The Open Road Travel

A road trip from San Diego to Yosemite National Park takes you from one of California’s largest cities to one of America’s most famous national parks.

A 400 mile road trip from San Diego to Yosemite National Park takes 7 hours and goes through the southern half of “The Golden State” of California, past some of the most famous cities, towns, landscapes, and national parks in the whole United States.

If you are planning to make this beautiful journey yourself, read on to ensure you don’t miss any of the highlights along the way.

A road trip from San Diego to Yosemite National Park covers 400 miles (645 kilometres) and takes 7 hours to complete. The best route for this trip is also the shortest and is incredibly easy to follow.

You begin by heading north on I-5 and follow it for 200 miles (322 kilometres) to Exit 221, where you will join California State Route 99, otherwise known as the Golden State Highway. You’ll then remain on this for another 135 miles (217 kilometres) to Exit 131 in Fresno.

From here you’ll take California State Route 41 the rest of the way to your destination of Yosemite National Park.

The best time for a road trip from San Diego to Yosemite National Park is from late May to mid-August.

For starters, this period offers some of the warmest temperatures and longest days either the park or your route will experience all year. Then there is the fact that it avoids the height of California wildfire season, which usually peaks between late August and early October.

Combine these two facts and it makes our recommended window of late May to mid-August the perfect option to make the most of everything this incredible outdoor destination and our route have to offer, without having to worry so much about your plans being derailed by a natural disaster.

At 7 hours in length, a road trip from San Diego to Yosemite National Park is a journey that many people will look to complete in a single day. However, those hoping to make the most of the sights, sounds, and attractions along the way will want to break it up.

While you have a number of great options to do so, the best place to stop on a road trip from San Diego to Yosemite National Park is Los Angeles.

The 2nd most populous and visited city in the nation, and 8th largest by area in the contiguous U.S., Los Angeles was settled in 1781.

Perhaps best known for the countless movies produced there, the city has been the heart of the world’s entertainment industry since the early 20th century.

Historic filming locations, movie studios, and picture houses can be found throughout the city, while many of the biggest stars on Earth also live here. This makes it a fabulous destination for film fans, movie buffs, and celebrity hunters to visit.

Throw in its beautiful climate, gorgeous beaches, iconic landmarks, and diverse range of neighbourhoods, and LA is incredibly popular with visitors of all tastes and backgrounds. Whether you choose to stay for a day or a week, Los Angeles is a destination you won’t be sorry you visited.

The Hollywood Roosevelt is a beautiful, 4-star hotel, situated on the Walk Of Fame, in the heart of Los Angeles’ legendary Hollywood district. It represents the perfect combination of location and style to ensure a magical stay in the “City Of Angels”.

Each of the guest rooms is spacious and beautifully decorated by the legendary Yabu Pushelberg team. They also all boast luxuries like air conditioning, top of the range furniture, linens, and bedding, and a flat screen TV and mini bar, as well as bathrobes and toiletries.

In the communal areas, you then have a heated, Olympic size, outdoor pool, a high tech fitness centre, a massage garden, bowling lanes, and 5 bars and restaurants. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the property, while private parking is available for an additional fee.

To make the most of the beautiful part of the country you are travelling through on a road trip from San Diego to Yosemite National Park, you are going to want to make plenty of stops along the way.

While there is a great range of options both on and near our route, we will now look at the 12 top attractions on a road trip from San Diego to Yosemite National Park, to help you plan the perfect travel itinerary for your upcoming adventure.

Dana Point is a perhaps most famous as the southern terminus of the legendary Pacific Coast Highway. A scenic harbour town, Dana Point boasts a beautiful marina, as well as a wonderful collection of waterfront businesses, which combine to create a stunning seaside destination.

You can take a cruise, walk along the shore, or sit in one of the many bars and eateries that line the water and enjoy a relaxing time taking in the ocean vistas and watching the boats bob up and down.

Laguna Beach is a famous beach community that is renowned for its stunning array of beaches and tide pools.

Whether you want to relax on the sand, take in the views, swim in the ocean, or go for a dip while safe from the region’s infamously strong tides, Laguna Beach will have an option for you.

It is also known for its incredible arts scene.

Throughout the town, you will find numerous galleries filled with paintings, sculptures, and other fabulous works, with top quality pieces by both international and local artists of all different styles, perfect no matter what your taste may be.

Throw in Laguna Beach’s gardens and beach, wilderness, and underwater parks, and it is the perfect destination for those who want to enjoy one of the most natural towns in southern California.

Anaheim is the largest city in Orange County and 3rd largest in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. By far the most popular draw of Anaheim for tourists is the presence of Disneyland Resort.

With 2 theme parks, 2 hotels, and the exclusive Downtown Disney retail district, Disneyland Resort is a great place to release your inner child, spoil the younger members of your party, and treat your entire group to a magical experience they will never forget.

Anaheim also takes advantage of the overcrowding of nearby Los Angeles and hosts some of the largest events in the region. With the Anaheim Convention Center and Honda Center hosting everything from concerts to conventions, there are plenty of ways to be entertained here.

The city even boasts two top level professional sports franchises, the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League and Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball. This makes it a perfect destination for sports enthusiasts making the trip to get their fix.

Santa Clarita is a city on the banks of the Santa Clara River that is best known as the home of two Six Flags theme parks, Hurricane Harbor and Magic Mountain. With their incredible collection of rollercoasters and water rides, it offers wet and wild fun for all the family.

The city also has a number or artistic, cultural, and historic attractions to enjoy as well.

The Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park boasts iconic, prehistoric rock formations and has been used as a shooting location for movies for decades.

The William S. Hart Park is the former ranch of the legendary silent movie star of the same name and boasts a museum dedicated to his life and works.

The city also has a rich history with the farming, gold mining, and ranching industries, and was the first place in the state where gold was discovered. With monuments, festivals, and establishments dedicated to all three, Santa Clarita has plenty to appeal to visitors of all tastes.

Castaic Lake State Recreation Area is an area in the Sierra Pelona Mountains that was established in 1965.

Initially created for the nearby community of Castaic, it now centres around Castaic Lake, a 320,000 acre reservoir on Castaic Creek created by the construction of the Castaic Dam in 1973.

With the entire lake known for its bass fishing and hiking trails, and the lower section boasting a beautiful beach and activities like tubing, the park is a great place to enjoy the water, weather, and fresh air, as well as some stunning views.

Just a short distance away, you also have a second lake, Pyramid Lake, and the historic Slide Mountain Fire Lookout Tower. This provides extra options if Castaic Lake is too busy or if you simply want to add a more cultured attraction to your visit.

Established in 1940, Fort Tejon State Historic Park was created to preserve the historic Fort Tejon. Built in 1854, the fort was in operation for 10 years and was founded to prevent cattle rustling in the years when California was being settled, before it became a state.

Covering 5 acres, the park has been turned into a living museum. Preserved, reconstructed, and restored buildings are filled with artefacts and exhibits detailing the founding and history of the fort.

They are also surrounded by attractions including graves, historic markers, and 400 year old trees.

Listed on the United States National Register Of Historic Places in 1971 and designated a California Historical Landmark since 1954, it is a great place to learn about the early days of the state. It also hosts vibrant Civil War re-enactments on a very frequent basis.

Bakersfield is California’s 9th most populous and 5th largest city, and a destination known for its art, energy, agriculture, and music industries.

The origin of the Bakersfield Sound country subgenre, the city is also heavily liked to the classical, doowop, heavy metal, jazz, and rock genres.

Live music venues across the city give you the chance to experience the musical stylings in person. Meanwhile, an array of theatres that includes California’s oldest community theatre, Bakersfield Community Theatre, provides the opportunity to enjoy some more artistic performances.

Throw in its collection of buildings listed on the United States National Register Of Historic Places, California Historical Landmarks, fairs, festivals, live events, and museums, and Bakersfield may be one of the most vibrant yet overlooked destinations in the state.

Established in 1908, Sequoia National Forest covers 1,193,315 acres.

Named after the giant sequoias that dominate many of the groves throughout the forest, it also boasts trees including coast Douglas firs, Jeffery pines, lodgepole pines, ponderosa pines, red firs, and white firs.

Beyond just the trees themselves, the forest also includes the Giant Sequoia National Monument, The Needles rock formation, and 6 different wilderness areas.

With much lower footfall than the nearby national parks, Sequoia National Forest is a great way to explore the southern region of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in a calm and relaxed manner.

Sequoia National Park was the second national park to be established in the United States. Created on September the 25th 1890, it is 6 days older than Yosemite National Park and is well known for its sprawling old growth giant sequoia forests.

Set on the Kings Canyon National Park south border, it is the southernmost and smallest of the three Majestic Mountain Loop national parks. The two are also the United States’ only national parks you can internally drive between.

Among the prominent attractions in the park, you have the General Sherman tree, the largest living tree by volume on the planet, and Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous U.S.

Other popular attractions include Log Tunnel, General’s Highway, Moro Rock, and Crystal Cave, as well as a huge range of trails, cliffs, and scenic overlooks. This is then topped off by a wildlife collection that includes deer, bears, foxes, bighorn sheep, and more than 200 different bird species.

California’s 5th most populous and 6th largest city, Fresno is also the state’s geographic centre.

It is perhaps most commonly visited by those travelling to the three nearby national parks, collectively known as the Majestic Mountain Loop, as it lies between 60 and 90 minutes from all of them.

However, it also has plenty to offer in its own right. With attractions like museums, galleries, historic buildings, theatres, and live music venues, and amenities like shops, bars, hotels, and restaurants, Fresno is a perfect city to stop and explore on what is an otherwise natural adventure.

Kings Canyon National Park is the central park on the Majestic Mountain Loop, located immediately to the north of Sequoia National Park. It is also the youngest of the group and boasts perhaps the most unique landscape.

Its eponymous, 8,000 foot deep Kings Canyon, one of the nation’s deepest gorges, is full of caves, waterfalls, rivers, and lakes, and surrounded by forests, mountains, and other canyons.

With attractions like the General Grant Tree, the “Nation’s Christmas Tree” and second largest giant sequoia on the planet, as well as an array of wildlife that includes marmots, bighorn sheep, bears, and around 200 species of birds, Kings Canyon National Park is a truly wild and wonderful place.

Sierra National Forest is a 1.3 million acre section of the Sierra Nevada mountains to the immediate south of Yosemite National Park.

It is known for boasting a landscape with many similarities to its neighbour, minus some of the iconic landmarks, yet is larger and draws significantly fewer visitors.

It gives visitors the opportunity to enjoy the region’s lakes, mountains, old growth forests, trails, wilderness areas, and views in a much quieter, more serene environment.

Throughout the year, you can enjoy everything from boating, camping, climbing, fishing, and hiking, to skiing at China Peak.

A road trip from San Diego to Yosemite National Park is an incredible adventure covering everything that makes the state of California great. From big cities and historic towns to stunning views and iconic natural beauty spots, this route has it all.

This article will hopefully have given you everything you need to plan the perfect travel itinerary to make the trip yourself. From when to go and where to stay to what route to take and the things to see along the way, there shouldn’t be anything stopping you from going on your own adventure.

All you have left to do now is start getting everything booked. That way, you can look forward to experiencing it all for yourself, as soon as possible.