California - 6 day trip san fran - is this one feasible?

spending 3 nights in san francisco (seems about right to see the sights) the tentative plan is then to drive south down the pacific coast highway ? as far as carmel, then cut across and up the sierra nevada valley , yosemite and back to san fran. Would aim to have 3 two night stops on route - is this realistic and a good use of the time - we are interested in the scenery rather than shopping etc.

spending 3 nights in san francisco (seems about right to see the sights) the tentative plan is then to drive south down the pacific coast highway ? as far as carmel, then cut across and up the sierra nevada valley , yosemite and back to san fran. Would aim to have 3 two night stops on route - is this realistic and a good use of the time - we are interested in the scenery rather than shopping etc.

Yes it is realistic. You would take hwy 152 and 156 out of Monterey and enter Yosemite through hwy 140 from Merced through Mariposa and El Portal.
If the road is open (no snow), you can take the road through the park to hwy 395 past Mono Lake and head north to Lake Tahoe.
Hwy 50 would take you back west through Sacramento.
If the road to 395 is closed, head up hwy 49 to Sacramento through the small Gold Rush towns.
If you have time, instead of Interstate 80 back to San Francisco, you could take a scenic river road (hwy 160) back to the SF Bay area.

A lot of driving - yes, but a lot of scenery.
Your stops would probably be Monterey area, Yosemite and Tahoe.
You may also want to consider Pacific Grove for lodging. It is just on the edge of 17 Mile Drive and close to Pebble Beach. The drive along the ocean in Pacific Grove is (in my opinion) better than 17 Mile Drive.

I'm in Sacramento. Feel free to PM me.

Yes it is realistic. You would take hwy 152 and 156 out of Monterey and enter Yosemite through hwy 140 from Merced through Mariposa and El Portal.
If the road is open (no snow), you can take the road through the park to hwy 395 past Mono Lake and head north to Lake Tahoe.
Hwy 50 would take you back west through Sacramento.
If the road to 395 is closed, head up hwy 49 to Sacramento through the small Gold Rush towns.

Concur on the routing and feasibility.

One note: if you are leaving San Francisco (you'll want to not call it "San Fran" while there; just "San Francisco" or "the City" :)) after about 3pm, the traffic driving down the peninsula and to Monterey Bay can be brutal

If you have time, instead of Interstate 80 back to San Francisco, you could take a scenic river road (hwy 160) back to the SF Bay area.

Quite agree. 160 from Sacramento to Antioch is gorgeous and a trip back in time.

A lot of driving - yes, but a lot of scenery.
Your stops would probably be Monterey area, Yosemite and Tahoe.
You may also want to consider Pacific Grove for lodging. It is just on the edge of 17 Mile Drive and close to Pebble Beach. The drive along the ocean in Pacific Grove is (in my opinion) better than 17 Mile Drive.

I'm in Sacramento. Feel free to PM me.

Also concur.

For something very different, look into staying in one of the historic buildings at Asilomar State Beach Park.

I quite agree with the two previous posters.

If you end up on Hwy 50 westbound from Lake Tahoe to San Francisco there are a few stops you could make. In Camino off Camino Road are a few wineries located in lovely settings. One of my favorites is Jodar. The tastings are free and they pair food samples with their wines. They are off Camino Road exit. Turn right on Camino road and you will see the sign. Placerville is an old gold rush town. Nice place for lunch or a quick visit.

cblaisd is correct. Never refer to San Francisco as San Fran. It ruffles the feathers of the natives. One can always tell a visitor by what they call it!

I live in the foothills outside Sacramento. Also a native Californian. PM me if I can be of more help.

thanks folks that is very helpful

A trip like this sounds like a great plan for what I'm contemplating, but would it be crazy to venture in mid-January? I grew up in the Midwest snowbelt, so I'm not afraid to drive in snow (up to a point). Some research online indicates winter is a great time to visit, but I'd just like to check with the FT'ers who know. Yosimite and the Pacific Coast Hwy would be the two focal areas, along with a couple nights entertaining myself in SFO.

I have 5 carryover vacation days to use before moving to my next project, so I was thinking of combining a MR using AA's deqm promo DFW-SFO (ex MKE for $213 ai) to see some of California for up to 7-8 days. Other than one previous overnight transcon MR, I have not spent any time there. I could also rack up a few more hotel nights toward IHG's Crack the Case promo, but not required if better alternatives are available.

Tioga pass (Highway 120 through Yosemite to highway 395) is closed in the winter, so the circle route through Tahoe isn't possible in winter.

I would recommend seeing San Francisco and maybe head south to Monterey on the coast highway, via Santa Cruz.

To get to Tahoe or Yosemite, you would need a 4wd or to carry chains. There is a ton of snow falling this week. Totally doable, however, from San Francisco. Avoid going to Tahoe from SF on Friday, and you'll avoid the weekend ski traffic.

A trip like this sounds like a great plan for what I'm contemplating, but would it be crazy to venture in mid-January?

Not crazy, but probably not the best plan. January weather in San Fran and the Central Coast is typically high 50s with light rain. At Yosemite National Park the valley is open year-round but many trails are closed and several of the falls are dry in the winter.

Does you mileage run support going to Southern California or the deserts? Winter's a lovely time to visit Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Palm Springs, Anza Borrego, etc.

I'm curious as to what you meant by "the sierra nevada valley." As noted, unless your trip is late May or June, at least, forget about Tioga Pass from Yosemite to Hwy. 395. You have to decide how much time you'll spend in Yosemite vs. other places. First thing is to check on accommodatons. Those in the park fill up well in advance. If you have to stay outside the park, such as in El Portal or Mariposa, that eats up more time. If you have the time, taking Hwy. 49 north from Mariposa to Hwy. 50, and then to Sacramento and on to SF from there, can be interesting. There are some scenic Gold Rush era towns along 49. I wouldn't take the time to go to Tahoe, unless it's a summer trip and you can take Tioga Pass, but would instead spend more time in Yosemite itself (of course, a snowstorm could make for icy driving, and/or require snow chains, which some rental car companies prohibit you from using).

First step: check hotels in Yosemite.

And, yes, some (not all) people in San Francisco can be thin-skinned about what you call the place. How many days is "right" to spend there is entirely depending on you and your interests. And the weather (right now it's raining a lot but it's supposed to lighten up later in the week).

The mileage run is also doable to LAX; I just figured I'd enjoy SFO more (having never been there). AA's DEQM promo is for flights between DFW and LAX or SFO. High 50's and light rain isn't too shabby compared to January in Chicago. :cool: May or June would be more ideal for weather, but I need to burn up the vacation time in Jan/Feb.

I appreciate the suggestions. It looks like Lake Tahoe would be too far out of the way to also take advantage of driving along the Pacific Coast Hwy.

I'm curious as to what you meant by "the sierra nevada valley." ...
When reading the OP, I assumed he meant the San Joaquin Valley - alongside the Sierra Nevada range.

I appreciate the suggestions. It looks like Lake Tahoe would be too far out of the way to also take advantage of driving along the Pacific Coast Hwy.

It's not necessarily too far. It depends on how much you want to do in each area and your tolerance for driving. You can drive between Monterey and South Lake Tahoe in 5 hours, sans delays for traffic and weather.

You can drive between Monterey and South Lake Tahoe in 5 hours, sans delays for traffic and weather.

Sure you can...
In summer.
Or at least good weather.
And the right traffic conditions.

In bad weather/traffic, you can easily double that...or worse, simply have I-80 closed due to snow. I would not stake vacation plans on making that drive if I didn't have to. The shortest route takes one up the East Bay 101-680 that is subject to serious commuter traffic weekdays. 80 from Benicia through Roseville can and does get Tule Fog in winter that is as thick as any fog you might encounter anywhere. And I-80 over Donner Summit has the distinction of averaging 415 inches (10.5 m) of snow per year.