Day 1: San Francisco

Meet in the lobby of our base hotel at 4:00pm, where your tour leader and driver will greet you. Drive over Golden Gate Bridge; stop for walk at an overlook in Marin headlands; enjoy dinner in the lovely bayside town of Sausalito; receive your travel documents and get to know your travel companions. 1 night in San Francisco. We will gladly help you reserve nights before the tour, to allow more time in San Francisco.

Day 2: San Francisco – San Juan Bautista – Mariposa

Travel along the Pacific Ocean on scenic Highway 1. Our first stop is at a marine preserve where we get a closer look at the coastal ecosystem. At midday we step into California’s Spanish colonial past at the San Juan Bautista Mission.

Day 3: Giant sequoias – Yosemite National Park

Today we explore the famous Yosemite National Park, a highlight of our journey, with short hikes (up to 2-1/2 hrs). Enjoy the incredible views from Glacier Point, and hike among the largest and some of the oldest trees of the world, the Sequoias of the Mariposa Grove. We picnic in the Yosemite Valley along the Merced River and enjoy the unique cliffs and waterfalls of the area.

Day 4: Yosemite National Park – Tioga Pass – Mono Lake – Bridgeport

Today we drive over scenic Tioga Pass (elevation: 9943 feet, 3031 meters) crossing the Sierra Nevada mountain range. We stop for a hike over beautiful glacial meadows. On the east side of the Sierras we explore alkaline Mono Lake with its otherworldly Tufa formations. We also visit California’s largest mining ghost town at Bodie State Historic Park. Tonight we stay in farming community of Bridgeport

Day 5: Bridgeport – Lake Tahoe – Virginia City

A scenic drive along the Sierra Nevada mountain range leads to the clear waters of Lake Tahoe. We’ll enjoy magnificent views today, stopping for an easy hike to an alpine lake. We will continue to Virginia City, a Nevada city rich in frontier history, including mining, trading, and shoot-outs. 1 night in Virginia City.

Day 6: Fort Churchill – Pony Express Station – Tonopah

Following the loneliest road in America, Hwy 50, we reach Fort Churchill, a way station on the Pony Express and Overland Telegraph route. There is a visitor center and the nearby Buckland Station, a Pony Express stop and former hotel built in 1870. We stop at Walker Lake for picnic and visit Tonopah’s historic silver mine, once the largest in the state. One night in Tonopah’s historic Grand Hotel.

Day 7: Extraterrestrial Highway – Cathedral State Park – Ely, Nevada

A drive on the Extraterrestrial Highway, known for UFO sightings is a unique experience. We picnic at the ET Rest Area and arrive at a fascinating State Park for a short hike and lots of unusual photo opportunities and fascinating rock formations. In the evening we reach Ely, a copper mining town in the outback of Nevada. One night in Ely.

Day 8: Great Basin National Park – Salt Lake City

Today we visit the museum and region of the Nevada Northern Railway, with its historic steam train. Then we climb from low-lying desert to high elevation Great Basin National Park. We take a hike up through mountain scenery to the bristlecone pines (9800 ft /3000m), the oldest living trees in the world, bent and twisted from surviving in harsh conditions. Spend the night in a small town in Utah.