Documenting Lovely Moments
An Epic 8-Day Itinerary From San Francisco to National Parks
Our recent spring break in California was packed with fun activities and breathtaking sceneries. We had an amazing time driving from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park and Sequoia National Park. We got a taste of both the charming city vibes of San Francisco, and the beautiful natural wonders of California’s national parks. Read our itinerary below and feel free to copy and modify it for your trip.
8-Day California Trip Itinerary
DAY 1
Oakland and San Francisco
- Arriving in Oakland International Airport (OAK)
- University of California, Berkeley
- Lunch
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Palace of Fine Arts
- Dinner
► Arriving at Oakland International Airport (OAK)
Our flight arrived around 9 am. We picked up our rental car at the airport upon arrival and were ready to explore Oakland. It was too early to check into our hotel. However, we dropped off our luggage at the lobby since we did not want to leave them in the car.
► University of California, Berkeley
Our kids wanted to check out Berkeley, so we made a stop there and walked around the campus for a bit. The school was not busy at all since we were there during spring break.
► Lunch
For lunch, we enjoyed delicious dim sum at Ming’s Tasty restaurant in Oakland Chinatown.
► Golden Gate and Palace of Fine Arts
In the afternoon, we headed to the Golden Gate Bridge overlook and walked around the area. We also visited the nearby Palace of Fine Arts to take pictures with the beautiful structures.
► Dinner then Hotel
We had dinner at a Korean restaurant called Seoul Gom Tang in Oakland. After a long travel and busy day, we were all tired and ready to head back to the hotel.
DAY 2
Muir Woods National Monument
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Muir Woods National Monument
- Muir Beach Overlook
- Lunch in Richmond, CA
- Road trip to Yosemite National Park
► Breakfast at the hotel
After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we left our packed luggage at the hotel lobby to be picked up later in the afternoon. Again, we did not want to leave our luggage in the car to avoid break-ins.
► Muir Woods National Monument
We left early and headed to Muir Woods National Monument since we had a parking reservation at 8:30 am. It was not too busy yet and we were able to enjoy a peaceful hike surrounded by tall, beautiful redwood trees.
► Muir Beach Overlook
Once we left Muir Woods National Monument, we drove to Muir Beach Overlook which was not too far away. We enjoyed the fresh air and a nice view of the Pacific Ocean. You can read about our experience at Muir Woods National Monument and Muir Beach Overlook here.
► Lunch
On the way back to our Oakland hotel to pick up the luggage, we stopped in Richmond for lunch. We tried a Mongolian restaurant called Dumpling House, which was delicious.
► Road Trip to Yosemite National Park
After lunch, we picked up our luggage and drove to our hotel near Yosemite National Park. By the time we got to the hotel, we were all pretty tired. We grabbed some food to eat in our room and were ready to go to bed early.
DAY 3
Yosemite National Park
- Wawona Tunnel and Tunnel View
- Bridal Veil Fall
- Yosemite Falls
- Curry Village and Lunch
- Mist Trail and Vernal Falls
- Dinner
► Breakfast
We woke up early and had breakfast at the hotel as soon as they were open (6 am). Then we hopped on our car and headed to Yosemite National Park. Since we left early in the morning, there was no traffic, and we enjoyed the sceneries throughout the drive.
► Wawona Tunnel and Tunnel View
Entering Yosemite from Wawona Tunnel was an experience in itself. Wawona Tunnel is the longest highway tunnel in California at 4,233 feet (1,290 m). As soon as we exited the tunnel, we were greeted by an amazing view of Yosemite Valley. We took pictures at Tunnel View, which showcased iconic landmarks such as El Capitan, the Half Dome, and Bridal Veil Fall.
► Bridal Veil Fall
From Tunnel View, we drove to the nearby Bridal Veil Fall parking lot. The hike to Bridal Veil Fall was short and easy, just 0.5 miles round trip. At the end, we reached the waterfall that was dropping 620 feet down the cliffs.
► Yosemite Falls
We then drove to the Yosemite Lodge parking lot, which provided the closest access to the Yosemite Falls trailhead. The upper and lower Yosemite Falls were visible from the trailhead. After about 1 mile of hiking, we were able to see the lower Yosemite Falls up close and take some amazing photos.
► Curry Village and Lunch
It was a great time for a lunch break. We took the complimentary shuttle to Curry Village and ate at the Pizza Deck. Food choices were limited but the pizza was pretty good.
► Mist Trail
Once we were fueled up, we were ready to hike the Mist Trail, which was about 1.5 miles one way. The hike was challenging because of some surfaces were icy and slippery. However, it was satisfying when we reached and felt the mist of Vernal Fall. We continued hiking to the top of the fall and headed back down.
► Dinner and Rest
We had a busy day and everyone was pretty tired at this point. The shuttle took us back to the parking lot. We left the park, grabbed dinner, and headed back to the hotel to rest.
DAY 4
Yosemite National Park
- Breakfast
- Mirror Lake
- Lunch
- Yosemite Village
- Swinging Bridge
- El Capitan Meadow
- Dinner
► Breakfast
As always, we liked to start our day early. We had breakfast at the hotel and were ready for our second day at Yosemite.
► Mirror Lake
After parking our car in Yosemite Village lot, we took the shuttle to the Mirror Lake trailhead. The hike to Mirror Lake in Yosemite was about 2 miles round trip and was mostly flat. We enjoyed the beautiful views of Tenaya Creek and the mirrored reflection of the granite cliffs.
► Lunch
Like the day before, we took a shuttle to Curry Village for a lunch break after leaving Mirror Lake.
► Yosemite Village
We spent some time walking around Yosemite Village and visited the gift shop for some souvenirs.
►Swinging Bridge
Our next stop was the Swinging Bridge that spanned the Merced River, with a backdrop of Yosemite Falls.
►El Capitan Meadow
To end the day, we stopped at El Capitan Meadow for a view of El Capitan, one of the world’s largest granite monoliths.
►Dinner and Rest
We hopped back in the car, went out to dinner, then headed back to the hotel to rest for the night.
DAY 5
Mariposa Grove
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias
- Relaxing Afternoon
► Breakfast at the hotel
We had a delicious breakfast at the hotel to start the day.
► Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias
Since we visited in early April, the shuttle service from the parking lot to the trailhead was not running yet. We parked in front of the welcome center, and hiked about 1 mile to the trailhead. It was a pleasant hike despite the icy ground. We found the Fallen Monarch tree, the Grizzly Giant, the Bachelor and Three Graces, and the California Tunnel Tree.
► Relaxing Afternoon
After the hike, we went out to lunch and then back to the hotel for a relaxing afternoon.
DAY 6
Sequoia National Park
- Breakfast
- Sequoia National Park
- Wuksachi Lodge
- Fresno
► Breakfast
We started the day very early as usual and enjoyed breakfast at the hotel. After checking out of the hotel, we were ready for our trip to Sequoia National Park.
► Fresno
On our way to Sequoia National Park, we made a quick stop at our hotel in Fresno. It was too early to check in but we were able to leave our luggage at the lobby.
► Sequoia National Park
Driving to Sequoia National Park was again full of beautiful sceneries. We parked at the parking lot near Sherman Tree Trail. The trails were icy but manageable since we were wearing hiking boots. The giant sequoias were magnificent and walking among them made us feel tiny. General Sherman tree, the largest tree in the world by volume, was only a short hike away. We continued on to the Congress Loop Trail, where we found more iconic trees. The President tree, the Senate group, and the House group were just as majestic.
► Wuksachi Lodge
Before leaving the national park, we made a stop at the Wuksachi Lodge gift shop for some souvenirs.
► Dinner and Rest
We were ready to drive back to our hotel in Fresno, and stopped for dinner on the way.
DAY 7
Palo Alto, Cupertino, San Francisco
- Breakfast
- Road trip to San Francisco
- Apple Visitor Center
- Stanford University
- Lunch
- Fisherman’s Wharf
- Dinner
► Breakfast
After breakfast at the hotel, we were ready to check out and drive towards San Francisco. On the way, we made a stop in Cupertino and Palo Alto.
► Apple Visitor Center
Since we passed Cupertino, we made a short stop at Apple Visitor Center. The interactive display of the Apple campus was pretty cool.
► Stanford University and Lunch
Our kids wanted to check out Stanford University and it was a beautiful campus. We walked around the area and enjoyed delicious ramen at Ramen Nagi.
► Fisherman’s Wharf
After lunch, we drove to San Francisco and checked into our hotel in Fisherman’s Wharf. We took advantage of the complimentary bike rentals from the lobby to roam around the area. Highlights included Ghirardelli Square, the Musée Mécanique museum, and the locally-made Norman’s Ice Cream.
► Dinner
For dinner, we went to Sotto Mare for tasty Italian-seafood dishes.
DAY 8
San Francisco
- Breakfast
- Pier 39
- Lombard Street
- Alamo Square
- Chinatown and Lunch
- Union Square
- Going Home
► Breakfast
We walked to Pier 39 for breakfast at Boudin’s Bakery.
► Sea Lions at Pier 39
After breakfast, we walked to the dock and watched the most adorable sea lions sunbathing and playing around with each other.
► Checking Out
We packed our stuff, checked out of the hotel, and left our luggage at the lobby to be picked up later.
► Lombard Street
We took our car and headed to the iconic Lombard Street. Of course, we had to drive through the twists and turns just for fun.
►Alamo Square
Traffic was not too bad that morning and we were able to find a parking spot in Alamo Square. We checked out the Painted Ladies, a row of Victorian houses famous for their colorful facades and iconic architecture. In addition, we took some pictures in front of the house from Full House and Mrs. Doubtfire.
►Chinatown
For lunch, we headed to Chinatown and went to R&G Lounge restaurant for authentic Cantonese cuisines.
►Union Square
We walked around Union Square for some shopping and the bustling city experience.
►Leaving San Francisco
Ready or not, it was time to go home. After picking up our luggage at the hotel, we headed to the airport to return the rental car and catch our flight. We brought home so many great memories from this trip.
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About Us
I'm a happily-married mom of two. Our family enjoys an active lifestyle and spending quality time together. We love creating memories through travel, learning about different cultures around the world.
