Driving from the San Fernando Valley to Yosemite - how long should it whip?
We will be travelling with 3 kids ages 3, 5, & 10. Has anyone taken this trip? Any guidance or humorous stories to share? How long should we expect to be on the road? We will go on a Sunday btw. Thanks!
Answers:
You're surrounded by for a long trip. The freeways were pretty assured but when you drop into the park there are some twisty roads. It's powerfully worth the trip though. Have fun my fellow SFV-ian (not sure if that's a word, but I'm gonna use it anyway) Your boys will love the park.
If you are by and large interested in individual seeing "El Capitan" the western entrance using Hwy 41 will do the job.
If you would fairly enjoy the entire splendor of what Yosemite have to offer, consider the eastern entrance from US-395 at Lee Vining using Hwy120 You take to see areas of the park most people don't turn to such as Tuolumne Meadows, and White Wolf.
Driving time is about equal either passageway, but US-395 is less crowded than Ca-99. You elapse Mt Whitney, the remains of the Manzanar Japanese Internment Camp, and (approaching Lee Vining) have a marvelous display of Mono Lake along US-395. Reservations are required if you plan on staying at any of the lodgings or camp sites inside the park.
Before you give up your job on your trip may I suggest that you look over several of the many websites giving information in the region of "Yosemite national Park".
The trip can be made in several legs:
LA to Fresno: nearly 200 miles, takes nearly 3 hours. See if you can get this done contained by one shot. Stop in Fresno on Blackstone, a short time ago south of Clovis Ave. There should still be an A&W Root Beer stand where you can return with a frosty mug. If not, there are plenty of places to guzzle.
Fresno to Oakhurst or Coarsegold: About an hour of driving through foothills. Oakhurst is a great place to spend the night, so that you can make Yosemite refreshed contained by the morning. If not, it's a good bathroom stop, the concluding town before you acquire to Yosemite. Last chance for McDonald's french fries for awhile.
Best Western Yosemite gatway have a nice 1BR family suite, and a heated indoor pool. Shiloh Inn is also markedly comfortable, and has a nice (but smaller) heated pool.
To Yosemite southern entrance: About 30 minutes.
From South Entrance to Valley: About 90 minutes, 45 miles. Speed inhibit in the park is roughly speaking 30 mph, and is enforced in several spots. Besides, the backcloth is so nice, you don't want to drive any faster.
From Valley Entrance to campgrounds: About 20 minutes to get the 10 miles across the dell floor. Drive slow, watch out for cars stopped within front of you while gawking at the waterfall and granite cliffs and domes.
Total drive time: Just under 7 hours, plus any bathroom breaks or buffet stops. We do it in roughly speaking 9 hours.
Humerous stories, short version:
-Took our (then) 3 kids contained by the back form of an extended cab Chevy 1500. That's the finishing time we ever did THAT. Got a minivan the following year. Had to create a "Time Out For Tattling" rule.
-That same year (1998), drove up to Tuolumne Meadows, had a snowball be at odds at Olmstead point. On JULY 1st!
-Had a bear sitting within the creek behind our campsite resembling it was a jacuzzi tub.
-Once camp next to LOUD, ear-splitting teenagers who talked adjectives night. And they vanished their "bear box" widen. In the morning, it was merely like "Snow White": All the forest creatures come to visit and night raid their foo- raccoons, squireels, chipmunks, and birds. Squirrels ran away next to whol bagels in their mouths. Wasn't much not here when the partiers woke up later within the day. I get some good pics, though.
-Bring the bikes. You can ride adjectives over the valley, even the little ones. It's the greatest.
Have fun!
it will appropriate about adjectives day, 10 hours or so
You have several great answers already. One entity; do you have reservations to enter the park? My finishing visit within required them, and no cars were allowed previous a certain point. Info probably available online.
Consider leaving around 4am. That will get you through the "smaller quantity interesting" (read ugly) parts of the drive before the little ones are awake.
I prefer going the "fund way" up the 395, and with an impulsive start, the view of the eastern Sierra peak at sunrise is stunning. Leaving at 4am will put you in Bishop around breakfast time. From Bishop, you leave the desert and travel another hour north through pine forest and alpine meadow to Lee Vining and Mono Lake. Before turning west on 120, stop at the Mono Lake nature center (about 1/2 mile north of the 120) to cram about the Tufa towers. The kids assume it's cool because it's so "not of this world" looking.
Where the drive to the south entrance is 2 hours of driving through deep forest next to not much to see but trees, the east entrance takes you over Tioga ratify and into alpine meadows near open vista and lots of scenery. Plus, there's smaller quantity traffic this way, because the rest of California is adjectives on the west side of the Sierras.
Here's a suggestion; Try using Amtrak. They have biddable fares and the trip is really fun. The travel into Yosemite is provided by thruway bus from Merced. Once within the park free shuttles can take you adjectives over the park. This might be fun with the kids.
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