Morning – Drive to Yosemite and Hike to the Giant Sequoias
6:15 – 7:00am: We’ll take off after we pick up the adventure crew for the day from the prearranged locations listed on the vouchers. Make sure to arrive 15 minutes early!
7:00 – 9:00am: As you settle in for the journey, we’ll pass by some exceptional San Francisco sights. Catch views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island and the incomparable San Francisco Skyline as we head east on the Bay Bridge. You’ll taste a piece of California’s rich agricultural hub as we pass through a slice of the Central Valley famous for specialty fruits and nuts such as almonds, walnuts, cherries, and strawberries.
9:00 – 10:30am: We’ll continue into the mountains as we connect with the rich history of California’s gold country, passing through some of the first settlements built during the Gold Rush. Take in the earthy forest smell as we make our way to the heart of the park. Your guide will pepper in stories and historical facts about the different sights. Be sure to listen for the logistics as we get ready for the day tour!
Approx 10:30am – 12:00pm : Arrive to Yosemite and make our way to Tuolumne Grove! Head down a beautiful scenic path to the enchanted Tuolumne Grove consisting of dozens of Giant Sequoia trees. But don’t be fooled by this moderate downhill stroll. Make sure you bring some water to sip as you enjoy your time among the giants as you have a bit of climb ahead of you to get back to the shuttle. Your hard work will be rewarded however, as we descend into the famous Yosemite Valley to take in views of Bridalveil Falls, El Capitan, Half Dome and more.
Afternoon – Free Time in Yosemite Valley
12:45pm: The climb through Yosemite Valley offers breathtaking views as we wind our way up to 4,500 feet above sea level. We’ll stop at Tunnel View and take in the eastern expanse of Yosemite Valley .
2:00pm: The suspense is over! Once we reach the drop off location, you’ll have around 1.5 hours of free time to explore. Want to hit some trails? Your guide will point out the best spots on your map. You’ll have options to meander down paved paths, hike around Yosemite Falls, engage further with the park’s history at the visitor center, or visit the Ansel Adams Gallery. Although you could spend three weeks in Yosemite, the hour you get on your own is enough time to catch just a glimpse of why Yosemite is one of America’s most popular national parks.
3:30pm: Once we’ve had our time to explore, we’ll come together in the late afternoon and set our course back to San Francisco, stopping for a short break before arriving back in the city. You will arrive back at your hotel by around 8:30 – 9:00 p.m. to sleep off the days’ adventures.
**Sample Itineraries: We do our best to follow our itineraries as written, but don’t control the weather (yet) and we can’t make promises about special events or traffic conditions in Yosemite. The benefit of having small groups is allowing our guides the flexibility to tailor your itinerary to best suit the needs of the group. While we guarantee that we’ll do our best to provide you with all of the highlights within this itinerary (conditions permitting), we do not guarantee them in this specific order. **
