vegas/Yosemite/SF trip?

[buckeyegirl]

Hi there travelers and West Coasters ,

DH and I were considering another beach trip next summer, but have been seriously considering going out west (especially after the National Park documentaries recently shown on PBS - now DH wants to go to every NP)

We're considering flying the family to Vegas (can get pretty cheap flights from Columbus) then renting a car to Yosemite, SF, Grand Canyon.

Any thoughts? We'd take a week. Are we over extending ourselves? Too much? I've never been to SF and we def. want to take in Yosemite. I'm not sure where to find "driving tours" on line to help with our planning.

Thanks!
Heidi

 

[andtckrtoo]

You can spend a week in any one of those locations. I think you'd be better off picking two. Either Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon or SF and Yosemite. The sheer driving involved otherwise would be pretty overwhelming to get everything done in a week. It could be done, but you would not see much.

If you're looking to go from SF to Yosemite it's about a 4 or 5 hour drive. Spend your time in Yosemite during the week as there will be less people. Go to the National Park Website - they have everything from tent cabins to a full on luxury hotel - and lots in between. San Francisco - well, just pick a room (the north end is nice and near Pier 39 - it's a good spot), park the car, and take public transportation (including the Cable Car's of course) - so much easier. Parking is a challenge in SF.

And ENJOY! These are two of my favorite spots in the world.

 

[steppin out]

My husband and I did a SF/Yosemite trip 13 years ago. We flew from Rochester, NY to San Francisco, spent 2 nights in SF, then 3 nights at Yosemite, and another 4 nights in SF at a different hotel in a different area of SF than the first two nights. I think we did everything we wanted to do in San Francisco, but easily could have spent more time at Yosemite. We stayed at a hotel outside of Yosemite (much less expensive at the time) and I think it was at the southern end of the park - whichever entrance is closest to the redwood trees.

If you do go, have a great trip! I've never been to Vegas, so can't help you there.

 

[lesliew1]

Heidi, I sent you a PM. Let me know if you didn't get it.