The Details:

• Trip Length: 10 days + travel
• Main Stops: Yosemite National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Sequoia National Park, Pinnacles National Park, Big Sur, San Francisco
• Home Base: RV
• # of People: 2 adults and 2 kids
• Dates: June 29, 2023 – July 10, 2023
• Transportation:  RV
• Airport: San Francisco International Airport
• Activities: Hiking, Site Seeing, Tours
• Cost of Trip: $4,200 (+ flights, gas, & food)

What influenced this trip?

Just like our Southern California Road Trip, this trip was given as a Christmas gift to our sons (ages 7 & 9). Originally, I planned this trip for our spring break, March 22, 2023 – April 2, 2023. However, the areas we were planning on going were hit hard by a massive snowstorm on March 17, 2023. This storm dumped 6-10ft of snow in parts of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and broke a record in Yosemite National Park by dumping 30 inches of snow in one day. This snow, along with subsequent rain, flooding, and landslides, caused months-long closures of Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks.

Needless to say, we rescheduled the trip and I highly recommend trip insurance for costly trips. This rescheduling caused some slight alterations in our original plans. So this post will sort of be a 2-in-1 post as I will include our plans for this road trip in March, as well as what we actually did in June/July.

Because I was unsure how the weather would be when we initially scheduled the trip, and when we rescheduled, I chose campgrounds that had electricity so that we would definitely have AC/Heat if we needed it at night. I am glad we did. Temperatures ranged from 52℉-106℉ during the course of our trip.

Day 1: San Francisco to Indian Flat RV Park

• Total Drive Time: ~3 hours and 50 Minutes (~205 miles)
• Activities: Groceries and travel
• Food:
  • Breakfast: at the Hotel, 
  • Lunch: on the Road, 
  • Dinner: Home Chef
• Campground: Indian Flat RV Park  (No restrictions on when rental dates become available)
  • Must Knows: Reservations are required and can book up quickly (sometimes as much as a year in advance

We flew in the day before and stayed at the La Quinta Inn & Suites San Francisco Airport. I chose this hotel because of the price, quality, and most importantly the free airport shuttle. We also had our dinners from Home Chef sent to the hotel and picked them up when we checked in. 

Learn more about Home Chef for vacations and road trips

We use Home Chef during the school year when our schedules get crazy, but I also love it for RV trips and vacation stays. Home Chef is a meal delivery service that sends you the recipe and everything you need to make the meal. The only ingredients you must have on hand for the meals are water, oil, salt, and pepper. I love Home Chef for trips and vacations because I don’t have a bunch of leftover ingredients taking up room in the fridge and don’t feel like I am wasting money when I throw them out. 

When using HomeChef for a vacation, I just change the shipping address for that week to our hotel or campground. Call ahead to make sure having a package delivered is ok. I have not been told “no” yet. The boxes are insulated and have ice packs, so they do not need to be refrigerated when they arrive as long as you pick up the package that day.

HomeChef only delivers Tuesday-Friday, so make sure you take that into consideration when planning.

HomeChef offers a discount for heroes and you can also get $35 off your first box with the referral code: emilyg801

Originally, we rented an RV from Outdoorsy, but when we had to reschedule, there were no RVs that met our needs at a reasonable price. So we ended up renting from Cruise America. If I had to choose one over the other, I would definitely rent from Outdoorsy rather than Cruise America.

There are several reasons for this choice. Cruise America does not deliver RVs (where this is an option in Outdoorsy if the owner chooses), so we had to take an Uber that would hold the 4 of us and our luggage to the Cruise America location 37 minutes away. Pick up (M-F 1-4 PM) and drop off (M-F 9-11 AM) windows are very limited and even more limited on the weekends. A day or two before the trip you will receive an email or call to schedule your pick-up time. Once we arrived at Cruise America, it took 1.5-2 hours to complete the check-in and orientation process.

Cruise America RVs are bare bones. Anything you need for your trip will have to be brought with you or rented from Cruise America. We chose to rent kitchen items for $125 and brought our own bedding and linens since we had camping versions that pack up small. Renting bedding and linens (1 towel and washcloth, 1 pillow, 1 sheet, 1 sleeping bag) costs $75 for each person. Whereas with Outdoorsy, kitchen and bedding items are typically (but not always) included in the rental. Also, since you are renting a person’s personal RV, a lot of the little things that you may need randomly, like a lighter or cleaning supplies, are already in the RV and do not need to be purchased.

After picking up our RV, our first stop was at Walmart in Tracy, CA to pick up the groceries that we would need for breakfast, lunches, and snacks. I put in a Walmart pick-up order ahead of time and our groceries were brought straight to the RV. We also ate lunch at a pizza place in the shopping center.

 After stocking up, we headed to Indian Flat RV Park, had dinner, and got settled in.

Other options:

Depending on what time you arrive, there is a pool and river walk available to those staying at Indian Flat Campground.

Original Winter Plans:

Originally, our Outdoorsy rental was in Sacramento, but it was tremendously cheaper to fly into San Francisco International Airport than the Sacramento Airport. Our plan was to fly in as early as possible, rent a car for the day, drive to Muir Woods and explore the area, then drive to Sacramento airport, drop the rental off, and take a shuttle to Homewood Suites by Hilton Sacramento Airport. 

Day 2: Yosemite National Park

• Total Drive Time: ~ 80 minutes (~42 miles)
• Activities:
  • Lower Yosemite Fall Trail
  • Mirror Lake Trail (or Mirror Lake Paved Trail)
  • Junior Ranger Program 
  • Yosemite Valley Junior Ranger Walk
    • (Sentinel Meadow/ Cooks’s Meadow Loop Trail)
• Food:
  • Breakfast: in the RV
  • Lunch: Sandwiches and sides
  • Dinner: Home Chef
• Campground: Indian Flat RV Park (No restrictions on when rental dates become available)
  • Must Knows: Reservations are required and can book up quickly (sometimes as much as a year in advance

Lower Yosemite Fall Trail was amazing and our sons loved this trail the most. This trail is a short 1.2 miles and takes about 24 minutes if you just walk it. However, we spent about 1.5 hours in this area between exploring and eating lunch. Because of the record snowfall and melt, the water levels were elevated which resulted in large fast-moving waterfalls throughout the park. We could hear the fall well before we saw it and once we reached the base of the fall the view was spectacular. Be careful in this area as the overspray can make the surrounding rocks and pavement wet. The entire trail is paved and wheelchair accessible, but along the sides are large boulders and “caves” that our boys loved exploring. We also chose a quiet spot along Yosemite Creek to eat lunch.

From there, we took the Valley Shuttle to stop #17 to hike to Mirror Lake. There are two options for trails to Mirror Lake. At the beginning of the trail, you will come to a fork in the trail. To the left is Mirror Lake Paved Trail a 2-mile out-and-back trail that is paved the entire way. The trail is wheelchair and stroller-friendly and has access to restrooms at the lake. To the right is Mirror Lake Trail, a “traditional” trail. If you do the entire loop, this trail is 5 miles, but we went to the lake and back which was 2 miles and took about an hour. Once you pick a trail option, there is no place to cross over the creek until about 1.5 miles beyond the lake. At that point, you will be doing the entire 5-mile loop. The creek may be passable when water levels are lower and slower moving, but when we went, you could not safely cross anywhere from the start-up to Mirror Lake.

Also, make sure you follow posted speed limits and remain vigilant while driving. Typically, a dozen or more bears are injured or killed by collisions with vehicles. Yosemite has posted signage where bear-vehicle collisions have occurred.

After our surprising bear sighting, we used the Valley shuttle to go to stop #5. Here we spent some time exploring the Yosemite Museum and Nature Center (and of course the gift shop) before heading back to our campground for the night.

Other Options:

• We had planned to visit Bridalveil Falls for a 1 mile out and back hike, but the trail was closed at the time of our visit.
• Biking in Yosemite Valley. There are tons of bike paths in the valley. Bike rentals and a bike share program are both available on a first come first serve basis. While most of the valley is flat, there are some hills, especially in the Mirror Lake area. Some people we talked to who had ridden out to Mirror Lake wished they had e-bikes for the ride up the hills.
• The Yosemite Conservancy offers several activities within the park, including art classes (free kids class) and outdoor adventures.

Original Winter Plans:

• Our original winter/spring plans for this day did not differ all that much. We were just prepared for potential snow and made sure we had hiking gear for the snow and yaktrax for icy trails. We also made sure we had plenty of flexibility as weather can be unpredictable and cause a change in plans.
• During the winter, the Badger Pass area within the park offers downhill skiing & snowboarding, cross-country skiing, tubing, and snowshoeing. 
• If you are planning on seeing Horsetail Fall “Firefall” during the month of February, make sure you plan well ahead of time as reservations are required and there are some restrictions during this event.
• During the winter, weather conditions may require the use of tire chains. Federal and State regulations will dictate when chains must be used. Any time chain restrictions are in effect ALL vehicles must have chains in their possession. Be aware that most rentals (car and RV) do not provide tire chains.

Day 3: Yosemite and Kings Canyon National Park

• Total Drive Time: ~5 hours 45 minutes (~214 miles)
• Activities:
  • Hiking:
    • Glacier Point 
    • Swinging Bridge Trail
    • Grizzly Giant Loop Trail
    • General Grant Trail
    • Big Stump Loop
  • Juniors Ranger Program
• Campground: Sequoia RV Park (No restrictions on when rental dates become available)
• Food:
  • Breakfast in the RV
  • Lunch: Sandwiches and sides
  • Dinner: Home Chef
• Must Knows: Check vehicle restrictions prior to solidifying your plans. There are no shuttles in Kings Canyon National Park.

For our second day in Yosemite, we focused on areas that you could not get to by using the Valley Shuttle. These stops were also on our route to Kings Canyon National Park. Once again, we left the campground early to beat the traffic. We left around 6:30-7 AM for the hour and 20-minute drive to our first stop and had no problems. Our first stop was Glacier Point. We were incredibly lucky with the timing of our rescheduled trip. Due to the damage caused by the winter storms, the road leading up to Glacier Point opened with some restrictions on our first day in Yosemite and did not fully open until the middle of July.

While the trail loop at the top of Glacier Point is only .5 miles and can be completed in 12 minutes, we spent about an hour at the top exploring the area and checking out the interpretive information and exhibits. The view from Glacier Point is breathtaking. If the roads are open, I highly recommend going to Glacier Point. For me, it was my favorite area of Yosemite. One person we met said they drove their RV up there and parked and stayed overnight to stargaze and catch the sunrise. That sounded absolutely amazing and I wish I had thought of doing that. Just note, while there are vault toilets at Glacier Point, there are no electricity/water/sewer hook ups.

After we finished at Glacier Point, we headed about an hour down the road to Swinging Bridge Trail. Swinging Bridge Trail is an easy 1.4 mile out and back trail and takes about 30 minutes to complete. You can access this trail by either end. We accessed it at the Swinging Bridge Vault Toilet (37.54336, -119.62862). This is the trailhead according to the National Park Website. All Trails has the trailhead marked at the other end (37.546324, -119.630133). The swinging bridge is closest to the Vault Toilet access. This was the main attraction for us as we did not plan on doing the entire trail since we were traveling quite a bit on this day. We spent about 20 minutes in the area, which included multiple trips across the bridge.

From there we headed to the Mariposa Grove area of the park. To access the Mariposa Grove from Sequoias, you must park at the Mariposa Grove Welcome Center and take a free shuttle when the road is open, mid-April through November each year when weather permits. The operational hours of the shuttle varies throughout the year, so make sure you check the website for the most current times. When the road is open vehicles less than 25 feet AND displaying a disability placard are able to drive to an accessible parking area at the trailhead. If the road is closed (or you miss the last shuttle) you can access Mariposa Grove via a two-mile hike (each way) on the Washburn Trail or the Mariposa Grove Road.

We completed the Grizzly Giant Loop Trail, an easy 2 mile loop trail. Although this trail can be completed in about an hour, we spent 2 hours in the area exploring, viewing, and learning about some of the most famous giant sequoias: Fallen Monarch, Bachelor and Three Graces, California Tunnel Tree, and the Grizzly Giant. John Muir said it best “The Big Tree (Giant Sequoia) is Nature’s forest masterpiece, and so far as I know, the greatest of living things.”

We hit the road again for a 2.5 hour drive to Kings Canyon Visitor Center to pick up the Junior Ranger Book for Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park. The two parks share a book and badge, so you only need to pick up one when visiting both parks. We then headed to the General Grant Trail, an easy .7 mile loop. Pictures do not do this giant justice. With a base of 40 feet wide, it is the widest known sequoia. It would take at least 20 people stretched out and holding hands to circle the base of this large tree. As we headed to our campground for the night, we stopped at Big Stump Loop Trail.

Big Stump Loop was our boys’ favorite stop of the day. It is a 1.6 mile loop trail that is rated easy, although I would rate one section medium. Our boys are at a stage in life where they love climbing in, up, and over everything. They loved scaling the large trunks and finding the best way to the top. When you get to the trailhead, you have the option of going left or right, go to the right. This will take you counterclockwise, and also ensures that you are going down hill when you reach the part of the trail that has a 16% grade. About .3 miles into the trail, you will reach a fork in the trail. I recommend going to the right towards “Shattered Giant”. This is a neat area to explore and has a fallen/shattered tree that you can walk and climb over. After .2 miles, you will meet back up with the main trail. Although there are a ton of stumps on this trail, Mark Twain Stump is the main attraction.

After finishing this trail, we headed to Sequoia RV Park. To be honest, I was not really impressed with this campground and felt it was better represented online than it was in person. I picked this campground because it had showers, laundry, and electricity hook ups. Luckily, we did not need laundry washed until day 5 because there was only 1 washer and dryer and they were in use. The showers were not very clean and I am not super picky about showers at a campground, but I chose to use the small one in our RV. It was 106℉ in the valley that day, so I am happy we had electricity for the A/C in the RV. 

We were scheduled to stay at the campground for 2 nights, but there was an opening at one of the campgrounds in Kings Canyon for the next night. We decided to get a refund for our second night and booked the site in Kings Canyon. Although there were no hook ups at Azalea Campground, the temperature in the mountains was in the mid-60s at night, so we did not need the A/C.

Other Options:

• Panoramic Point was on our list, but we were all getting tired, so we skipped it.
• Zumwalt Meadow was also on our list, but was inaccessible due to road damage from the winter storms.
• Horseback Riding is available in Kings Canyon through two providers.
• Ranger-led Programs

Original Winter Plans:

• Our original plans did not differ in terms of activities. I am sure we would have had to make adjustments based on weather and accessibility if we went in March. I had originally picked out a different campground, Sequoia RV Ranch, but they did not have any availability when I rescheduled.
• Depending on the weather, we would have done some snowshoeing if it was an option.
• During the winter, weather conditions may require the use of tire chains. Federal and State regulations will dictate when chains must be used. Any time chain restrictions are in effect ALL vehicles must have chains in their possession. Be aware that most rentals (car and RV) do not provide tire chains.

Day 4: Sequoia National Park

• Total Drive Time: ~2 Hours (~70 miles)
• Activities:
  • Hiking:
    • General Sherman Tree Trail
    • Moro Rock Trail
    • Crescent Meadow Loop
  • Viewpoints:
    • Kings Canyon Overlook
    • Tunnel Log
  • Museum:
    • Giant Forest Museum
  • Juniors Ranger Program
• Food:
  • Breakfast in the RV
  • Lunch: Sandwiches and sides
  • Dinner: Home Chef
• Campground: Azalea Campground (Reservations release 4 months in advance, Winter is first come first serve)
• Must Knows: Check vehicle restrictions and road conditions prior to solidifying your plans.

After breakfast we headed to Lodgepole Visitor Center via Generals Highway. Generals Highway connects Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.  The ability to use Generals Highway is dependent on weather and road conditions. A large portion of the highway did not open until July 1, 2023 because of damage from the winter storms. Along the drive, we stopped at Kings Canyon Overlook for a few minutes to enjoy the view. We parked in the large parking lot at the Lodgepole Campground and used the Sequoia Shuttle to travel through the park.

After stopping in the Lodgepole Visitor Center, we hopped on the green shuttle to General Sherman Tree Trail. This is an easy 1.2 mile out and back trail. It leads you to the largest Sequoia by volume and weight, The General Sherman Tree. Once again, there is no way that pictures can do these trees justice. General Sherman would reach from the goal line of a football field to the opposite 9 yard line, wide enough to block 3 lanes of traffic, and weighs as much as 10 blue whales!

After finishing at General Sherman, we used the green shuttle to head to the Giant Forest Museum. The museum had several interactive exhibits that taught about Sequoias and both the adults and kids enjoyed the area. When we finished at the Giant Forest Museum, we switched to the gray shuttle to travel to Moro Rock, Tunnel Log, and Crescent Meadow.

Moro Rock provided some dramatically different views than what we had seen over the past few days. Although the trail is only .25 miles to the top of Moro Rock, it contains over 350 stairs which are steep and narrow in some places and takes you close to 200 feet above the parking area. I would not recommend this trail for anyone with mobility problems or fear of heights. Our kids had no problems with the stairs, but make sure you take water with you. I did have some issues with altitude fatigue and shortness of breath on this trail. From our campground to the top of Moro Rock was an altitude change of about 5,000 feet. Although the trail is narrow, there were a few places I could step out of the way to catch my breath and then continue on. Despite the climb and some minor altitude issues, I am so glad we did this hike.

We hopped back on the gray shuttle and headed to Crescent Meadow. On the way, you can get off at the stop for Tunnel Log. We got off at the stop and spent about 15 minutes in the area. We grabbed the next shuttle to finish the trip to Crescent Meadow. (You can also hike to the meadow. It is about 2.5 miles from the Giant Forest Museum.) There are several trails in this area but we chose the Crescent Meadow Loop. This 1.3 mile easy loop took us up close to giant sequoias and beautiful wildflowers. After we finished, we ate a late lunch in the picnic area in the meadow. After we finished with lunch, we headed back to Lodgepole Visitor Center, the boys turned in their Junior Ranger books and we headed back to Azalea Campground for a lazy evening.

Other Options:

• Crystal Cave was on our list to visit, but because of damage to the road and trail leading to the cave, it was not open during the 2023 season. If Crystal Cave is open when you visit, you will need tickets for a tour through the Sequoia Parks Conservancy.
• Sequoia Parks Conservancy offers several tours and adventures all year depending on weather. Adventures range for 1 hour to 6 hours. 
• Ranger-led Programs

Original Winter Plans:

• Our original travel plans and activities for this would have been very dependent on the weather and road conditions. The ability to drive Generals Highway connecting the two parks is very contingent on weather and road conditions. In 2023, it was closed from February to July. Also, there are limited shuttles run during the winter (typically only running around holidays). 
• Once again, driving in the winter may require the use of tire chains in Sequoia National Park.
• Hiking to the top of Moro Rock is closed during the winter because of icy stair conditions.
• Until the road leading to Crescent Meadow opens for traffic it is only accessible by using the 2.5 mile trail that starts at the Giant Forest Museum

Day 5: Pinnacles National Park

• Total Drive Time: ~4 Hours (~200 miles)
• Activities: Hiking, On the Road
• Campground: Pinnacles Campground (campsites available on 6 month rolling basis)
• Food:
  • Breakfast in the RV
  • Lunch: Sandwiches and sides
  • Dinner: Home Chef
• Must Knows: 
  • Pinnacles Campground is only accessible from the east side of the park
  • Must have a flashlight if hiking the caves
  • Carry plenty of drinking water, especially during the hot dry summer months

This was a travel and restock day for us with a little bit of hiking. We left Azelea Campground and headed towards Pinnacles National Park. Along the way, we stopped in Fresno to restock and wash laundry. The restock trip was initially planned, but I decided to wash laundry while we restocked since I did not have access to a washer and dryer the night before with our change in campground. We used the Laundromat right near the Wal-Mart I planned for us to stop at to restock. There were two laundromats in this area, the other was SuperClean Laundromat. Both had good reviews and were clean. I liked that the one I chose had an app I could pay with and monitor the wash and dry cycles. While laundry was doing its thing, we replenished our groceries, ate lunch, and then continued to Pinnacles National Park.

We arrived at Pinnacles Campground in the early afternoon and it was still a little hot to enjoy our hike, so we stopped at the visitor center for our Junior Ranger Books, and explored the camp store and the pool. Pinnacles is one of the few national park campgrounds with a pool. They also have electric hook-ups for RVs which can be hard to find. 

The main attractions at Pinnacles are the talus caves, climbing, and bird watching (especially spotting the California Condor). The caves were the biggest attraction for us. Bear Gulch Cave is the home to a large colony of Townsend’s big-eared bats. Bear Gulch Cave has an upper and lower section that operates independently of each other. The accessibility of Bear Gulch Cave is dependent on the presence and gestational cycle of the bat colony. Unfortunately, June is one of the times of year when both the upper and lower portion of the caves are closed. When we originally planned to go in March, the entire cave system would have been open.

Once it cooled off some, around 6pm, we hiked the Moses Spring and Rim Loop Trail. This is a moderate 2 mile loop that takes around an hour to complete and takes you by Moses Spring and Bear Gulch Reservoir. Part of this trail takes you by some small talus caves which our boys were excited to explore. If you walk the designated trail, you do not need a flashlight. If you decide to take any detours into the smaller talus caves, make sure you have a flashlight. We always have flashlights as part of our essential hiking supplies no matter where we go.

March	The entire cave is usually open for the last week of the month. It may open earlier, up to the full month, depending on the presence of bats.
April 1 to mid-May	The main (lower) section of the cave may be open.
Mid-May to mid-July	The entire cave will be closed to protect the colony of bats as they raise their young.
Mid-July to September 30	The main (lower) section of the cave may be open.
October	The entire cave is usually open for the last week of the month. It may open earlier, up to the full month, depending on the presence of bats.
Nov. 1 to end of Feb.	The main (lower) section of the cave may be open.

Other Options:

• East side of the park;
  • Bear Gulch Cave Trail, if it is open.
• West side of the park:
  • Balconies Cave Trail, if it is open

Original Winter Plans

• Our plans for this day would have revolved around the Bear Gulch Cave system since it would have been open. We would also have been able to start hiking earlier since it would have been cooler.

Day 6: Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

• Total Drive Time: ~2 hours and 15 minutes (~105 miles)
• Activities:
  • Hiking
    • Carmelo Meadow Trail
    • Granite Point Trail
    •  Point Lobos Trail
    • North Shore Trail 
    • Whaler’s Knoll Trail
    • Lace Lichen Trail
  • Viewpoints
    • Sea Lion Point
  • Guided Walk
  • Museums/Learning Stations
    • Whaler’s Cabin Museum
    • Point Lobos Foundation
• Campground: Salinas / Monterey KOA
• Food:
  • Breakfast in the RV
  • Lunch: Sandwiches and sides
  • Dinner: Home Chef
• Must Knows:
  • Any vehicle (commercial, motorhome, live-in van, etc.) over 21 ft long is not allowed to drive or park within Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.
  • There is no shuttle in the park.

Day 6 required a big P.I.V.O.T (Ross from ‘Friends’ anyone?). This day was supposed to be spent on the west side of Pinnacles National Park. However, when planning our trip I never saw the information about California 146 not being suitable for RVs. Thankfully, I saw the information on the park map the day before and was able to adjust our plans. ( I went back and looked at the NPS website, and the park map is still the only place that has this information)

Looking back, I am glad we made this change. If we hadn’t, I would have felt rushed doing all that was originally planned for Day 7. Instead of heading to the west side of Pinnacles National Park, we headed on to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, which was on the itinerary for Day 7. Point Lobos was an unexpected gem of the trip. It is beautiful and peaceful and would be my favorite spot if I lived in the area.

RVs can not park or drive within Point Lobos, but there is parking along the road outside the gate. On the plus side, it is free to walk into the park, but $10 per vehicle to enter through the gates. Also, make sure you bring layers as the sea breeze can be chilly, even in the summer. We went from 90-100℉ at the base of the Sierras to low 60℉’s at Point Lobos.

After entering, we headed right on the Carmelo Meadow Trail to the Whaler’s Cabin Museum. We arrived at the Museum in time to join one of the guided walks. We walked around Whaler’s Cove and along Granite Point Trail and learned about plant and animal communities, the geology that made Point Lobos possible, and the story of human habitation of Point Lobos. We also got to see a few seals and otters in the cove. After this 45-minute walk, we headed toward the start of the Point Lobos Trail and ate lunch. From there, we hiked the Point Lobos Trail until it met up with the North Shore Trail and followed it to Whaler’s Knoll Lookout via Whaler’s Knoll Trail. We continued along the trail until it met back up with North Shore Trail and headed to the left to the Cypress Information Center. At the information center, there were kiosks operated by the Point Lobos Foundation. We learned a lot at the kiosks and also were able to borrow binoculars to use at Sea Lion Point. (We just had to leave our license or car keys to borrow the binoculars and then received our keys back when we returned the binoculars.) Although we didn’t see any sea lions at the Point, we did see several otters out playing. From there we returned the binoculars and headed down Lace Lichen Trail back to the entrance. In total, we walked about 3.75 miles and spent about 3 hours in the park.

We left Point Lobos and headed to Salinas / Monterey KOA where our boys swam in the pool before dinner. We also had our second delivery of Home Chef shipped here. There are quite a few California State Parks that have camping, but they can fill up fast and typically open for reservations 3 months in advance. I opted to go for a place we could reserve well in advance, but the state parks are worth checking out.

Other Options:

• If we had been able to drive through Point Lobos, we would have also visited Bird Island Trail Gibson Beach, and Hidden Beach
• Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
• Monterey State Historic Park
• Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
• Point Pinos Lighthouse
• Whale Watching 

Original Winter Plans:

Originally this day had us visiting the west side of Pinnacles National Park as well, so we would have had to shift plans. I also had us staying at Big Sur Campground and Cabins. When I went to rebook, the price of an RV spot was over $250 per night and that was not in our budget when originally the sites were around $130. When writing this post, I checked the rates for March and July of 2024 and there was not much difference between the months with sites ranging from $130-$150 per night. I am not sure why there was such a jump in summer 2023 other than I was booking much closer to our travel date.

Big Sur Campgrounds offers several activities that we probably would have taken advantage of, as well as exploring the California State Parks in the area, Andrew Molera State Park and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.

Day 7: Big Sur

• Total Drive Time: ~ 3 Hours (~125 miles)
• Activities:
  • Hiking
    • Big Sur Nature Trail
    • Partington Cove Trail
    • McWay Falls Overlook Trail
  • Viewpoints
    • Bixby Creek Bridge
    • Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park Vista Point
  • California State Parks Junior Ranger Program
• Campground: Salinas / Monterey KOA
• Food:
  • Breakfast in the RV
  • Lunch: Sandwiches and sides
  • Dinner: Home Chef

We spent this day exploring the area around Big Sur. Even if you are not into hiking, the drive down Highway 1 is breathtaking, with multiple turnouts to stop at and enjoy the views. After breakfast, we drove about 45 minutes to our first stop, Bixby Creek Bridge. Bixby Bridge is an architectural feat and is still one of the tallest single-span concrete bridges in the world, spanning 714 feet in length. When visiting the bridge, make sure you park in one of the many legal turnouts along the road. After a quick stop at Bixby Creek Bridge, we headed to Big Sur Station, the closest thing to a visitor center in Big Sur. Big Sur Station is a  multi-agency facility that houses personnel representing the California State Park System, Los Padres National Forest of the U.S. Forest Service, and the California Department of Transportation. 

At Big Sur Station, we picked up a California State Parks Junior Ranger Book and maps of the areas. This Junior Range Book can be done at any of the state parks in California. Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, less than 5 minutes up the road, also has its own Junior Ranger Book, which was our next stop. Entrance into Pfeiffer Big Sur is $10, but that entrance fee allows you to get into any state park on the same day. We completed the Big Sur Nature Trail, an easy .8 mile loop. Partway around the loop you will come to The Ewoldsen Nature Center. The center is open Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Here our boys completed the Pfeiffer Big Sur Junior Ranger book and loved the “Fly Like a Condor” simulator. We spent about 30 minutes at the nature center.

PSA: Make sure your husband actually packs what is on his list to pack. With the chillier weather on the coast, he was really wishing he had packed a sweatshirt (which was on the list!). Finding a sweatshirt in summer, in California, for less than $70 at the gift shops, was difficult, to say the least. After trying Walmart and Target in Salinas, we finally had luck at Marshall’s.

Other Options:

• Flood and fire damage caused some closures that were on our list. Had they been open, we would have gone to: Pfeiffer Falls Trail and Pfeiffer Beach (This is separate from the state park and has a separate entrance fee of $15)
• Big Sur River Gorge Trail
• Point Sur State Historic Park offers a 3 hour lighthouse tour 3 days a week
• If you are a foodie, Big Sur has a ton of local restaurants.
• Big Sur Chamber of Commerce keeps a running list of activities offered in the area.

Original Winter Plans:

Our plans for this day would not have been any different and may have varied based on the weather and what trails were open.

Day 8: Muir Woods & Golden Gate National Recreation Area

• Total Drive Time: ~3 hours and 50 minutes (~152 miles)
• Activities:
  • Hiking
    • Fern Creek and Hillside Loop
  • Ranger Talk
    •  Founders Grove Ranger Talk
  • Junior Ranger Program
  • The Marine Mammal Center
  • Viewpoints
    •  Golden Gate Observation Deck 
    • Battery Spencer Overlook.
• Campground: San Francisco RV Park (Reservations open 1 year in advance on a rolling basis)
• Food:
  • Breakfast: At the RV 
  • Lunch: Sandwiches and sides 
  • Dinner: Home Chef
• Need to Knows:
  • There is a toll on the Golden Gate Bridge when entering San Francisco from the north. There is no toll when leaving San Francisco.
  • To park at Muir Woods, reservations are ALWAYS required and reservations sell out during peak times (summer, weekends, holidays).
    • Half of all reservation time slots are released 90 days in advance, and the remaining half are released 3 days in advance on a rolling basis. All reservations are released at 9am Pacific Time
    • There is a shuttle that runs to the park from San Francisco. The shuttle runs on weekends and holidays from mid-March through October as well as select summer weekdays in June through August. Reservations are required for both departure and return shuttle rides.
    • The closest public transit stop is 1.5 miles away with an elevation change of 800 feet.
  • The entrance fee is separate from the parking fee. The entrance fee is $15 per adult (16+), children 15 and under are free. The America the Beautiful Pass grants free entrance.

Muir Woods was the main attraction for Day 8. Since a reservation was required to go to Muir Woods, we had to ensure that we left in enough time to drive the 2.5-3-hour trip from Salinas, CA to Muir Woods. We took the most direct route up through San Jose which was 2.5 hours. Taking Highway 1 North to San Francisco is also an option. This route is more scenic but takes about 3 hours to drive.

Our parking reservation was at 10:30 AM. Your reservation comes with a 30-minute arrival window. You are guaranteed a parking spot during that period. If you are in a standard-sized vehicle ($15 per parking pass), you are then welcome to stay until the park closes. Vehicles 17-22 feet ($30 per pass) and 22-35 feet ($45 per pass) will need an oversized vehicle reservation. These reservations are for 1 hour and 45 minute time slots. If you want to stay longer than that time, you will have to reserve multiple time slots. There was no shuttle running when we went, so we reserved two back-to-back time slots and completed everything we wanted to do. 

** Pro Tip: There is no cell phone or wifi service in Muir Woods. Make sure you have everything you need downloaded or available for offline use, including parking passes and driving directions. 

When we arrived we of course had to go ahead and get the boys’ Junior Ranger Books. From there, we headed down the main trail in the park, Fern Creek Trail. We stopped at Founders Grove, about .2 miles down the trail, for the 15-minute Founders Grove Ranger Talk. There are several “loops” along the trail depending on which bridge you use to turn around. All loops are stroller and wheelchair accessible. Bridge 2 loop is .5 miles, Bridge 3 is a 1-mile loop, and Bridge 4 loop is 2 miles. We went to Bridge 4 and then used the Hillside Trail to return. In total, we spent about 3 hours in Muir Woods. We could have spent more, but we were on a time limit since we drove an RV.

Our next stop was a last-minute add-on that I stumbled across earlier in our trip and I am so glad we went. The Marine Mammal Center is the largest marine mammal hospital in the world AND offers tours and educational experiences. It is free to visit the Marine Mammal Center, but you do have to make a reservation online in advance. The center is open Friday through Monday (Closed Tuesday through Thursday) 10 am – 4 pm. While it is free to visit the center, they do offer two different tours for a fee that help support the center. The Guided Tour (which we did) is $15 per person and is offered multiple times during the days that the center is open. On the first and third weekends of the month, they also offer a Behind-the-Scenes tour for $20 per person. The tour was great and kept our kids engaged and also provided more information than we would have gathered on our own. If you are unable to make it to The Marine Mammal Center, they also have docents and an exhibit at the sea lion viewing area at Pier 39 Thursdays – Mondays from 11:30 am – 5 pm.

On our way to San Francisco RV Resort, we stopped to view the Golden Gate Bridge. There are several places to view the bridge, but we chose the Golden Gate Observation Deck and the Battery Spencer Overlook. Both of these viewpoints are on Conzelman Road. Campgrounds for RVs in San Francisco that offer reservations are limited. We were really happy with San Francisco RV Resort. It was clean and safe, offered several amenities including laundry, and was located right next to a public transit bus stop, which we utilized the next day. We also enjoyed watching the sunset over the Pacific Ocean from the RV resort.

Other Options:

• Mount Tamplias State Park surrounds Muir Woods and offers more advanced trails than those found in Muir Woods.
• The Golden Gate National Recreation Area offers a plethora of different activities from hiking to historical sites to natural areas to engaging programs.
• The Walt Disney Family Museum is perfect for Disney fans young and old.
• Point Reyes National Seashore was on our lists of possibilities, specifically Chimney Rock and Cypress Tree Tunnel

Original Winter Plans:

This day was going to be very different. Since we were going to start our winter version of this trip with Muir Woods, the focus of this day was going to be an Elephant Seal Walking Tour at Año Nuevo State Park. Guided tours are offered December 15 through March 31 each year. Tours do require a reservation and cost $10.99. The tour covers 3-4 miles of walking and lasts 2.5 hours. Tours are the only way to see the elephant seals from mid-December through March because it is the breeding season for the elephant seals. This is the time when male elephant seals battle on the beaches for the right to mate and the females give birth to their pups on the dunes. 

Most of the adult seals are gone by early March, leaving behind the weaned pups who remain through April. From April to mid-December you can walk to the elephant viewing areas without a tour, but a free permit is required. The free permit is available at the park from 8:30-3:30, daily. There is a day use/parking fee. Visitors will not be able to obtain a permit after 3:30 pm due to the length of time it takes to hike to the viewing areas.

Day 9: Alcatraz and Cable Cars

• Total Drive Time: 0 (We used public transit from the RV resort)
• Activities:
  • Alcatraz Island
  • Cable Cars
• Campground: San Francisco RV Park (Reservations open 1 year in advance on a rolling basis)
• Food:
  • Breakfast: At the RV 
  • Lunch: Sandwiches and sides 
  • Dinner: Home Chef
  • Snack: Ben & Jerry’s
• Need to Knows:
  • Book your tickets to Alcatraz early. They sell out FAST! The NPS website says tickets are available about 90 days in advance. However, when writing this post, I was able to book tickets about 6 months in advance. So check as soon as you know the date of your trip.
  • America the Beautiful Pass and other park passes do not work at Alcatraz Island. The cost of your fair to the island includes the cost of your ticket to Alcatraz.

• If you are staying and traveling within the San Francisco city limits, Muni will probably be the only ticket you will need. Muni is San Francisco’s bus and metro system that runs throughout the city, operating buses, trains, cable cars, and the F-line streetcar. They offer single and multi-day passes for visitors. 
• If you are staying or traveling in and out of the city limits, the Clipper Card is your best option. Clipper allows you access to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), Muni buses, Metro, and cable cars.
• On both BART and MUNI, children under 18 ride free. For both the Clipper Card and Muni, each adult will need their own card or app as you can only scan once per ride.

Our first stop of the day was Pier 33 for our transportation to Alcatraz Island. City Cruises is the only way to get to Alcatraz. They offer day trips, night trips, and behind-the-scenes tours. We chose the day trip, but if our boys had been old enough we would have done the behind-the-scenes tour. Book your tickets to Alcatraz early. They sell out almost every day. The NPS website says tickets are available about 90 days in advance. However, when writing this post, I was able to book tickets about 6 months in advance. So check as soon as you know the date of your trip. This was a rare mistake that I made. I had our tickets booked for our original trip in March but canceled it when we rescheduled our trip. I know I went to purchase new tickets when I was rebooking everything because I added the new date and time to our itinerary, but apparently, I never completed the order. I also did not double-check for a confirmation email before leaving for the trip. Two mistakes I will never make again. I did not find out I made this mistake until we reached the loading dock for our boat and I could not find our tickets in my email. The customer service kiosk was able to look up that I canceled our original tickets, but did not purchase new ones. I also checked our bank and credit card statements and they confirmed that I did not complete my transaction.

To say I was upset was an understatement. This was the part of the trip that my husband was excited for the most. Purchasing tickets when I realized we did not have any was not an option. They were sold out. The next available date for tickets was 5 days away. There is no stand-by line for spots for people who do not show up for their departure time as you can take any boat after your scheduled time. Tears were involved on my part because I was frustrated with my uncommon mistake. My husband insisted we could do something else and not going to Alcatraz was no big deal. I was not accepting that. He had been hyping this part of the trip up all week, and our boys were excited too. 

My dad taught me to keep trying until all options are exhausted. I had an idea that I thought might would work, but my husband was convinced that it would not. I grew up going to Atlanta Braves games and on every trip saw people buying and selling extra tickets outside the gates, maybe that would work here. I was willing to give it an hour before we found something else to do. I made a sign asking if anyone had 4 extra tickets and headed outside the gate to stand and wait. My ever-protective husband was not going to let me stand on a San Francisco sidewalk by myself, so he came and took my place and sent me to sit with our kids and work on an alternate plan. About 15 minutes later he returned and said “Grab our stuff and let’s go”. My hail Mary had worked. A college group on an academic spring break trip had 6 extra tickets and gave us 4.

Once we arrived at Alcatraz, we had a brief orientation from a park ranger about the island and a list of do’s and don’ts. Special programs, guest authors, and other opportunities are also covered in the orientation. There are program boards and boat schedules at the dock and in the cellhouse. After orientation, we made our usual first stop for a Junior Ranger Book. A guided tour that led up to the cell house was about to begin, so we joined that group and headed toward the cell house. This is optional, but we prefer the guided tours offered by the NPS. The cell house at Alcatraz is located at the top ¼ mile hill and there is an accessibility tram to take you to the top if needed.

Once you reach the cellhouse, you will receive a player and headphones for a self-guiding tour. Alcatraz Cellhouse Audio Tour is available in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Mandarin. Transcripts of these tours, including an English Braille version, are also available. Our whole family enjoyed the tour and the audio was educational and engaging. It kept our 7 and 9-year-olds engaged the entire time. Once we finished the tour, we took the time to explore the other exhibits around the island and completed the Junior Ranger books. In total, we spent about 3.5 hours at Alcatraz. 

After we arrived back from Alcatraz, we took our time walking down Fisherman’s Warf, enjoying the sights, sounds, and street performances, as we headed toward the Powell & Hyde Cable Car Turntable. Cable Cars are quintessential San Francisco history and a must-do for any ‘80/’90s kids that grew up watching “Full House”. Visitors must purchase a ticket to ride the cable cars. A single ride costs $8, no matter your age, the time of day, the route, or the starting and ending locations. You can pay with exact change or via the MuniMobile app or a Clipper card. Because of this, we chose to ride our route from start to finish (even though that meant we would wait longer to board) instead of hoping on at a stop or two down the line. There are 3 different routes for the cable cars. We chose the Powell-Hyde because it was the longest route and started/ended in an area we would be in. Although the view is great from either side of the cable car, if you want to see down the iconic Lombard Street ride on the left side of the car (when looking from the back) if you are going from Fisherman’s Warf to Union Square and the right side if going from Union Square to Fisherman’s Warf.

We waited in line for about an hour to ride on the cable car. The wait was not bad, especially since we grabbed some Ben & Jerry’s to eat while we waited. While waiting you also get to watch the cable cars be manually turned around and there were some street performers nearby also providing some entertainment. Once on board, we sat near the driver and our boys were able to see how the car worked and asked questions. The driver was great and answered all of their questions and told us what we were seeing. Our boys described going down the hills like a roller coaster.

Other Options:

There is an endless amount of things to do and see around Fisherman’s Warf. We did some more in this area the next day of our trip as well. Here are some of the things that we considered doing or saw people doing while we were there that looked interesting. 

• We highly considered the GoCity Pass but with only part of 1 day to explore San Francisco, we opted not to. We would have gone with this option if we had a day or more to fill with activities.
  • These activities are an option with the GoCity Pass and were high on our list of possibilities:
    • Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
    • GoCar Tour
    • Blazing Saddles Bike Rental
• CityPass San Francisco is a great deal for families that love going to museums, aquariums, zoos, or science centers.
• If you are unable to visit Alcatraz, you can complete an Alcatraz-themed Escape Room.
• Cable Car Museum

Day 10: San Francisco

• Total Drive Time: 1 hour 30 minutes (This was just to return the RV otherwise we used public transit)
• Activities:
• Hotel: La Quinta Inn & Suites San Francisco Airport
• Food:
  • Breakfast: At the RV 
  • Lunch: Light lunch at Hotel
  • Dinner: Crab House at Pier 39
  • Dessert: The Baked Bear

We started our last day by returning the RV to Cruise America. We had to have it returned by 11 am. This took a little bit of thought, planning, and time (most of the morning), which is another reason that I prefer to rent from Outdoorsy since a good percentage of the renters offer pick up service. We headed to our hotel for the night,  La Quinta Inn & Suites San Francisco Airport, and packed up everything and cleaned out the RV. My husband then drove the 30ish minutes to the Cruise America location to turn it in and then took an Uber back to the hotel. Thankfully, we were able to check into our room early, otherwise, the boys and I would have waited in the lobby until our room was ready. Once my husband returned, we had a light lunch at the hotel and then we headed out for the day around 1:30pm.

We again used public transit to get around San Francisco. Our first activity was a Big Bus Tour of San Francisco. (This is also a great alternative to public transit to get around the city) With the Big Bus Tour, once you have tickets, you can get off and on at any stop along the route. Buses come to each stop about every 15 minutes. We started at stop 5 since it was the closest and easiest to access with public transit from our hotel. While you ride the bus, there is an audio tour telling you about the city and what you are viewing. We then got off at stop 8. Stop 8 has Alamo Square Park and the Painted Ladies (opening credits of Full House!) My husband and I wanted to see the Painted Ladies, but our kids couldn’t have cared less. But, they did have fun playing at the playground at Alamo Square Park. From there we got back on a bus and continued the tour around San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge and back towards Fisherman’s Wharf where we got off at stop 16. If you ride the complete route without getting off, it takes about 2 hours to complete. Tours depart from Stop #1 every 15 minutes from 10:00am-6:00pm.

We arrived at  Fisherman’s Warf around 4:00pm and headed to the Crab House at Pier 39 for an early dinner. The day before, our 9 year old mentioned that he wanted to try crab while we were in San Francisco. So I began looking for a restaurant that served crab but also had something that our 7 year old would eat too. Our youngest is not adventurous on the food front like our oldest is, so I needed to make sure there was a kids menu available wherever we went. There are a ton of restaurants that serve crab around San Francisco. I chose The Crab House because they had a couple of dishes that had crab in them, but that could be picked out if my son decided he didn’t like and there would still be plenty left for him to eat. Also, The Crab House had a kids’ menu that my youngest would eat and the prices of the dishes we would get were reasonable. I made a reservation online and we had no wait when we arrived. Between my husband, our oldest son, and myself, we split a Crab & Shrimp Fettuccine and Crab Fried Rice and our youngest was happy with his chicken tenders and fries.

Next up, a couple of blocks over, was Umbrella Alley, an interactive mural and street art area near the wharf. While the alley is free to explore, they do suggest a $3-$5 donation per person ages 12+ to help support the artists and maintain the area. The walls are covered in art and umbrellas and balloons float overhead. There are little stands everywhere to set your phone to take timed photos so that no one has to miss out on being in a photo. We had fun looking at all the art and getting a few photo memories from our last day. From there, we headed back to our hotel to finish packing and get some sleep for our morning flight back across the USA.

Other Options:

• If we had not had to spend the morning returning the RV, we would have gotten out at a few more stops on the Big Bus Tour to explore the city some more. With more time we would have explored Chinatown and Golden Gate Park.
• Before my son mentioned wanting to try crab, I had originally picked out Boudin Sourdough as our place for dinner.

Original Winter Plans

Our winter trip was planned as a 9 day trip, so we would have skipped the Big Bus Tour and added Umbrella Alley, Baked Bear, and Dinner in Fisherman’s Warf to Day 9.