd hit the coast at Santa Cruz and drive south from there. Please check the status of the 1. They alternate between full closures and partial 1-way traffic controls as they repair the road due to the mudslides last year.
 
Sacramento will be your cheapest closest airport to Yosemite. Fresno is much closer however. I'd hit the coast at Santa Cruz and drive south from there. Please check the status of the 1. They alternate between full closures and partial 1-way traffic controls as they repair the road due to the mudslides last year.

Fresno has limited service of course. It's closer, but it doesn't necessarily save that much time because there are no freeways once leaving Fresno. Maybe an hour less from Fresno to Yosemite Valley, but Sacramento or Oakland can have competetive prices for rental cars.

Oakland Airport is about the same distance as Sacramento Airport and is a Southwest hub.
 


We are flying into Sacramento the night before we check-in at Yosemite. Many people fly to San Francisco, San Jose, or even Reno if you are late enough in the summer to guarantee an easy drive over the Sierras. I believe Fresno is the closest, but we could not get a good price going there.

Reno isn't that close though. I've gone from Yosemite straight to Reno during the winter. It was crazy how long it took, especially with a blizzard coming down. Even with good conditions it's probably 4.5 hours to Yosemite Valley through Tioga Pass. However, Tioga Pass is worth a slow drive and a lot of stops.

There is Mammoth Airport. Basically just connector flights from SFO or LAX.
 
Reno isn't that close though. I've gone from Yosemite straight to Reno during the winter. It was crazy how long it took, especially with a blizzard coming down. Even with good conditions it's probably 4.5 hours to Yosemite Valley through Tioga Pass. However, Tioga Pass is worth a slow drive and a lot of stops.

There is Mammoth Airport. Basically just connector flights from SFO or LAX.

Yes, I only point out Reno for the Tahoe/Mammoth/Tioga Pass tourism options in summer.
 
Yes, I only point out Reno for the Tahoe/Mammoth/Tioga Pass tourism options in summer.

It took me maybe 6 hours going through Sacramento because obviously Tioga Pass was closed, and there were blizzard conditions over Donner Pass. However, Tioga Road has been open really late before. There was one year where there was so little snow that people were driving to Tenaya Lake to skate on it. They didn't even have to close it for any driving safety reasons, but did because they had staffing problems from a lack of seasonal law enforcement.

I only mention Mammoth for completeness. I didn't even know there was an airport there until I saw some article mentioning that there were seasonal flights from San Francisco mainly for skiing.

The closest airports are pretty much general aviation like Merced or Modesto. I don't think there' been any commercial air service in Merced for some time, and Modesto is very limited.

Another thing to try is Amtrak. They go to Merced, and once there one could rent a car or even take a bus. Amtrak ticketing can reserve a spot on YARTS (Yosemite Area Regional Transit System).

https://yarts.com
https://www.amtrak.com/san-joaquins/where-we-go/yosemite-national-park.html
Take the San Joaquins to the Merced, CA Station (MCD). Once you arrive at the station, you'll to transfer to Amtrak Thruway Bus (Route 15), which takes you directly to Yosemite Valley. This bus route is serviced by the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS), which operates both shuttle vans and luxury motorcoaches. Best of all — when purchasing Amtrak tickets to Yosemite, the (shuttle) bus ride and admission to the park are included.​
 
I'm nervous planning outside of a Disney bubble. But I'm hoping to add on some Southern California stuff to entice my bf to agree to the trip. His interest was definitely piqued when I mentioned it. We went to the San Diego Zoo, Hollywood, and down into Mexico when we went to Disneyland during my teens. Something similar would be ideal.

So following along and combing through all the suggestions!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top