Do you know the way from San Jose?

June 18, 2010 1:07 PM

Heading to Milpitas Monday with my husband. Next Friday afternoon, we're planning to drive up to South Lake Tahoe, where we have a hotel, and then explore the Yosemite area Saturday and Sunday before driving back Sunday evening. Doable? Suggestions, recommendations? And what clothes should I bring--I want to pack one bag and get the most wear out of it for the entire week.
posted by misha to Travel & Transportation around San Jose, CA (9 answers total)

I live in North Lake Tahoe so the weather right now is cool in the mornings (20 - 40s), then during the day 60s, which feels like the 70s because of the strong sun and thin air. So you're going to have to layer. Are you camping or staying in hotels in Yosemite?

Check out Mono Lake and Bodie, a ghost town, en route to Yosemite!
posted by HeyAllie at 1:35 PM on June 18, 2010

It's doable but you're going to spend a lot of your time in the car over the weekend. Count on about 5 hours to SLT from Milipitas on a Friday afternoon (if you're lucky). Did you plan on staying in the Tahoe area for any amount of time on Saturday or it just an overnight? it'll be probably 4+ hours to Yosemite on Saturday so I'd plan on leaving SLT early-ish. Then on Sunday afternoon, getting back to the Bay Area can often be quite traffic-y, so probably another 4-5 hours. As HeyAllie says, it'll be quite cool in the evening. The Valley floor at Yosemite in June can be pretty hot though. Lots of layers for easy transitions. And yeah, Mono Lake is incredible. Stop for a brief look if you can.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 1:52 PM on June 18, 2010

Go you really mean to check out Yosemite with a base of operations in South Lake Tahoe? This doesn't make too much sense.
posted by bitdamaged at 2:49 PM on June 18, 2010

Response by poster: bitdamaged: "Go you really mean to check out Yosemite with a base of operations in South Lake Tahoe? This doesn't make too much sense."

We couldn't get accommodations in Yosemite or around Fish Camp or any of the East entrances (only place we found was over $325 a night). So we were trying to find a way to visit scenic areas, and thought at least we could visit Lake Tahoe and maybe drive South from there to see whatever we could in the Yosemite area.

Any other suggestions? What SHOULD we be doing?
posted by misha at 4:11 PM on June 18, 2010

So you don't have accommodations in Yosemite for Saturday night and are plannign to go back to SLT? You say there's nothing on the east entrance but what about from the west? Unless there's some reason to go to South Lake Tahoe, it doesn't make any sense to enter Yosemite from the east or south if you're coming from Milpitas. Oh wait, you checked Fish Camp. Mariposa? Groveland? Even staying in Merced makes more sense.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 4:28 PM on June 18, 2010

Response by poster: I think at this point it is an either/or.

We will either stay up in Lake Tahoe and just spend some time there (keep this reservation), or go to Merced (thanks, that's one I hadn't checked--Oakhurst, Mariposa, Groveland and Fish Camp are booked up!) and head over to Yosemite from there.
posted by misha at 5:00 PM on June 18, 2010

If you can bend your schedule to leave Milpitas Friday morning that will make a big difference to your drive. Traffic to the east from the bay area is pretty horrible on Friday afternoons.
posted by anadem at 8:44 AM on June 19, 2010

Response by poster: Update: Yay, we were able to get into a B&B in Mariposa and are heading over there today to spend the weekend in Yosemite!
posted by misha at 9:00 AM on June 25, 2010

That sounds like a much better option. Glad it worked out.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 9:43 AM on June 25, 2010