San Francisco Circular 8 – A wonderful trip leading to the gems of western United States. This route begins and ends in San Francisco and is perfect for those who want to get out and back into the city. Due to long distance between San Francisco and Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (which are the first anchor of this trip), the route includes relatively long drives. The areas covered by this route include the Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce, and Zion National Parks. In addition, the route includes several National Monuments, State Parks and other sites as well as a visit to the cities of Las Vegas and San Francisco. This trip includes driving the Tioga Pass road in Yosemite that is open for a relatively short period every year (see opening and closure dates here).
Day 1 – Arrive to San Francisco and spend the afternoon in the city
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 2 – Visit San Francisco
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 3 – Enjoy one more day in San Francisco
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 4 – Start driving east, on the way you may stop here, or if you have time you may make a detour to Lake Tahoe or enjoy this place in Reno, 3.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Reno
Day 5 – Continue driving east towards the town of Twin Falls, ID. On the way you may stop here and near Twin Falls you may visit Shoshone Falls, 6.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Twin Falls
Day 6 – Continue driving east towards the town of Jackson, WY via Craters of the Moon National Monument, 4.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Jackson
Day 7 – Enjoy a day in southern Grand Teton National Park plus participate in outdoor activities (rafting, horseback riding etc.) near the town of Jackson, less than 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Jackson
Day 8 – Drive north through Grand Teton to Yellowstone National Park. In Yellowstone visit the West Thumb Geyser Basin and then drive north through Hayden Valley towards the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Canyon Lodge
Day 9 – Visit the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and afterwards drive west towards the town of West Yellowstone. On the way you may stop at Norris Geyser Basin, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: West Yellowstone
Day 10 – Visit the Upper Geyser Basin and the Midway Geyser Basin, 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: West Yellowstone
Day 11 – Visit the Lower Geyser Basin and after – drive to Mammoth Hot Springs and tour the springs, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Gardiner
Day 12 – Drive east in the Lamar Valley and in the early afternoon hours exit Yellowstone through the Beartooth Highway, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Red Lodge
Day 13 – Drive to Cody and visit it’s great museums, 1 hour drive
Lodging location: Cody
Day 14 – Drive south through Wyoming to Flaming Gorge. On the way you may stop in the small town of Thermopolis that has hot springs and petroglyphs, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Flaming Gorge
Day 15 – Embark on a short rafting trip and then drive south to the Dinosaur National Monument (visit the area circled in red in this map – that includes a wall full of Dinosaur skeletons, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Vernal
Day 16 – Visit the area circled in blue in this map that includes great views and afterwards drive south to Moab (Utah), see route map here, 5.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Moab
Day 17 – Visit Arches National Park, 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Moab
Day 18 – In the morning visit Canyonlands National Park (Island in the Sky district) and if you have time – Dead Horse Point State Park, and in the afternoon – go on a short rafting trip from Moab, 1-1.5 hours drive in each direction
Lodging location: Moab
Day 19 – Drive to Bryce National Park through highways 12 and 24, and on the way visit Capitol Reef National Park. If you have time it is also recommended to make a detour for a short visit in Goblin Valley State Park, 5 hours drive
Lodging location: Bryce
Day 20 – Visit Bryce National Park and in the afternoon drive to Zion’s Canyon (through amazing highway 9), 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Springdale (Zion)
Day 21 – Visit Zion National Park, short drive
Lodging location: Springdale (Zion)
Day 22 – Drive to Las Vegas and visit the city, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Las Vegas
Day 23 – Enjoy Las Vegas
Lodging location: Las Vegas
Day 24 – Drive west to Mammoth Lakes, 5 hours drive
Lodging location: Mammoth Lakes
Day 25 – Cross north Yosemite National Park along the scenic Tioga Pass HWY (route 120) and go on short hikes along this route, 3 hours drive
(the Tioga Pass HWY is usually open from the end of May/June until October. See status here)
Lodging location: Yosemite Valley or Yosemite West, or El Portal or Buck Meadows
Day 26 – Travel and hike in Yosemite Valley, short drive
Lodging location: Yosemite Valley or Yosemite West, or El Portal or Buck Meadows
Day 27 – Visit Glacier Point and Mariposa Grove in south Yosemite and drive to San Francisco, 5 hours drive
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 28 – Fly home
– In order to fill this route with content – see our California, Northwest USA and Southwest USA destinations pages, where you can find articles that include suggestions what to do in various locations along this route.
