Dates: June 28 – July 15, 2025

Every year, my company requires that I take off 10 consecutive business days, as a way of making sure that I’m not committing any sort of fraud (as if I’m smart enough to know how to do that anyways). While most of my coworkers hate this mandate, I love it! Because Sam has the whole summer off, we always take a long vacation. This year, we planned an exciting trip, with my family, to…drumroll please… California! 

The trip originated as a way to celebrate my sister’s graduation and turned into a memorable family vacation! We wanted to combine a lot of what California has to offer – cities, national parks, and of course, Disneyland! 

Roadmap:

San Francisco

Yosemite National Park

King’s Canyon & Sequoia National Parks

Disneyland / Disney California Adventure

San Diego

Below you’ll find a breakdown of our itinerary, along with a short summary of each stops activities. 

Itinerary Overview:

Day 1 to 4: San Francisco

We had an early morning flight from Pittsburgh, and after a layover in Denver, we arrived in San Francisco in the late morning. After we got our rental car and checked into our hotel, which was located right in the heart of Fisherman’s Wharf, we explored the area, stopping by the Musée Mécanique, the piers, and the sea lions. After wandering around for a while, we decided to have “dinner” at … the Ghiradelli Ice Cream Parlor! Although the sundaes are pricey there (they are large enough to split if desired), they are delicious. We went back to the hotel to rest before running out to get dinner from In-n-Out. 

The next morning, we ate breakfast a short walk away at Eight AM Brunch, which was good but not worth the cost in my opinion. We then walked to the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was a rather windy and foggy day, which didn’t provide the best views of the amazing architectural feat (thus explaining the lack of bridge photos in this article). We then walked from there through the Presidio to the Walt Disney Family Museum. The museum is home to many Disney artifacts, and had a special exhibit on Disney’s legendary artist Mary Blair, which for Disney fans like ourselves, made for a great experience. After walking to the Palace of Fine Arts, we ate dinner at Hinodeya Ramen Bar, which was a beautiful restaurant. The food was great and well priced – we ordered a variety of dishes, all of which were delicious. 

Sunday morning, we were up early to drive to Muir Woods, a national monument preserved through the National Park System. The 45 minute drive out of the city across the Golden Gate Bridge led us to the beautiful redwood trees. After a morning spent hiking, we headed back to the city to Golden Gate Park, and after a quick lunch, we walked the length of the park to the ocean and back. We then stopped by the hotel for a bit before walking to dinner at a local Italian spot, Fior d’Italia, which ended up being one of our favorite dinners of the trip. The service was great and gave off old school NYC vibes, and the food was outstanding. 

Our last day in San Francisco was set aside for an SF staple – Alcatraz! We first stopped for breakfast at Surisan, a Korean fusion restaurant which was one of my favorite meals of the trip. The portions were large and the food was excellent, with a good mix of Asian and Western options. We then walked over to the pier and boarded the boat, which after a short ride, dropped us off on the shore of Alcatraz. One thing to note is that the island, due to its location and lack of human residences, is home to a ton of birds – which results in a very smelly odor. The island itself, which is maintained by the National Park Service, is home obviously to the Alcatraz prison building, but also included exhibits on the military and Native American occupations of the island. After visiting Alcatraz, we explored Chinatown, stopping by a tea tasting and a few bakeries. We enjoyed a dinner of baked goods and boba tea before calling it an early night since we would be leaving for Yosemite National Park the next day.

Where We Stayed: When Sam and I visited the city last summer, we stayed at Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SOMA. A few weeks before the trip though, I made the decision to switch hotels due to the cost and location of the Hyatt. We changed our reservation to the Courtyard by Marriott Fisherman’s Wharf, which ended up being the right move. The hotel was cheaper and in a location that better fit our itinerary.

Our hotel room had two queen beds, and we found the room spacious enough for four adults.The room and bathroom were clean and updated, and we were able to log in with our Netflix account on the TV. And the location couldn’t be beat – steps away from the main drag of Fisherman’s Wharf. The only complaint was that due to that great location, the room was very noisy, especially during the wee hours of the morning. Overall, this was a great hotel, and we would definitely stay here again!   

Day 5 and 6: Yosemite National Park

We set off from San Francisco really early to begin the four hour drive from SF to Yosemite National Park. We arrived around 9am, and I was relieved to see that there was still plenty of parking at the Yosemite Village Parking Lot, the place I deemed the best parking option in Yosemite Valley. We hit a few trails before relaxing along the river at Cathedral Beach. We agreed that this was one of, if not the, most beautiful place we’ve ever visited. I could have sat along the pebble beach, admiring the valley, for hours. It had been an early morning, so we drove to our hotel mid-afternoon, and we ate dinner at one of their in-house restaurants, Cedar House Restaurant. It was pricey and just okay, but it got the job done. After eating, we swam in one of their pools, and it was nice to take a few moments to relax. 

The following morning, we slept in a bit before getting started with our busy day. We first drove south to another part of Yosemite, Mariposa Grove, which is home to some giant sequoia trees. We did a couple of trails there before driving and checking in for a special activity – horseback riding! While my family has been horseback riding on numerous occasions, this was Sam’s first time. We rode with Yosemite Trails on a two hour ride, and I couldn’t recommend them more, especially for first time riders. The trail we went on was interesting enough for more experienced riders – with creek crossings and inclines – but easy enough for beginners. We came back from our ride a bit sore and very dusty but having had a wonderful experience. We ate dinner at El Cid, a Mexican place on the way back to the hotel. It was nowhere near the best Mexican food of our lives, but the portions were large and the service was friendly. Next door was a Yosemite gift shop and an ice cream and candy shop, which of course, we visited.

The Trails We Hiked:

• Lower Yosemite Falls Trail (1 mile, easy)
• Part of the 11.5-mile Valley Loop Trail, specifically the portion near El Capitan
• Mariposa Grove Giant Sequoias – Big Trees Loop Trail (0.3 mile, easy)
• Mariposa Grove Giant Sequoias – Grizzly Giant Loop Trail (2 miles, moderate)

Where We Stayed: When it comes to the national parks, there aren’t a ton of accommodation options, especially if you want to stay close to the park. Because Yosemite has a few different entrances to the park, that meant that there were more options for lodging. We decided on Yosemite Cedar Lodge, which is located very close — just 8 miles — from the Arch Rock Entrance. This location was amazing, and it allowed us to see a lot of what we wanted to see in the park. 

For this hotel, we had two separate rooms. The first was more of a suite, consisting of a separate living room (with a pullout sofa) and a bedroom with two queen beds. The other room was a standard two queen bed room. The suite was more renovated than the other room, had a larger mini fridge, as well as a balcony with some chairs. If your budget allows, I would definitely recommend the suite, even for a smaller party. 

What was really noteworthy was the hotel itself, which was almost like a mini resort. It had three swimming pools (two outdoor, one indoor), two on-site restaurants, as well as a “riverfront” area across the street, with picnic tables and seating. This would be a great place to have a rest day from the park, since there’s so many other things to do on the property. One important note about this hotel is that there is very limited to no cell service here, which is the only hotel we ran into that problem with. Additionally, while there is complimentary WiFi, it is only available for two devices per room and works only intermittently. So it worked out in our favor to have two separate rooms for this stop. 

Day 7 and 8: King’s Canyon & Sequoia National Parks

After a short 3 hour drive from our Yosemite Hotel, we arrived at the John Muir Lodge. After checking in and getting settled into the room, we hit the trails, walking to the General Grant Tree and another trail that way. The General Grant Tree is the second largest tree in the world, with the largest next door in Sequoia National Park. After the easy hikes, we went to the nearby restaurant, Grant Grove Restaurant. The restaurant was pretty good and decently priced. 

The following morning, we were up early to drive to Sequoia National Park. This was our first weekend day in a park, and I was apprehensive about what the parking situation would be like. And I was right to have planned ahead. Although my first choice for parking, at the visitor center, was full by the time we got there (we missed out on a spot by one car), the second choice lot still had plenty of spots. But by the end of the day, as we were leaving the park, we saw tons of cars parked alongside the road, although the legality of such was unclear and I was glad we weren’t put into a situation like that.

Our parking lot, the aptly named General Sherman Tree Parking Lot, put us in walking distance to the largest tree in the world. We hit a connecting trail before lining up to wait for the shuttle, which took us to the visitor center, where there was a small museum and gift shop. We ate our packed lunch there before doing a short but pretty trail around a meadow, and then waited for another shuttle to take us to Moro Rock, a 350 step climb up a rock with panoramic views. The waits for the shuttles in this park were particularly long, and we saw several families begin the one mile trail to the rock. We were considering joining them before the shuttle showed up. We hiked up the rock, and then walked back to the visitor center. We again waited for another shuttle to take us back to the parking lot, and from there we drove back to the hotel and dined at the Grant Grove Restaurant again. While we did not do a crazy amount of hiking in any of the parks we visited, we felt that we hit the highlights and accomplished what we set out to see.  

The Trails We Hiked:

   King’s Canyon National Park

• General Grant Tree Trail (0.5 mile, easy)
• North Grove Loop (2.5 miles, easy)

   Sequoia National Park

• Sherman Tree Trail (1.1 miles, easy)
• Congress Trail (2.7 miles, easy)
• Big Trees Trail (0.75 miles, easy)
• Moro Rock (350 steps, moderate)

Where We Stayed: Like Yosemite National Park, there weren’t many options for us to stay close to the park. The John Muir Lodge, one of these few options, ended up being a really great hotel for us! We had two queen beds, and while the bathroom was smaller, it was functional for us. The room didn’t have air conditioning, but that didn’t end up being a problem for us. The hotel did provide a standing fan in the room, but there was one night that we were actually too cold with the fan! One of our favorite amenities of the hotel was the water bottle refill station that was located right outside of our room! 

The hotel was in an amazing location – we could walk to a King’s Canyon trail and were only a “short” (about 60 minutes) drive away from Sequoia National Park. Overall, this was a great find, and I would definitely stay here again! 

Day 9: Dodger Stadium

We checked out of our hotel and began the four hour drive to Los Angeles! We had tickets to the 1:30pm Dodgers game, and Sam and I were very excited to visit the iconic Dodger Stadium. After Sam navigated LA traffic like a pro, we parked and headed into the game. After the game, we drove down to Anaheim and checked into our hotel. We then walked to Downtown Disney, Disneyland’s shopping and dining district, similar but significantly smaller than Disney Springs. While they have a variety of restaurants, we were here for one place and one place only – Din Tai Fung. 

Sam and I dined at this chain twice during our three day stay in Seattle last year, and we’ve been counting down the months until we could eat there again. The restaurant serves elevated Chinese food and once again lived up to the hype. A highlight for us, and a must order in our opinion, are the dessert dumplings, which are filled with molten chocolate and make you wish they came in more than five to an order. After a delicious meal, we were all ready for the Disney leg of our trip! 

We didn’t do anything else in Los Angeles, but on a subsequent Disneyland visit, I think we would plan to spend at least a day exploring some of the iconic LA landmarks. 

Day 10 to 15: Disneyland & Disney California Adventure

I’ll keep our visit to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure brief here, as we’ll be writing up a more in depth article at a later point. In short, we loved Disneyland and DCA! Disneyland is especially rich in history, and it’s amazing to experience a park exactly as Walt Disney dreamed it. For those who are not as big of Disney nerds as ourselves, these parks could be seen as subpar to Walt Disney World, given that they are smaller parks. However, I feel that this is a certain charm and atmosphere that is not present at WDW, and both Disneyland and DCA actually have more attractions than their Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios counterparts.. With shorter lines and more relaxed crowds, we had a really enjoyable stay at Disneyland and DCA. Did we need to spend five days between the two parks? Probably not, but it allowed us plenty of time to leisurely experience the parks and revisit favorites. 

Highlights for me were the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which is about double the length of the WDW version, and the Storybookland Canal Boats, an outdoor boat ride through miniatures of classic Disney scenes. Additionally, we dined at Blue Bayou, the restaurant along the banks of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. This is a notably hard-to-get reservation, and we see why – the atmosphere alone is magical, and the food is delicious too. All of the food we tried in the parks were amazing, and in a head to head comparison of food between Disneyland and Magic Kingdom, Disneyland comes out light years ahead.

One evening, Sam and I walked about 2 miles each way to Angel Stadium, to check that one off the list. The stadium itself was fine, but we ended up leaving the game early when the temptation of going back to Disneyland got too strong. It was nice though that these Disney parks are right in the heart of non-Disney things, so you have easy access to places like grocery stores, drug stores, other restaurants, and if you want, baseball.

As Sam and I work towards visiting all of the Disney parks around the world, Disneyland will always hold a special place in our hearts, and we feel it’s a must visit for anyone, even if just for a day! 

Where We Stayed: Anaheim has no shortage of hotels, with many of them walking distance from the Disneyland resort. After a lot of research, I decided on the Hotel Indigo Anaheim, an IHG hotel. This was located 0.7 miles from the park entrances, and it was a flat and easy walk each morning and evening. 

Our hotel room had two queen beds and had the nicest bathroom of our trip. The room and bathroom were spacious and nicely renovated. We received housekeeping services every day of our stay. One minor but frustrating thing about this hotel was that the TV was difficult to use and so we weren’t able to really watch anything during our trip. But one of the best things about this hotel were the self-service laundry machines on the main floor, which was great for us because at this stage of the trip, we were in desperate need of some clean clothes.

Day 16 to 18: San Diego 

After about a 1.5 hour drive from Anaheim, we made it to San Diego! After checking into our hotel room, Sam and I headed off to Petco Park, while the rest of our party relaxed and explored the surrounding area. You can read more about Sam’s Petco Park review when he gets around to it, but we thought it was a beautiful park with good views and amenities. 

The next day was our San Diego Zoo day, which was something all of us were very excited about. While zoo admission is not cheap by any means ($76/adult), you could very easily spend an entire day there with all there is to see and do. We spent about 7 hours there and still could have done more. The big draw of the zoo are the giant pandas, which require a free special reservation to see (although there is a stand-by line available too). At the time of our timed ticket, there was nobody in the timed reservation or stand by lines, so anyone could have just walked into the exhibit. The pandas were super cool to see and, as much as pandas can be, very active when we saw them.

The zoo is also home to the classic zoo animals, as well as a variety of dining options. We ate at the barbecue restaurant in the Australia section, which was pricey but offered extremely large portions – we should have shared our meals. We spent most of the day at the zoo, and stopped by the hotel before going out to dinner. We walked to a nearby Italian restaurant, Old Venice Restaurant, which was good but not as memorable as our dinner in San Francisco.

We started the last day of our vacation with a continental breakfast at the hotel, and then walked over to meet up with our activity of the day: whale watching! We booked the tour, San Diego Whale Watching & Charters – Next Level Sailing, through Viator. We had a great experience on the tour, and I couldn’t recommend the company more. We were aboard a ship modeled after a historic boat, and we had a very smooth, albeit windy, ride out on the ocean. The tour provided blankets, snacks, and sodas. We were lucky enough to spot a blue whale – the largest animal on Earth! Our tour lasted around 5 hours, and once we were back on shore, we headed back to the hotel to rest and start packing up.

Upon the recommendation of one of our tour guides, we went to the Old Town neighborhood for dinner, where we ate at Casa de Reyes. We had a great meal there, and while I wouldn’t say it was truly authentic Mexican cuisine, it was a step up for our usual Mexican American food. The food was well seasoned, and the tortillas were homemade. The Old Town area had a great atmosphere, with colorful decorations, music, and dancing. This was a great and memorable way for us to close out our epic vacation! 

Out of all of our stops, San Diego is probably the place we would’ve liked to have spent even just one day longer. We didn’t have a chance to get to some of their notable museums, like the Maritime Museum, or visit any of the beaches. 

Where We Stayed: I had a difficult time deciding where to stay in San Diego, both because of location and price constraints. We ended up staying at Best Western Yacht Harbor Hotel, which is located very close to the airport. 

The hotel room had one queen bed and one king bed and was pretty average in most ways. The room wasn’t modern or particularly nice, but it was very functional and spacious for the four of us. The hotel did offer a continental breakfast in the morning, which served eggs, bacon, potatoes, and french toast, as well as some other usual breakfast buffet items. This location worked out great for us, since we could walk to our whale watching tour meetup spot, as well as being walking distance from a lot of different restaurants. For those who may be spending more time in downtown San Diego though, I think there would be closer options. For us though, this hotel worked out great and was good value for the price!

Whew – that’s the wrap up of our trip! Overall, it was an amazing, unforgettable time. We saw so many things, ate great food, and enjoyed time together. Be sure to keep an eye out for further, in depth articles about some of the specifics of our trip!

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU:

Did we miss anything? Did you add anything to your own California bucket list? Have you visited any of the spots we did? Let us know in the comments!