YOSEMITE VALLEY HIGHLIGHTS DAY TOUR

Duration: 14-15 hours

Hailed as the "crown jewel" of the Park Service, Yosemite National Park is truly a breath of fresh air. Our Yosemite Day Tour allows you to spend 5-6 hours in this amazing park. A 1 1/2 hour in-coach guided tour that focuses on the rock formations and waterfalls of Yosemite Valley is included. Some of the highlights of this tour are Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Fall, El Capitan, and Half Dome. Our small-to-medium group size provides more freedom and flexibility in the park than you'll find on large bus tours.

Departs daily 6-7am

Morning – Drive to Yosemite

6:15 – 7:15am: Make your way to your pickup location 15 minutes prior to your pickup time. You’ll be collected from your pickup at the time specified on your voucher.

7:15 – 10:00am: Heading east across the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge offers great views of the San Francisco skyline, Alcatraz Island, Fisherman’s Wharf, and the Golden Gate Bridge. En route to the park we cross through the Central Valley, the largest agricultural region in the United States and famous for its rich volcanic soil. The section we drive through is best known for specialty fruits and nuts such as almonds, walnuts, cherries, and strawberries. We will make a stop at a fruit stand where you can experience the local produce. After this quick rest stop, we drive into the rolling foothills of the Sierra Nevadas.

10:00 – 11:30am: Continuing into the mountains brings us to California gold country and through towns that began during the gold rush before we wind our way into Yosemite National Park. Your guide will provide history, stories, and practical information as you enter Yosemite’s glaciated valley. Because of our small group size, we can incorporate multiple photo stops into our tour so you can better enjoy your time in the park.

Afternoon – Free Time in Yosemite

12:00pm: During the tour you will see Yosemite Valley from a number of great vantage points, perhaps the best of which is a photo stop at Tunnel View. At 4,500 feet above sea level, this viewpoint gives you a spectacular view looking east into the valley.

12:45pm: From the drop off location, you will have approx. 3 hours of free time to explore the valley as you choose. You can walk to the base of Yosemite Falls, check out the visitor center, visit the Ansel Adams Gallery, stop in at the Ahwahnee Hotel, rent a cruiser bike, or hike some of the trails that originate from the valley. Although you could spend three weeks in Yosemite, the three hours you get on your own is enough time to understand why Yosemite is one of America’s most popular national parks.

3:30pm: Regrouping again in the late afternoon, we head back to San Francisco, stopping for a short break before arriving back in the city.

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8:30 – 9:00pm: Arrive back in San Francisco

**Sample Itineraries: Please note that due to conditions outside of our control (special events, traffic) and the small size of our vehicles/groups, we allow 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. **