Beautiful! Go early to avoid traffic.

We were there in September, 2017 and stayed at the Montecito Sequoia Lodge and Family Camp and loved it. Your meals and activities are included in the price and the food is very good with plenty of choices at every meal, including healthy options. It is located in a great location to be able to get to all the sights relative quickly without sitting in long lines along the way. No televisions in the rooms and not very good cell phone reception, but you don't really need it. If you need a great place to stay in Yosemite, the Yosemite Valley Lodge is right in the heart of everything, is a great place to stay, you won't be constantly fighting for a parking place because the shuttle comes to the lodge frequently and will take you anywhere you want to go in the valley. Just avoiding the long lines in and out of the park daily is well worth any extra cost that you might incur staying here!

I would say yes, but hopefully you have an experienced driver. :) The switchback curves can get tight, especially with on-coming traffic. We took a 12-passenger Ford Transit up Pike's Peak and over the Beartooth Hwy in Montana this summer, and it worked. It's just scary on all of these highways (including parts of Sequoia) because many places have no guard rails and the roads aren't very wide. The transit was nice because of the big windows; everyone got a great view, and we even took pics out of the windows. Helpful hint just in case: My family had seasick bands that we wore so we didn't get car sick with all the winding.

While you want to do the trip quickly, please be aware that the hairpin turns on the drive to the park are very dangerous and many people drive like maniacs on those turns, so be aware of that. It might be worth taking more time to avoid such hazards. You can definitely see the major sites in one day if you have good weather and you head out very early. The best part of visiting, however, is really feeling like you are communing with the ancient forest. It's not about the "sights" so much as the experience, which includes even small things like the smell of the air. You'll see.