Planning a DLR, Yosemite combo trip...

[NostalgicDad]

Checking out the stars at night sounds sweet. But would we have to hike back at night, or is there transportation or could I drive?

Although it is possible to hike, you can simply drive to Glacier Point. The road gets REALLY winding as you near it but it's lots of fun.

 

[ScooterL]

One thing to be aware of - yes, you can drive to Glacier Point, but it's about an hour from there to the Valley - and it's a narrow winding road in places, with NO lights, so it might not be the kind of thing that you want to drive at night.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

One thing to be aware of - yes, you can drive to Glacier Point, but it's about an hour from there to the Valley - and it's a narrow winding road in places, with NO lights, so it might not be the kind of thing that you want to drive at night.

I agree that you should be careful on the mountain road. We went there at night in 2006, and I would have felt much more comfortable if I had been driving instead of my BIL.

However.... standing out by the amphitheater area on Glacier Point during 1st quarter moon, with the billions and billions of stars, and the Milky Way so bright in the sky. I get tears in my eyes just remembering the sheer beauty and majesty of it all.

I'd do it again in a heartbeat. (and with a strong flashlight and a man for protection )

 

[CPT Tripss]

We're doing a similar trip this July. We had initially hoped to start off in San Francisco, spend a few days in Yosemite, then spend our last few days in Disneyland and fly out of LAX or San Diego, but we weren't able to find an affordable one-way rental car option from SF. We were quoted over $700 for a compact! Instead, we're going to fly into San Jose, spend the night there and visit the Winchester Mystery House, drive to Yosemite for two nights (staying at the Tenaya Lodge), then finish up at Disneyland. I've been tweaking the details for the past 6 months, so hopefully that's the final itinerary.

I'm very excited about this trip. I've never been to California before!

Just back from SJC - 8 days of an Impala for $124 using the National code that has it's own thread.
Just as a "heads up," Tenaya is not close to the valley . . . maybe an hour?
The OP might want to google Yosemite West - there is a community of houses and condos in the National Forest just a couple miles from the Glacier Point Rd - if no lodging in the valley is available.
Also, the Curry Cabins with bath are not bad. "Rustic," but hot and cold running water, a flush toilet, electric lights and real walls and door! Much less expensive than the lodge.

 

[2munchkins]

holcomb-mania -
We are renting the RV from Expedition Motor Homes. Before reserving it we compared the [cost of renting an SUV (need extra room over a regular car) + hotel rooms outside the parks + the extra gas needed to drive into/out of the parks each day] to the cost of the RV.

We are definitely saving money (and avoiding driving some of the twisty roads multiple times a day!). Plus with the RV we can cook some meals ourselves. The campgrounds in the national parks do not having hook-ups, so you are on your own! Our RV has a generator, which we will mainly use just to use the microwave. All other cooking uses propane.

 

[CPT Tripss]

holcomb-mania -
We are renting the RV from Expedition Motor Homes. Before reserving it we compared the [cost of renting an SUV (need extra room over a regular car) + hotel rooms outside the parks + the extra gas needed to drive into/out of the parks each day] to the cost of the RV.

We are definitely saving money (and avoiding driving some of the twisty roads multiple times a day!). Plus with the RV we can cook some meals ourselves. The campgrounds in the national parks do not having hook-ups, so you are on your own! Our RV has a generator, which we will mainly use just to use the microwave. All other cooking uses propane.

Not all NP campgrounds allow generators.

 

[holcomb-mania]

The campgrounds in the national parks do not having hook-ups, so you are on your own!

You can still park it in the park?


Just Googled Pixar and they are right across the bay in Emeryville.

 

[NostalgicDad]

I agree that you should be careful on the mountain road. We went there at night in 2006, and I would have felt much more comfortable if I had been driving instead of my BIL.

However.... standing out by the amphitheater area on Glacier Point during 1st quarter moon, with the billions and billions of stars, and the Milky Way so bright in the sky. I get tears in my eyes just remembering the sheer beauty and majesty of it all.

I'd do it again in a heartbeat. (and with a strong flashlight and a man for protection )

Yes, definitely be careful on that road, especially at night. As I mentioned it was fun, I should have also mentioned "while going slow". After one night of star-gazing, we left Glacier Point around midnight. it was one of the most white-knuckle drives I've ever made.

And, as Mary Jo said, the beauty and sheer number of heavenly bodies you can see in that night sky will simply take your breath away. We even got to see the International Space Station as it orbitted by and the astronomers knew exactly when we would see a flash of light from the sun reflecting off of it for a brief moment. That's the kind of stuff you just don't get to see very often, if ever at all.