Which route from SF to Yosemite?

[ncbyrne]

What's the best, quickest way to get from San Fransisco to Yosemite Nat'l Park? I've been looking at maps and searching online and get conflicting info on the amount of time it will take. Is it feasible to make the drive, AND see some of the park in the same day? Is it possible to find lodging (without a reservation) just outside the park around the third week in September?

 

[StageTek]

Well, there are really only two routs:

You take Hwy 580 east to Manteca and you can either stay on Hwy
120/Hwy 108 for the northern route which is about 190 miles and
typically takes about 4 and a half hours

Or the southern route where you head south on Interstate 5 and cut
over to Merced and then Hwy 140 into Yosemite. It’s about 210
miles but usually takes about the same amount of time because the
40 miles on Hwy 140 is a little easier drive.

I think the northern route is prettier but once you get out of
Merced, the southern rout is beautiful, too.

If you leave SF very early and beat morning traffic you’ll be very
close to the four to five hours travel time and could get to
Yosemite by noon.

Sept. is typically slower than the summer peak season - seems
reasonable to get a place without reservations.

 

[queenarmadillo]

Sorry to hijack, but 4-5 hours is quite a bit more than the map site I was using had down for it. Are routeplanning sites for the USA generally unreliable? Is there a reliable one you would recommend using so I can get a better idea of what my driving times are likely to be?

 

[jazzatola]

Depending on where is SF you are starting from (city, airport etc) It will take you about 3 1/2 hours at most assuming there is no traffic getting out of the city. I live about 60 miles from SF and it can take an hour or more to get to the city depending on traffic.. We were just up that way.. There is a little town west of the entrance to Yosemite called Groveland. It's a small town but they do have lodging and campgrounds. If you like to camp or stay in a cabin I can give you some ideas.. if that's not your thing then ok.. The worst part of the drive is called "new priests grade" or "old priests grade". It's the curvy roadway before groveland... New priests grade will take you about 40 min to get to the top..old priests grade will take you about 20 however it is a lot stepper there you must go slow and have a dependable car..the new one is very very very very (did I mention Very) curvy road..it's a slow go up the hill... once you get to groveland it's 22 miles from the gate to yosemite.. Have a fun trip! It's so beautiful!!