San Francisco to Yosemite and back in a day.

Re. a previous post about my holiday to California this June,I'd like to visit Yosemite park while I'm staying in San Francisco.

Again I need some local knowledge please.Google maps gives it as just under 200 miles and about a 4 hour drive by road.Public transport by rail from Emeryville to Merced and then coach to Yosemite taking about 6 hours.

Is this practical to do in a day and see everything that needs to be seen,or am I better off doing an over nighter and staying somewhere near Yosemite?

a reply to: Imagewerx

IMfreekin impossible. The grandeur of Yosemite cannot, repeat, cannot be taken in in an afternoon. Best to save your money and time and just get a good picture book of it. Yosemite needs to be experienced, not just glanced at. You need to get there early in the morning, spend a day, sleep, spend the next day and then maybe, maybe you will have a sense of where you are.

Heck, take the drive across the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin. Drive up to the top of Mt. Tamalpias and check that out. Or and afternoon drive down the coast to Santa Cruz and take in some of the deep redwood groves.
One cannot get a sense of Yosemite in an afternoon. Actually, it takes days to let it sink in.

a reply to: Imagewerx
If you want to just get there, turn around and head back, then you can do it in a day, Yosemite is huge and Incredible!

I visited a friend in San Fran many years ago and we did the same trip, we were very into an "On the Road" mentality at the time and just went for it. We left Haight Asbury district, nice warm day and drove, picked some oranges on the way and by the time we got to Yosemite we got stuck in a Blizzard, roads closed. We stayed in a hotel along the road, and they had a Bar and a Band, only about 10 folks max trapped there and did we ever whoop it up, dancing on the tables, crazy waitress's joining in and later knocked out in the hotel.
Next day we explored and did a small bit of hiking, saw sites that till this day don't seem real, rock faces that disappear into the clouds, waterfalls also. Giant Redwoods...giant everything, you feel so small. Too bad we couldn't stay longer. We only saw a speck of the Park.

If your going to go, take a couple of days at least, it is the best.

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

I've got six full days in San Francisco,then I'm driving down the coast road to LA for another six days before heading up to Flagstaff and Las Vegas,so will be going through Santa Cruz anyway.

a reply to: Imagewerx
I've done that route as well. Sounds like fun, take pics.

a reply to: ugmold

Thanks,will have to do a bit of rebooking of hotels and B&Bs to make this work.Sounds like the blizzard actually did you a favour!

originally posted by: ugmold
a reply to: Imagewerx
I've done that route as well. Sounds like fun, take pics.

Thanks,just got a magic arm that lets me clamp my camera to the headrest posts in the car.With a remote shutter release I can get the photos I wouldn't normally bother with because it would mean too many stops.

a reply to: Imagewerx

ooooouuu. Some nice driving. And LA to Flagstaff. That's a grand drive also. Or at least it was 40 years ago when I made it. Enjoy.

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Changed that now.One night less in 'frisco with a one night stay in Oakhurst instead so hopefully a couple of days at Yosemite.The rest the same but still want to get see the meteor crater the other side of Flagstaff if possible.

a reply to: Imagewerx

Good choice werx. Warning though. While in San Francisco, nix on the word frisco. Hanging offense.

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Thanks for the advice,I'll make sure I keep the British Embassy on speed-dial in case I forget.