My husband and I are planning a Road Trip in July and are looking for advice for the stop at Yosemite Park. Obviously, this being a road trip, we aren't planning on spending too much time at any one destination and being limited by work vacation, we have a lot to pack into the trip. But, being young (I'm 25 and he's 30), we can put our bodies through a lot of tiresome nights and make it through. Also, we're both fairly active and in shape - I run about a 35 minute 5k comfortably and fairly frequently and he plays soccer 3-4 nights a week and runs the same 5k much faster than I do.
So, here's our plan...
We're starting off the morning leaving LA (we'll probably stay near Oxnard) at about 7 AM and we'll drive up the Pacific Coast Highway (101) then going through San Luis Obispo, and we want to end up at Mariposa Grove. Google says this is a 6 hour drive, but my first question is about the accuracy of that timing? With us planning on going slow and stopping for photo opportunities or whatever, we'll plan to arrive at the Grove between 2 & 2:30. Will we have planty of time to see the grove before the last shuttle to Wawano or should we try to park at the Grove's parking lot? I'm thinking it may be best for us to take the tram out to the upper grove and walking back or is walking both ways really all that difficult?
We're looking to stay at the Wawano Hotel that night. Then we want to wake up at about 5 AM to get showered and be at the Four Mile Trailhead at 7 AM. We were planning on hiking up (the internet says it could take 3.5 hours????) and we want to make the first shuttle back down (10:30 AM). Then, I saw something about the Yosemite Valley Floor Tour which lets you see "Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, El Capitan, Tunnel View, Bridalveil Falls and more". Is this worth it? That tour meets at 11 AM at the Yosemite Lodge Falls, so we were hoping to catch that after taking the shuttle back down from the Four Mile Trailhead. Then we would probably get a quick lunch at the lodge or wherever we can and spend a little time in the afternoon walking to the base of the Falls (only a half mile walk...) and maybe going to Mirror Lake, but this is only time permitting considering the internet says it's not so great in late summer because the lake is so low.
We want to finish all this and then drive out to Mill Valley near San Francisco (Google says this is a 4 hour drive) and spend the night there. We are ok with getting there as late as 10 PM, which means if the 4 hours is accurate we would need to leave Yosemite by 6 PM. Our road trip ends in San Francisco.. the following day we will see the Golden Gate bridge and catch a flight around 1 or 2 out of San Francisco.
Does this sound Doable? Am I missing anything??? Yes I am aware this is PACKED full and we will be tired, but like I said... we're young
I appreciate any and all help that we can get. We're over here in the Southeast so we don't really know much about the area.