by AlmostThere » Thu Dec 15, 2016 5:03 pm
I hope you realize how much driving you'll end up doing between Yosemite and SEKI. More than most people coming from out of state recognize.... And unlike Yosemite the best parts of SEKI are seen by walking rather than driving. Many people drive through, see a few trees, and don't get to do much else.
You'll go see Bodie and Mono Lake after you head to Yosemite, actually, since those are on the other side of Tioga Pass. IF there is not enough snow to close the pass at the time, which is likely - it usually opens in May unless there are late snowstorms, which is possible.
You're going to need THREE permits if you do it as planned, and that will be tough to manage. Those are the three toughest trail heads to get permits for. The Pohono isn't a loop and the camping is at Bridalveil Creek -- can't camp at Glacier Point, Sentinel Dome, or Taft. You cannot leave the trail and drive around, and keep backpacking on the same permit. You enter the back country and once you leave it, the permit's done. And no single permit is going to cover those three trail heads unless you tie the itinerary into a single hike.
I suggest a single permit from Cathedral, hiking up to Clouds Rest and down toward Little Yosemite Valley then across the Merced at Nevada Falls to the Panorama trail, staying the night in the Ilillouette drainage a couple miles east of the trail along the creek (only legal camping in that area before Glacier Point) then up to Glacier Point to catch the bus down to the valley floor. You can park there in trailhead parking and take a bus to Tuolumne Meadows if you can get the scheduling right.
That may be too much -- in fact, you don't say anything about whether you frequently hike at higher elevations which is frequently an issue as well as newbies who overestimate their abilities and bite off more than they can chew in general. If you don't backpack or hike, it very well might be better to spend the honeymoon not suffering long miles on the trails with the hordes of mosquitoes (if the snow is melting apace) or wallowing in suncupped crusty snow that turns to mush, trying to find the trail (happens in decent snow years) -- a nice room in Yosemite valley might just be a nicer option for you with all the day hiking you can do from there. Mariposa Grove will be open by then as well so you can go see some sequoias without driving all the way to Fresno and back up into the mountains.
I understand you're trying to see a bunch of stuff -- but you'd be better off choosing a park and staying there, rather than hustling around to all these different, far apart destinations. It's not as simple as you think -- just getting to Tioga Pass will take you 4-5 hours, much more if there is traffic in the bay area and RV traffic on the pass (there will be!!!! It can take hours in stop and go traffic on the freeways, even if there are no accidents halting things totally), and the Lee Vining/Mammoth area is very, very busy in summer. And then if you drive from Yosemite to Fresno via 140/49/41 or 41 from the valley to the south entrance, that's another couple of hours, followed by a couple more getting to the Sequoia/Kings Canyon gate, and then you choose a direction and drive for another hour, backtrack that drive time and go for another hour to the other park.... Just pick one. Do yourself a huge favor.