California National Parks Road Trip: 9 Parks, 3 Routes
Nine national parks, and they do not all belong on one trip. The Sierra group (Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon) wants late spring through autumn. The desert group (Death Valley, Joshua Tree) wants October through April. The northern group (Redwood, Lassen Volcanic) sits five hours off the main line and needs its own loop. The classic route is San Francisco to Los Angeles through Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Death Valley and Joshua Tree, roughly 1,200 miles across 10 days. Our California national parks family loop paces that route for kids.
The nine parks, and which trip each belongs to
- Yosemite. The valley in any season, Tuolumne Meadows and Tioga Road from roughly June to October. Three days minimum. See the Yosemite 3 day itinerary.
- Sequoia and Kings Canyon. Two parks, one fee, next door to each other. Giant Forest and the General Sherman Tree in Sequoia, and the road down into Kings Canyon that closes for winter.
- Death Valley. November to March. The largest park in the lower 48, and everything worth seeing is within 40 miles of Furnace Creek.
- Joshua Tree. October to April. Two hours from Los Angeles, and the best rock scrambling in the state.
- Pinnacles. A day, from either San Francisco or Monterey. Talus caves, condors and no lodging inside the park worth planning around.
- Channel Islands. Reached by boat from Ventura, so it needs two days and a booking. Kayaking the sea caves at Santa Cruz Island is the reason to go, and our Channel Islands kayaking weekend covers it.
- Redwood. Six hours north of San Francisco on Highway 101, free to enter, and best paired with the Oregon coast rather than the Sierra.
- Lassen Volcanic. The park highway usually clears in June and closes with the first heavy snow. Hydrothermal basins without Yellowstone's crowds.
Route 1: the 10 day classic, San Francisco to Los Angeles
About 1,200 miles. This is the trip most people mean by a California national park road trip.
- Days 1 to 3, Yosemite. Four hours from San Francisco. Valley floor, Glacier Point, and Tioga Road if the season allows.
- Days 4 and 5, Sequoia and Kings Canyon. Four hours south. Giant Forest, Moro Rock and the drive into Kings Canyon.
- Days 6 and 7, Death Valley. Five and a half hours east. Zabriskie Point at sunrise, Badwater Basin, the Mesquite Flat dunes and Artists Drive.
- Days 8 and 9, Joshua Tree. Four hours south. Hidden Valley, Barker Dam, the Cholla Cactus Garden and Keys View at sunset.
- Day 10: two and a half hours into Los Angeles.
Run it in reverse from Los Angeles in spring, when the desert is still cool and the Sierra is opening up.
Route 2: the 7 day Sierra loop
Six hundred miles out of San Francisco, and the version to pick between June and September when the desert is too hot. Yosemite for three days, Sequoia and Kings Canyon for two, Pinnacles for one, and a day for the drive back through the Central Valley. A 7 day California national park road trip done this way never has a driving day over four hours.
Route 3: the northern loop
Also seven days, and almost nobody does it. San Francisco north on Highway 101 to Redwood, east across to Lassen Volcanic, then south through the Sacramento Valley. About 900 miles. Add Crater Lake in Oregon and it becomes 11 days and one of the quietest good road trips in the West.
Drive times to plan around
- San Francisco to Yosemite Valley: 4 hours, 195 miles
- Los Angeles to Yosemite Valley: 6 hours, 315 miles, detailed in Los Angeles to Yosemite
- Yosemite Valley to Giant Forest, Sequoia: 4 hours
- Sequoia to Furnace Creek, Death Valley: 5 hours 30 minutes
- Death Valley to Joshua Tree: 4 hours
- Joshua Tree to Los Angeles: 2 hours 30 minutes
- San Francisco to Redwood, Crescent City: 6 hours 30 minutes
The reservations that decide the trip
- Yosemite peak hours entry. The park has used timed entry reservations for summer daytime arrivals in recent seasons. Check the park page as soon as your dates are set.
- Yosemite Valley lodging. Releases 366 days out and fills the same week. Mariposa, Oakhurst and El Portal are the fallbacks.
- Half Dome permits. A preseason lottery in March plus daily lotteries in season. See our Half Dome trip guide.
- Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road. Both are seasonal. Tioga typically opens between late May and early July and closes in November.
- Channel Islands boats. One operator, limited sailings, and they sell out on summer weekends.
Have us plan the California loop
Give us your dates and your airports and we will build the route that fits the season, with the permits and the beds already found. Planning is free, and we earn only if you book through us.
California National Parks Road Trip: 9 Parks, 3 Routes FAQs
Nine: Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Redwood, Lassen Volcanic, Channel Islands and Pinnacles. That is more than any other state.
Ten days for the classic San Francisco to Los Angeles route through Yosemite, Sequoia, Death Valley and Joshua Tree, about 1,200 miles. Seven days covers the three Sierra parks well.
Late April to mid May, or late September through October. Those are the two windows when the Sierra is open and the desert parks are not dangerously hot. In July, plan a Sierra only trip.
Yes, and they are five and a half hours apart. The catch is the calendar: Death Valley is at its best in winter, when Tioga Road in Yosemite is closed. Spring and autumn are the compromise.
Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Pinnacles, Channel Islands and Redwood all stay fully open. Yosemite Valley stays open with Tioga and Glacier Point Roads closed, Sequoia stays open with chains sometimes required, and Lassen closes its park highway.
In recent summers Yosemite has required a peak hours entry reservation for daytime arrivals, and in park lodging books out 366 days ahead. Half Dome always needs a permit. Check the park page once your dates are fixed, since the entry rules have changed most years.
