San Francisco To Yosemite National Park, one question that tourists frequently ask me still surprises me: I can do a day trip to Yosemite from San Francisco, right? The guest typically adds a nonchalant "Oh yeah, and by the way, I won't have a car" just after asking.
In summary, if you are planning a trip to Yosemite, make sure to stay for a minimum of a few days. Invest on a fully guided trip if you have to complete everything in a single day. Below, we'll go over the specifics of the guided tour and overnight choices. Since everyone here is a frugal traveler, let's start by discussing some strategies to cut costs when traveling from san francisco to yosemite national park.
Traveling to Yosemite by Train from San Francisco
First of all, the train is a fantastic choice whether you want to spend a few days in Yosemite or even just spend a night there. Amtrak charges around $32 per trip for service between San Francisco and the Yosemite Valley. However, getting there requires some work: you must take a bus from San Francisco to Emeryville, which is the Amtrak station across the SF Bay, then take a train to Merced, where you will change to a regional bus (called YARTS) that will take you to the park. The whole journey time is at least six and a half hours each way. It's not the best option if you want to complete it all in a single day.
San Francisco To Yosemite National Park, you could catch the latest Yosemite departure and the earliest San Francisco departure on the same day. Seasons and days of the week will affect train timetables, but on summer weekends, trains typically leave San Francisco at 7 a.m. and arrive in Yosemite at 1:30 p.m. You have around two hours to tour the more than 1,100-square-mile park before returning to San Francisco and arriving home at approximately 11 p.m. The latest train ticket available for the trip from Yosemite to SF is around 4 p.m.
In summary, Amtrak is a fantastic way to get from San Francisco to Yosemite, but it isn't really practical for a day excursion.
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Traveling to Yosemite via bus from San Francisco
Yes, you can go from San Francisco to Yosemite by bus—well, busses, rather. From San Francisco, you may take a Greyhound bus to Merced, where you would have to change to a regional bus to reach the park, just as when you get off a train. It can take as little as four hours to get from San Francisco to Merced by bus, but it might take much more. Your total travel time will be around six and a half hours each way, which is comparable to what you would spend on Amtrak, after traveling an additional 100 miles or so from Merced to the park on YARTS.
There are two minor benefits to using the bus instead of Amtrak: Greyhound departs immediately from San Francisco, saving you the trouble of taking an additional bus to and from Emeryville, and rates start at around $10 cheaper each trip.
However, be advised that the bus does not operate on a schedule that permits you to complete the entire round-trip in a single day, even if you are willing to spend 13 hours traveling in a single day. You should thus budget for at least one night in the region if you're riding the bus.
Driving from San Francisco to Yosemite in a Single Day with a Car Rental
Renting a car is a good choice if you truly want to visit Yosemite on your own terms and on your own time. Even without accounting for the time you'll want to spend visiting the park, the drive to and from Yosemite makes for a tiring day. You'll need to leave San Francisco early in the morning and return very late at night if you want to complete everything in a single day. You might need to hire a car for the day before and/or after your day excursion because the majority of car rental firms won't be open when you leave San Francisco and will be closed when you return. Therefore, it is advisable to include a longer rental duration in your cost estimations along with the prices of petrol, insurance, and san francisco to yosemite national park ($35 per car as of this writing).
Visiting Yosemite with a Complete Guide in a Single Day
Personally, I don't often look for group trips that have complete guides. However, this kind of tour has frequently saved my vacation when I've been pressed for time in a new city and there was a distant excursion I simply couldn't miss. And if I had to choose one reason for overspending and delegating all the labor, it would be a day trip to Yosemite from San Francisco. This is your best option "if you just want to check Yosemite off your list and get some photos for Instagram," said to a staffer at the HI San Francisco Downtown hostel.
Overnight Stay in Yosemite
You could find yourself reconsidering whether you need to fit everything into a single day now that you have a better idea of all your possibilities for transportation and day trips. Our recommendation is to just make plans to stay overnight if at all feasible.
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FAQs: San Francisco To Yosemite National Park
How Far Is Yosemite National Park From San Francisco California?
Yosemite National Park is approximately 167 miles (269 km) from San Francisco, California, which takes about 3.5 to 4 hours to drive, depending on traffic and the route.
Is Yosemite close to San Francisco?
The true thrill is in the stops along the journey, even though the direct route is 170 miles long and takes around three hours. Check out our tips for getting the most out of your road journey from San Francisco to Yosemite.
Is it possible to visit Yosemite from San Francisco in a single day?
This award-winning trip includes a unique climb among old Giant Sequoias and spends the longest time in Yosemite. In San Francisco, your guided tour starts with a simple hotel pickup.
Can you fly from San Francisco to Yosemite?
What you should know about flying from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT). On average, it takes one hour and six minutes to fly directly from San Francisco International Airport to Fresno Yosemite International Airport. Fresno is in the same time zone as san francisco to yosemite national park, which is UTC-7.
