Itinerary Help needed please re. visit to Yosemite Park

I don't have much advice..it's been a long time since our visit, but just wanted to say, it is unbelievably awesome. The valley is not that big and plenty to do without going into the far parts of the park. Be ready to pick your jaw up when you arriive....the first view is unbelievable.   
We would love to go back. It might be our favorite park.

If you don't have lodging it will be hard to get it in the park at this point but still try. Start there.

Just a heads up, in the SF bay area, car break-ins are very common. Just keep everything out of sight. Don't put your purse in the trunk and think it will be safe.

I agree you should make your hotel reservations as soon as possible.

For park information go to www.nationalparks.org

Try looking at Vacasa. A quick search pulled up several places in Yosemite valley. One I pulled up sleeps 6 for $122 a night in August.

be sure and pay attention to all the signage in yosemite. it is can be dangerous when people go off trail or think it looks nice.. and are not aware of surroundings. stay outside the park. in SF, I would look for housing now.. either airbnb or small hotel.. best western tuscan inn gets good reviews if you want to be in tourist central. see if you can get alcataz tickets now, if that is something on the list.

we have 27,000 car breaks in a year.. in a town of 850,000.. so do not leave anything ever in car. it will be cold in SF.. like 10-14 c.. and a strong wind. bring fleeces or windbreakers and hats. the fog rolls in and it can be freezing. yosemite may be 20-25 c... driving through the valley it could be 35 c.

Several Augusts ago we did a similar trip: flew into Fresno, rented a car, went to Yosemite, drove to San Francisco, drove to southern California.

Prepare for a wall of words.

-Check out the Yosemite and San Francisco forums on Trip Advisor. 

-Start checking the Yosemite accommodations page daily. Things change. If you see something, book it and cancel later if needed. I just looked back in my old emails. I booked a "Curry village tent cabin" on April 21. (Hey, that's today!) It was the only thing available and it was primitive, but it had walls and a roof and a door and beds and some drawers and hooks and it was cheap (relatively) and we only used it to sleep. When in Rome...

-Check out the tours and activities sponsored by the park. Know that distances between areas of the park can be an hour drive or more and that August crowds affect traffic/parking.

-Our itinerary:
Day 1: we drove in (afternoon) on the side of the park near Mariposa Grove and did a group tour of the giant tree groves in an open air tram. Because of August crowds, I booked in advance. They let your get out and walk around; there's also a point at which you can choose to desert the group and walk back to the start at your own pace. Cool weather among the beautiful trees. Then we drove to the valley (an hour or more?) and checked in.
Day 2: we did a nice ranger-led bus tour of the valley floor- greatest hits overview type thing. Also booked that ahead. Bought picnic food and drove up (up!) to Glacier Point. Again, long drive. Stopped and did nice hikes on Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. Couple miles long; dizzying heights; great fissures; no crowds; higher altitude affected us (bring water!). Then proceeded further up to Glacier Point for sunset and stayed for ranger talk about stars/constellations. Much cooler weather at these higher altitudes. VERY dark.
Day 3: rented bikes and explored the valley (definitely the hottest and most crowded area). You can also use the shuttle busses. We avoided driving/parking in the valley.;
Then drove to San Francisco. 

Notes:
-Don't expect gushing waterfalls in August.
-We are Midwestern flatlanders and definitely felt the altitude changes. We followed advice and moved higher in stages, which was reflected in our itinerary. 
-Follow the bear food storage rules and be bear-careful on roads.
-Roads up to Glacier Point were twisty turny. Then dark and twisty turny at night. On the way to SF there's about an hour section that is VERY twisty turny. It was unfamiliar enough for me; you'll have the "wrong" side of the road to add to the fun. 
-We liked the giant tree grove and the Glacier Point portions of our trip the most. Much less crowded and commercial, much cooler weather. Of course, there are some great portions of the valley; just try to steer clear of the pizza and trinkets.
-The place was crawling with Europeans, as was San Francisco. 
-San Francisco was cold (well, for August). I bought knee socks at the very first store I saw and, dork that I am, wore them with my sandals. Use public transportation, not a car. Do not wait for a cable car at the touristy stops. Totally worth it to walk a bit to another much less crowded cable line. We stayed in Union Square area. Book Alcatraz tickets as soon as you can; night tour is fun. Fisherman's Wharf is a tourist trap. We skipped it except a short visit when boarding the boat for Alcatraz. You can rent bikes and bike aross Golden Gate Bridge, visit Sausolito, and take ferry back to city. 

If I say so myself, I am presently very impressed with my own memory. LOL. 

August will be hot in Yosemite. We are currently building a house in Wawona and we’ll be renting it out through The Redwoods! (Small world!) Expect lots of people in the valley when you go.

I’ll post an update then!

My parents bought the property in 1972 and I bought it from my dad last year. The house was tiny, built in 1930 or so, and in terrible shape. We had to tear it down.

I think the entire family is excitedly awaiting the new place! My DD can’t wait to take her own kids there.

Personally I’m excited that the new house will have two bathrooms and a nice kitchen, lol. The old bathroom had the kind of sink with two spigots so you had cold and hot water but you had to move your hands between them! My dad loved the rustic nature but I sure didn’t! Oh, and the shower had been added at some point - you had to step down into it. It was metal so if your arm touched the wall you froze in the winter. It was an experience!

I've made the mistake of traveling too much in one day. After a long flight, I'd probably book a hotel outside of SF, on the way to Yosemite, and spend the night. You want to be well rested, so you can enjoy your trip.

Just understand that you are zigzaging across the state. I agree that I wouldn't want to do much after that long of a flight.

Know that CA is very long and fairly wide.  It can easily take 5-6 hours from the Bay Area to Yosemite.  From the Bay Area to San Diego is a good 7-8 hours down the Central Valley.  The coastal route will be more like 12.  We drove Monterey to San Diego and did it over 2 days stopping for the night in Cambria/moonstone beach.  I recommend spending a day checking out Hearst castle, if you're taking the coastal route.

I’m in Yosemite 4-5 times a year. It’s where I go to escape reality.

If you haven’t gotten rooms yet book soon. You may not be able to get rooms in the park so look at Oakhurst which is right outside the South Gate. They have tons of hotels now and you are only 15 minutes from the park entrance.

There are also a few hotels outside the El Portal Gate so check those also. That would be the way you would be entering if you are driving in from SF.

A couple tips for being there in the summer. Don’t even try to drive - traffic is horrible! The shuttle service is great and gets you everywhere you want to go. We get into the park before 9 and park the the Magestic (formally Ahwahnee) and grab the shuttle from there. We like to park there because you have access to bathrooms and food options plus the hotel is amazing and you will want to see it anyway. There are nice walking trails behind the hotel also.

The paths to the water falls will be the most crowded. The Mist trail/vernal falls hike is our favorite but it’s steep. If you are in decent health this is a great way to spend 3 hours. If you want something not as strenuous walk up to mirror lake. It’s about a mile hike but not too steep - paved wide paths and great views. Also they have a huge cairns garden up there that is neat to see.

You can get a tour up to Galcier Point or you can drive it. Takes 45 minutes or so and it’s winding but worth it to see just how huge the valley is. You get a great view of half dome and can usually see hikers up on top.

Something that will be less crowded is the Pionerr History Center. It’s not in the valley but closer to the south entrance by the Wowona (big trees lodge). And check out that hotel too. We have stayed there a few times and it reminds me of Kellermans from a Dirty Dancing.

Pack snacks in a backpack since you will want food while you are out. There are places to eat and shop but the lines will be long. We always take out own water and food just to save time and then eat when we get back to the Magestic Hotel ( we like the pub food there).

The park is huge so keep in mind getting in and out takes a good hour. From SF to El Portal Gate is 3 1/2 hours (depending on traffic in SF). From the El Portal Gate to San Diego is 7 1/2 or more hours. If you cut over and go down the coast it will be much longer but a very pretty drive.

If you need more help planning let me know. I live about 90 minutes from Yosemite.