SF Road Trip in 5 Days on a Budget
Five days keeps the 4-day route , Yosemite overnight and a Big Sur day trip, whole, then pushes north to the Redwoods for a long fifth day. It’s a genuinely long day, driving both ways in a single push, and the 6-day version turns this exact leg into an overnight instead, which is the better trip if you have the extra day to spend. The road trips guide covers the season and fee math behind every stop here.
Book these before you go:
- A rental car in San Francisco for all five days, one vehicle covers every leg below.
- A room in Groveland or Mariposa for the Yosemite night, sells out on summer weekends.
- A Big Sur day tour as a no-driving alternative to day four.
| From San Francisco to… | Distance | Drive time |
|---|---|---|
| Yosemite Valley (via Hwy 120) | ~170 mi | 3-4 hrs |
| Big Sur / Bixby Bridge (via 101/1) | 130-140 mi | ~2.5 hrs |
| The Redwoods (Avenue of the Giants) | 200-211 mi | 3.5-4 hrs |
| Lake Tahoe (via Hwy 50) | 190-220 mi | 3.5-4.5 hrs |
Day 1: San Francisco and the rental car
Give San Francisco itself the day before you start driving; the city’s own itineraries are worth a separate trip if you can spare more time on this end. Pick up the rental car in the afternoon and keep dinner simple.
Day 2: The drive up and Yosemite Valley’s easy stops
Leave by 7-8am for the 170-mile, 3-4-hour drive via Highway 120 (check current conditions first). No day-use reservation applies for 2026, but Valley parking still fills by mid-morning. Spend the afternoon on Tunnel View, Bridalveil Fall’s short trail, and Yosemite Village. The entrance fee is $35 for seven days, plus $100 per person at the gate for non-U.S. residents, a new 2026 charge. Overnight in Groveland.
Day 3: A full day in the park, then back to the coast
Glacier Point Road or the lower Mist Trail to the Vernal Fall footbridge, then the 3-4-hour drive back to San Francisco by evening.
Day 4: Big Sur and the Pacific Coast Highway
Leave by 7am for the 130-140-mile, 2.5-hour drive to Bixby Bridge via 101/156/1; check bigsurcalifornia.org or Caltrans QuickMap first, since Highway 1 still sees occasional slide-repair closures after reopening in January 2026. Stop at Bixby Bridge and McWay Falls if the road allows, then turn back for the city by mid-afternoon.
Day 5: The Redwoods, the long way and back
This is a real 10-plus-hour day: leave by 6am for the 200-211-mile, 3.5-4-hour drive north on Highway 101 to the Avenue of the Giants, spend a few hours walking the groves at Founders Grove or Rockefeller Forest, then drive back that evening, arriving in San Francisco late. The park itself is free; only the Williams Grove day-use area charges anything, $8 a vehicle. It is doable this way, but it’s the single longest day of this whole trip.
Is a Redwoods day trip from San Francisco actually worth it?
Only if a sixth day genuinely isn’t available. You’ll spend more hours driving than among the trees, roughly 7-8 hours round trip for an afternoon in the groves. The 6-day version of this itinerary turns this same drive into an overnight instead, which is the version most travelers end up wishing they’d booked.
Set your alarm for 5:30am on day five, not 6. The extra half hour buys real time among the redwoods instead of just more driving.