Fantastic 6-Day California National Park Road Trip Itinerary

• 6 Days
• 995 Miles
• 3 National Parks (Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon)
• 1 Camper Van
• Countless Memories

When I was a kid, my family would get an RV rental every year for a couple of weeks and drive EVERYWHERE around the US. San Francisco – New York City  ✔ San Diego – Seattle – San Diego  ✔ National Parks  ✔ Los Angeles – Miami  ✔

So when I was offered the opportunity to work with Roadsurfer, a campervan company with locations in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Francisco (in the US), I was excited to try them and share some of those childhood memories with my husband Greg and our dog Robby.

If you are planning a trip with a campervan around California, read on. I will share my 6-day California National Park itinerary, fun places to visit, tips for traveling with a dog in the campervan, and more.

6-Day California National Park Road Trip Itinerary

Our 6-day road trip around the 3 popular California National Parks was such a fun little getaway and doing it with a campervan made everything so easy and convenient. We didn’t have to worry about checking into hotels, packing/unpacking a thousand times, storing our food or finding places to eat, looking for restrooms etc. You have everything you need right there with you. It’s awesome!!!

Take a look at the route we took below here:

Day 1: Pick up Camper and Drive North

Day one was kind of a long and exhausting one. We left San Diego at around 7:45 AM and arrived at the Roadsurfer location just when they opened at 10 AM. We opted for an early pickup time so we could get to our first campground on Don Pedro Lake in Tuolumne County at a somewhat reasonable time.

As we were the first customers in the door, our pickup was super quick and easy. In hindsight, it was a little too quick, and I wish we had asked more questions about our camper van and gotten to know all the cool features and functions a bit better.

When you go pick up the van, I recommend you take your time and familiarize yourself, make sure you know where everything is and how it works. We didn’t and found the camping chairs in their hidden compartment under the sofa on the last day. Don’t be like us, ha!

We packed up our supplies into the van, dropped our car off at a relative’s place, and were ready to go at around 11:15 AM! Our goal was to get out of Los Angeles before the mad Friday afternoon rush hour and it worked out perfectly.

We stopped at a hole-in-the-wall taco shop along the 5 (not noteworthy), and then had a few quick coffee/dog walk breaks along the way. The drive on the 5 and the 99 is not exciting or pretty, but it gets you North quickly. Once we turned on the 59 in Merced, we drove through some stunning meadows, and the light and stormy skies during the golden hour made for some stunning scenery.

We made really good time and arrived at our campground just around sunset at 7:30 PM. We had just enough time to set everything up and get settled when we had a short but torrential downpour, which cut our evening walk a bit short. After a quick dinner, we decided to go to bed early and rest up.

Day 2: Explore Pinecrest Lake, Cider Tasting & Sonora

The next morning, we were up bright and early, and we had our first wildlife experience. After I got up, I took our dog Robby for a walk, and we ran into Tom, the turkey. Fleming Meadows campground on Don Pedro Reservoir has its own rafter of wild turkeys. Robby was really excited and wanted to say hi, but Tom did not seem to be interested in making an acquaintance. Oh well. We continued our walk down to the boat ramp and enjoyed the beautiful view of the huge reservoir.

After coffee, we drove over to Pinecrest Lake, a stunning lake in the middle of the Sierras. On our way, we stopped at the Sugar Shack for some delicious breakfast burritos. Delicous and the perfect fuel for our 4 mile hike around the stunning lake. Robby loved the hike and especially the waterfalls and so did we! Just look at these photos! Don’t forget to add Pinecrest Lake to your itinerary!

After our hike, we a hard cider tasting at Indigeny Reserve scheduled. We got to try a sip of each of their 9 hard ciders on tap. I have to say that I am usually a fan of dry and plain ciders, but they had some unique flavors that were fantastic. I mean, Chocolate dipped strawberry cider “should” not taste good according to my taste buds, but oh my was it good! It really tasted like the real deal and did not have this weird “fake” taste to it, that some of the flavored ciders have.

And the surroundings of the cidery are just stunning. You drive through the orchards, pass through a covered bridge (I didn’t know we had any of these in California!) and then sit under shady oak trees as you sip you cider.

For dinner, we headed to Sonora, the capital city of Tuolumne County. It is such a cute little mountain town with lots of shops and restaurants. I really loved the vibe here.

After a long hike and lots of mountain air, a burger is always a good idea, right? We went to The Diamondback Grill and their burgers were so juicy and delicious. They had all kinds of unique toppings that you could mix and match to your liking. I ordered myself my own invention of a “Philly cheesesteak burger” with provolone cheese, grilled onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers. YUM!

Happy and with full bellies, we strolled through town, checked out some cute stores, and ended up in the alley behind the Sonora Tap Room, where they set up tables and had some live music. What a fantastic way to end the day!

Day 3: Visit Yosemite National Park

I have to say that a return visit to Yosemite was one of the highlights of this road trip, but what made this extra special was that I could share it with my husband Greg and my dog Robby. I had been to Yosemite a few times as a kid, traveling with my family in a motorhome, but it had been 15 years since my last visit. I was stoked to come back and Greg was stoked to go there for the first time.

We left pretty early and decided to have breakfast in the park. I just love that convenience aspect of RVing. You just get up in the morning and hit the road, then stop wherever you want and have breakfast, make some coffee and enjoy. Heck, you can even lay down and take a little nap in the middle of the day if you want to. It makes your travel experience so much nicer, when you have everything you need right there with you.

We took the northern entrance to the Park, following HWY 120, which gives you stunning views over Yosemite Valley. I remember the first time I watched Lord of the Rings. When Frodo and Sam arrive in Rivendell, the home of the elves, I immediately thought of Yosemite. A lush valley, towering mountains, and gushing waterfalls. It feels like you enter a dream. There are 2 tunnels at the top of the pass and after each, the view takes your breath away. I definitely recommend pulling out into the little parking area and enjoying the view over the whole valley. So beautiful!

Waterfall Hunting in Yosemite

Once we made it down to Yosemite Valley, we decided to go Waterfall hunting. After all the rain we got this winter, the waterfalls were gushing and roaring with full force. At Bridalvail Falls, we first got to experience the fall while the sun was hiding behind a cloud. A few minutes later, the sun came out and turned the mist of the waterfall into a curtain of sparkling diamonds. Don’t stay too long or you might get soaked though!

Across the street, right next to the sheer cliffs of El Capitan, you can see Horsetail Falls. This fall is famous for its firey spectacle in February. When the sun hits the fall just right, it appears as if the water turns into a stream of fire, gushing over the side of the mountain. This is still on my bucket list of things to see!

Yosemite Falls was a lot more busy than the first two, but it didn’t take away any of the magic of this majestic waterfall. And the best part? The trail is dog-friendly, so Robby could join us. The trail itself starts near Yosemite Lodge and leads you to the Lower Yosemite Falls. Pay attention that you stay on this trail and don’t fork off to the Upper Yosemite Falls trail, which is pretty steep and you need proper hiking gear. When you get to the end of the trail, I recommend you cross the street and enjoy the view from the meadow. The views of Half Dome and the Upper Yosemite Falls are incredible from there.

After all this waterfall viewing, we got hungry. We pulled into a scenic parking lot, put up our camping chairs and had some delicious sandwiches under some redwood trees overlooking a meadow. It doesn’t get better than that!

In the late afternoon, we left the park and headed to Around the Horn Brewing Company in Groveland for some beer tasting and a delicious dinner. We had two flights of delicious IPAs, a Cuban sandwich, and a Kimchi Grilled Cheese. The Kimchi Grilled Cheese was so unique packed a punch of flavors as well as a little heat. I know it sounds weird, but it was sooo good!

We returned to Don Pedro Lake for our final night at Fleming Meadows Campground. We enjoyed some stargazing and looking for satellites passing by after a long and beautiful day.

Day 4: Jamestown, Columbia, and Drive South

After leaving our Don Pedro Lake campground for the last time, we headed to Jamestown for breakfast and a little stroll. Such a cute little town. It reminded me a lot of Julian, minus the apple pie. Think small-town feel, antique shops, cute restaurants and a bit of a Stars Hollow meets West Coast vibe.

We had a delicious breakfast at The Smoke Cafe, a cute little diner right on Main Street. It serves classic American dishes, lots of Mexican options, and the portions are huge. We indulged in a hearty breakfast and delicious coffee before exploring the small town.

On a Monday morning, lots of the small shops were still closed, but I am sure this town is buzzing on the weekends. We checked out some of the open antique shops. They even let Robby in and gave him some treats. We love rummaging through forgotten treasures and memorabilia of times past.

After a little stroll around town, we continued on to Columbia, another historic town in Tuolumne County. Columbia has a State Historic Park with lots of historic buildings, shops, restaurants, and activities for the whole family. It looks and feels a little like Old Town San Diego, just without the Mexican influence.

We had lunch at one of the oldest saloons in town: St Charles Saloon. What started as an Oyster parlor in 1857 now serves pizza and beer. And delicious pizza it was. I am usually quite picky about my pizza, but these pies were delicious and unique. They had some really interesting toppings as well. Would you try pickles on pizza? I thought it was the most bizarre topping I have seen yet (and I have eaten blueberry pizza before!), but somehow, it worked and next time I make pizza at home, I will add some pickles to mine!

We still had a 3+ hour drive ahead of us, so unfortunately, we didn’t get to explore much of Columbia. However, I hope to return someday and spend some more time here.

We retraced our drive down Highway 99 to Fresno and then turned left on Highway 180 towards the mountains. We had booked a night at Sequoia Mountain Farms Campground, just a short drive to the entrance of Kings Canyon National Park (or so we thought, more on that tomorrow). We arrived just in time to grab dinner at Pinehurst Lodge, a rustic dive bar just up the street. The burgers were so delicious and the waitress even brought out a hot dog for Robby. How sweet.

The views from our campsite over the Central Valley were stunning, and the sunset was spectacular. We enjoyed another night of stargazing and satellite spotting before heading to bed.

Day 5: Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Parks & 3 Surprises

We had a full day ahead of us, so we got up pretty early. Greg took Robby for a walk and fed him. As he sat down his bowl, he spotted something a little unnerving: a huge paw print in the mud (it had rained a little overnight). We are not trackers, but our best guess is a mountain lion, as there were no claw imprints. If you know what could have left this big paw print, please let us know in the comments! On the one hand, it leaves you a little anxious (we did go to the bathroom outhouse in the middle of the night), and yet it is cool that there is wildlife so close to you, and you really are IN nature.

We packed up and drove towards the entrance of Kings Canyon National Park. And here was our second surprise of the morning: Road closed. There was an unpaved, steep road that supposedly could have been an alternative, but that looked a little too sketchy for us, so we took the long way instead.

Sometimes things like that happen on a road trip. So, you just have to focus on making a smart decision, even if it means that your plans or schedule will be a little derailed. Without the detour, we wouldn’t have found the cutest little coffee shop along the way with the best breakfast bagels and hearty coffee. It always turns out alright in the end

When we finally arrived at the entrance of Kings Canyon, the ranger had surprise #3 for us: the southern Exit in Sequoia National Park is closed due to road maintenance. Oh boy. That would mean we have to cut our already short time in the parks even shorter and double back the way we came. Not ideal, to say the least.

We were quite bummed about this, but once we pulled out at our first stop and saw the gigantic trees at the General Grant trailhead, it felt like a trivial problem. Robby couldn’t go with us on the trail, so we went by one by one while the other one waited at the parking lot. The trees are so big and have so much history that they put everything else into perspective. Our lives are nothing but a blip in their lives. There is even a fallen tree trunk that you can walk through. Walking through that humongous tree was definitely one of my favorite moments at Kings Canyon NP.

After exploring the General Grant trail, we headed to the Kings Canyon Visitor Center. I don’t know if it was intuition or a gut feeling, but for whatever reason, I decided to stand in line to talk to the ranger about the road closure. I am so glad I did!!! It turned out that the road closure had been postponed until the next day and we could, after all, exit through the southern exit in Sequoia National Park. Wohoo! Didn’t I tell you that things always turn out right in the end?!

In Sequoia National Park, we stopped at the General Sherman Trail and just like before, I went first and then Greg went, while Robby was enjoying pets from strangers in the parking lot. We even ran into some people who petted him at the previous parking lot and we were joking that Robby’s fan club was following us.

The General Sherman trail takes you down into the valley to the Giant Forest Sequoia Grove, where the largest tree of the world, General Sherman, is located. The tree is currently 274.9 feet tall and currently has a base circumference of 102.6 feet and can grow up to 2 feet in hight and 1 inch in diameter per year. That growth equals one large “regular” tree. Quite impressive, no?

The trail is a pretty steep downhill path with a few steps and can be slippery when wet or after it snowed, so I highly recommend good hiking shoes and maybe even some hiking poles. When you make your way back up, just take your time and go at your own pace.

From the Giant Forest, we made our way towards the southern exit of Sequoia National Park. Please keep in mind that the road is only recommended for vehicles 22 ft or shorter. Our Roadsurfer van was 21 feet, so we were good to go. The road is extremely curvy and narrow, so we definitely wanted to get down the mountain before it got dark (and to enjoy the views). I love driving curvy roads, but if you don’t, this road is not for you and I would recommend finding an alternate way.

In Visalia, we hopped on Highway 65 to go South, then east on Highway 178 into the Sequoia National Forest. We arrived at Lake Isabella just after sunset at our campground called Paradise Cove. It was the only campground open, as it was still early in the season.

To be honest, the place was anything but paradise for us. Mosquitos, spiders, bugs, and lots of mean little prickly sticker seeds that got stuck in Robby’s fur, our hands, shoes, and socks made this by far our least favorite campground of the trip. But since we only needed a place to crash for the night, it was all good and we did just that.

Day 6: Return to Los Angeles and Return Camper

We got up early to avoid the worst of LA traffic and hit the road around sunrise. Traffic in Los Angeles is notorious, but we were lucky and made it to the Roadsurfer location just as they were opening.

We had already loaded our belongings into our car and did the mandatory cleaning, refilling the gas and all the other things on our to-do list before returning the camper van, so our camper van return took only a few minutes.

Our Roadsurfer Van

Our Roadsurfer van was perfect for this trip around the California National Parks. It was big enough to accommodate 2 people and a big dog and everything we needed for our 5 day trip.

Our camper came equipped with a kitchenette (2 stove burner, sink, microwave, fridge, and freezer), a toilet and wet-bath, and ample storage space. We also booked extra equipment, including bedding, kitchen set with pots, pans, utensils, plates, cups and cutlery, as well as 2 camping chairs and a table (which were hidden in a secret spot inside the sofa bed).

What I loved the most about our campervan was that it made our schedule so much more flexible. We didn’t have to worry about check-in/check-out times, packing and repacking, keeping ice in the cooler, or finding a spot to eat. We were self-sufficient and once we were set up, we had the ultimate freedom to do what we wanted.

Roadsurfer is actually a German company and has 7500 vehicles in over 70 locations in 14 European countries. They expanded to the US and Canada a few years ago and now have locations in San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, as well Calgary and Vancouver in Canada.

After doing some research, they are definitely on the cheaper side, especially when you add in the unlimited miles bonus, second driver, and kitchen box. However, they do charge for quite a few extras, such as extra bedding, bike racks, pet cleaning, or early/late pickup or drop-off. So, if you are on a budget, they are a great choice, but you have to watch your add-ons.

When you pick up the rental, make sure to take your time to familiarize yourself with the van’s functions, especially if this is your first time with a campervan like this. We should have asked more questions, and I am sure we would have found our camping chairs a lot sooner, ha!

I would definitely rent from Roadsurfer again and would recommend them to you as well. Their vans are well-taken care off and they made the whole process super easy. A big thanks again to Roadsurfer for this epic trip!!!

Tips for Traveling with a Dog in National Parks

Visiting a National Park with a dog can be tricky and definitely quite limiting. Most National Parks, including Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia have strict rules for where pets can and cannot go. The reasoning behind it, is that their smell influences the behavior of wild animals and disturbs their natural behavior and migration patterns.

Yosemite was the most dog-friendly and had the most options for including Robby. There are several paved trails he could go on with us and explore. Check out the rules here>>

Kings Canyon and Sequoia were the most restricted and Robby was only allowed in parking lots, picknick areas and campgrounds. Check out the rules here>>

We knew the limitations visiting the National Parks, but our dog Robby is part of the family and we wanted to experience this trip with him. Yes, we didn’t get to do a lot of hiking in the National Parks, but we still saw a lot. Many of the most popular sights are just a short walk or hike from the parking lot, so we simply went one by one, while the other one waited with Robby in the parking lot.

Robby LOVED this. He got so much attention from other people and enjoyed all the pets and cuddles. He even developed a fan following of people he met at several parking lots, ha!

If you prefer to do some non-dog-friendly activities, there are also some boarding options near the national parks. We have not tried them, but here is a list of places to check out, if you want to do this option. Finding a private pet sitter on Rover might also be an option.

Yosemite:
Yosemite K9 Kennels
Animal Care Center Mariposa

Sequoia & Kings Canyon:
Visalia’s VIP Pet Boarding
Your Best Friend’s Inn

I hope this California National Park Road Trip Guide gave you some ideas and inspiration as well as some helpful tips for planning your own road trip. Please feel free to reach out or comment if you have any more questions.

California National Park Road Trip – Pin for Later:

Disclaimer: As customary in the travel writing industry, my campervan rental as well as lodging, activities and restaurants in Tuolumne county were hosted by Roadsurfer and Visit Tuolumne County. This has not influenced my opinion of these experiences.

Last Updated on May 23, 2024 by Maria Haase

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