where to stay between yosemite and anaheim

phatbear

Well after a heck of a lot of head scratching, reading reviews, checking distances and inspired by topcashbacks 12% off of expedia i now have san francisco, yosemite and monterey booked up.

I ended up choosing something in groveland for the yosemite leg which is a tad further out than i had originally wanted but the compromise is there are a few places to eat/drink/grocery shop and ultimately when we head off to monterey it will be a slightly shorter drive.

Im still unsure about a stop between monterey and LA part of me thinks power through it because nowhere has grabbed me for a nights stay and santa barbara and bakersfield seem a tad expensive for what may end up being somewhere to sleep.

Thanks everyone thus far your inputn has helped me change the schedule around a tad for the better

John259

phatbear wrote: »

Im still unsure about a stop between monterey and LA part of me thinks power through it

If you had an overnight stop that would give you a lot more time to see the scenery and explore some of the excellent state parks on the beautiful coast road. It would be a shame to rush it IMHO.

San Luis Obispo is a good choice for motels at reasonable prices.
Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/2Wa3whi9b7J2

As you probably realise, there's hardly any accommodation on the coast between Monterey and Cambria.

jackieblack

phatbear wrote: »

I ended up choosing something in groveland for the yosemite leg which is a tad further out than i had originally wanted but the compromise is there are a few places to eat/drink/grocery shop and ultimately when we head off to monterey it will be a slightly shorter drive.

If you're planning on driving into Groveland on 120 from the west, I hope you have a very good head for heights!
My ex-husband still breaks out in a cold sweat at the thought of it - my fault for suggesting we took the 'scenic road' (as stated on the map), the bit between the junction where 49 forks off 120 and Priest, west of Groveland - very steep mountainous roads with hairpin bends and sheer drops with no barriers*.
We were terrified and ex-h & DD are rollercoaster junkies! :eek:

The bit of the 120 from Yosemite (Big Oak Flats entrance) to Groveland is fine

* ETA, there was one barrier, on a particularly tight bend, with a break in the middle where some vehicle had gone through it at some point! :eek:

John259

jackieblack wrote: »

If you're planning on driving into Yosemite on 120 from Groveland I hope you have a good head for heights!

Here's a YouTube video of that road (but in the opposite direction):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHn1DwRTEng

silvercar

We stayed in Cambria overnight when travelling up to Monteray. Small town with a few reasonable hotels and a couple of nice beaches.

Also stayed at Big Sur -Glen Oaks lodges, which were amazing, though pricey.

At Yosemite we stayed at Tenaya Lodge by the entrance to the park.

jackieblack

John259 wrote: »

Here's a YouTube video of that road (but in the opposite direction):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHn1DwRTEng

Yes, that bit is fine (I edited my post as I realised it didn't read right)

The bit I'm referring to is shown here https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hHn1DwRTEng, starts about 2 minutes in - remember that coming in the opposite direction (as we were) you're going uphill and are on the 'sheer drop' side of the road.
Although they've put more barriers up since we drove this

dontone

As someone has said, the waterfalls in Yosemite in mid June should be in almost to full flow. If they still do it, then I highly recommend the star seeing tour (think it's about $45 each) because it is an amazing experience.
Just as a warning though, sometimes the high roads aren't open. When we went in June 2011, one of the routes we planned to drive from there to Vegas was closed due to there still being 27 foot of snow blocking the roads :eek:
They had planned two snow ploughs at either end of the route and hoped that they met in the middle.
So plan ahead just in case. Amazing though, how when we got to Vegas it was between 40 - 45 degrees boiling hot weather, and that area of California had a ton snow at the top of the mountains, blocking the roads. Shows how vast the USA is.
The route change worked out well for us though, we were going round a tight bend, and a bear was running across the road in front of us. Three days of unsuccessful bear spotting, and we see one as we were leaving :T. The ranger at the booth we came across didn't share our excitement. :rotfl: HTH

John259

dontone wrote: »

When we went in June 2011, one of the routes we planned to drive from there to Vegas was closed due to there still being 27 foot of snow blocking the roads

That would probably have been the Tioga Pass, CA120 on the eastern side of Yosemite, leading down to US395 near Lee Vining.
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/46PHRFyC5bS2

The roads on the western side of the park leading from Manteca, Merced, etc to Yosemite Valley are open all year except occasionally after very heavy snow in mid-winter. They won't be a problem in summer.

FWIW here's the winter closure dates for the Sierra Nevada pass roads in recent years (US date format: mm/dd)
http://www.caltrans.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/clsdlst.htm

John259

Jackie, I going to guess (and apologies if I'm wrong) that you took the Old Priest Grade Road which is dodgy. The New Priest Grade Road (CA120) isn't so bad.
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/kvSY5JGE8sn (zoom out to see the wider picture)
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_120#Priest_grades

phatbear

jackieblack wrote: »

If you're planning on driving into Groveland on 120 from the west, I hope you have a very good head for heights!

In my life ive been in many hairy situs and even to this day im not sure how ive come through them in one piece and through out i kept a cool head. However put me on the first rung of a step ladder and i turn to jelly, in other words i dont do heights at all.

silvercar wrote: »

We stayed in Cambria overnight when travelling up to Monteray.

Ta i’ll have a look at cambria.

dontone wrote: »

If they still do it, then I highly recommend the star seeing tour (think it's about $45 each) because it is an amazing experience.

This is on my plans for our trip as you will often find me slack jawed staring up at the sky pointing stuff out to my other half on clear nights, however after about 5mins i usually find myself standing alone talking to my self about the wonders of the universe