6.3 KiB
6.3 KiB
🌴 US West Coast Trip — September/October 2026
The Group
- KT, VT — Sofia, Bulgaria
- MS, LK — Vancouver, BC
Destinations
- San Francisco (base: Daly City)
- Yosemite National Park
- Sequoia / Kings Canyon National Parks
- Los Angeles
- Las Vegas
Bookings & Reservations
| Dates | Cost | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏠 Airbnb — Daly City | Sep 19–22 (3 nights) | $1,049.54 CAD | Payment due Sep 7 |
| 🏕️ Cabin — Yosemite (Wawona) | Sep 22–24 (2 nights) | US$933.75 | ✅ Paid |
| 🌲 Cabin — Sequoia (Miramonte) | Sep 24–27 (3 nights) | US$771.16 | Payment due Sep 8 |
| 🏙️ LA stay — candidates | Sep 27–30 (3 nights) | US$523–1,075 | Shortlist only — not final or exhaustive |
| 🎰 Las Vegas stay — candidates | Sep 30–Oct 3 (3 nights) | US$500–1,392+ | Shortlist only; resort fees may be extra |
| 🚗 Car Rental | Sep 20–Oct 4 (14 days) | ⚠️ TBC | SFO round trip; rent and return by MS |
| ✈️ Flights — KT & VT | Sep 19 / Oct 3 | — | ⚠️ Confirm with KT |
| ✈️ Flights — MS | Sep 20 / Oct 4 | — | Round trip YVR ↔ SFO needed |
Timeline
| Date | Day | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19 | Sat | Daly City (SF area) | ✅ Airbnb check-in after 3 PM · KT & VT land SFO 1 PM · public transit / taxi · confirm they can check in without MS |
| Sep 20 | Sun | San Francisco | MS flies YVR → SFO and picks up rental car (arrival time TBC) · KT & VT use public transit / taxi until then · See plan ↓ |
| Sep 21 | Mon | San Francisco | See plan ↓ · Downtown, cable cars, Chinatown (BART day) |
| Sep 22 | Tue | Yosemite | Check-out SF by 11 AM · Depart 7 AM · See plan ↓ · Wawona check-in (flexible) |
| Sep 23 | Wed | Yosemite | See plan ↓ |
| Sep 24 | Thu | Sequoia | Check-out Wawona by 10 AM · Drive Hwy 41 (~3 hrs) · See plan ↓ · Gilmore Cabin check-in from 4 PM |
| Sep 25 | Fri | Kings Canyon | See plan ↓ |
| Sep 26 | Sat | Sequoia / Kings Canyon | Extra park day — TBD |
| Sep 27 | Sun | Los Angeles | Check-out Gilmore by 11 AM · Drive to LA |
| Sep 28 | Mon | Los Angeles | TBD |
| Sep 29 | Tue | Los Angeles | TBD |
| Sep 30 | Wed | Las Vegas | Drive LA → Vegas (~4.5 hrs, I-15) · no LA → LAS flight needed |
| Oct 1 | Thu | Las Vegas | — |
| Oct 2 | Fri | Las Vegas | — |
| Oct 3 | Sat | Las Vegas → San Francisco | KT & VT fly LAS → Bulgaria · MS starts drive back to San Francisco · overnight stop / endpoint TBC |
| Oct 4 | Sun | San Francisco | MS returns rental car at SFO and flies SFO → YVR · coordinate flight time with car return |
Detailed Day Plans
Option to look into — Alcatraz: ferry from Pier 33, ~2.5–3 hrs round trip. No car needed. If the group wants it, best slotted into the Sep 21 morning (BART day) — reach Pier 33 via the F-line streetcar, then do downtown after. This avoids clashing with the Sep 20 morning, which Marin Headlands wants for the pre-fog bridge view. Sells out weeks ahead — reserve early. Mondays: some museums (incl. the de Young) are closed — check before counting on them Sep 21.
Sep 20 — San Francisco: Golden Gate & Waterfront
Sights menu: see
sf_sights.mdfor the full candidate list.
Car day after MS arrives and collects the rental. The order and scope depend on the flight arrival time.
- Morning Drive to Marin Headlands / Battery Spencer — the classic Golden Gate Bridge panorama; go early before fog and crowds
- Late morning Cross back over the bridge → Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center & Fort Point underneath
- Midday Palace of Fine Arts → Crissy Field (bridge + skyline)
- Afternoon Drive Lombard Street (the crooked block) → park near Fisherman's Wharf
- Late afternoon Pier 39 sea lions → Ghirardelli Square; dinner on the waterfront
Sep 21 — San Francisco: Downtown & Classic SF
BART day — park the rental in Daly City, ride in to skip downtown parking.
- Morning BART Daly City → Embarcadero; Ferry Building marketplace for breakfast
- Optional: Alcatraz — early ferry from Pier 33 (F-line streetcar from the Embarcadero); book ahead
- Late morning Ride a cable car (California St line) over Nob Hill → Union Square
- Midday Chinatown (Dragon Gate) → North Beach (Little Italy) → Coit Tower views
- Afternoon Alamo Square Painted Ladies; optional Golden Gate Park (de Young / Japanese Tea Garden)
- Evening BART back from Powell St → Daly City
Sep 22 — SF → Yosemite Valley
Sights menu: see
parks_sights.mdfor the full candidate list + seasonal notes (firefall, water levels, etc.).
- 7 AM Depart SF
- Morning Tunnel View (Hwy 120 entrance) → Bridalveil Fall (5-min walk) → Valley View (Merced River framing)
- Late afternoon Cook's Meadow Loop — 1 mile, flat, Half Dome framing, good golden hour
- Evening Wawona check-in (flexible)
Sep 23 — Yosemite: Glacier Point & Mariposa Grove
- Morning Glacier Point — best light on Half Dome early
- Midday Mirror Lake — 2-mile paved loop via free shuttle (low water in Sep but great views)
- Late afternoon Mariposa Grove — relaxed pace
Sep 24 — Yosemite → Sequoia
- By 10 AM Check out Wawona
- Morning Drive Hwy 41 south (~3 hrs)
- Afternoon Giant Forest Museum (orientation) → General Sherman Tree (shuttle) → Congress Trail (2-mile paved loop, better than just the Sherman stop)
- Late afternoon Moro Rock
- From 4 PM Gilmore Cabin check-in
Sep 25 — Kings Canyon
- Morning Grant Grove & General Grant Tree — quieter than Sequoia
- Midday Kings Canyon Scenic Byway descent
- Afternoon Zumwalt Meadow → Road's End
- Return drive Canyon walls spectacular in afternoon light
Last updated: August 2026