Yosemite & Sequoia From SF (San Jose, San Francisco: low crime, hotel, university)

[ShishidoZanaka]

I am from Japan, and currently on a visit with my parents to my sister who lives in Vancouver, Canada.

We will be in San Francisco from 12/22- 12/24 (to visit my other sister who lives there). I thought we can visit Yosemite and Sequoia each for a day visit like that:


12/24.

Driving from SF to Fresno one day and stay there.


12/25.

Driving from Fresno to Yosemite and be back to Fresno at night (or before sun sets).


12/26.

Driving from Fresno to Sequoia and back to Fresno at night (or before sun sets).


12/27

Going back to SF, then to Canada for a week before we go back to Japan.

My questions (Kindly), I did some search from the internet, but it's worth asking locals, or people who went there (for example, last March I drove from SF to Lake Tahoe, temperature people and internet say regular snow, but when I went there the snow is ( a lot than I'd expected it to be).


1) Will it be risky to go to Yosemite in December with my parents (they're 65 and 66 respectively). I mean, they will have short walks, and then we will find a restaurant to eat, drink coffee, take pictures and hopefully see some bears.


Will the latitude above sea level be a concern? This is from the internet:

"Sequoia National Park contains a significant portion of the Sierra Nevada. The park's mountainous landscape includes the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney, which rises to 14,505 feet (4,421 m) above sea level".

Does it mean that this (14 K feet) is the highest point? What about the entrance of the park? Will it be less than that?

The highest I went and (my parents as well) is by most half of that (I believe 6500 feet). Will it be a problem? No long walks for us...


2) People who went to both, shall we do both parks? Or maybe one will do?


3) Of course, there are mountains, and it is December already. Will the snow be a obstacle? Does it usually be crowded during the holidays?


I really thank you from my heart.

[futbol]

Originally Posted by ShishidoZanaka

:
Will the latitude above sea level be a concern? This is from the internet:

"Sequoia National Park contains a significant portion of the Sierra Nevada. The park's mountainous landscape includes the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney, which rises to 14,505 feet (4,421 m) above sea level".

Does it mean that this (14 K feet) is the highest point? What about the entrance of the park? Will it be less than that?

The highest I went and (my parents as well) is by most half of that (I believe 6500 feet). Will it be a problem? No long walks for us...


2) People who went to both, shall we do both parks? Or maybe one will do?


3) Of course, there are mountains, and it is December already. Will the snow be a obstacle? Does it usually be crowded during the holidays?

:

Mt Whitney is not near Yosemite, although it is part of the same mountain range. Access to it will be a long drive because it is far and mostly accessible from the 395, east of the range, and some roads through the mountains to get to it will likely be closed due to snow.

Mt Whitney's summit is the highest point in the lower 48 states of the US. The entrance to these parks is significantly less. This time of year the summit is only accessible to a few with gear and skill to ascend it.

Yosemite will be less crowded in the Winter. Also, it is a very big park.

[Ruth4Truth]

Watch weather reports, and be very careful. You can't do both in two days. Most people can't even see Yosemite in 2 days, as it's huge. But you may not get to see either one, depending on the weather. Take weather reports seriously. We don't want a casualty, due to a foreigner coming so far, and not wanting to give up their dream to see the mountains.

On the other hand, it could be a mild winter, who knows? But let's hope there's a good snowpack, because California needs the water.

[marcopolo666]

There might be snow, there might not be snow - it depends. But winter is generally NOT the best time to visit the mountains. Snowfall CAN block roads and close highways (and often does during the winter). Can you easily put on and remove chains on the car tires? Are you used to driving in snow? Do you WANT to be stuck in a car for several hours with unhappy family?

If you want to see redwoods, there are other choices much closer to SF. True, it will be nothing like Yosemite (which *is* rather spectacular). Yosemite WILL be crowded, and it will be difficult to get around.

If you would like to simply see redwoods (sequoias), then :

- Muir woods (rather small, but you can walk around redwood groves) and is close to SF, in Marin County just north.
https://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm

- Big Basin is MUCH larger (than Muir woods), spans the coastal mountain range (which only goes up to about 2000 feet) all the way down to the Pacific ocean. You can do an hour walk, or shorter, or even walk all the way down to the ocean (all day trip). It is in the mountains near San Jose (about 60-80 minutes from SF).
Big Basin Redwoods SP


If you do decide to stay closer to SF, you might be interested in :

- mount tamalpais
I *think* it is the highest point in the Bay, at any rate there are wonderful views of the entire north bay and the city of SF and the Golden Gate and the bridges and the bay. In Marin country (just N of SF) and you can drive to the almost tip-top (only 1/4 mile from the very top) and then hike the last little bit up to amazing views. The best time to do this is the day AFTER rain or a lot of wind, so that the air is clean and clear and you can see far (you might be able to see the mountains that contain Yosemite - I have, at times - far, far away and covered with snow).

- Stanford university.
If you enjoy sculpture, there is a collection of Rodin sculptures at the Cantor museum on campus (both inside and outside in a public garden). If you arrive when the museum is open ( https://museum.stanford.edu/ )you can get a free brochure that lists all (?100?) of the *outdoor art* spread around the campus. (Parking is free AFTER 4 P.M. - you can ignore most parking permit rules after 4 P.M. and on weekends.). Also, the Hoover tower has views of the mid-bay, if you like views.

- L awrence hall of science. This is more for the views than the hall itself, which is very dated (in my opinion, not worth going inside). The HoS (Hall of Science) is up on the top of the hills in Berkeley, and there is a sweeping bay view from the parking lot that is worth the drive up IF you are already sort of in the area (Berkeley).

- Drive down highway one (drive along the Pacific coast) from San Francisco to ... Half Moon Bay? Santa Cruz? Carmel? . Some people enjoy this (the ocean views). The route is curvey - not for people who easily get car-sick.

- Monterey Bay Aquarium. A rather good aquarium, worth a half-day visit (if you are interested in fish, and/or the sea).


If you DO decide to drive in the mountains anyway, please bring along a gallon of drinking water, and emergency snacks and blankets for everybody - just in case.

[Mr5150]

Your choice to visit Yosemite is wise. World class destination. My only suggestions is to consider finding accommodations nearby. Fresno is not the best choice. It is not a good and safe town. Clovis is good. You may also want to consider Groveland, Mariposa or Oakhurst. Hiway 120 or 41 are your best routes to access Yosemite Valley. I’ve been to both Parks of which you speak..What you might want to consider is that Yosemite offers the same experience as Sequoia. Sequoia offers basically groves of giant redwoods and that’s it. Yosemite offers groves of giant redwoods as well. Just not in the valley. So you could spend two nights near Yosemite and get the full experience of your plan. Much less driving. One day in the valley. One day exploring groves of giant redwoods

Yosemite Valley is at 4000 feet elevation. I would suggest doing an internet search of accomations near the park. For example; Rush Creek or Places in El Poratal-both very near the Park.

And don’t worry about about driving. I live in the area and it is not that difficult even in December. Just be sure your mobile phone works in the US (use a Verizon SIM card) and know that eastern CA is not as cold as Japan this time of year

[saibot]

Originally Posted by MammothLove

And if i read the charts correctly .... average temps in Tokyo in December > mid 50's with night time temps staying well above freezing and in Yosemite > mid to upper 40's in the day times and usually below freezing at night.
Just sayin'.

To be fair, we don't know where in Japan the OP is from. Some parts of Japan get huge amounts of snow that hangs around all winter (Sapporo) and other parts in the south never get snow at all.

But I think it's correct to stress that driving conditions in the mountain areas in the winter are likely to be less than ideal.

[dontbelievehim]

Clovis is better than Fresno, but he'd be just fine in North Fresno, and it might save him some valuable time. Fresno is going through a period of low crime right now, Like, record low crime. Odds of him being a victim are low in North Fresno.

To shishidozanaka, just find a nice hotel in North Fresno. If you can't find a good one, go to Clovis. Weather should be fine when you arrive. Take care.

Originally Posted by Mr5150

Your choice to visit Yosemite is wise. World class destination. My only suggestions is to consider finding accommodations nearby. Fresno is not the best choice. It is not a good and safe town. Clovis is good. You may also want to consider Groveland, Mariposa or Oakhurst. Hiway 120 or 41 are your best routes to access Yosemite Valley. I’ve been to both Parks of which you speak..What you might want to consider is that Yosemite offers the same experience as Sequoia. Sequoia offers basically groves of giant redwoods and that’s it. Yosemite offers groves of giant redwoods as well. Just not in the valley. So you could spend two nights near Yosemite and get the full experience of your plan. Much less driving. One day in the valley. One day exploring groves of giant redwoods

Yosemite Valley is at 4000 feet elevation. I would suggest doing an internet search of accomations near the park. For example; Rush Creek or Places in El Poratal-both very near the Park.

And don’t worry about about driving. I live in the area and it is not that difficult even in December. Just be sure your mobile phone works in the US (use a Verizon SIM card) and know that eastern CA is not as cold as Japan this time of year

[ShishidoZanaka]

To all, thank you very much. My parents and I are reading your comments and will decide what to do soon...

I will keep you posted for sure.

[futbol]

Years ago my family stayed at the Yosemite Bug (~20 miles outside of the park) and loved it.

We rented a private cabin, which I would recommend.