California Itinerary (Should I Skip Yosemite)???

Hi,

I am going to California for two weeks in September with my husband, my two year old son and my parents. Here is my itinerary. I need help especially for September 7th.

September 1st - Arrive in San Francisco in the morning. Take the evening tour of Alcrataz, see Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf.

September 2nd: - Go to Muir woods and Sausalito

September 3rd: Go to Monterey, see the aquarium, 17 mile drive, fisherman%26#39;s wharf, carmel, cannery row and drive back to SFO in the night. ( If we skip Yosemite, we can spend this day in SFO)

September 4th: Lombard Street, golden gate park,

September 5th: Drive to Yosemite and stay at the Ahwahnee

September 6th: Yosemite:

September 7th: Leave Yosemite and Arrive in Los Angeles. I am planning to take Highway 1 all the way to Los Angeles. Since I will be coming from Yosemite, I will have to go to a point below San Simeon and then catch Highway 1. This will take at least 10 hours but I thought it would be worth it. What do you think? The other option is to skip highway 1 and take another route to L.A which may only take 6 hours. Because of this, I was thinking, should I skip Yosemite and just go to Monterey on the 5th and spend two nights there and then on the 7th drive to L.A. This way we can also go to Santa Cruz, Point Lobos etc... But then highway 1 is so scenic. My question is:

1) Should I ship Yosemite all together

2) Is highway 1 more scenic from San Simeon to L.A then from San Francisco to Monterey Area. Am I missing on something really good if I do not take highway 1 from Yosemite to L.A?

3) If I skip Yosemite, will the scenery be all the same. Will I get bored of hopping from one city to the other? Monterey, Santa Cruz etc...

September 8th: L.A

September 9th: L.A and then go to Anaheim in the night.

September 10: Disneyland

September 11th: Disneyland and then drive to San Diego in the night.

September 12th: San Diego

September 13th: San Diego

September 14th: SAn diego

September 15th: Fly back to D.C

Please advise because if I need to skip Yosemite I have to cancel my reservations at the Ahwahnee this week.

Thanks very much in advance

Shazia

California Itinerary (Should I Skip Yosemite)???

Go to Yosemitie and skip highway 1 south of San Simeon. The portion of highway 1 south of San Simeon is nothing to write home about. The scenic portions of highway 1 are pretty much from San Simeon north to Carmel and north of San Francisco. The scenery in Yosemitie is incrediable.

After leaving Yosemitie make your way to highway 5 south to Los Angeles. It should take about 5 hours

California Itinerary (Should I Skip Yosemite)???

I would definitely do Yosemite, the scenery is breathtaking and such a contrast to the other places you plan on visiting. We drove from SF to LV 2 years ago via Yosemite (and Death Valley). We visited again this year and flew from SF to LV and every one of us (husband %26amp; 2 sons aged 11 and 13) regretted not going via Yosemite again. San Francisco is a very compact city so you should have no problem doing some SF sightseeing on the afternoon of your arrival, before the Alcatraz trip.

I think Yosemite is worth rearranging your itinerary for. However, may I suggest that two days of Disneyland may be too much? Sure it%26#39;s a great theme park but if you want to loosen some time up perhaps you should just do one day of Disney (it%26#39;s easy to see everything worthwhile in one day) Yosemite is absolutely breathtaking and would be a nice break between two very large cities. Also, you may want to get a value pass like the go san diego card because it covers things to do in los angeles and SD. Sounds like a fabulous trip and I hope you have a blast.

Hi AutumnFall,

Thanks for your reply to my post. I was thinking of visiting both disneyland parks. Don%26#39;t you think it will be a lot to cover in just one day?

Shazia

I would take two days to see both parks, especially if you want to see any of the shows. Do Disneyland the first day though as that will be a full day and then Cal Adventure the second day. It will not take a whole day to do and give you plenty of time to drive to San Diego.

I would definately keep in Yosemite - our family has been going almost annually since my oldest was 18 months. Exit out the south side of the park and take the 5 into LA. It is an easy drive (a bit boring, as you go through all the central california farm land and lots of happy california cows- a bit interesting if you have been before).

How old are your sons? You might want to look into adding the Firetruck Tour on one of your days in San Francisco. We were recently up there with out two kids and did a ton in 2 1/2 days. Could not believe how much we acomplished (more than planned).

If you have a Costco membership, bring your card with you and try to stop in one. They have wonderful deals on So Cal passes that include many of the parks.

Hi Juxie,

Thanks for your advice. I will definitely keep two days in Disneyland. Also, in your reply you said if I had a Costco membership. Actually, I do. And my question is, do they have discounted passes to Disneyland?

Also, what do you think aof highway 1 to L.A. Do yo think I will miss out on a lot if I take 5 from Yosemite to L.A?

Thanks

Shazia

do NOT skip yosemite. they won%26#39;t let you into heaven if you do.

my son is two and a half and he would love the Fire Engine Tour. I will take a look into it.

Thanks Everyone for you advice. I will deinitely keep Yosemite but how would you advice me to get to L.A.

1) Should I go from Yosemite to a point below San Simeon and then catch highway 1 to L.A?

2) Should I take highway 5 all the way to L.A but am I missing out on a scenic drive.

Thanks

Shazia

Don%26#39;t worry about missing the scenery on HWY 1. By taking I-5 you will give yourself more time in Yosemite and that will be the scenery of a lifetime. Yes the coast is lovely but not enough to go that far out of your way. Besides, you can see some of that on your visit to Monterey.

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