Me and the missus are planning a roadtrip around San Francisco and yosemite for this summer. We’ve got three weeks. Any off grid gems/suggestions?

I can thoroughly recommend arriving at Yosemite at night. The sheer splendour of the place seeing it for the first time was awesome.

Drive Pacific coast highway from around Carmel / Monterrey to San Fran.

Hearst Castle

I did a very similar length trip years ago but a bit earlier in the year-during April/may.

Not exactly off grid, but I aimed to see as many of the National Parks as I could.
Joshua tree, Death Valley, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, Yosemite, Point Reys National Seashore. In between I drove amongst the flowering fruit trees and along The Pacific Highway. The only city I visited was San Francisco, staying just across the bridge at the Youth Hostel at Marin Heads which was great-although this was 20 years ago. The rest of the time I was camping in a variety of campsites.

The whole trip exceeded my expectations, and the parts that were particularly outstanding were Yosemite, Joshua Tree and Sequoia/Kings Canyon.
A clear dawn in Yosemite is a wonder to behold as said above, closely matched by a night in the desert in Joshua tree

If you want to stay within Yosemite valley (which I recommend). I’d try and get it booked ASAP.
In summer it’s heaving with visitors.

Not necessarily off the grid but:
Go to the Glacia Point opposite the half dome at sunset – allow enough time to get there as the road further than it looks on the map!
Mariposa Grove is worth a look for the giant Sequoias.
Mono lake isn’t too far from Yosimite for a day trip out via the pass.
Don’t miss going to Alcatraz – yes it’s full of tourist but it’s I found it very interesting.
A day or two at Monteray Aquarium.

I’d really recommend Manka’s Lodge for a couple of nights. It’s in the Point Reyes area north of San Fran. Stay in a log cabin over looking Tomales Bay – sit in your own hot tub made out of half an old wooden wine vat sipping a cold one and watching the eagles. Food was amazing but there was no choice. You just eat what the chef has decided to cook! All very romantic but was quite pricey.

Big Sur was nice too.

La Boheme was a decent small hotel in San Francisco ten years ago.

Cycle over the Golden Gate Bridge and get the boat back.

Ride street cars, eat clam chowder out of sourdough, see the MoMA.

Skip china town – Manchester’s one is better.

If you’re heading over to Mono Lake, visit Bodie. Fantastic ghost town. Also, on your way over to Mono on Highway 120, be sure and stop at Olmsted Point – great view of Half-Dome in the distance.

Few beers in Vesuvio’s
Breakfast in Tiburon

The cable cars in San Francisco are a hoot.
If you like garlic try “The Stinking Rose” – the bars round there are canny.
Valencia street in San Fran has some nice bars, try and find a “Super Burrito”.
If you want to go to Alcatraz book now.

Stinking Rose is just down the road from Vesuvio’s.

Had an epic pizza nearby, but can’t remember the name of the place.

Ah – looks like Manka’s burnt down a few years ago. Cabins still there but restaurant has gone. 😥

Not sure how mobile you are but Lake Tahoe is well worth a visit, some great biking and bike hire available, just rememeber the brakes are the ‘wrong’ way round (I didn’t!)
I seem to remember its about 3hrs from san fran.

Hotel Boheme sorry. It was across the road and 100 yards towards the piers from the Stinking Rose. There was an Italian bakery under La Boheme that was great for pastries and Calzone’s right beside it was a pretty decent Italian restaurant.

Muirwoods National Park in Marin County just outside Sausolito is glorious – get there early and walk half-a-mile and you’ll be on your own – most ‘muricans can’t walk that far! Point Reyes can be windswept and interesting – elephant seal colony and migrating grey whales close in-shore. Spent half-day there – flooded road was only open to 4x4s so it was only me and the ranger!

Drive over the Tioga Pass (if its open) it really is amazing scenery. Give yourself loads of time to stop and take pictures though.
Tioga Pass

Off grid? I’d go looking for Hot Springs and Redwoods. Small town America is what I’d travel to see. There are masses of small towns north of San Francisco on old Highway One. Bolinas, Olema, Point Reyes Station, Tomales, Bodega Bay (Where Hitchcocks, The Birds was filmed ) Point Arena, Mendecino. They all have a charm much more inviting and engaging than San Francisco.

I’d certainly go to Yosemite, but as has been suggested above, check out Lake Tahoe. I especially like Oregon which isn’t so far away. Check out Crater Lake and the coast south from Crescent City, the Redwood groves start just on the edge of town.

Cities are pretty much the same the world over. Small town diners are where you get more of a feel for the US.

If you travel south on highway 1. Don’t miss SLO. Meant to stop for lunch. Stayed 3 nights! But that’s not answering your question in true STW style.

http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2009-11-23/ten-things-not-to-do-in-san-francisco

Have biked over Golden Gate to Tibouron and got the ferry back a couple of times. One or two bike shops on route for a goosey.

Don’t forget the MTB Hall of Fame is local now too (let’s not have THAT debate again)!

Go to inverness when your heading out to point reyes. Order a sandwich.

The coast road state high way 1 is amazing.

San francisco is cool but 4 days was more than enough of people for me.

Did manage to catch a ball game while i was there it was much better than on tv 🙂

I could take or leave alcatraz….ive been to a few old prisons round the world. Other than it being accessable by boat it wasnt much different.

As for yosemite, you couldnt pay me enough to stay on the valley floor waaay too busy.

We stayed out at the wawona historic hotel which was different , really enjoyed it , peaceful place.

I did a similar trip but in October nearly 20 years ago. My itinerary was SF, Jamestown (on the way to Yosemite, an old cowboy town perfectly preserved), Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and Napa Valley, stayed in Calistoga – some of the wineries have amazing art which you can see for free. One of the best holidays I have had, but book accomodation in Yosemite now, it gets very busy. Outside SF, people eat early in the evening, eight is late.

We were underwhelmed by Highway 1 in summer. Everywhere was rammed and there are surprisingly few beaches you can actually go on. Prismo Beach was the absolute lowlight.

The key to Yosemite is to walk, as soon as you are 10 minutes from any car park you will be alone. We climbed 1/10th of El Cap up some tiny trail 😉

Agree best stuff is when you walk away from vally floor….only need to be 10 minutes and your on your own.

No wonder it was rammed you went to the famous beach….for locals and tourists. Bit like going to venice beach in la….

Try the beach at elk looking out to gunderson , wharf and casket rock.

Met two locals there , had thebeach to our selves.

Again you need to walk 15 minutes down to the beach.

Good cafe at elk also.

+1 on visit to Bodie ghost town. The drive over the Tioga Pass is stunning . Stop at the Gas station at Lee Vining junction…. Whoa Nellie Deli…..try the Carrot Cake there !

The drive over the Tioga Pass is stunning

I was actually there for honeymoon. We booked 4 nights in SF, then a 4 day gap to go where we wanted, 3 nights in Vegas, then another gap and then 4 nights in Monterrey.

Between SF and LV we did Napa, Lake Tahoe, and then planned to do Yosemite / Tioga. But it was late october, and when we woke in Tahoe there was a foot of snow outside, that had arrived overnight. To cut a long story short we got out over the lip of the Tahoe Bowl on the only road that was open without snowchains, and then were stopped by a Patrolman who asked where we were going. When we said Tioga and Death Valley he just laughed – ‘Closed due to snow!’ I asked when it would reopen and he asked how long our trip was. Another 12 days i said and he burst out laughing again – ‘I’m thinking you’ll be waiting until May!’

Instead we got the map out and he drew a new itinerary around the bottom of the Sierra Nevada around some of the ghost towns of the silver rush – so although disappointed not to see Yosemite and Death Valley we did see some cool stuff.

Hiking to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite was an amazing experience, a 10 hour round trip but well worth it.
There’s a nice vibe around the wine region, we stayed in Sonoma. Santa Cruz and Monterey are cool, as is Mendocino.
Eat lots of Mexican food.

Don’t bother with Napa valley, way too expensive and the wine isn’t as good as they think it is.

All the above suggestions are good tho . be prepared for all kinds of weather in the parks, I went in june and there was freak snow that closed the main road to Yosemite (6000ft pass…)

two local climbers we hitched a ride with stopped off at one of the best swimming holes i’d ever been to:
http://www.sierranevadageotourism.org/content/rainbow-falls-rainbow-pools-near-groveland/sie1D54F9C6C2CEF97FD

+1 for Yosemite, Joshua Tree and Hiking to the top of Half Dome

I also love Zion National Park particularly the Narrows but that’s way off track – relatively speaking.

-1 for Death Valley – a real non-event IMHO

Not really offgrid, but…
Love SF. Loads to do and see. Easy to travel around on foot, by public transport, or by bike.
The City Segway tour was fun.

The Pacific State Highway down to Monterey is worth doing (probably further too, but that’s as far as I got), as is the coastal road north.

If you like North Face stuff there is a factory shop in Berkeley.

In Yosemite we stayed at Redwoods cabins, just watch out for bears 😯 .
Go on a few of the one day hikes (we did Yosemite Falls).
Vernal Falls is a nice short walk, but can get busy (saw a bear there at 1pm).

Wanted to go to Tahoe, but the road was closed at the end to April due to snow.

Not jealous. No, not at all. Really, I’m not…..

Enjoy.