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Old 16 Jul 19, 08:13 AM  
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fiona88
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advice on Yosemite/Monterey stay

Hi all, a bit of advice needed.
Current plan for our September trip involves collecting a car in San Fran at 2pm and driving to Yosemite:
night 1 - stay in mariposa in hotel (didn't want to risk entering Yosemite and setting up camp in the dark), leave very early next morning
full day in Yosemite
night 2 - housekeeping camp
full day in Yosemite
night 3 - housekeeping camp
spend most of the day in Yosemite then drive to Monterey
night 4 - Monterey bay lodge
full day monterey - whale watching + aquarium
night 5 - MBL
set off on PCH to Santa Barbara for night in airstream (then onwards to rest of trip, pre-booked and paid for)

We spend 2.5 days at the Grand Canyon last year, (unplanned extension from 1 day) and could've stayed longer, so I think I've possibly underestimated the time we want to spend in Yosemite. We also live at the coast with some of the best beaches in the country on our doorstep, so I don't know if we'll be as interested in spending longer there.

What I'm debating is:
moving night 4, either to Yosemite to get the full day, then head to monterey in the morning, do the whale watching in the afternoon and aquarium in the morning before setting off down the PCH.
Or sleep somewhere in-between like los Banos, not that I want to do anything there, just it's cheap, supposedly safe and 2hours from Yosemite rather than 4 (so an easier drive after a day hiking) and we could still get to monterey early to fit our day's plans in there.

I should be able to keep the cost roughly the same, we'll lose the cheaper rate we have at the monterey bay lodge as it's cancellation only, no amendments, but if we stay further up near lovers point there are a few places still available that'll come in at or under budget.

Any opinions would be appreciated
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Old 17 Jul 19, 08:33 AM  
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jdouds
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Hi we would suggest if possible leave San Fran a bit earlier and go straight to yosemite. On arrival do the valley floor tour, this will give you a taste of the main sites as well as a little history ( 2 hours ) it also helps you get your bearings. The main things we did walk to el capitan , vernal falls walk up and down via john Muir trail, drive to glacier point for spectacular view, (you can walk here if you are more energetic but it is strenuous as it's up to 10,000 ft ) also drive to tioga pass.
For Monterey make sure you do the coast round to Carmel and if possible stop at pebble beach for lunch or tea if you like your sport. Whale watching we went with sanctuary cruises from moss landing and would highly recommend .
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Old 17 Jul 19, 02:38 PM  
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fiona88
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Sadly we can't adjust the car pickup time as it's based off the drop off later in the trip and our San Fran itinerary is pretty much packed.
Thanks for the rest of the tips though, think we'll be doing the coastal drive round to Carmel etc as part of the way to Santa Barbara.
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Old 17 Jul 19, 08:28 PM  
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jdouds
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Hi to do the Carmel section on same day as Santa Barbara will make it extremely long day. On coast road make sure you take time to stop to see the condors and the elephant seals at San Simeon .
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Old 19 Jul 19, 08:35 AM  
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landandword17
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Originally Posted by fiona88 View Post
Sadly we can't adjust the car pickup time as it's based off the drop off later in the trip and our San Fran itinerary is pretty much packed.
Thanks for the rest of the tips though, think we'll be doing the coastal drive round to Carmel etc as part of the way to Santa Barbara.
I wouldn’t loiter in the Carmel/Monterey area that day. It’s a long, slow but stunning drive down the coast to Santa Barbara assuming you are doing Highway 1. I’ve been to lots of U.K. seaside towns but I think the coastline is just gorgeous there, reminded me of the Amalfi coast with a hint of Scotland.

Anyway, if you want to do any stops at the various sites along the way and have lunch you will be on the road most of the day so get cracking early or you will really regret hanging about Carmel when you see the scenery further south.
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Old 19 Jul 19, 06:06 PM  
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Myakka17
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I think 3 days in Yosemite is more than enough. We had 1 day and covered everything we wanted to see.
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Old 19 Jul 19, 08:34 PM  
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mickeymouseears
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is the valley floor a tour or a walk?
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Old 20 Jul 19, 09:58 AM  
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KarenG
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Originally Posted by Myakka17 View Post
I think 3 days in Yosemite is more than enough. We had 1 day and covered everything we wanted to see.
I’d settle for 3 days but I guess we want different things from Yosemite - we had two full days and it wasn’t enough
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Old 20 Jul 19, 10:12 AM  
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landandword17
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Originally Posted by KarenG View Post
I’d settle for 3 days but I guess we want different things from Yosemite - we had two full days and it wasn’t enough
Same. We hope to go back someday. With 3 days we didn’t get it all done and the hikes we did do were so stunning I’d do them again in a heartbeat. Next year we might enter the lottery for permits to climb Half Dome 🤞

The OP says they are hikers so I think the 3 days will be needed and they could do more but a west coast trip has so much to offer you have to draw the line somewhere to fit everything in. For people who aren’t active, don’t hike and are just going to see what it’s all about and tick the box a full day might be enough.
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Old 21 Jul 19, 10:54 PM  
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fiona88
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Thanks for the feedback everyone, I've just pulled the trip to bits and changed 4 bookings, love free cancellation rates.
We now get 3 full days at Yosemite, driving straight from San Fran to camp, so need to make good time to get there at dusk rather than dark.
Then 1n Monterey as there's just 2 things we want to do there so should be able to fit them in. Then we've cancelled Santa Barbara and are staying further north to shorten that drive making it hopefully more achievable.
I have a feeling we'll still feel as if it isn't enough time at Yosemite, but at least this way I know I've arranged as much time there as possible without missing too much elsewhere.
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