California Gold Country, Monterey, LA

Not sure if it is because your date is a Saturday and September is still a very popular month to travel, but rates seem high for the date in the area. I tried looking in Marina and also in Santa Cruz and even in Santa Cruz two star motels were listed at over $150 and up for that date. Salinas is kind of a dump with some crime problems so I would avoid that town.

@55vineyard
Maybe you missed my comment. Lodging rates are high due to a big golf tournament at Pebble Beach.

I don’t think San Juan Bautista is that far from Monterey, but I was assuming that it would be followed by a night in Monterey, after the golfers have departed.

I'm not sure actually, if we'll be hiking in Yosemite on Friday 28th and probably spend the night in Mariposa, what could we do on the 29th? Should we still visit Monterey, sleep in Aptos or San Juan Bautista and then spend the next day in Monterey?

If you have a spare day, you could add a tour along Hwy 50 after So. Lake Tahoe to visit the numerous Apple Hill orchards and wineries. They start a bit after the Pollock Pines exit, and go as far west as Placerville and bit beyond. You could include a diversion south on Hwy. 49 to see real gold country - Sutter Creek. The Apple Hill scenic drive has at least 25 orchards - some with shops offering jams, etc., at least 6-8 wineries. Pumpkins, fudge, berries, iris garden, cider; Time Out resort and spa. Hwy 49 will eventually meet Hwy 120 to enter Yosemite from the west. Or another day at So. Lake Tahoe to visit Grover Hot Springs, Virginia City.

I don’t think San Juan Bautista is that far from Monterey, but I was assuming that it would be followed by a night in Monterey, after the golfers have departed.

I doesn't take all day to get from Yosemite to SJB or Salinas or Aptos, and I assumed they would have that afternoon / maybe evening in Monterey-Carmel and then return to their cheaper accomm, then move to Monterey for the Sunday night.

They could make Saturday a very full day by visiting some Gold Country, or Santa Cruz and coastal redwoods, and only go to Monterey on Sunday morning.

Where can I find out if the 17-mile will be closed?

Perhaps contact Pebble Beach Golf Club, or the Carmel City Council, or Visitors Bureau.

I did some looking to see if there was any indication that the 17-mile drive might be closed. There isn't There might be more traffic than usual if you hit it at the wrong time of day. Some people who do the drive stop to check out some of the golf courses. That might not be possible.

I'll go on the record as saying I think it's overrated. Nice views and fancy houses, but there are other places to see them. Mr. Nutrax, on the other hand loved it, so we took it in whenever in the area. He was a golfer and enjoyed seeing famous courses he'd never be able to afford to play, and loved doing photography there.

17 mile drive

Thanks to all of you. I managed to change my reservation to San Juan Bautista which is definitely a better option (@55vineyard great info about the crime in Salinas, I had that doubt reading motel reviews). @junglejurd yep I should have one full day and half a day, hopefully it will be enough. @nutraxfornerves thank you for checking

It's only a couple of hours + from west of Yosemite NP to San Juan Bautista ... and you can visit the mission fairly quickly. So I'd probably visit either Columbia State Park as suggested, or my preference - the redwoods close to Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz itself offers only modest reward to the visitor.

SJB is interesting for a short time - you can imagine Clint Eastwood types shooting spaghetti westerns there.

Salinas is kind of a dump with some crime problems so I would avoid that town.

We've stayed in a lot of nondescript towns in North America ... usually for logistical reasons, or availability/price. So long as there's a supermarket nearby, we're happy ... and are generally unconcerned and unaffected by stories of crime or anything else undesirable.

yep I should have one full day and half a day, hopefully it will be enough.

Not quite sure what this relates to, or how it fits into your timetable as described, but if you're happy, so am I!

We recently returned from Gold Country. If in the area an important place to visit is Coloma, CA which is North of Placerville on Hwy. 49. This is the location of Sutter's Mill on the South Fork of the American River where gold was discovered in the saw mill traces resulting in 10's of thousands to rush to California. Sutter Creek is South of Placerville but a different town.

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