Yosemite and Giant Sequoias Tour From San Francisco

How the Listings Compare

Each row below comes from the operator's own listing, and anything the listing does not state is marked that way.

What Is Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off from most major San Francisco hotels is in the price, as is the early-bird arrival that puts you at Tunnel View before the crowds. You ride a 35-seat bus with Wi-Fi, led by a live park expert guide in English, with a free GPS-triggered audio guide in Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese and Korean. The standard park entry fee is included for U.S. residents.

• Hotel pickup and drop-off at 11 San Francisco locations
• Early-bird arrival at Yosemite
• 35-seat bus with Wi-Fi
• Live English-speaking guide and 8-language audio guide
• Park entry fee for U.S. residents

What Is Not Included

Lunch and drinks are not included. The itinerary builds in a 30-minute breakfast stop in Turlock on the way out and a 40-minute dinner stop in Oakdale on the way back, plus 2 hours of free time in Yosemite Valley where you can buy food. Tips for the guide are also not included.

Bring your passport or ID card, comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing.

• Food and drinks, with stops made to purchase meals
• Tips for the guide

The $100 Nonresident Fee

Non-U.S. residents aged 16 and older pay an additional $100 park entry fee per person after completing the booking. The operator collects it through a payment link. Children under 16 are exempt.

If you hold an America the Beautiful Non-Resident Pass, $250 for up to 4 people, you do not pay the $100 fee. The pass pays for itself for a family of three or more nonresident adults, so factor it in before you book. If you are a non-U.S. resident, confirm the payment link and timing with the operator in writing so nothing lands on you at the gate.

There is more detail in the guide to the Yosemite nonresident fee.

How the Listings Compare

Each row below comes from the operator's own listing, and anything the listing does not state is marked that way.

The Road Math

Yosemite Valley is about 195 miles from San Francisco and the park service allows 4-5 hours of driving each way. This tour runs 15 hours from pickup, and the itinerary shows roughly 2 hours of coach to Turlock, 2 more to the park, then 2 hours back to Oakdale and 2 more to the city, around 8 hours on the road in total. Against that you get about 5 hours inside the park with early-bird arrival, of which 2 hours are free time in Yosemite Valley and 75 minutes are the Tuolumne Grove stop.

If that trade sounds poor, consider the 2-day Yosemite guided trip with pickup, which removes one of the drives, or read whether is a Yosemite day trip worth it.

Stop by Stop

The day starts with a pickup between 5:20 AM and 6:00 AM, then the drive through California's Central Valley and Gold Rush towns. The first stop in the park is Tunnel View, a 15-minute photo stop where El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall line up in one frame. Optional stops follow at Half Dome viewpoints, Bridalveil Fall for 10 minutes and Sentinel Bridge.

Then comes the 2-hour block in Yosemite Valley for lunch, a short walk to Yosemite Falls, the Swinging Bridge Picnic Area and the Merced River. After that, 10-minute photo stops at El Capitan and Yosemite Valley View, then the 75-minute Tuolumne Grove sequoia walk before the 1.6-mile trail, dinner in Oakdale and the run home. The guide to giant sequoias in Yosemite compares this grove with Mariposa, which no tour from San Francisco visits.

The 15-hour Day and the 5:20 AM Pickup

A 15-hour day starting between 5:20 AM and 6:00 AM is hard with young children or anyone who struggles with long days on a bus. California law requires a car seat for every child under 8 or under 4'9" (1.4 meters), and you must bring one yourself. The operator also asks you not to book flights or travel on the same day as the tour, because there is no exact return time stated beyond 15 hours from pickup.

If the early start is the problem, the Gray Line full day tour leaves at 6:20 AM or 6:40 AM from fixed downtown points.

Mobility and the Grove Trail

The listing states no wheelchair access and bans non-folding wheelchairs and non-folding strollers. The Tuolumne Grove walk is a dirt trail, and the park service measures it at 2.5 miles round trip with 500 ft of elevation change, while this listing calls it 1.6 miles. Either way it is a moderate hike down and back up, and it consumes 75 minutes of your roughly 5 hours in the park.

If you want the valley without a grove hike, the Incredible Adventures day trip skips sequoias entirely and gives 3 hours of free time near Yosemite Falls.

Season and Weather

Tours run rain or shine. Between November and March, snow and ice can close the sequoia trail, and the operator substitutes extra time in Yosemite Valley. If standing beside a sequoia is the whole reason you are booking, travel outside that window or read the guide to the best time to visit Yosemite.

Cancellation and Payment

Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund, and you can reserve now and pay later, so your plans stay flexible until the day before. Anything scented and all food travels with you into bear country, so pack what you can carry for the 2-hour valley block.

• Cancel free up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund
• Reserve now and pay later
• Mobile ticket in the GetYourGuide app, no printing required

Confirm with the Seller in Writing

Ask three questions before you pay: your exact pickup time and location among the 11 options, how and when the $100 nonresident fee will be collected if it applies to you, and whether your chosen date still includes the Tuolumne Grove stop or the winter valley substitution. The listing also notes itineraries are subject to change.

What to Bring

Bring your passport or ID card, comfortable walking shoes and weather-appropriate layers for a valley at about 4,000 ft, where July and August average 32 C (89 F) and January averages 9 C (48 F). Bring lunch money, since food is not included and you get 2 hours of free time to eat. Bring a car seat for any child under 8 or under 4'9" (1.4 meters).

If you hold an America the Beautiful Non-Resident Pass, $250 covering up to 4 people, bring it to avoid the $100 fee.

Conditions That Change the Day

Between November and March the grove trail may close for snow and ice, and the tour substitutes extra valley time. Chain controls are likely on approach roads roughly November to March. Waterfalls peak in May and June, and Yosemite Falls is often a trickle or dry by August, so temper expectations on a late-summer booking.

Late in the 2026 season, Big Oak Flat Road on Highway 120, this tour's likely route past Crane Flat, had 15-minute weekday delays for vegetation work, and roads can close at short notice for fire, so check park conditions before you travel.