Northern California Road Trip – a 10 day Itinerary
A couple years ago I came across a photo of McWay Falls on Pinterest. The falls are set off from the highway and fall directly into the Pacific Ocean along the Big Sur coastline. It is one of the most beautiful places in California. You know how smart Pinterest is. You pin a picture of McWay Falls and all of a sudden you’re getting suggested pins in your feed for Big Sur, Monterey, California in general and just like that I was California dreaming.
I started putting together itinerary ideas to do a coastal roadtrip for our 20th wedding anniversary. I was trying to decide if it was worth adding in Napa Valley since we would have the kids in tow or if we should head North and South from San Francisco, and then my youngest asked me where the Sequoia trees were located and I knew I had a plan! Just like that our itinerary kind of built itself. We could start in San Francisco then head East and hit Yosemite and Sequoia National Park and finish in the Monterey / Big Sur area.
ITINERARY
San Francisco – 3 Nights
Yosemite National Park – 3 Nights
Sequoia National Park – 1 Night
Monterey, Big Sur and Santa Cruz Area – 3 Nights
WHAT TO PACK
Apparently more sweatshirts are sold in San Francisco than any other place in the world!Ok I just made that up but it is cold. We brought winter coats, sweaters, jeans and warm socks. And we were there for the 4th of July. We wore it all. And bought hats, scarves and gloves while we were there. It seems counterintuitive but it is damp and cold even in the summer. Dress in layers and just add and take off as needed.
Binoculars! We could see whales and sea otters from our hotel in Monterey.It was also fun using the binoculars in Yosemite.
Casual attire even for dinner.Northern California is very laid back. Most of the time I had on jeans or JCrew skinny cargos and my Vans high tops and we were fine at every restaurant we went to. The exception was the night we ate at The Majestic Yosemite Hotel for our anniversary (see below). We wore dresses and my husband wore slacks for that.
SAN FRANCISCO
We only had 48 hours in San Fran so I knew we needed to see as much of the highlights as possible. I spent some time on Trip Advisor and kept seeing glowing reviews for Dylan’s Tours. We are not always tour people. We will jump on a quick bus tour on occasion when we are visiting somewhere new but it is not like us to book a tour before we arrive. I can honestly tell you Dylan’s Tours is not only the best tour we have ever taken, but one of the most amazing things we have done on any vacation before. The guides are locals. The itineraries are full but not rushed. We ate the most amazing burrito at Street Taco in Haight Ashbury that my kids STILL talk about. I wish we had had more time in San Francisco so we could’ve taken a custom tour through the beautiful murals of The Mission District. Next time Dylan’s Tours!! We can’t wait!
Where we stayed: Pier 2620
Super modern, newly opened hotel. Near the wharf and centrally located to the Fisherman’s Wharf area.
Fun places to eat
Scomas: We loved the seafood at Scoma’s. Book a table early on Open Table. It’s cozy. They have a fireplace (even in the summer its brisk on the wharf!) and a good menu for kids and adults.
Street Taco: Trust me. California burritos at their best. Even the locals head there for burritos and tacos. Located in Haight Ashbury. Take an uber. Take a cab. Whatever – just get there!!
What we recommend
Spend some time in Fisherman’s Wharf at the end of a busy day to let the kids shop for souvenirs and to grab some of San Fran’s famous sourdough bowls. We bought sweatshirts, hats, gloves and scarves all in the Wharf! We also had dinner at Scoma’s (see below) which was super cozy with a burning fire and nice to escape the chill.
Take a ferry ride in the bay.We used Red and White Fleet. Especially if you are not doing Alcatrez. You can see the prison from the ferry and for us that was enough. We might try to catch an Alcatrez tour next time we are there but for us it was not a huge must do. Red and White Fleet ferry line has a ton of different tours. There are Golden Gate Bridge tours and sunset tours. We were there for the 4th of July so we did a 4th of July fireworks cruise. It was super cold out on the water – so bring lots of layers – but it was a once in a lifetime experience to watch San Francisco’s 4th of July fireworks from the middle of the bay.
Muir Woods. We had never seen redwood trees until we went to Muir Woods.The park is located north of the city and the trip there will take you over the Golden Gate Bridge! Definitely a must do. Even despite the larger crowds, the mood in the park was quiet and almost meditative. My kids loved seeing the giant trees.
If you are taking a cable car ride, go early in the morning.Also remember it is hard to get back on a cable car. We jumped off in Chinatown for lunch and had a hard time catching a cable car back.
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
Yosemite is crowded in the summer. There are lots of cars and lots of people on the trails. HOWEVER, we spent an entire day driving along the Tioga Road and saw only handfuls of people the entire day. Most of the crowds are concentrated in the valley. Yes this is where you can see the waterfalls and El Capitan but it is easily doable in just one day. Spend a day or two outside of the valley and do some short or long hikes in the Toulumne Meadows and Hetch Hetchy areas. You will not be disappointed and you will avoid some of the congestion found at the more famous places in the park.
Where we stayed: Rush Creek Lodge
The lodge offers condo style rooms – ours had a beautiful view from a rather large balcony. There are meals onsite and a beautiful pool. They offer tours if you would like a guided tour from both Rush Creek Lodge and their sister property Evergreen. We took a guided tour of the lower valley which meant we avoided some of the crowds and learned fun facts about the many waterfalls and giant sequoias in the park. The lodges offer fly fishing, white water rafting, star gazing and family nights. We will definitely return!
Where we ate
On a day hike through the Toulumme Meadows area we ate at a cute grill inside the park. The kids shared sandwiches while sitting on a downed tree log. It was perfect.
We actually celebrated our 20th anniversary while we were in Yosemite so I booked a dinner at the Majestic Yosemite Hotel. The hotel itself is as beautiful as it is famous and the restaurant does not disappoint with sweeping views and wonderful food. It can be booked as well on Open Table.
SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK
We only spent a day and a half in Sequioa National Park and because of that we only did a quick cursory drive through its companion park, Kings Canyon National Park. On a return trip we will definitely focus our exploring there as it receives far fewer crowds than its famous companion park, Sequoia.
Parking can be tricky in the park so we parked in a lot and rode the shuttle bus from area to area. There are a lot of easy short hikes through the groves that the kids loved wandering through. There are not a lot of places to stay in the park if you are not camping. We booked a room at Stony Creek Lodge which is part gas station, part hotel, part restaurant. The kids thought it was a hoot that there were camping showers in the parking lot. The pizza and breakfast at the onsite restaurant were wonderful. The whole facility while a bit dated was clean. Not a bad stop for one night.
Where we stayed: Stony Creek Lodge
MONTEREY, BIG SUR, SANTA CRUZ
This entire area could be a full trip itself. While it is often foggy in the summer we had beautiful clear blue skies all three days we were there. This is the place where a room with a view is a must. We splurged on an ocean facing room and could watch whales and sea otters right outside our room.
There are many scenic drives to take into Carmel-By-The-Sea and Big Sur but at this point in our road trip the kids were not looking to spend three days driving. We spent one evening and drove down the coast stopping a pull offs to watch the sunset and to hike down to the McWay Falls scenic overlook. I could have done 10 more scenic drives!! But I was perfectly happy with what we saw in just one evening.
Where we stayed: Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa
Where we ate
- Lou Lou’s Griddle in the Middle: It’s a teeny tiny amazing breakfast joint. Put your name in for a table and then step outside and enjoy the beautiful views of the marina and watch your kids laugh out loud at the sea lions lounging in the water.
- Schooners Coastal Kitchen: This is located right inside Monerey Plaza Hotel and Spa. We made a reservation for our first night and again asked for a window seat. We took turns with our binoculars watching the sea otters below!
- Nepenthe: Everyone will tell you to go here. Celebrities make the drive as well. It’s worth it. Just do it. We went at sunset and managed to get in without a reservation. The views seem like a movie or a painting. I don’t remember the food being terribly mind blowing but the views with my family and a cold glass of white wine were wonderful and not something I will forget.
What we recommend
The last day of our trip we surprised the kids with a day at the Santa Cruz Pier. They rode rides all day and we had a few beers. It was one of their favorite days and was a nice way to end the trip.
Monterey Aquarium.This place lives up to its hype. If you only do one thing in Monterey – even if you do not have kids – do this. There is a nice cafe for lunch and lots of fun demonstrations going on throughout the Aquarium during the day.
Rent bikes. There is so much to see OUTSIDE in Monterey. We rented a 4 person surrey and laughed the whole time. There are several places to rent bikes and all centrally located.
Don’t stress too much about doing the perfect coastal drive to Big Sur with all the right photo opportunities. I had these all mapped out and we ended up ignoring my list and just pulling over here and there on a whim. It was much less stressful. Trust me the whole coast is beautiful. No need to overthink it.
