Any advice for this trip: No. Cal, Yosemite, OR coast

[livinintexas]

We are going June 5- June 21, 2009! I just got my reservation today for Yosemite Lodge. I wasn't able to get my first choice of dates for Yosemite, so I to make some changes to my original plan.

June 5th (evening arrival)- June 8th San Fran
June 8th-10th Monterey
June 10th-13th Yosemite
June 13th stop in Redding
June 14th-16th Crescent City, CA
June 16th-18th Newport, OR (or should I pick a different town?)
June 18th-20th Cannon Beach, OR (The Ocean Lodge)
June 20th-21st Seattle or Portland (depends on best airfare on SWA- heading to Chicago after this trip before going back to Texas)

All of this is brand new to our family. We know very little about the area, although I have plenty of time to plan and read!!! My husband and I will be 40 (well I'll be ALMOST 40) and our daughters will be 11 and 9. We may have our 14 year old nephew too. We will stay at Hiltons everywhere except Yosemite, Newport, and Cannon Beach. I had to shorten the OR part of the trip due to the later Yosemite reservation. I wanted to go to Monterey anyways, so it worked out okay. I don't want any 1 nights stays (except Redding to break up the Yosemite to Crescent City drive), so that leaves 2 OR coast cities. Any different towns? Well, if you read all of this, thanks for your time and help!!

 

[The Blue Parrot]

That's one long day any way you plan to go.

I've made the drive from the SF Bay area down to the valley floor and back in one day, and wished I hadn't afterwards. But I was younger and wanted to watch Star Trek V being filmed at the Wawona Tunnel overlook.

My suggestion would be to try a bit smaller block of travel. Don't make Redding your goal. Think about staying outside of Sacramento instead. Woodland would be a good point and motel rooms won't be too expensive there.

If your goal is to get over to the coast, I would suggest taking I-5 north to Highway 20 west to Highway 1 at Fort Bragg. A ride on the Skunk train is a great way to see the coastal redwoods.

I'm also a fan of the coast north of Fort Bragg (and south of it, too). Just the road and the Pacific Ocean for the most part. North of Eureka, the Samoa Cookhouse is a great place for family style meals. No one goes away hungry from there. http://www.redwoods.info/showrecord.asp?id=400

 

[livinintexas]

Google maps show Yosemite to Redding is about 6 hours. Is that not correct? I was thinking we would leave Yosemite around 1:00ish. I love the Skunk train idea! Thanks!

I'm thinking of changing plans based on your ideas! In the end this would be a lot LESS expensive since we wouldn't be returning the car to a different location and could stay at Hilton's free with points. This is a POSSIBLE new plan!
Arrive San Fran early evening Friday June 5th
2 nights San Fran
4 nights Monterey (there is a lot I want to do and see here)
3 nights Yosemite
1 night Sacramento area (needs to be a Hilton- none in Woodland)
3 nights Fort Bragg (lots of cool stuff here!)
2 nights Crescent City
2 nights San Fran

Is that too many days for Fort Bragg and Crescent City?? I'm pretty good with everything up to Yosemite, but after that I'm not sure!!

 

[remain seated please]

Google maps show Yosemite to Redding is about 6 hours. Is that not correct? I was thinking we would leave Yosemite around 1:00ish. I love the Skunk train idea! Thanks!

I'm thinking of changing plans based on your ideas! In the end this would be a lot LESS expensive since we wouldn't be returning the car to a different location and could stay at Hilton's free with points. This is a POSSIBLE new plan!
Arrive San Fran early evening Friday June 5th
2 nights San Fran
4 nights Monterey (there is a lot I want to do and see here)
3 nights Yosemite
1 night Sacramento area (needs to be a Hilton- none in Woodland)
3 nights Fort Bragg (lots of cool stuff here!)
2 nights Crescent City
2 nights San Fran

Is that too many days for Fort Bragg and Crescent City?? I'm pretty good with everything up to Yosemite, but after that I'm not sure!!

There's more to do in the SF area than the Monterey area, but that is your choice. Another great area is the Pismo Beach area. I just got back from a weekend trip there and we stayed in Pismo, visited Morrow Bay and San Simeon, where Hearst Castle is. We took a tour of Hearst Castle and it was awesome. The beaches around Pismo are also very nice.

3 nights in Yosemite is not bad. But 5 nights at Ft. Bragg and Crescent City with a night in Sac is too much of your trip. While the Skunk train is nice, you could take the Roaring Camp/Big Trees Railroad to Santa Cruz and get a similar experience, with a better destination (The Santa Cruz Boardwalk).

Another possibility would be to skip the north coast all together and do something different like Lake Tahoe. It's a bit closer from Yosemite than taking 2 days to get to Ft. Bragg.

Dropping Redding and Oregon are not bad ideas. My parents live in Redding and there's nothing there (even for a stopover). We went from Redding to Crescent City and up to Gold Beach, Oregon. Boring!!!! You can skip all of that and have more fun elsewhere.

 

[livinintexas]

I can easily add a night in San Fran and have one less in Monterey. What will it be like getting to Lake Tahoe from Yosemite in mid June? What types of things in there for a family. Thanks for the tips!!

 

[remain seated please]

I can easily add a night in San Fran and have one less in Monterey. What will it be like getting to Lake Tahoe from Yosemite in mid June? What types of things in there for a family. Thanks for the tips!!

I'm guessing it would take 4 to 5 hours to get to Lake Tahoe from Yosemite. There are endless recreational options on the lake, and depending on which shore you go to (Calif or Nev) there are the casinos if that's something you are interested. The mountain scenery of course is also great. Lake Tahoe is beautiful and the drive is not bad either.

 

[livinintexas]

We would go to South Tahoe and stay at the Embassy Suites there (free using points). I'm thinking this is what we may do! Thanks for the idea!

 

[The Blue Parrot]

Google maps show Yosemite to Redding is about 6 hours. Is that not correct? I was thinking we would leave Yosemite around 1:00ish.

Realistic travel time including stops is more like 8+ hours between the two points

Depending on your route out of Yosemite, that does make a difference. I came in via Hwy 120 and went out the same way. It's a good road but two lanes in both directions for much of it from the valley floor to Yosemite Jct at Hwy 120 and Hwy 108. Leaving earlier would be better just to be safe. And along the way, you can also stop in Oakdale at the Hershey chocolate factory.

Spending time in Fort Bragg you can go up or down the coast. Mendocino is nice, but less for kids than you would think. North is scenic but again not much for kids. Scotia used to be the company town for the Pacific Lumber Company and they had tours of the lumber mill at one time. Also had the Scotia Inn which had great food but could be pricey now.

 

[jennib5426]

We just returned from Yosemite Sunday, what a wonderful trip.
We stayed at Evergreen Lodge, which is on Rt 120, about 3 miles from the Hetch Hetchy area of the park and about a 40 minute drive to the valley.
It is a beautiful drive every morning past many vistas and some waterfalls.
I am so glad we stayed here instead of in the valley. We had a great 1 bedroom cabin for about half the price of Yosimite lodge. It was peaceful, quite and beautiful. They had a great restaurant and bar and lots of activities for families and adults. The lodge is in the National forest and about 3-5 miles from the border of Yosemite.
I recommend the valley tour in the open air trolly, it was a great way to see the park. We did lots of hikes and saw all the water falls, it was amazing.

We spent 4 days in the park and then drove to DL in one day.
That was a long 8 hour drive.

We landed in Oakland and flew home out of Long Beach, total miles was about 900 last week.
Best gas price $4.39
Worst gas price $4.79 near Yosemite

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

We just returned from Yosemite Sunday, what a wonderful trip.
We stayed at Evergreen Lodge, which is on Rt 120, about 3 miles from the Hetch Hetchy area of the park and about a 40 minute drive to the valley.
It is a beautiful drive every morning past many vistas and some waterfalls.
I am so glad we stayed here instead of in the valley. We had a great 1 bedroom cabin for about half the price of Yosimite lodge. It was peaceful, quite and beautiful. They had a great restaurant and bar and lots of activities for families and adults. The lodge is in the National forest and about 3-5 miles from the border of Yosemite.
I recommend the valley tour in the open air trolly, it was a great way to see the park. We did lots of hikes and saw all the water falls, it was amazing.

We spent 4 days in the park and then drove to DL in one day.
That was a long 8 hour drive.

We landed in Oakland and flew home out of Long Beach, total miles was about 900 last week.
Best gas price $4.39
Worst gas price $4.79 near Yosemite

That was a heck of a trip.

Did you visit Hetch Hetchy while you were there?

 

[jennib5426]

That was a heck of a trip.

Did you visit Hetch Hetchy while you were there?

Yep, we did visit Hetch Hetchy. I thought it was really pretty, we don't have dam's like that near us and it had 2 nice waterfalls.

 

[livinintexas]

Based on ideas from here and the forums at tripadvisor (great site!) this is what is going to make the best use of our time and money (all free nights at hilton except Yosemite-dh travels for work a lot!!)

Friday June 5th arrive early evening into Oakland (Homewood Suites)
June 6th Santa Cruz (Hampton)- steam train, boardwalk, marine discovery center, natural bridges state park
June 7th-10th Monterey area (Embassy in Seaside) do 17 mile drive, aquarium
June 10-14th Yosemite Lodge
June 14th-17th South Lake Tahoe (Embassy) via Tioga Pass with a lot of stops along the way (Tuolumne Grove, Olmstead Point, Tenaya Lake, Mono Lake). I'm looking at a guide book Yosemite the Complete Guide and trying to match it up to the route on googlmaps, so I don't really know what places are good to stop!
June 17th-21st San Francisco (hilton at FW)- stop at Jelly Belly factory on the way.

I have another great book called Seven Perfect Days in Northern California which is the exact route I planned only we have twice as much time! Books are great but, I value the opinions of others too!!!!! TIA for any input!

 

[Magix]

Glad to see you've added Santa Cruz to your itinerary! My favorite place in all the world! While there, be sure to have ice cream at Marianne's (on Ocean street, just a couple blocks from the Hwy 17/Hwy 1 intersection). I recommend a double scoop of "Alice B. Toklas Fudge Brownie".

Also check out Pacific Garden Mall, if you have the time (Bookshop Santa Cruz is a terrific place). A meal at the Saturn Cafe always works for me, too (it's a vegan place, but really good). You won't have time for everything. But, you should also take a look at the SS Palo Alto at Seacliff Beach in Aptos. Also, the Surfing Museum just a 5 minute drive up from the Boardwalk is neat (in the old lighthouse).

The Boardwalk is absolutely the best. Be sure you ride the Giant Dipper a couple times for me. Not sure if I'm going to get up there this year (oh, but I hope so). Also don't miss getting a bag of saltwater taffy at Marini's on the Boardwalk (at the entrance to the arcade in the Casino building).

The Embassy Suites in Seaside is a good choice for your Monterey stay. I had that place booked for the Champ Car race at Laguna Seca this year, before the whole series fell apart. It was always race headquarters, so many great racers have stayed there. It's an easy drive into Monterey from there, just a few minutes. Easy access to Hwy 1 (in case you want to go back to Santa Cruz again!) with a grocery store and other useful places across the street.

Sounds like a terrific trip to me!! Wish I was going!

 

[livinintexas]

Thanks! I actually added a night in Santa Cruz since there was so much I want to do in the area. I'm glad the Embassy is a good place to stay. I figure since it is free it should be good. I also love starting the day with a big breakfast on vacation, it saves a lot of money also.

I'm sure my daughter will ride many times for you! We will have 2.5 days for Santa Cruz.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

For your drive from Yosemite to Lake Tahoe. Figure on about an hour drive to get from Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne Meadows (http://www.yosemitefun.com/tuolumne_meadows.htm). You'll reach Tenaya Lake first. Before there, if I remember correctly, you'll have a great view of the back of Half Dome, Clouds Rest & the other peaks. There is a general store up in Tuolumne Meadows. Also, if you get a chance, stop by the river or a stream to feel the cold, fresh mountain water. You'll reach 10,000 feet before you head down towards Lee Vining & the 395.

I love that drive on 395. It's so interesting to me.

I think South Lake Tahoe will be about 3.5 hours or so from Yosemite. Be sure to hike to Eagle Lake, if you can - it's a short, beautiful hike to a small lake above Lake Tahoe. And I think on the same day you can visit Vikingsholm castle.

We visited Donner Pass, and I found it to be tragically fascinating, also went to Virginia City (http://www.desertusa.com/Cities/nv/nv_virginiacity.html), and that was an interesting visit (Mark Twain visited there). This was the Virginia City that the series Bonanza referred to.

 

[barkley]

just as a heads up-don't let the kids get the impression that swimming in lake tahoe is like swimming in what i guess you'de think of as a 'traditional lake'-the water is ICE COLD and even the most ardent water lovers find it a challenge (it's not unusual to see folks in wet suits). they may enjoy swimming in it, but they will find that it's realy a chilling experience.

you've got allot planned for your one day in santa cruz so i'de suggest you plan on starting out early-and leaving the boardwalk for last, otherwise the kids may not want to do the other things

your kids (and you) will love jelly belly (we used to live nearby and went frequently)-the tour is fun and interesting, and if you are a chocolate fan give their new line of chocolates a try (the giant smore is to die for ). if you have family and friends who like jelly bellys take a look at the 'belly flops'-they sell bags (around 2 pounds each) for a fraction of the price of the regular jelly bellys. they are perfect in all but appearance. if you want to grab a bite to eat in the area-there's a 'mimi's' just a bit up the highway before you get to jelly belly. they have awsome food

 

[livinintexas]

Wow, thanks for all the wonderful info! Hopefully, Tioga Pass will be open! We have added some time in Santa Cruz too. We will drive straight from Oakland airport to Santa Cruz on Friday (most likely our flight will arrive around 9:00pm) and stay Friday night - Monday afternoon. That should give us plenty of time in Santa Cruz. I think 2 nights will still be enough time for Monterey. If we go to the Aquarium Monday afternoon, 17 mile drive on Tuesday, and leave for Yosemite right after lunch. I just want to be to Yosemite Lodge by 5:00ish. Thanks again!

 

[barkley]

if you go to the santa cruz beach boardwalk website you can order your unlimited ride passes on-line (they hold them for you at the ticket center so you pick them up when you arive) and it will save you about $8 per person. if you have more than one person it's actualy cheaper to buy one a season pass because then you are gifted with a second 'buddy' one day free ride pass-they sell for about $10 less than buying 2-one day passes (so you end up saving about $26 over buying them when you arrive).

 

[mamacatnv]

I see you have switched your itinerary to go to Tahoe instead of the N. Coast.

The Gondola's out of S. Shore to the top of Heavenly is worth the time and money. If you want to learn a lot of lake history, the Tahoe Dixie cruise is worth the time. The views cannot be beat and the access into Emerald Bay is beautiful. A drive down into Squaw Valley is also a fun trip, they have a gondola and a swimming pool and lots of Olympic history.

We just returned from the N. Coast yesterday so for anyone reading I thought I would throw in my 2 cents.

We left Reno with the 1st destination of Grants Pass, Or. where we visited the Oregon Vortex - fascinatingly weird.

Then we headed to Crescent City where for $165 a night I rented the most awesome beach house with a phenominal view and direct, easy to get to (no stairs involved) beach access.
While in C.C. we visited the Jedediah State Park (Redwoods) several tide pools, several beaches, the Marine Mammal Recovery center, cheesy but fun Ocean World, Tree's of Mystery and Battery Point Lighthouse. One morning we drove North to Gold Beach, OR. where we went on a Jet Boat ride on Jerry's Jet Boats. Awesome experience on the Rogue River, I highly recommend that adventure. Our 9 year old had a blast as did my 78 year old FIL and all the family in between.

From C.C. we headed south towards Ukiah over a couple of days and one of the high lights was the Fern Canyon just N. of Orick, Ca. as well as the Avenue of the Giants.

 

[livinintexas]

Yes, I did recently make the switch. Having posted on here and trip advisor I got a lot of feedback that it was too much time driving to the North Coast and suggested going to Lake Tahoe. It will save a lot of money since we will pick up and return our car in the same location (OAK) and we can stay for free everywhere using Hilton points (except Yosemite ). I still want to visit the N. CA coast and the OR coast, but maybe a romantic trip w/o our kids!!
Thanks for this info! I really didn't have any ideas yet for the South Lake Tahoe area! I think we will enjoy this!

"The Gondola's out of S. Shore to the top of Heavenly is worth the time and money. If you want to learn a lot of lake history, the Tahoe Dixie cruise is worth the time. The views cannot be beat and the access into Emerald Bay is beautiful. A drive down into Squaw Valley is also a fun trip, they have a gondola and a swimming pool and lots of Olympic history."