5 Days: San Francisco and the Open Road
Five days keeps the same spine (San Francisco, Yosemite, Big Sur) but fixes the 4-day version’s rushed Tahoe day: an actual overnight on the South Shore, then a slow morning before the drive back. For the crammed single-day Tahoe version, see 4 days ; to keep going into Sequoia, jump to 7 days .
Book these before you go:
- Compare rental cars on Discover Cars
- Yosemite day tours from San Francisco on GetYourGuide
- Big Sur day tours from San Francisco on Viator
- South Lake Tahoe lodging on Booking.com
| 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 |
| 3 | Big Sur (Bixby Bridge) | 130-140 miles | 2.5 hrs | Bixby Bridge, Highway 1 coast, round trip |
| 4 | Lake Tahoe | 190-220 miles | 3.5-4.5 hrs | South Shore beaches, overnight |
| 5 | Lake Tahoe (return) | ~200 miles | ~3.5-4 hrs | Slow morning, drive home |
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. Stock up on water for the road ahead.
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: 60-plus-minute entrance lines and gridlocked Valley parking by mid-morning. The $35 vehicle fee covers 7 days, plus a $100-per-person surcharge for non-US residents in 2026.
Day 3: Highway 1 to Bixby Bridge, the day trip with real stakes
Bixby Bridge is about 130-140 miles and 2.5 hours via 101, 156 and Highway 1. The stretch through Big Sur reopened January 14, 2026 after the Regent’s Slide landslide closure, and it’s open as of this writing, but winter storms and slide-repair work still cause intermittent closures. Check Highway 1 conditions at bigsurcalifornia.org or Caltrans QuickMap the morning you leave. Bixby Bridge and McWay Falls justify the drive.
Day 4: Lake Tahoe, done properly this time
Drive 190-220 miles and 3.5-4.5 hours via Highway 50 or I-80 to Tahoe City, and check in for the night on the South Shore rather than racing the clock back to San Francisco. Summer means beaches and hiking; winter flips it to skiing, with real chain requirements and possible outright closures on both routes; check the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit before you leave if you’re traveling November through April. With a full afternoon and evening, Emerald Bay’s overlook and a lakeside trail are easy adds that the rushed version skips entirely.
Day 5: Tahoe morning, then the drive home
A slow morning at the lake, Emerald Bay if you skipped it last night, before the 190-220 mile, 3.5-4.5 hour drive back to San Francisco. Five days is the first version of this trip that actually feels like a road trip rather than a string of day trips stapled together. If the lake was the highlight, that overnight on the South Shore is what made it work; if you’ve got a sixth day, Sequoia’s giant trees are the natural next stop.