We are heading to Yosemite in Oct and have the choice of a motel room at Curry lodge or a room at Yosemite lodge? Which one is better for quality, location, and food services? Also we'll have 3 days of hiking and this will be our first visit. What are some of the trails we need to take? We can hike about 8 miles a day. Thanks

You can get around almost anywhere in Yosemite Valley by shuttle bus.

I'd say Yosemite Lodge has better overall food with the Mountain Room Restaurant (only dinner though) and the Mountain Room Lounge, plus the cafeteria. Curry has a lot more variety with the Pizza Patio, and all-you-can-eat buffer for breakfast/dinner, and a taqueria. If you're looking to eat, I'd say you wouldn't want to just eat in one area.

I'm not familiar with any motel rooms at Curry Village. I though there were only cabins and tent cabins, along with a limited number of rooms at Stoneman Cottage. Neither location you mention is going to be terribly fancy or anything. It's sort of basic NPS accommodations.

Personally I'd think the Upper Yosemite Fall Trail would be a great experience, although I'm not sure what the weather might be like in Oct. I've only hiked it in winter.

I believe they are referring to the Stoneman rooms. My preference would be a Deluxe Room in the Lodge (what most Yosemite long time visitors call it for short). Request a room with a view of Yosemite Falls, although it may not be flowing at that time, but those rooms are nicer, IMO. I've stayed at both the standard and deluxe rooms at the Lodge as well as cabins and Stoneman rooms.

As far as food choices, ypw pretty much covered it. My preference for Pizza is the Loft in the Village, but it will likely have limited hours in Oct, so you'll have to check the Yosemite Guide when you arrive, or better yet, print it in advance to help you with your planning. http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/guide.htm (of course, you'll have to wait till the Fall guide is published)

There are free shuttle buses that can take you all around the eastern end of the valley, so getting from the Lodge to Curry and back again is not a problem, of course, you can also drive yourself, October isn't gridlocked like it is in summer.

BTW, if you haven't set dates yet, the later in Oct you go, the more fall color you will get to see.

First time visitors are almost mandated to take the Mist Trail to the top of Vernal Fall, and Nevada Fall if you are so inclined to go that far. The falls won't be raging like spring, but they do flow all year. And you won't get wet like in spring/summer due to the reduced flow. A great, all day hike is the Panorama trail from Glacier Point down to the valley floor. The best way to do this, IMO, is to drive your party to Glacier Point, leave your car, and then the next morning, one person rides the bus back to GP to pick up the car. Of course, if you have two cars, then you can save the money, but it is better for one person to ride and pay, than the whole party, and you can get an earlier start.

A hike I really enjoy is to the top of North Dome, which sits directly across from Half Dome. This starts from the Tioga Road. One day spent up in Tuolumne Meadows is something I highly recommend. Go to Dog Lake, to the top of Lembert Dome, walk around the meadows. Then drive to the Tioga entrance station and take the short 1 mile hike up to Gaylor Lakes.

Have fun!

Another popular option is a day trip drive to Glacier Point with day hikes to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point/The Fissures. The primary trailhead for Sentinel and Taft is the same (you just go in opposite directions) and the trailhead is about a mile or so on the left before Glacier Point. Taft Point is directly across the valley from El Capitan. Sentinel Dome and Glacier Point provide classic high level views of Half Dome, Tenaya Canyon, and Little Yosemite Valley/Merced Canyon plus a glimps of the distant high country. I think one of the best high level views of Yosemite Falls is from Sentinel Dome.

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hotrod4x5
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A hike I really enjoy is to the top of North Dome, which sits directly across from Half Dome. This starts from the Tioga Road.. . . snip . . .

If you have the time, and the logistics to do a one-way from Tioga Road to the Valley( i.e. you've taken a bus, or have two cars ) it's nice to continue west along the rim from North Dome to Yosemite Point, and go down the Yosemite Falls trail back into the valley. Be sure to catch the vistas at the Yosemite Point railing, the Upper Falls railing, and "Oh-My-Gosh-" point.

Curry Village has cabins, not motel rooms.

Under no circumstances take the tent cabin at CV, since they are primitive and have no electricity or running water. The Stoneman House is part of Curry Village but the rooms there are more expensive and really no better than the CV cabins. Yosemite Lodge has better and more modern rooms than Curry Village, and you do have a cafeteria where you can eat. The food in Curry Village is pretty bad (the pizza tastes like cardboard), but the ambiance is far superior, IMO, to Yosemite Lodge.

For years I stayed at Yosemite Lodge, but much prefer Curry Village now. If you're sensitive to noise, be wary of CV, because many families stay there and kids roams all over with their bikes. Hope this helps.

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Ulysses61
Curry Village has cabins, not motel rooms.

. The food in Curry Village is pretty bad (the pizza tastes like cardboard), but the ambiance is far superior, IMO, to Yosemite Lodge.
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Pretty bad is a bit harsh. I think their pizza is pretty good, not as good as the Loft, but not bad. And their buffet is decent as well.

The buffet at CV is pretty good, I will agree there.

We'll have to agree to disagree about their pizza, however.

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Ulysses61
The buffet at CV is pretty good, I will agree there.

We'll have to agree to disagree about their pizza, however.

Truth be told, I haven't had the CV pizza since probably 3 years ago. I had their buffet and pizza from the Loft a couple months ago.

Pizza at Camp Curry was always a treat for us campers, the quality varied, but man has the price gone up in the last couple years. Used to be a good deal to feed the family, bot now it's pretty expensive.
Is the cross dresser still hanging around the Pizza Patio at night? Anybody who's seen him will know what I'm talking about. He puts on quite a show with his costumes and dancing and prancing.