Small Group Yosemite and Giant Sequoias Day Trip from San Francisco
Recommended by 98% of travelers
San Francisco, USA
- 14 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Visit Yosemite National Park without the hassle of planning a long day of driving or coordinating park logistics from San Francisco. Traveling in a small group, you'll journey through California’s Central Valley before exploring Yosemite Valley’s most famous sights, including Half Dome, El Capitan, and Yosemite Falls. A stop among giant sequoias adds another iconic California landscape to the experience.
- Walk among ancient sequoia trees and enjoy free time to hike in Yosemite National Park
- Skip the transport planning with hotel pickup and drop-off by minibus included
- Enjoy a more personal experience in a small group limited to 15 travelers
- Explore beyond the city with a seamless day trip to one of California’s most iconic natural landscapes
What's Included
- National Park fees for US Residents
- All activities
- Hotel/port pickup and drop-off (from select hotels in San Francisco)
- Local taxes
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- No Pick-up/Drop-off from residential addresses or hotels outside of San Francisco
- Government FeesPlease note that new National Park fees apply for international visitors. If applicable, this fee is collected in-destination and not at the time of booking.
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Hotel pickup time in the following zones: Fisherman's Wharf/Lombard Street Corridor: 5:15 am - 5:30 am Union Square/SOMA: 5:15 am - 5:30 am
Start time.5:30 am
Itinerary
After pickup from selected hotels in San Francisco, board a comfortable minibus for the drive to Yosemite National Park.
Entering the national park, stop for a hike among Yosemite’s giant sequoias—ancient redwood trees whose trunks span up to 40 feet (12 meters) in diameter. Your drive continues into the Yosemite Valley, stopping at Tunnel View for the quintessential photo op of that includes Bridalveil Fall, El Capitan, and Half Dome.
After a close-up look at the falls, head to El Capitan, the world’s largest exposed granite monolith. Search for rock climbers ascending its sheer face, which rises thousands of feet above the valley floor. Then it’s on to see Half Dome and Yosemite Falls, whose lower and upper cascades form North America’s tallest waterfall.
During free time to explore on your own and purchase lunch (own expense), you can hike among numerous paths, snap more photos at the base of Yosemite Falls or visit Yosemite Village. Then meet back up with your guide for the return drive to San Francisco, with another quick stop for food in the Central Valley before your full-day tour ends with hotel drop-off.
Entering the national park, stop for a hike among Yosemite’s giant sequoias—ancient redwood trees whose trunks span up to 40 feet (12 meters) in diameter. Your drive continues into the Yosemite Valley, stopping at Tunnel View for the quintessential photo op of that includes Bridalveil Fall, El Capitan, and Half Dome.
After a close-up look at the falls, head to El Capitan, the world’s largest exposed granite monolith. Search for rock climbers ascending its sheer face, which rises thousands of feet above the valley floor. Then it’s on to see Half Dome and Yosemite Falls, whose lower and upper cascades form North America’s tallest waterfall.
During free time to explore on your own and purchase lunch (own expense), you can hike among numerous paths, snap more photos at the base of Yosemite Falls or visit Yosemite Village. Then meet back up with your guide for the return drive to San Francisco, with another quick stop for food in the Central Valley before your full-day tour ends with hotel drop-off.
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (Pass By)
San Joaquin Valley (Pass By)
1
Tunnel View
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Merced River (Pass By)
2
Yosemite Valley
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
3
Half Dome
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
Yosemite Falls
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
5
El Capitan
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
6
Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
7
Bridalveil Fall
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Car seat required for children 8 years old and under; not provided
- Please Note: National Park fees may apply for international visitors. If applicable, this fee is collected in-destination and not at the time of booking.
- The trip is accessible for most of the tour. However, at the end of the day, we go on a hike to see the giant sequoias. This is NOT advised for people with back, heart or knee problems. It is also not wheelchair accessible. Unfortunately, this is only way to see the sequoias.
- There is a possibility that the Giant Sequoia hike will not be available due to winter weather conditions.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Can't recommend this enough! This is the best way to see a lot of Yosemite and the Sequoias when you only have one day! Both were stunningly gorgeous! Our guide, Trevor, was amazing. He clearly loves Yosemite and the Sequoias and was very good at sharing his vast knowledge and some really cool videos of the history of climbing El Capitan with us. He was so friendly and helpful and interesting!
Reviews
4.9
based on 4,141 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Brian was a great guide, the experience was amazing . Totally worth going and the music played during the trip was great as well
Absolutely beautiful place! I would not recommend this to anyone who is not it top physical shape or have any orthopedic issues The time given for the hike is not a realistic time to get down the trail and see everything or get to stop and read the information. 2.5 to 3 hrs would be better. We had a mixed group so some were in top physical shape and still felt rushed and said it was very difficult. Our guid was prompt picking us up from hotel and very nice.
A well rounded trip with a reliable and knowledgeable guide, Derek! He went above and beyond with our tour group, showed some of our group members how to take stunning pictures, took their pictures, dropped some interesting facts about the places we were visiting + showed us a documentary which was good to watch for context while we were at Yosemite and El Capitan. A great trip overall, especially if you get Derek!
Its a great experience you can enjoy and not have to worry about driving, traffic or anything just relax and enjoy
We had a fantastic day trip to Yosemite with Viktor, our tour guide and driver. He was very knowledgeable, friendly, and made the whole experience enjoyable from start to finish.
The mini coach was clean and comfortable, with good seating, which made a big difference on such a long day of travelling.
Sharon was amazing! This tour was a blast and covered most spots. They gave you plenty of time to explore and the van was a comfortable experience.
This was an amazing trip from start to finish our tour guide Calder was extremely informative. We started by visiting the gaint sequoia trees which are amazing to see up close. The beach at Yosemite was lovely to sit and relax and have some lunch while watching the wildlife.
Great day with Alberto with great driving and with informative commentary. We saw everything that we wanted to.
I traveled solo for work and decided to do this tour on my free Saturday. It was a blast! Sharon was so knowledgeable and fun and a PHENOMENAL photographer. 10/10 would recommend
Derek was fun and made trip manageable and enjoyable! Highly recommend. Take a bathing suit and enjoy the river swimming hole if available.
That was an excursion with many enjoyable activities, and our guide Viktor was a very skilled, experienced, helpful, and sociable person. We learned a lot and had a lot of fun. Thank you, Viktor.
The moderate difficulty to walk and see the redwood trees. But it’s worth to see and admire the beautiful trees.
Great tour! The only issue I had was not knowing how to dress for the trip (weather is so unpredictable) and the trek down to the Giant Sequoias was treacherous and steep on the way back up. We were not made aware of this and it was an unpleasant experience with very little return. There are a handful of sequoias at the bottom of the trail and they you have to walk a steep grade back up to the parking lot. Otherwise, great day trip to Yosemite. Beautiful National Park. Guide was very nice! Lots of bathroom and snack/food breaks.
Very friendly guide and very satisfied with the plan of the excursion and things we have seen. Travel guide showed best spots for pictures .
Derek our guide was great! Very accommodating and knowledgeable. Yosemite was beautiful. Would recommend
Great experience plenty of time to take pictures, eat lunch on the very long trip up from San Francisco and the tour guide was very professional and knowledgeable about Yosemite National Park.
What a great experience at Yosemite. Picked up right in front of our hotel and dropped off the same at the end of the trip. Our guide Kurt was VERY knowledgeable and you could hear his passion for Yosemite in his stories and explanations. If you get the chance GO!!!
We had such a great time on our group tour with Sharon. So much history and beautiful memories were made. So nice to just relax but still get to see all the highlights of Yosemite!
This was an amazing tour. Sharon was our tour guide. She was so knowledgeable and fun! We got a great overview of the park.
Great opportunity to see major view points in the Yosemite Valley with the convenience of an air conditioned van for transportation.
What an amazing day. Our guide Sharon showed us the best views and gave great advice on photos. You just sit back and enjoy the views. Some hiking but it is optional.
I travelled with my husband and 10-year-old grandson. Our guide, Sharon, was very knowledgeable and helpful. We would not have had the same experience on our own. Sharon took us to great viewing spots and helped us capture some great photos. Travelling on a smaller bus/van felt more comfortable and intimate as Sharon made a point of learning all of our names.
Derek was an excellent guide and brilliant with the photos
He knew where to get the best shots and helped us all achieve them
Sharon was an absolutely wonderful guide! Highly recommend her to anyone booking a tour. The sights were amazing!
Kurt is an excellent travel host and it's definitely worth seeing Yosemite National Park at least once in your life!
Very extensive and informative tour. I was a bit concerned by the 5 PM first impression but Viktor more than redeemed himself over the next 15 plus hours. The assistance with photos, informative videos, commentary and telescope at El Capitan were fantastic. Overall, I don’t see how it could have been more enjoyable.
If you are thinking about booking this tour, DO IT!! And cross your fingers you get Sharon! She is, hands down, the best tour guide in Yosemite history.
From booking to pickup, the whole day, and drop-off, everything ran as smooth as butter. Yes, that 5:20 AM pickup time is EARLY, but Sharon kept us completely in the loop so we were totally prepared. Plus, the moment the trip started, she was laying down incredible history, fun facts, stories, and background the entire way to the park.
Once we arrived, Sharon made sure we got the absolute best out of Yosemite! She took total care of us by organizing lunch, giving us awesome tips on where to go and what to do, and constantly checking in. When it started raining and the hike down Tuolumne Grove got a bit steep, she had umbrellas, extra water, and alternative options ready so nobody felt left out or uncomfortable. Talk about thoughtful!
And can we talk about her photo skills?! 📸 She took photos for us that look like they belong in National Geographic and even showed us how to take photos like Ansel Adams. LOVE ITTTTT.
Sharon didn’t just guide the tour; she made the trip! I had the best time soaking in all the sights and sounds of Yosemite. Thank you, Sharon, for an unforgettable adventure! 🙌🌲✨
This is a long day but truly worth it! The trip started very early but our tour guide, Trevor gave us some time in the bus to catch up on sleep before showing us a film of Yosemite. The sights and views we saw were amazing and Trevor was a ‘mind of information’. He then shown us another film on our return journey to ‘the city’. He is clearly passionate about his job and he ‘made’ our excursion memorable. I would definitely recommend this excursion especially with him as your tour guide.
Viktor was awesome! He was very detailed and explained everything great. He was very safe. Highly recommend him.
We had a fantastic time on this tour. It definitely is an all day experience so expect that. Kurt was our tour guide and provided excellent service and information. It is a fairly long drive from SF but, there are various stops along the way for food and restroom breaks. Entertainment was also provided on the bus in form of films which were informational and interesting. Overall, highly recommend for a great time and awesome views.
Member Pricing
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$227.05
per personWas $239.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Small Group Yosemite and Giant Sequoias Day Trip from San Francisco
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