# has anyone done a one day Yosemite tour from San Francisco?



## presley (Dec 18, 2013)

We do have plans to visit Yosemite over a long weekend, but depending on what classes my son ends up with, may have to put it off.

Since we are going to San Francisco twice in the spring, I was thinking about taking one of the one day Yosemite tours from there.  Main reason is that I'm happy to pay someone else to do all the driving.  We would actually be doing this in March, when there could be a lot of snow.  

My first choice would be the one that includes Amtrak (because Amtrak has a cafe and bathroom on board), but I don't see a departure date until April.  My second choice would be the smaller tour buses for comfort/ease of sleeping on the ride if desired.  

The Amtrak version is: http://www.sanfranshuttletours.com/san_francisco_tours.htm

The tour bus would be this one, but I've read the Sequoia hike is often canceled due to snow in March:
http://www.yosemite-tours.com/yosemite_van_tours.htm

Has anyone done either of these or something else?  It's not meant to be instead of a Yosemite weekend, but an added visit at a different time of year.


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## Blues (Dec 18, 2013)

Yes, my wife's Japanese uncle did this on his first trip to the states.  I think we even warned him against it, but he went anyway.  It is such a whirlwind trip, with so much bus time, that he was exhausted, said he didn't see anything, and that he wouldn't do it again.

On his next visit to the states we took him and his wife to see Yosemite.  Stayed at Yosemite View lodge.  We only stayed a couple of days, but he thanked us profusely, and commented on all the things he didn't see before.

I wouldn't even try to do this as a day trip from SF, tour or not.  You spend half the time in the bus (or train), and the other half recovering from the gruelling schedule.

-Bob


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## Passepartout (Dec 18, 2013)

In a one-day trip, you simply could not see enough to do it justice. Better to go to a library or book store and spend a couple hours with an Ansel Adams picture book.

Save Yosemite for a time when you can give it at least the 2-3 days it deserves. Even more is much better. We were there 10 days a year ago in October on an Elderhostel painting class and felt we just scratched the surface.

Jim


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## csxjohn (Dec 18, 2013)

We took a bus tour from inside the park and it took all day.  I can't imagine having time to do or see anything if you start in S.F.


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## somewhereoutthere (Dec 18, 2013)

Are you set on seeing Yosemite, or are you looking just to get out of the city and get into nature/see giant trees? How about using the day to go to Muir Woods instead? It's a national monument not too far from the city, consisting of about 300 acres of coastal redwoods that have never been logged. It feels like you're in another world.


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## sue1947 (Dec 18, 2013)

+1 for Muir Woods for a day trip.  
I also agree that trying to do Yosemite as a day trip from SF is not a good idea.  With 8 hours spent getting too and from and only a few hours in the park itself, you just don't have time to see much of anything.  


In March:  The road to Tioga Pass via Tuolumne Meadows is closed for the winter so you will need to save the high country for summer or fall.  
   The Valley will be available and probably won't have snow.  The waterfalls will be in action, but the main treat is another month away.  The California poppies and other flower shows are just beginning at the end of March and the big show is April-May.  
  The road from the Valley up over Badger Pass to the south entrance might be drivable depending on the weather so access to Wawona from the Valley is a possibility.  However, Wawona is pretty dead that time of year.  The road to Glacier Pt will still be closed for the winter while the ski area up there might still be operating but might be closing.  The Mariposa Grove of Sequoia (the best one) is probably still snowed in though it could be patchy.  You can rent snowshoes and walk the road (2 miles) to the grove and then around the trees which is pretty nifty.  

My advice:  Focus on the Valley and try to arrange to spend at least one night there even if you arrive late the night before.  That allows you all day to roam the valley and explore.  Plan on a return trip or two or three to see the rest of the park in different seasons.  

As a sidenote:   The Yosemite Conservancy has their annual spring meeting the last weekend in March.  If you are there at that time, you can join in on some walks and activities that will give you an insiders look.  On the other hand, it also means that lodging near the park will be hard to get.  

Sue


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## chirowes (Dec 18, 2013)

*I have driven that before*

I is just too far. About a 5 hr drive to the park and then in the park you need at least a solid day to see much of what you want. I does not look that far on a map but the roads are not very good and traffic is bad. Inside the park if you can do 30mph you are doing fairly well. Muir woods is nice so just go there for some redwoods. So much to see near San fran that it is not worth that kind of drive, at least not to me


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## x3 skier (Dec 18, 2013)

Another short trip is Half Moon Bay.

Cheers


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## presley (Dec 18, 2013)

Thanks for the feedback, everyone.  It doesn't seem like we would enjoy it.  I'll look into the ones where they drop you off overnight and you stay in a hotel. Otherwise, I'll just wait to see it on the long weekend we have scheduled at the WM near there at the end of April.  We will most likely miss the snow, but I'm sure the waterfalls will make up for that.

We visited Muir Woods last year and loved it.  My only hesitation with going back is that the van tours don't allow enough time in the park. I think we had about an hour and 45 minutes.   I would love a full day there, but haven't been able to figure out how to do that.  I wonder how much a taxi would cost to get there and to pick us up later to take us back to the city.


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## LisaH (Dec 18, 2013)

I know some friends who do this a couple times a year taking the out of town folks to see the park. It's 8 hours round trip without traffic just to get to the Park and back, plus another 5-6 hours driving inside. Definitely a very exhausting trip. I think they are nuts but they don't seem to mind. Needs at least two people to drive alternatively.


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## Luanne (Dec 18, 2013)

presley said:


> We visited Muir Woods last year and loved it.  My only hesitation with going back is that the van tours don't allow enough time in the park. I think we had about an hour and 45 minutes.   I would love a full day there, but haven't been able to figure out how to do that.  I wonder how much a taxi would cost to get there and to pick us up later to take us back to the city.



What about renting a car for a day to do this?


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## deannak (Dec 19, 2013)

Will you have a car?  Another possibility is Big Basin Redwoods State Park, about 1.5 hours drive south of San Francisco.  Muir Woods is wonderful, but I find that the crowds detract from the feeling of the place, and Big Basin is much less crowded.  I'm not aware of any bus trips that go there, so you'd need to drive.

"Big Basin Redwoods State Park is California's oldest State Park, established in 1902. Home to the largest continuous stand of ancient coast redwoods south of San Francisco."
http://www.bigbasin.org/


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## klpca (Dec 19, 2013)

deannak said:


> Will you have a car?  Another possibility is Big Basin Redwoods State Park, about 1.5 hours drive south of San Francisco.  Muir Woods is wonderful, but I find that the crowds detract from the feeling of the place, and Big Basin is much less crowded.  I'm not aware of any bus trips that go there, so you'd need to drive.
> 
> "Big Basin Redwoods State Park is California's oldest State Park, established in 1902. Home to the largest continuous stand of ancient coast redwoods south of San Francisco."
> http://www.bigbasin.org/



I second Big Basin. We camped there one year and had an awesome time.

FWIW, we rented a car for a day last year to drive from San Francisco to Sonoma, with a stop at Muir Woods along the way.  It really wasn't that bad and we had to drive in/out of the Union Square area, which seemed particularly busy. A car would (obviously) give you some more flexibility.


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## nazclk (Dec 19, 2013)

*Yosemite*

I wouldn't do a day trip from SF to Yosemite.  Too much driving and not enough time sightseeing.  Two day trip would make it much more enjoyable.


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## vacationtime1 (Dec 19, 2013)

presley said:


> We visited Muir Woods last year and loved it.  My only hesitation with going back is that the van tours don't allow enough time in the park. I think we had about an hour and 45 minutes.   I would love a full day there, but haven't been able to figure out how to do that.  I wonder how much a taxi would cost to get there and to pick us up later to take us back to the city.





Luanne said:


> What about renting a car for a day to do this?



If you drive to Muir Woods, go on a weekday.  It is a very popular day hiking spot for San Franciscans and the parking lots fill up early on weekend days.

After your walk, have dinner in Sausalito or Tiburon (Sausalito is on the way back to SF; Tiburon is a few miles out of the way) and have dinner at one of the restaurants overlooking the bay.


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## NoeGirl160 (Dec 21, 2013)

presley said:


> We visited Muir Woods last year and loved it.  My only hesitation with going back is that the van tours don't allow enough time in the park. I think we had about an hour and 45 minutes.   I would love a full day there, but haven't been able to figure out how to do that.  I wonder how much a taxi would cost to get there and to pick us up later to take us back to the city.



There is bus/shuttle service to Muir Woods that is pretty convenient, but just checked and it doesn't operate in March.   A taxi to/from would be expensive, and I'm not sure you could even get a cab willing to come get you out there.  There are cab alternatives like Uber that likely would, but I'd worry you wouldn't  be able to place a pickup request via the app (little to no cell service at the park). 

If you're ok with driving, renting for the day would be your best bet. You'll want to get there early or you'll be hiking in from the overflow lot.  I was just there in early November, and easily walked a mile to the park entrance.  But I got there at 1pm, and should know better.  If you can go on a weekday, it will be much less crowded.

P.s.  They have a nice but pricey snack bar with decent coffee.


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## SmithOp (Dec 21, 2013)

How about this for something close by?

http://www.angelisland.com/things_to_do/index.php

Sent from my iPad Gen 4 using Tapatalk HD


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## presley (Dec 21, 2013)

SmithOp said:


> How about this for something close by?
> 
> http://www.angelisland.com/things_to_do/index.php
> 
> Sent from my iPad Gen 4 using Tapatalk HD



That's on our list, too.  I haven't been to Angel Island in 30 years.  I'm looking forward to it.

We will only be up there for a few days and we will be very busy, doing lots of walking for hours every day. I thought vegging out on a train going to Yosemite would be our kick back day, but if we end up riding another bus while there to see the place, it starts to sound like 12 hours of sitting riding around, which I think would get to be too much.  

All our days will be so action packed. I guess if we need a veg out day, we could go meditate in the Japanese Tea Gardens.  I love that place.


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## SmithOp (Dec 21, 2013)

presley said:


> That's on our list, too.  I haven't been to Angel Island in 30 years.  I'm looking forward to it.
> 
> We will only be up there for a few days and we will be very busy, doing lots of walking for hours every day. I thought vegging out on a train going to Yosemite would be our kick back day, but if we end up riding another bus while there to see the place, it starts to sound like 12 hours of sitting riding around, which I think would get to be too much.
> 
> All our days will be so action packed. I guess if we need a veg out day, we could go meditate in the Japanese Tea Gardens.  I love that place.



I lived in the city in the 80s, worked at the bay bridge, there are so many things to do right there I wouldn't consider leaving town and dealing with all the traffic and transportation issues. Ride the Muni.

I spent many weekends in GGP riding my bike from the sunset district where I lived.  The DeYoung museum, Strybing botanical gardens, buffalo herd, Sprekles lake RC boats, velodrome, Sutro Baths, playground with the haight hippies playing drums, etc, etc. 



Sent from my iPad Gen 4 using Tapatalk HD


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## presley (Dec 23, 2013)

*Long Muir Woods Option*

If anyone is interested, I think I did find an inexpensive way to visit Muir Woods for a longer period of time.  Sounds like it will pick us up at our hotel and get us to MuirWoods, with an option of us getting off a few places on the way.  Then, it picks up every few hours and goes back to Sausalito.  We can Ferry back or take another bus.

http://www.sightseeingworld.com/tour/san+francisco/muirwoodsloop/


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