My husband and I are planning a California trip, but we only have 9 days. We are starting in San Diego (for a wedding), but can leave from anywhere. So far, I%26#39;m most interested in wine country (not set on which region), Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe, Palm Springs, and San Francisco. We can%26#39;t do everything in a week...any suggestions? We love wine, laid back, scenic drives, cute towns, etc.
Yosemite or somewhere else?
Hi, Off4Run!
It%26#39;s off-topic for the Yosemite forum, so I%26#39;ll just mention briefly that there are several wineries in San Diego County. If you eliminate the Northern California wine county due to a lack of time, and you also eliminate Palm Springs and Lake Tahoe, you could visit both Yosemite and San Francisco in a week.
The drive from San Diego to Yosemite is approximately 470 miles. It will take you a minimum of eight hours.
Yosemite or somewhere else?
The Sierra Foothills is fast coming of its own in the wine business, with oodles of cute towns and good wines. Our favorite wine town is Murphys, about an hour from Groveland. Good antiques, galleries, cute bed and breakfasts and you can park in downtown and walt to nearly a dozen tasting rooms...some with wonderful wines. This little stop could make up part of a yosemite/SF loop.
About 15minutes east of Murphys is Calaveras Big Trees State Park, with groves I think rival the heck out of the Yosemite Big trees, with easy access and not so many folks.
Have a marvelous holiday.
If you are starting in San Diego you might consider a trip up the coast to hit Cambria and then stop in Paso Robles, a big wine growing area. Then you could head across the valley for Mariposa / Sierra Foothills just outside of Yosemite. FYI, Yosemite is in Mariposa County. Mariposa has a few wineries as well as wineries more north in the Murphys / Jackson area. It is a fun area with quaint towns and scenic drives. I would recommend staying a couple of nights in Cambria, 2 to 3 nights in Mariposa (where you can also visit Yosemite), and then drive up HWY 49 and spend a couple of nights in Murphys.
FYI, wine is now being grown all over California. White wines (like Chard) can be found along the coast, with reds (Cabs abd Zins) more inland and in the foothills. Santa Barbara is also a great wine growing area - perhaps you saw the movie, ';Sideways';. You could also spend a night there on your way to Cambria.
As for Lake Tahoe, Palm Springs and SF, if you like a laid-back type of trip, I think you are trying to do too much. You might drive from the Murphys area back to SF, but Tahoe and Palm Springs, IMHO, would be out of the way for just 9 days. It could be done, but I would not recommend it. Tahoe maybe, but not Palm Springs.
Enjoy your trip!
A little clarification:
While it is true that Yosemite Valley and points South, including Glacier Point, Badger Pass, Wawona and the Mariposa Grove are in Mariposa County, more than 50% of the land mass that makes up Yosemite National Park lies in Tuolumne County. This includes Hetch Hetchy, Lakes Elinore and Cherry Tuolumne Meadows and most of the High Country.
This is indeed true! In fact, Yosemite can be found in 4 counties. Many people cannot comprehend just how large Yosemite really is and that it can take 4 to 5 hours to drive from one area of the Park to another. The elevation change from one area to another is also great. It is a very large Park!
I was in SD 2 months ago. It%26#39;s a beautiful city. I also went up to Lake rrowhead and Temecula where many nice wineries are located.
But I just got back from 2 nights in Yosemite and it%26#39;s the greatest.
I%26#39;ve heard Sequoia NP is beautiful too (it%26#39;s closer to SD) but I%26#39;ve never been. Of course, there%26#39;s also the ride up the coast past Big Sur to SF. Awesome state!
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