6 Days: San Francisco and the Open Road
Six days runs the same spine as the 5-day version (San Francisco, Yosemite, Big Sur, Tahoe) but adds a sixth, brutal day: Sequoia and Kings Canyon there and back in one push. For the version that gives it a real overnight instead, see 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 |
| 6 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon | 250-280 miles | 5-6 hrs | Giant Forest, General Sherman Tree, 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; every hour it sits parked here costs $50-75 a day. Our San Francisco guide covers the city itself properly if you want it.
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: 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.
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. Winter brings chain requirements and possible outright closures on both routes; check the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit before you leave between November and April.
Day 5: Tahoe morning, then the road toward Sequoia
A slow morning at the lake before the 190-220 mile, 3.5-4.5 hour drive back to San Francisco for the night. Restock and sleep properly; tomorrow is the longest single day of this whole itinerary.
Day 6: Sequoia and Kings Canyon, the one add that punishes you
From San Francisco it’s 250-280 miles and 5-6 hours one-way on mountain roads, with no direct highway the whole way; doing it there-and-back in a single day means a 10-12 hour driving day on top of whatever time you spend at Giant Forest and the General Sherman Tree. General entry doesn’t need an advance reservation in 2026 ; the same $35 vehicle fee that covers Yosemite also covers Kings Canyon, plus the same $100-per-person non-resident surcharge, paid at a cashless gate.
Six days covers four landscapes but the last one is a punishing add, not a relaxed one. If Sequoia’s giant trees don’t outweigh a 10-hour driving day, skip it and spend the extra day back on the South Shore instead; if you’ve got a seventh day to spare, our 7-day version turns Sequoia into a proper overnight.