- The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square
- Tour begins at The Westin St. Francis at 5:30 PM. A transfer is included from San Francisco International Airport to The Westin St. Francis. Close to the city’s main attractions – with a cable car stop at the front door.
- Welcome cocktail reception and dinner.
Sep 4'th :Muir Woods and The Presidio
- The Westin St. Francis San Francisco
- Head across the city for a visit to the Presidio, a former Army base and now a National Historic Landmark; home to the “Buffalo Soldiers,” who fought in the Indian Wars, and were among the earliest caretakers of the national parks.
- Short drive over the Golden Gate Bridge
- A self-guided tour of Muir Woods a coastal redwood forest preserved as a national monument with some of the tallest living things on the planet.
- Lunch in Sausalito,
- Hop aboard a ferry for the return trip to San Francisco.
- Dock at the historic Ferry Building terminal with its famous clocktower and its arcade of shops and cafés along the Embarcadero.
- The remainder of the day is free.
- Wuksachi Lodge
- Drive a route that follows the Buffalo Soldiers’ path across the agricultural Central Valley.
- Lunch in Fresno
- Board a motor coach for the 7,000-foot climb to Sequoia National Park.
- Afternoon, an expert from the Sequoia Field Institute describes how John Muir found and documented the “Giant Forest” in 1875.
- Tonight at the lodge, a naturalist guides you through the spectacular constellations that fill the night skies.
- Wuksachi Lodge
- Private guided walks among ancient Giant Sequoias
- First walk is in the Giant Forest Grove to see the 2,500 years old General Sherman Tree
- Next walk along the “Big Trees Trail” at Round Meadow with an interpretive naturalist guide.
- Lunch is a barbecue at Wolverton Meadow, where a living-history re-enactor tells stories of mountain life in the late 1800s.
- Travels inside Sequoia National Park are via small 10-passenger vehicles, accompanied by a guide; hear stories of early park “personalities” such as John Muir, Charles Young and Stephen Mather,
- Climb the 400 steps to the top of Moro Rock for views of the park and the peaks of the Great Western Divide.
- Rest of the day is yours to explore as you wish.
- The Ahwahnee
- Head to Fresno and the south entrance to Yosemite National Park.
- Tour begins with a film by Ken Burns describing Muir’s passion for the Yosemite Valley, and his activism to preserve it for future generations.
- Lunch in at Wawona Hotel, an inn that was once a stagecoach stop.
- Lecture by National Park Service ranger on the unique history and legacy of the Park.
- Visit Glacier Point for a stirring view of the Valley, overlooking Half Dome and a panorama of glacier-formed peaks
- This evening dine at leisure at The Ahwahnee
- The Ahwahnee
- Guided Yosemite tour in an open-air vehicle, with opportunities to explore on foot.
- Afternoon is yours to enjoy the park at your own pace.
- Optional activities: bicycling, hiking over the footbridge at Vernal Falls, and visiting Yosemite Indian Cultural Museum and Village.
- Lunch and dinner are on your own today.
- The Fairmont San Francisco
- Depart Yosemite for San Francisco,
- Visiting the Mariposa Museum,
- Drive across the Central Valley with a stop for lunch.
- Watch filmed narratives by Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan: Stories about the glacial valley the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir
- Arrive late afternoon at The Fairmont San Francisco, listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
- Tonight a farewell cocktail reception and dinner
- The Fairmont San Francisco (Gift of Time)
- Special add-on tour to be arranged
- A transfer is included from The Fairmont San Francisco to San Francisco International Airport.
- Allow two hours for flight check-in.
