Before you go to Yosemite, you'll want to think about where you want to stay. There are many hotels and cabins and other types of places to stay - Ahwahnee, Yosemite Lodge, Tenaya Lodge and Curry Village - but we aren't talking about facilities with thousands or even hundreds of rooms. So making reservations in advance, well in advance, is advisable.
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Yosemite National Park Hotels
During the summer months, getting lodging inside Yosemite National Park can be very difficult. You may find it easier to look at one of the inns, lodges or cabin rentals outside the park. But if you think ahead there are lots of places to stay both inside and near the park entrances.
There are many options for staying during your vacation. Lodging in and around Yosemite National Park ranges from primitive camps that you set up yourself, all the way up to 4 star deluxe accommodations in Yosemite Valley. There are cabins with rustic wood stoves and canvas sided tents. Yosemite Valley is the most crowded part of the park and it also has the most accommodations. There are also lots of lodging options on the roads leading to and near the entrances to Yosemite National Park.
Hotels in Yosemite Valley
Let's start with lodging inside Yosemite National Park. The lodging ranges from basic campgrounds to the queen of the valley, The Ahwahnee. Delaware North Corporation operates most of the lodging in Yosemite National Park under contract with the National Park Service. Delaware North handles the lodging reservations, not the National Park Service. If you wanted to plan a special event such as a Yosemite wedding in the park, you would use them also. The National Park Service does administer the wilderness permit system and the campgrounds.
Ahwahnee sits on the valley floor with stunning views of Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and Glacier Point. It was first conceived in the early 1920's and completed in 1927 to attract affluent visitors. There are 99 rooms in the main lodge and 24 cottages. Ahwahnee also has magnificent public spaces including the Dining Room and Great Lounge. So even if you don't stay at Ahwahnee you'll want to visit.
Yosemite Lodge at the Falls sits on the valley floor near Yosemite Falls. It is made up of a 249 rooms spread out in a number of buildings. Most of the rooms are called lodge rooms, there are also some smaller standard rooms and four family rooms with extra sleeping arrangements. There are private baths, daily maid service, telephones and limited TV service. There is also a restaurant at Yosemite Lodge at the Falls.
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Rent a cabin in Yosemite
There is also some privately owned lodging such as cabins inside the boundaries of Yosemite National Park. Most of them are rentals in the Wawona area. Alpine Summit House is one of them. It contains four bedrooms with three baths. There are also other places in both Wawona and the Yosemite West area, which is right on the edge of the park. If you rent a cabin, you get your own kitchen, living area and multiple bedrooms. usually you need to rent for a minimum time, but having an entire Yosemite cabin to yourself and your family could be well worth it, especially if you are planning a longer stay with lots of skiing, mountaineering or hiking.
There are also other lodging options in Yosemite.
Wawona Hotel is not in Yosemite Valley. Wawona Hotel is located about 4 miles inside the south entrance to Yosemite National Park. This Victorian style hotel is on the list of National Historic Places. There are rooms, both with a private bath and those that share a bath, in the Wawona Hotel. Most rooms open onto a balcony. There are no telephones or TV's at the Wawona Hotel.
Curry Village was started at the turn of the century, the turn of the century from the 19th to the 20th. It is a large village founded on the principal of affordable lodging in the valley. Curry Village accommodations include three Specialty Cabins with private baths, 100 cabins with private baths,18 standard motel rooms, 80 cabins and 427 canvas tent cabins that share central bath houses.
Even more rustic is the Housekeeping Camp. It too is along the valley floor, next to the Merced River. There are a total of 266 sites in the Housekeeping Camp. They are made up of a concrete slab, three concrete walls, a curtain for the 4th wall and a canvas roof. There are a couple of bunk beds and a double bed. Outside the shelter is a patio with a picnic table. There are shared bathroom and shower facilities. You'll also need to provide your own bed linens.
Tuolumne Meadows Lodge isn't much of a lodge it is made up of 69 canvas tents on a concrete platform. It is a seasonal lodging facility open only during the summer months. The reason, it's at an elevation of 8,775 feet, on the Tioga Pass Road, near the park's eastern entrance off Highway 120. It snows there early in the year and doesn't clear out until well into May.
White Wolf Lodge is also up in what is called the high country. It is open even less than Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, usually not opening until the end of June and closing by mid September. There are four cabins with baths and 24 canvas tents with shared facilities. Bed linens are provided and they have wood burning stoves to help keep you warm.
There are also the High Sierra Camps. The High Sierra Camps are designed to be about a days hike apart. They allow backpackers to lighten their load by not having to carry a tent and sleeping bag or food. There are dormitory style tents and both dinner and breakfast the next morning are provided. If there is enough water available there may be showers and other bathroom facilities available. The camps are Merced Lake, Vogelsang, Glen Aulin, May Lake and Sunrise. The highest is Vogelsang at 10, 300 feet above sea level.
Yosemite National Park has 13 popular campgrounds, of which up to seven are on a reservation system. The others are first-come, first-served. From April through September, reservations are essential and even the first-come, first-served campgrounds often fill by noon from May through September. They are operated by the National Park Service, which handles the reservations. Reservations are required March 15 through November for Yosemite Valley’s car campgrounds and summer through fall for Hodgdon Meadow, Wawona, and half of Crane Flat and Tuolumne Meadows. Campground reservations are available in blocks of one month at a time, up to five months in advance, on the 15th of each month at 7 am Pacific time. Be aware that nearly all reservations for the months of May through September and for some other weekends are filled the first day they become available.
