Re: Short Notice Lodging Near Yosemite

I know most of you probably camp when you come, and that's all I've done in years past as well, but I'll be going to Yosemite with my girlfriend on October 22-23 and will need somewhere to stay the night of Oct. 22nd near the park (I'm pretty certain everything within the park is booked) that's indoors. Any suggestions on places you've staid or heard about that weren't too terrible? The closer to the east or south side of the park the better. I've done a lot of searching on Trip Advisor and some smaller "tip" sites about Yosemite lodging but haven't found too much, and I know a lot of users here have seemingly infinite wisdom about all things Yosemite. Thank you in advance

I just looked up that date and there are heated and non heated tent cabins at Curry and housekeeping camp has some units in Yosemite valley. However, those are not "inside" lodging.

There are rooms available in Oakhurst at several places. We have stayed in the Shilo Inn before and while the decor is a bit dated, it is clean. The other places we have not stayed in so I can't tell you from personal experience what they are like. I would go on trip advisor and get some reviews because some of the places are just OK. The Best Western is supposed to be nice. Oakhurst is around 1 hour from the valley.

Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal has rooms for the 22nd and is about 20 minutes or so from the valley. I have not stayed there in quite a few years so I don't know what it is like now but it does get good reviews. The nice part is that it is close to the park.

Yosemite West has all kinds of places to stay from condos to houses. It might be hard to get something for one day during a weekend. There are several rental agencies so I would google Yosemite West Lodging to see the lodging and hope that one of them has that one day opened. Several agencies handle the condo rentals there so there is some variation on how updated the unit is, some are pretty basic and others have been redecorated. Depending where you stay, it will be about 20 minutes to the Valley. In Yosemite West there is a place called Alpine Escape that I know has that weekend opened but they usually have a two day minimum on weekends but you could always ask if they will do one night. We have stayed there and it is a really nice rental and the owners are great.

The Redwoods in Wawona has houses for rent but they probably have a minimum stay on weekends. You would have to check their website.

There are also cabins in Foresta which I have never stayed in and don't know much about.

Hope this helps.

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parklover

I just looked up that date and there are heated and non heated tent cabins at Curry and housekeeping camp has some units in Yosemite valley. However, those are not "inside" lodging.

If choosing between those two options, it's a no brainer, the camping units at Housekeeping Camp are MUCH NICER than the canvas tent cabins at Curry Village.

Each camping unit at Housekeeping includes two adjacent bear-proof storage lockers, a fire pit, a table, chairs, electrical lights and outlets, and covered patio. You can cook your own food at Housekeeping unlike any accommodation at Curry Village. You can also usually park your vehicle nearby your camping unit at Housekeeping, unlike Curry Village. (I also think the location of Housekeeping Camp is nicer (next to the Merced River) than Curry Village.)

For motel accommodations outside of the park along Hwy 120, I would recommend the Americas Best Value Inn - Yosemite Westgate Lodge in Buck Meadows. That's usually a bit less than an hour drive into Yosemite Valley (and only a 20-minute drive to the Yosemite Park's entrance station on Hwy 120).

A quick check shows that it still has some rooms available for the night of Oct. 22. The website shows the room rate between $119 to $132 for that night.

That helps a lot parklover. I think you've helped me narrow it down quite a bit.

Yosemite Bug - Cabins of various luxuries, and a hostel. In MidPines on 140 just before the descent into Merced Canyon. Very Good Food.

You mentioned south side of the park. Look for motels in Oakhurst, there are quite a few and I am sure one has vacancy. It's about 60-70 mins to the valley from there. Take 49 to Mariposa then the 140 into the park from Oakhurst as a quicker option than the 41 all the way, unless you are planning to visit the Wawona grove. There are also motels in Mariposa.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2011 07:34AM by hotrod4x5.

opps add another 20 minutes or so to the time from Oakhurst to Yosemite Valley. I am used to going to friends in Yosmite West and that is a bit shorter.

Right now I'm debating between Yosemite Lodge (depends on pricing, one of the members here informed me he was canceling a reservation and would let me know a time to call and snag it) and a place in either Oakhurst or Sonora. Prices in Oakhurst and Sonora are comparable, but obviously the locations are quite different. I'm leaning toward Sonora because the reviews for a Best Western Plus there are high and I'm thinking we could get up early Saturday, drive directly to Wawona Grove (my girlfriend wants to see the Giant Sequoias), go to the valley from there, and then go to Sonora for the night. Then, Sunday morning, if the conditions are right we could somewhat quickly get to 120 from Sonora and do some of the higher elevation site seeing. If the conditions aren't right and the pass is closed, we could do something near Hetch Hetchy as it's somewhat closer.

Am I wrong in this thinking?

Thanks again for all of the advice!

Sonora is REALLY far northwest of the park. Oakhurst is a much better choice, and A LOT closer to the Wawona grove. If your goal is the grove, then Oakhurst is your best choice.

But, where are you coming from?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2011 09:39AM by hotrod4x5.

Coming from San Fran. According to Google Maps the travel time from the hotel in Oakhurst to the Tioga Pass is actually longer than the travel time from the hotel in Sonora to the pass. Either way, it seems whether I stay in Oakhurst or in Sonora that I'll be driving further on one of the days. Each one is closer to some of the stuff I want to see and further from some of the stuff she wants to see. I don't mind driving though. Call me crazy, but I actually enjoy driving in Yosemite.

Oh ok, coming from San Fran. On the 120? I guess Sonora would be a good choice, keeps your first days drive shorter.

Either way my first day's drive will be long. I won't be going directly to the hotel from San Fran. The hotel will be nothing more than a place to sleep, take a shower, and get free "breakfast." If I spend any more than two hours there (in addition to sleep) then I will have wasted my time. So in other words, it'll be where we crash Saturday night after going directly to a trailhead from San Fran early Saturday. The more I map it out on Google Maps, the more it seems I'll be driving a lot regardless of whether I pick Sonora or Oakhurst :p. I think I may just convince her to skip to Sequoias this time and perhaps see them in the spring. I've been to the grove already, and while it's cool, I don't think it compares to doing hikes off of 120. With a 4 hour drive from San Fran and a 4 hour drive back to San Fran, over the period of a weekend, that eats up a lot of time. Driving back and forth between southern Yosemite and 120 will eat up even more time that we don't have.

So, I think my itinerary may look something like this:

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Kentfield,+CA+94904&daddr=Happy+Isles,+Yosemite,+Yosemite+National+Park,+CA+to:19551+Hess+Ave,+Sonora,+CA+95370+to:Tuolumne+Meadows,+CA+to:Kentfield,+CA&hl=en&ll=37.816293,-120.020142&spn=1.855074,4.22699&sll=37.766372,-119.599915&sspn=1.856328,4.22699&geocode=FZIaQwId8Oyx-ClXLZNApZCFgDFL1TwFPR8bKg%3BFVj3PwIdwjDf-CHZa517NEOJcw%3BFdd_QwIdYdjT-CmXKJEaZc-QgDHWYDzLpzVqoA%3BFTztQQId_Nzi-CkdOTg5mvCWgDEenb7H13LeSw%3BFZIaQwId8Oyx-ClXLZNApZCFgDFL1TwFPR8bKg&vpsrc=6&mra=ls&t=m&z=9


If we're able to get a room at the Yosemite Lodge then that will take away roughly 2 hours of travel time, and then we'd be able to more easily go to see the Sequoias.

Lastly, I feel like Sonora may perhaps be the safer bet in terms of making alternate plans if there is snow at higher elevations. If I understand correctly, it seems like there is a pretty good chance Tioga could be closed by the time Oct 22-23 rolls around, and staying the night at Sonora would mean a trip to Hetch Hetchy, rather than the Tuolumne area, wouldn't be too far away. Or is Hetch Hetchy inaccessible from that direction since the road to it comes off of 120?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2011 11:04AM by dqniel.

Good choice on the Bug for location. Didn't realize you were going straight to the Valley, then back to the lodging. In that case, the closer the better. Bug is a bit further than El Portal, but not as far as Oakhurst or Sonora.

If you need gas, the little country store in Midpines usually has decent prices, about 30 cents under El Portal or Crane Flat.

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hotrod4x5
about 30 cents under El Portal or Crane Flat.

The El Portal station is closed.

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eeek

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hotrod4x5
about 30 cents under El Portal or Crane Flat.

The El Portal station is closed.

Permanently?

Staying either at Sonora or Oakhurst is still a quite a bit driving based on your tentative itinerary. Why spend hours (and it will be hours) on the road traveling to and from your lodging, if there are closer accommodations available? If there are suitable accommodations available inside Yosemite, or outside of the park in El Portal, Midpines, Mariposa, Buck Meadows, Groveland, or Fish Camp, all of those would be preferable than lodging in either Oakhurst or Sonora.

If it wasn't so late in the season, I would even recommend staying in Lee Vining, east of Yosemite, but you would be gambling about the weather and if Tioga Pass would be open during your visit.

Staying in Sonora wouldn't be a bad option for the night before (Friday, Oct. 21st) if you could leave to Yosemite on Friday evening. That would enable you to get in early to the park on Saturday morning.

And if cost of the lodging is an important factor, then also remember to take into account the cost of gasoline too and the amount of extra fuel you'll have to purchase if staying overnight on Saturday farther away from the park than necessary.

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If you're looking only for a place to crash at night, why don't you just stay at Housekeeping Camp, or if you need heated accommodations, at a heated canvas tent cabin at Curry Village? Also, as someone else had already recommended, the Yosemite Bug in Midpines would be a good place (and an affordable place) to crash for one night.

And regards to seeing a Sequoia grove, remember Yosemite has two others, the Tuolumne Grove near Crane Flat and the Merced Grove between the Hwy 120 entrance station and Crane Flat off of Big Oak Flat Road. Both of these sequoia groves are a lot smaller than the Mariposa Grove, but I think they would fit better with your tentative itinerary, and there will be far less people at either of these sequoia groves compared to the Mariposa Grove.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2011 03:44PM by plawrence.

For my girlfriend, a private bath will be necessary, so Housekeeping Camp and Curry Village won't be possible. Looking further into Yosemite Bug it seems like a real option. They have a room for $85 that has a full bed and a private bath. That almost seems to be too good to be true for the price. Also, leaving Friday night isn't an option. We have late dinner plans with my brother (also lives in San Fran).

As far as the gas money, you're right Plawrence, and I've looked into that thoroughly. It seems the added mileage would add about maybe $10-15 in gas. We drive a Honda Fit and generally get very good gas mileage. The time, to me, is more important that the added gas cost.

Thanks to you and AlmostThere for the Yosemite Bug recommendation, and sorry if it seems like I'm being too picky about the accommodations. I've stayed in Curry Village, Housekeeping Camp, and various campgrounds around Yosemite. The tent-camping was great (it was at Porcupine Flat if I remember correctly) but we won't have access to a tent or camping materials this time. Due to the loudness and dirtiness of the general area, I never want to do Curry Village or Housekeeping Camp again. I also don't think my girlfriend would be happy with Curry Village or Housekeeping Camp.

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plawrence
And regards to seeing a Sequoia grove, remember Yosemite has two others, the Tuolumne Grove near Crane Flat and the Mariposa Grove between the Hwy 120 entrance station and Crane Flat off of Big Oak Flat Road.

Ooops. I think you're thinking of a different grove that starts with an "m": Merced Grove. Either the Tuolumne Grove or the Merced Grove could be a good alternative. They're much smaller than the Mariposa Grove, but have big trees!

Another budget option is one of the two cabins at Indian Flat RV Park; I don't know if they'll meet your needs or standards.

I've heard good things about Yosemite Bug, but haven't stayed there myself. Midpines is about an hour to Yosemite Valley.

I think Sonora is way too far away for a Yosemite visit. Would you stay in Dixon to visit San Francisco? Buck Meadows or Groveland are better choices.

Yes, I meant to say the Merced Grove. Thanks for catching my error.

I decided to go with the Yosemite Bug. For the price and location for a room with a private bath and heat, I don't think it could be beat on such short notice. I've also heard good testimonials from some of you. Thank you so much to those of you that gave suggestions- you helped a ton!

Now I have to just pray for good weather.

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dqniel

I decided to go with the Yosemite Bug. For the price and location for a room with a private bath and heat, I don't think it could be beat on such short notice. I've also heard good testimonials from some of you. Thank you so much to those of you that gave suggestions- you helped a ton!

Now I have to just pray for good weather.

You got the great weather you were praying for, so how did your trip to Yosemite turnout? Were your accommodations at the Yosemite Bug alright, or would you or your girlfriend prefer something a bit more upscale for your next visit?

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Thanks for the tip. My guess is that I'll be driving the majority of the way and I've got a light foot. I can usually get 40MPG+ with her car, and that sure will help with the cost of gas around Yosemite.

On certain websites, there are nice offers for Curry Village - the unheated tents. This month, the last 10 days or so. Depending on day, $29 or $39.

Bring a good sleeping bag, some extra blankets. Wool/Polyester clothing. Wouldn't be bad.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2011 08:46PM by Ohnivy-Drak.

i stayed at the narrow gauge last winter. 59$ dollar rooms sometimes when its not peak season. I've also stayed in oakhurst and the inn. offseason for about 80$. the lady at the restaurant at the yosemite view lodge once told me deals can be had when its not their busy season. she said u just have to ask sometimes. never actually stayed there though...