2 Days: San Francisco and the Open Road
Two days is one park, not a Sierra tour: a night in San Francisco, then a full day at Yosemite Valley and back. It’s the shortest honest version of this trip. Add the coast with our 3-day version , or go for the full loop with 7 days .
Book these before you go:
| Day | Stop | Distance from SF | Drive time | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco | - | - | Basecamp, gear up, early night |
| 2 | Yosemite Valley | 170 miles | 3-4 hrs | Tunnel View, Yosemite Falls, round trip |
Day 1: San Francisco basecamp, not the trip
Spend your last city night near a 101 or 80 on-ramp, SoMa or the Mission both work, and don’t pick up the rental car yet; you don’t need one in the city and every hour it sits parked here costs $50-75 a day. Our San Francisco guide covers the city itself properly if you want it, but this is a road-trip base, not the destination. Pick up the car first thing tomorrow instead, fill the tank, and get an early night: Yosemite’s entrance lines start backing up well before 9am in summer.
Day 2: Yosemite, rushed and worth it anyway
Yosemite is 170 miles and 3-4 hours via Highway 120 from Groveland, or Highway 140 from Mariposa. There’s no day-use entry reservation for 2026 (confirmed by the park service) , which means uncontrolled crowding instead of a controlled one: 60-plus-minute entrance lines and gridlocked Valley parking by mid-morning in summer. The $35 vehicle fee covers 7 days, plus a $100-per-person surcharge for non-US residents in 2026. Leave the city by 6-7am, hit Tunnel View, El Capitan Meadow and Yosemite Falls, and accept that you’re spending more of the day driving than inside the park.
Two days buys exactly one valley and a rushed one. If that’s the only Sierra stop on your list, it’s worth it. If you want the coast or the lake too, this itinerary is the wrong length; go to the 4-day version instead.