San Francisco Travel Forum

Hi All!

I will be in SF for 2 full days, but on day 3 I have to check out of my hotel by 10am and my international flight doesnt take off untill 11:30pm. I was thinking to rent a car for the day for a bit of a drive. What are your thoughts of this itinerary? Too much for a day?

1. Leave SF
2. Up to see Old Faithful
3. Stop to see the Petrified Forrest
4. Drive down through Napa (with a stop or 2 time permitting)
5. Last stop Muir Woods before heading to the airport.

I can get a early start in the morning. I would have about 10-12 hours before needing to be at the airport. Your thoughts? Any suggestions would be appreciated :)

Thanks!

That can be done easily. Several years ago we did a similar route but in reverse:
Went to Muir Woods traveled the Pacific Coast Highway up to Tomales, passed through Sebastopol enroute to Calistoga, and came back down through Napa and finally Oakland and back to SF early evening. Much will depend on how long you dawdle at any one spot.

I am assuming that you are joking about Old Faithful (Yellowstone in Wyoming/Montana) and the Petrified Forest which is in Arizona. Going north across the Bay Bridge would be possible, and I think you might also get over to Oakland or down to see the sequoias in Big Basin State Park (these are the coastal redwoods and not the ones at Yosemite) or Muir Woods (also coastal redwoods)

I was actually talking about the Old Faithful Geyser of California which is just north of Caligosta and the Petrified Forrest just south of it. Man, you made me heart jump!

Yeah, the geyser in Calistoga is the 'other' Old Faithful.

I never heard of the other Old Faithful - that relieves my mind. I did think you were using some kind of placemat mat with no scale on it to think you could get to Wyoming as a day trip.

Just be sure to allow double the time you think you will need to get back to the airport, because traffic can really foul you up, as will flight cancellations, or not being able to check in sufficiently in advance of your flight.

I did effectively the same trip a couple of years ago, but skipped the geyser.
Unless you're really into geology, I'd skip Petrified Forest. It's like $8/person and is somewhat of a tourist trap. When I went, it redeemed itself by one of the resident geologists randomly coming along and offering a small group of us a chance to go back into a non-public area while talking a bit. That was nice, but I wouldn't recommend it otherwise.
Be sure to stop at Muir Beach if you're going to Muir Woods. Very pretty.

North:
-Muir Woods
-Mount Tamalpais
-Stinson Beach

South:
Santana Row (San Jose)
Gilroy Premium Outlets
Santa Cruz

Since the highway traffic can be brutal any time of any day, I think that you should limit you touring to the Muir Woods and the Napa Valley. Check out Sausalito. Drive through Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Driving around the city is really intersting, becaise it's quite different from most other cities.

Don't try to do too much. If your flight leaves at 11:30, you'll have to return the car at probably 8:30- 9:00. If you rent a car in the city, they may charge you a fortune to return it at the airport. A suggestion would be to have the hotel store you bags for the day, rent and return the car in the city and take a van to the airport. It will probably be less expensive and certainly less stressful.

Thanks for the tips. From other reviews, sounds like visiting the "other" Old Faithful will not be all that worth it for the extra time. Think I will follow your advice and see more of Napa/SF.