To bypass Yosemite during California road trip?

[PissyDressingGown]

I know some of you are knowledgable on USA so I'm hoping to put forward my idea and ask if I'm being unreasonable to Miss off something that everyone raves on about.

We're flying to San Francisco in August. That's the only bit we have booked, the rest is still to organise.

Original idea was 4 nights in SF, 3 nights in Yosemite and then down to LA.

However I'm thinking now of scrapping Yosemite and just doing a straight line down - so it would be 3 nights in SF, 2 nights in Monterey, 2 nights in Big Sur and then on to LA.

I'm worried I'll be missing out if I don't do Yosemite though?!

Las Vegas will be hotter than you can possibly imagine if you are going July/August. Literally too hot to go outside.

I did a Ca road trip in mid-August aeons ago from San Fran, taking in Muir Woods (the tall coastal redwoods), wine, Yosemite, Grand Canyon (north rim - much less visited), Bryce Canyon, Lake Mead, Vegas (twice) San Diego, Tijuana, LA (Disneyland!) and Hollywood and finally back to San Fran.

Bryce Canyon and Yosemite were utterly unmissable even though the waterfalls were dry at that time of year. I found Vegas to be the pits and never want to go near the place again. Hot (93F at 9pm) and roach-infested. Yuk. LA quite fun to say I'd seen Beverly Hills, the hand and footprints and the walk of fame, but that was pretty much it.

Yosemite is amazing but I'd say you could do less than 3 nights. We just did a day (with an overnight stay the night before) and then drove back to San Fran. We were super tired after a day walking but seeing the giant sequoia trees was amazing and the views are stunning!