Yosemite Valleyand back, in a day
Four hours of driving each way for five or six hours on the valley floor. It is a long day and we will not pretend otherwise — but it is the only way to see Yosemite from SFO without renting a car or booking a hotel.
A plan, not a schedule
A reference itinerary, not a fixed program: change the stops or their order within the hours and the area your quote confirms. Times hold unless the day changes them, and it usually does.
One car, one price
Your driver stays with you for the whole block — no re-booking between stops, no waiting for a car in a parking lot, no meter running while you decide.
- A private car and driver for your group alone, for the hours you book
- Door pickup — SFO curb, hotel, or home
- Fuel, tolls, parking and driver hours — and the park's vehicle entry fee, with the entry reservation when the park requires one
- Bottled water; child seats on request
- Stops changed on the day, within the hours and area you booked
- Meals for your party
- Tasting fees, entry and attraction tickets
- A tour guide — the driver drives and waits
- Hours past the listed day — $75–$140 each
- Gratuity is not required or expected
One shot at the park
International visitors on a short Bay Area stay, families who do not want to drive mountain roads, and travellers between conferences who have exactly one free day. Yosemite draws millions of visitors a year and SFO is the gate many of them arrive through.
Winter runs on CA-140 instead, chains are our problem, and Tioga Pass is closed roughly November to May — Glacier Point and Tuolumne Meadows are summer-only additions.
A night in the park is better
Thirteen hours is a real day, and sunrise on the valley floor is the thing people remember. We run a two-day version — the car and driver stay with you, you book a room in Oakhurst or Groveland. If you can spare the night, spare it. If you cannot, this day still beats never seeing it. The two-day version is quoted by hand: send the dates and we price it.
Is park entry really included?
Yes — the vehicle entry fee and any timed-entry reservation the park requires are handled and priced in. You do not queue at the gate window.
What if it snows?
We reroute to CA-140, the all-season entrance, and carry chains. If the park closes the valley outright we move your date or refund the day — you will not pay to look at a closed gate.
Can we hike?
Yes. Mist Trail to the footbridge, Lower Yosemite Fall, Cook's Meadow loop all fit. Tell the driver your plan and where to be; the car waits at the trailhead, not the hotel.
Is there a guide?
No. This is a private car and a driver, not a guided tour: the driver knows the roads and the timing, drives, and waits at the trailheads. Ranger programs in the valley are free.
Ready when you are
Tell us the date and the party size and we come back with the car, the hours and a fixed price — usually within the hour, any day of the week.
Ten languages by phone, text or WeChat (yakaainc) — and ask for a driver who speaks yours when you book.