Phil was our driver, and he did a great job giving us interesting information about San Francisco and the areas on the way to Yosemite. He played good music with themes for the area we were in, which I actually enjoyed. He also did a great job keeping us away from crowds as much as possible, and his enthusiasm for the beauty of Yosemite came through in his presentation. We took snacks and water with us, but Phil stopped about halfway there at a grocery store so the group could use the restroom and buy breakfast, coffee and snacks, and he also recommended we buy sandwiches for a picnic lunch, which we did. That was a good call! We got several photo opportunities, and we had about 1.5 hours to ourselves at lunchtime, then another hour to tour the giant Sequoias. On the drive back, he played “Free Solo,” the documentary about Alex Hannold, who free solo climbed El Capitan. The film was more impactful after standing at the foot at that beast of a rock—very enjoyable.
The only negative came on the ride home. I don’t know if Phil had to keep to a schedule, but he was driving really fast and took most of the curves coming out of Yosemite so quickly that he didn’t stay in the lane and crossed the center line repeatedly. My husband is a pretty aggressive driver, and it even made him nervous.
Some notes—it’s hot in Yosemite this time of year, not at all like the temperature in San Francisco. Dress accordingly. There are several areas you’ll be hiking into that are steep. Be aware and try to prepare if you have bad knees or a bad back by taking any appropriate medication, such as Motrin or Alene, before you go. Wear sturdy, comfortable shoes—not flip flops!
As my review title said, I think this was an overall good tour, and I recommend it.