San Francisco - Yosemite - LA

Hello everyone!
My husband and I have a wedding in LA at the end of August and decided to fly in earlier to San Francisco and then drive down to LA.
We initially thought of doing the coast passing by Big Sur, but we read there will be loads of traffic in August, so we might want to avoid that.
Our other alternative would be to drive from SF(we have booked 3 nights) to Yosemite and then go to LA with overnight stay in Visalia.
As we'd like a full day in Yosemite, we want to get there the night before. Any suggestions on where to stay close by? I checked lodgings in the park and everything is full (or too expensive). Was looking on the map and places like Mariposa, Groveland and El Portal seem close.
Thanks for any suggestions!

Cheers from sunny Rome.

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

August is pretty much the peak of the peak tourist season for almost every major tourist destination in the US. Certainly, that is going to be the case for your trip to California. You're going to have plenty of company, if you go to Yosemite or down the coast. Now, you should be able to enjoy either of them, but both will have plenty of other tourists.

If you go with Yosemite, the places you've listed would all work well, although keep in mind, you will be looking at about an hour drive into the Yosemite Valley itself from most all lodging outside the National Park. Oakhurst is another spot you might consider, although it is farther from San Francisco than your other ideas, although it would be on the way to LA, if you were looking to spend 2 nights in the same motel.

El Portal may be close, but it's not cheap either. I paid $110 for a room at the Cedar Lodge the first week of October a couple years ago. You may want to check for availability at the Yosemite Bug - that's between El Portal and Mariposa off 140.

Have you checked the availability of the tent cabins in Curry Village in Yosemite Valley?

Thanks for the great suggestions. I checked out Yosemite Bug and they have rooms at 70$ with shared bath so I think we'll go with that.
Any suggestions of what to see in the park? As we only have one day, I was thinking we'd get to do the major attractions but I'm not sure what we can fit in.

When you get to the park you will be handed the park map and a newspaper with all the information. The rangers who hand these out are most knowledgable and will answer any questions you have at that time. If you tell them how long you have and what your interests are, they will be able to show you how to make the most of that time. They are always so helpful and courteous despite no doubt having to say the same thing dozens of times each day.

Lifey

To maximise your time in the park I would opt for Oakhurst over Visalia for your onward journey to LA, it's only a short journey from the south kiosk and has reasonable lodging options and you can still easily reach LA next day.

From the 'Bug' you could head straight to the valley and stop at the various points of interest [as Lifey said, the Rangers are happy to guide you] and then head to Glacier Point road. Glacier point is a short walk from the parking area and will reward you with one of the most breathtaking views you will find with such ease. As you head back down and south on CA41 out of the park towards Oakhurst/Visalia, you will pass Mariposa Grove of giant Sequoia trees near the south kiosk, it's certainly worth the detour if you have enough time remaining.

The national parks have rangers and most of them, including Yosemite, have map and current Visitor's Guide (newspaper) on their websites.

Thanks for the heads up!
This forum is great!