Help! Road from Yosemite to Kings/Sequoia

[Salome]

We are planning a big trip to California and the west and I need some advice about a portion of my itinirary. From Yosemite, we want to go to Kings/Sequoia then to Death Valley.

I can see on my maps that there is a road (395 then the 136) from Yosemite to Death Valley but can't find any road from the 395 who go into Kings and Sequoia.

Is there a road from the 395 or do we have to make the big detour to the west?

Thank you very much!

 

[GrandBob]

US 395 goes down the Owens Valley, on the eastern side of the Sierra crest. The national parks in question have entrances on the western side, from California's central valley. There are no roads that go over the High Sierra between 120 through Yosemite and 178/155 through the Kern Valley. It's all wilderness, with 13000+ foot mountains, including the highest mountain in the lower 48 (Mt. Whitney, 14505 ft.).

-Bob

 

[Salome]

Thank you GrandBob,

Do you think it would be a smaller detour to go to Kings/Sequoia from the Highway 1 (from LA), then go back to the highway 1 (to SF), visit San Francisco then Yosemite then take 395 to Death Valley then Las Vegas

OR do the entire highway 1 LA-SF then go to Yosemite, detour to Kings/Sequoia, then Death Valley, then Las Vegas...

 

[GrandBob]

Why do you want to go to Kings Canyon/Sequoia? Yosemite is much more scenic, and has giant Sequoia trees, if that's what you're after. Take whatever time you were going to spend in Kings Canyon and Sequoia, and spend it in Yosemite instead.

Also, what time of year are you going? You can't figure that Tioga pass will be open before the first weekend of June, although it sometimes opens earlier in a light snow year. This isn't such a year -- last I heard, the Sierra snowpack is at least 125% of normal. And it got a lot of additional snow this past week.

But for much of the season in which Tioga pass will be open, are months in which you won't want to go to Death Valley. Death Valley can be, well, deadly in July/August.

If you're going sometime around the last 3 weeks of June, then I'd take 1 up the coast to SF, then head over to Yosemite, then take Tioga pass over to Mono Lake (stop to see the tufa formations). Take 395 south, then at Lone Pine shoot over on 136 to Death Valley. When you're done there, you can get to Vegas via the northern route through Beatty, or (more likely, if you go to Furnace Creek) the southern route through Pahrump.

-Bob

 

[Salome]

but we want to see the general tree

we will be there third and fourth week of may, so

yosemite 15-18, kings canyon 19-20, sequoia 20-21, calico ghost town 23-24 and death valley 25-26 may then vegas 27-28

well that was the plan, but I'm really not sure about it...

thanks again for all the info, I appreciate it!

 

[GrandBob]

but we want to see the general tree

we will be there third and fourth week of may, so

yosemite 15-18, kings canyon 19-20, sequoia 20-21, calico ghost town 23-24 and death valley 25-26 may then vegas 27-28

well that was the plan, but I'm really not sure about it...

thanks again for all the info, I appreciate it!

Well, the General Sherman tree is certainly big, and famous... But the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite has giant sequoias, including the Grizzly Giant. Not quite as big as General Sherman, but close; and honestly, standing on the ground, you're hard pressed to tell the difference.

But I'm confused. In the other thread, you said you're leaving next week. Here you say you'll be there in late May. Are you going on a two month trip? What a great road trip!!! Have fun!

Late May is an interesting time of year. Very likely, Tioga Pass in Yosemite will still be closed by snow. But you should (hopefully) be able to get into Kings Canyon and Sequoia. Wikipedia says Sequoia's giant forest is at 6000' elevation, so while you may have problems getting there in March or April, in May you should have no problems.

As for Death Valley, weather.com says the average high for May is still just 99 degrees F (37 C). While definitely warm, it's not dangerously hot yet. So your timing's not bad.

Have fun.

-Bob

 

[Salome]

yes, 9 weeks trip, leaving sunday from Quebec with our 3 kids!

Stops in Colorado, (Great sand dunes, Mesa Verde) Arizona (Monument Valley, Petriefied Forest, Grand Canyon), then most of the time in California (San Diego, LA, Highway 1 to SF then the rest you know...) then Las Vegas and finally some national parks in Utah (Zion, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands) then back home.

The portion of north California; San Francisco to Yosemite-Kings/Sequoia-Death Valley I was most unsure about my itinerary. (Well the part in AZ too I admit...)You gave me great advices, thank you so much!

I really wish we can do Yosemite, well we will!

Thanks again!

 

[diswedwish]

Have a wonderful trip! It sounds like an extended version of what my parents and I did growing up. Our longest trip was 3 weeks; many national parks, thousands of miles on the car. But fun to see so many places! I've been to most of the parks you mentioned.

My fiance and I will be out that way for our honeymoon in June and we have a similar trip - at least the CA part. We're going from SF to Lake Tahoe, down to Mammoth Lakes, Yosemite (Ahwahnee - our splurge), and Kings Canyon/Sequoia. Then I was debating our trip through Death Valley back to Vegas - it takes us far out of our way on the last day of the honeymoon. So that part is still up in the air.

For what it's worth - from my memories of Kings Canyon/Sequoia - I really loved these parks. We're spending 2 nights in Yosemite and 2 nights in Visalia (near Sequoia). We will end up spending more hours at Yosemite; but my memories were good enough that I wanted to spend more than 1 day at Kings Canyon/Sequoia.

 

[Salome]

Thank you diswedwish,

How old when you did that trip? My 2 older are 7 and 9. Hope they will have great memories like you!

We were planning for 4 days at Yosemite, 2 at KC and 2 at Sequoia....Now I don't really know...

Hope you have a great trip with your fiancé!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

7 and 9 are perfect ages for the parks. Just a few suggestions to help enjoy and remember your trip:

1) Get an annual pass into the National Parks. I think the current cost is $80 for a year of unlimited entry to all National Parks, Monuments and Recreational areas. The cost of entry into the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Bryce alone will cost you $75.

2) At your first National Park, buy a Passport Book. All National Park bookstores will have stamps that you can stamp into your passport to show the date and where you visited. Some parks have multiple stamps. Your kids will have a blast getting their passport stamped.

3) Make sure you look into Junior Ranger programs at all of the parks you go to. Your kids will really enjoy it and it gives them a souvenir for each park they visit.

Hope you have a great trip.

 

[diswedwish]

We went out west several times; I think the first time I was in middle school. I was probably not as pleasant as possible all the time I'm sure your kids will enjoy the trip. I can't even begin to imagine 9 weeks though! From my experience traveling long distances with my parents - don't just feed them Twinkies for breakfast (that makes us crabbier), do stop frequently for pit stops (I remember crying quietly in the backseat on the Going to the Sun road in Glacier because my dad didn't want to stop at a bathroom - but he did want to stop to get a picture of every waterfall on the way up), Motel 6's are fine once in awhile but don't ask us to get ice if there are prostitutes on the breezeways (my mom escorted me), go off the beaten path and take your time where you want to (although sometimes one way dirt roads with steep cliffs are scary). And watch National Lampoon's Vacation before you go - we quoted this frequently and it kept things light hearted when things didn't go as planned.

Have a wonderful time!!!!

 

[GrandBob]

yes, 9 weeks trip, leaving sunday from Quebec with our 3 kids!

Stops in Colorado, (Great sand dunes, Mesa Verde) Arizona (Monument Valley, Petriefied Forest, Grand Canyon), then most of the time in California (San Diego, LA, Highway 1 to SF then the rest you know...) then Las Vegas and finally some national parks in Utah (Zion, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands) then back home.

The portion of north California; San Francisco to Yosemite-Kings/Sequoia-Death Valley I was most unsure about my itinerary. (Well the part in AZ too I admit...)You gave me great advices, thank you so much!

I really wish we can do Yosemite, well we will!

Thanks again!

Wow! Have a wonderful, magical trip! I know you will.

I agree with Google maps - to go from SF to Yosemite, take 120 west from Manteca. When you're done with Yosemite, you can then hit the west side entrances of the other NPs by going south through the Central Valley of Califonia. Highway 99 is the main artery to follow, though you may want to find smaller local roads if you're game.

When you're done with Sequoia, you may want to follow the road south to Kernville, then follow 178 west through Ridgecrest and on up to Death Valley. I have to confess that I've never travelled this route, but it looks like an interesting one, absent any freak late-season snow.

Have fun! I hope you post a trip report when you're done. Or better yet, along the way, if you have internet access!

-Bob

 

[Salome]

Thanks again for the advices, I should have asked some questions before!!

Wendy, I did not know about the Passport Book, it's a great idea et a fun thing to do for the kids!

Jamie, I promise I will feed them properly and stop when they have to go!

Bob, I wish I could take you with us! Maybe the trip report would be the way to do it? Are we allowed to do so long TR? In bad english like I do?

Maybe by the end of the trip, I would speak and write correctly full sentences? So that would be a bonus for me too...

I guess I have to start in the trip report section? I will have to learn how to post photos...

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Thanks again for the advices, I should have asked some questions before!!

Wendy, I did not know about the Passport Book, it's a great idea et a fun thing to do for the kids!

Jamie, I promise I will feed them properly and stop when they have to go!

Bob, I wish I could take you with us! Maybe the trip report would be the way to do it? Are we allowed to do so long TR? In bad english like I do?

Maybe by the end of the trip, I would speak and write correctly full sentences? So that would be a bonus for me too...

I guess I have to start in the trip report section? I will have to learn how to post photos...

Salome, there is absolutely no limit on how long your trip report can be and we would all love to read it, no matter how you write!

 

[GrandBob]

Salome, there is absolutely no limit on how long your trip report can be and we would all love to read it, not matter how you write!

I totally agree!

-Bob

 

[Salome]

All right, I will do my best!

Can you tell me how we put pictures? They will tell better than me. In french we say: Une image vaut mille mots. (A picture worth a thousand words?)

 

[disneyfaninaz]

We say the same thing here (just not in French)!

You need to get an account on a site like photobucket. It is free. You upload your photos to this site and then you can copy the IMG code and paste it into your DIS post. It is very easy to do.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Salome, there is absolutely no limit on how long your trip report can be and we would all love to read it, no matter how you write!

I totally agree!

-Bob

Me three! I'll be hanging out to read this TR if you write it as you go. I love all the NP that you'll be going to.

And I hate to be the voice of dissent here....BUT.....there is a limit on how long your trip report can be......page 250, in which case a moderator *might* come along and lock the thread because it is too long for the boards infrastructure to deal with....

All right, I will do my best!

Can you tell me how we put pictures? They will tell better than me. In french we say: Une image vaut mille mots. (A picture worth a thousand words?)

Wayfastwill posted a video tutorial of how to post pictures. Link here:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1947588

 

[Salome]

Thank you, and I will try to keep it simple...if I skip the parts when me and my husband will want to pull off each other head it will take much less space!!

Can I ask 2 more advices? I want to spend a night on a beach between San Diego and LA, thinking of Huntington beach. Is it a good choice?

And beetween LA and SF, 2 nights. Thinking one around Santa Barbara and the other at Pfeiffer State Park or Half Moon Bay (stop anyway at Pfeiffer).
Any advices?

Thank you again, I will start the TR in a few days!

Annie

 

[GrandBob]

And between LA and SF, 2 nights. Thinking one around Santa Barbara and the other at Pfeiffer State Park or Half Moon Bay (stop anyway at Pfeiffer).
Any advices?

Santa Barbara is a delightful place to stay. As an alternative, if you want to see Hearst Castle, you could consider San Simeon or Cambria. Otherwise, yes, Santa Barbara is a good choice.

For further up the coast, may I suggest my area, Monterey? Lots to see and do here. Your kids would love the Monterey Bay Aquarium! You could easily spend a half day, or even a full day there. (Disclaimer - I work for the sister organization, MBARI, so I may be biased.) There's also Cannery Row, the 17 Mile Drive, tidepooling around Asilomar Beach, etc. And for a break, your kids are the right age to enjoy Dennis the Menace Park -- it's my DGD's favorite place.

As far as Pfeiffer State Park, it's a lovely place. If you have camping equipment, you can camp there. Otherwise, look for lodging in the Big Sur area here. Warning -- Highway 1 is closed around Big Sur right now because a big chunk of the highway fell into the sea. They were predicting a re-opening of April 16, but now they're implying that it may be closer to May 1. Check for road closures before you head that way.

Oh, and if you're in the area, besides Pfeiffer State Park, be sure to check out Pfeiffer Beach. It's one of the prettiest beaches anywhere, though a little off the beaten track (you have to go down a one-lane road for a couple of miles).

Have a great time!
Bob