Re: Lodging & Travel Guide Book for Yosemite

Hi all!

I'm planning a week-long vacation to Yosemite the beginning of June, 2013. As a single traveler, the rates for lodging in or near the park are outrageous! I currently have a reservation at Cedar Lodge near El Portal, but I am still searching to see if there is a more reasonably priced alternative that I am missing. I want a hotel room or cabin or something similar. No camping/tent camps etc. I'm a wuss!! I want to be inside the park or as close to the park as possible, but not in a densely populated area - less than a 30 minute drive to Yosemite Village if possible as the Village looks like a central point in the park. Yosemite West looks good from here, but it seems all their rentals are meant for couples or families or large groups. Again, very costly. If I'm missing something, please help me out!!!

If anyone has any reccommendations for general information guide books (like Moon guide books) and/or hiking books (like 100 Hikes In Yosemite), I would really appreciate your input.

Thanks in advance for your help!!

Jo Ann

Be somewhat adventurous and try the Yosemite Bug. They have great food and a great spa. Rooms/cabins go from $25 to $155

In June, the least expensive accommodations inside the park (or within one hour from Yosemite Valley) with a private bath would be the cabins with bath at Curry Village. The next would be the standard rooms at Curry Village or the Yosemite Lodge. If you don't mind not having a private bath, the cabins without bath at Curry Village would be a slightly more affordable option. Also a room without bath at Wawona Hotel in south Yosemite would be a somewhat more affordable option too.

Unfortunately, all the lodging accommodations inside Yosemite National Park are overpriced. The Park Service has failed miserably in keeping the cost of the most economical accommodations (Curry Village) at a reasonable rate. Unfortunately, that just the way it is. Write to your Congressperson or the National Park Service to lodge your protest if you like.

Outside of the park, the Yosemite Bug at Midpines as recommended by Dave is a good choice for a more reasonably priced lodging. A bit more expensive, but still reasonable is the America's Best Value Inn located in Buck Meadows (about one hour to an hour and 15 minutes from Yosemite Valley).

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Thanks for both answers!!

What is the difference in the drive from The Bug to Yellowstone Valley and the drive from Yosemite Cedar Lodge to same?? I realize the accommodations in no way resemble each other, but the price difference may not be enough to justify a longer drove every day (4 days) to/from the park. Also, The Bug has a bunch of mixed reviews on TripAdvisor. While I take all the reviews with a grain of salt, the disparity between the good & bad reviews is huge! It seems people either love The Bug or hate it!!

Finding a room is way harder than I thought it would be! I need to win the lottery so cost would be no hurdle! LOL

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jaschlott
Thanks for both answers!!

What is the difference in the drive from The Bug to Yellowstone Valley and the drive from Yosemite Cedar Lodge to same??

The drive from The Bug to Yellowstone is about 450 miles.

From The Bug to Yosemite is about 25 miles, 30 minutes or less.

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I realize the accommodations in no way resemble each other, but the price difference may not be enough to justify a longer drove every day (4 days) to/from the park. Also, The Bug has a bunch of mixed reviews on TripAdvisor. While I take all the reviews with a grain of salt, the disparity between the good & bad reviews is huge! It seems people either love The Bug or hate it!!

If you want first class accommodations and expect way too much and are way too persnickety, the Bug is not for you. If you're adventurous and easy going, then it's just fine. An example, there's only two or three items on the menue for dinner. You go up to a counter and order it. Then they bring it to your table when it's cooked. When it's busy, you might have to sit with total strangers. It is NOT a 5 star hotel, but a hell of a lot more fun. I'm pretty sure they also have a shuttle of their own, or you can ride the local transit bus and when in the park use the park shuttles. You can do that from Cedar Lodge too.

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Finding a room is way harder than I thought it would be! I need to win the lottery so cost would be no hurdle! LOL

I tried, but the lotter is not cooperating.

Thanks Dave! Yeah. The Yellowstone trip would be long! LOL Last year's trip was to Yellowstone and it just rolls off my fingers better than Yosemite!

I'm leaning toward The Cedar Lodge for the first 3 nights and The Bug for the last two. Save some driving time in the beginning, but get a chance to enjoy the rustic ambience at The Bug. I love the possibility of meeting new people! When you travel single, it is the best part! No need for 5 star. If The Bug were closer, I'd probably stay there the whole time!

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jaschlott
Thanks Dave! Yeah. The Yellowstone trip would be long! LOL Last year's trip was to Yellowstone and it just rolls off my fingers better than Yosemite!

I'm leaning toward The Cedar Lodge for the first 3 nights and The Bug for the last two. Save some driving time in the beginning, but get a chance to enjoy the rustic ambience at The Bug. I love the possibility of meeting new people! When you travel single, it is the best part! No need for 5 star. If The Bug were closer, I'd probably stay there the whole time!

Why not just stay in the Curry Village tent cabins? As mentioned no private bath but I or my family have stayed in them dozens of times and never had a bad experience. The issue is "bad experience" is always in the eye of the beholder. I think Curry Village sometimes gets a bad rap but for me its not hard at all to overlook an occasional noisy neighbor.

And besides you would be REALLY close to the world renowned Curry Pizza Deck!

Thanks for the suggestion! I think I'll pass on the tent cabin thing, but why is it I think a visit to the "world renowned Curry Pizza Deck" should be on my agenda??

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jaschlott
Thanks for the suggestion! I think I'll pass on the tent cabin thing, but why is it I think a visit to the "world renowned Curry Pizza Deck" should be on my agenda??

Beware of the negative campaign against the Pizza Deck. Californians have notoriously bad taste in pizza and unfortunately some don't appreciate the greatness of the Curry Pizza Deck.

And Jo Ann, after you appreciate the wonders of Curry Village Pizza, reflect on the fact that the person who steered you there, unaccountably, has 'chicago' as part of his username.

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chicagocwright
Californians have notoriously bad taste in pizza

I think you are confusing us with New Yorkers.

New York, Chicago whichever . . . Looks like I have to check out the Pizza Deck! Thanks!!

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eeek

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chicagocwright
Californians have notoriously bad taste in pizza

I think you are confusing us with New Yorkers.

Some of the best pizza I have ever eaten was in New York. But, there is a difference between New York and Chicago style pizza so it can be hard to compare. By the way, I am not a native Californian so that can't be figured in my pizza reviews. LOL

Hiking = fun thing to do.

In June, the waterfalls should be at full gallop, so any hike that gets you a view of them would be worth doing.
Mist Trail is the obvious choice, with Vernal and Nevada. This will be crowded, but just push people out of
the way.
If you only have time for one hike, give the 4 Mile Trail to Glacier Point a look. It can be done in less than
half a day, but can also morph into an all day hike, by going to Sentinel Dome, Taft Pt., Panarama Trail, etc.
Might be the best bang for buck hike from the Valley floor.

Get the legs in shape prior to, and you'll have the time of your life.

You can get a condo at Yosemite West for less than the cost of a room at Yosemite Lodge. Small condos start at $115/night. You also have the advantage of having a small kitchen to cook your meals and that will save you money. There are several rental agencies that handle the condos. As a single woman you might also want to consider staying at one of the B&B's in Yosemite West which are also less than a Yosemite Lodge room. Some of the Condos or B&B's are less than what Cedar Lodge would cost but are more than a Curry Cabin. Yosemite West is also a good location if you want to go to the Valley, Glacier Point and Wawona. If you are interested in Yosemite West, I can post some of the websites.

As Plawrence said, there is always the cabins at Curry. They are less than Cedar Lodge and while not as nice as the rooms in Cedar Lodge or what you would get in a Yosemite West condo, but you are right there in the Valley.

If you can tell us what your price range is then people could narrow down their suggestions to something that would be within your budget.

Duh about the budget. I could have thought of that!

My top price right now is $185 including all taxes per night. Outside of the condos at Yosemite West, everything else there looked outside my budget. The condos get some pretty rough reviews. I'd rather stay at The Cedar Lodge, 15 minutes from the entrance, than do the condos. I don't need fancy, but clean is important!! An affordable B&B in Yosemite West would be very cool. Travel dates are 6/2 thru 6/7. Things are booking up fast!

I would appreciate any links you would like to post!

Thanks!

The condos tend to get some iffy reviews. The condos are own/run by multiple companies/owners and some that we stayed in were nice and others were dumps. I suggested them because they are in a good location, you have a kitchen and we don't spend much time inside when we are in the park. Also some people are expecting Mammoth type condos and are not prepared for the more "rustic" Yosemite West condos so they give really bad reviews.


There are also apartments in bigger rental houses at www.yosemiteretreat.com and www.yosemitesunset.com

The B&B that consistently gets good ratings is Yosemite High Sierra B&B at yosemitehighsierra.com Just be prepared to climb some stairs.

There is also the Peregrine and Falcons Nest B&Bs. yosemiteperegrine.com. Recently they have been getting mixed reviews some warranted some not.

The number one, even my mother would stay there, place that I suggest is Alpine Escape and their website is : yosemitehouse.com The owners are fantastic and the apartment is only a few years old and has just about anything that you can wish for. It would be my first choice to stay at in Yosemite West unless you have a lot of people and want to rent a cabin/house.


One reason that I suggest Yosemite West is it's location and the fact that you can get away from the summer crowds up there and still be near things in the park.

Thanks Parklover for your helpful suggestions!! Some of those are booked, but there are some open. I am going to do a bit more research today. Just FYI, yosemitesunset.com no longer exists. Perhaps they have changed their domain name? If I choose to stay in Yosemite West, the dining options shrink considerably, is that correct? I know. I know. They have kitchens, but I'm on vacation. Don't mind packing breakfast & lunch stuff, but would prefer to have someone else cook for dinner.

Just to get a handle on the driving/distance issues, is Yosemite West really any closer to being central than staying in Cedar Lodge, which is just outside the park entrance? On a map, it just doesn't appear to be the case. I hope to take in most of the park if possible. The hike to Nevada Falls is the only actual planned hike I have at this time, but I'm there to see as many waterfalls and other Yosemite highlights as is possible in four days. That is why I am scheduling my trip for the first week in June. Hopefully all the roads will be open, the water will be rushing and maybe the crowds will be low!!

Thanks again for taking your time to answer my questions!!

Jo Ann

Opps I forgot a s in the website that does not work. It is www.yosemitesunsets.com.

As for driving distances and time, it depends on what you are looking for and where you are going.

There are no restaurants or places to buy food in Yosemite West so if you want to go out to eat or buy groceries then you have to go to the Valley or to Wawona. There are restaurants at Cedar Lodge and Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal. I have never eaten at Cedar Lodge but I have had both good and horrible meals at Yosemite View Lodge.

As for location to other things. It takes a bit longer to drive from Cedar Lodge to the eating places and the major sights in the Valley than from the top part of Yosemite West. Because of the one way roads in Yosemite Valley - you will have to drive past the intersection near Bridalveil in both cases and then on to the east end of the Valley. (This will make more sense if you look at a map.) It has been a long time since I have driven from Cedar Lodge to the Mountain Room but Google maps says that it is 39 minutes. I have made it from Henness Circle in Yosemite West to the Mountain Room in less than 25 minutes because there was no traffic at all. It also depends on where you stay in Yosemite West because if you stay at the lower part than that will add 5 minutes or so to the driving time. One thing to remember is that you have to go through a entrance gate if you stay at Cedar Lodge and there can be a delay if there are a lot of people going into the park so that would add more time.


If you are thinking about going to Glacier Point, Wawona and the Mariposa Grove than Yosemite West is closer both in time and distance than staying at Cedar Lodge or in the Valley. If you are going to Tuolumne Meadows then Cedar Lodge may take less time than staying in Yosemite West or the Valley but I have never time that out so I don't know for sure. I agree with marmot and if you want to be central to every thing then stay in the Valley. I do have a weakness for staying in the Valley because all you do is have to walk outside your door and there you are.

In early June Tioga and Glacier Point roads may not be opened so keep that in mind when planning your trip. It all depends on how much snow there is and if they can start plowing the roads before then. Early June is not as crowded as the rest of the summer because many kids are still in school and you get the extra benefit that the water falls are usually at their full volume around that time.

FOOD in the park: I prefer the pizza at the Loft over Curry but to each his own. I don't like the pizza at the Lodge at all. Breakfast at the Lodge Cafeteria is good but I have mixed feeling about dinner and have never eaten there for lunch. Degnan's have great sandwiches and they open early so you can get a sandwich in the morning and take it with you when you hike. If you want to eat at the Ahwahnee then go for lunch. It is less expensive than dinner and you don't have to dress up for lunch but you do for dinner. The Ahwahnee bar has a limited menu and it is nice to get something to eat and/or a drink and go sit outside and look at the view if you don't want to eat in the dining room. We like the Mountain Room at the Lodge for a nice meal and it is not as expensive as a dinner at the Ahwahnee. If you eat there ask to sit in Vince's area. You can also get food at the bar at the Lodge. I have not eaten at the Curry Buffet in years so I can't say how it is. We also like having lunch or dinner at the Wawona Hotel. No matter where you eat, food in the park is over priced but you can also say that about other National Parks.

I second everything that parklover said. I'd also add some additional reasons to at least visit the Hotel Wawona:

• As the oldest, continuously operating hotel in California, it is historic and charming
• As parklover said, the food is generally very good, if a bit pricey (on Saturdays they do a BBQ on the front lawn...I've never partaken but it seems VERY popular).
• On Tuesday through Saturday nights, you absolutely must go hear Tom Bopp play piano in the lounge (times vary from season to season but he usually starts somewhere between 5&6 and plays for 3 or 4 hours). Tom is very knowledgeable about Yosemite history (especially in the Wawona area), he's a walking encyclopedia of American popular music from the late 19th through the mid-20th century and he is, generally, an extremely entertaining and funny guy. Although I don't go to Yosemite just to hear Tom, I've never gone to the Park and not seen him.

Jo Ann, if you're a waterfall junkie and are reasonably fit, don't miss Chilnuana Falls in Wawona. It provides an incredibly varied hike through all sorts of terrain, ending up 2700' up at the top of the Falls. Most of the elevation gain (except for a short section at the very beginning) is quite gradual so this is fairly easy and will show you woods, meadows, granite outcroppings, steps along a raging river and more. It's one of my favorite hikes in the lower section of the Park.

Another great one that will get you away from a lot of the crowds is the series of falls along Crane Creek as it makes its way downhill from the Foresta area and is joined by Little Crane Creek. There's an old dirt road that goes from the end of the residential area in Foresta and ultimately goes down to El Portal. Walk the first few miles and you'll encounter at least 3 spectacular (one quite large) waterfalls (I say "at least" because Crane Creek goes over a long series of cataracts through this area so exactly how you count is sometimes a bit arbitrary). Note that, except for the first one (Foresta Falls), these are un-named falls but well worth a visit. Be sure to continue a few hundred yards beyond the 3rd waterfall (the one on Little Crane Creek) and look back across the gorge for spectacular views of Crane Creek careening down the mountain.

You mentioned that you plan to go to Nevada Falls (an excellent choice...standing at the top of Nevada and looking down is one of my favorite places to be...anywhere! I'm not kidding when I describe it as one of the most profoundly spiritual places I've ever encountered). Assuming you plan to take the Mist Trail in at least one direction, wear quick-dry clothes and carry a change of socks. Also, have plastic bags to wrap any electronic or other "must-stay-dry" stuff. Seriously. In June, climbing the Mist Trail is a lot like being out in a low-grade hurricane. It's very windy with an extreme amount of moisture whipping around you. Don't let that scare you...it can be a lot of fun, especially on a hot day but, as they say in the amusement parks, you WILL get wet on this ride! FWIW, I typically go up the Mist Trail, cross the Merced at the bridge near the top of Nevada Falls and then come down the JMT. In fact, one of my favorite points of contrast is going from the raging fury of the river at the top of Nevada into a normally quiet and peaceful glen in the woods very shortly after you cross the bridge (if the winter turns out to be as heavy as it appears, this won't be entirely peaceful and you may need to do some rock-hopping as parts of the trail will be under some water but the contrast is still remarkable).

Also, don't miss the dozens of ephemeral waterfalls which flow only in late Spring/early Summer. Even tiny ripples coming down the side of a rock face can give rise to stunningly beautiful outgrowths of moss, ferns and small flowers.

Do be careful, though...rocks along the rivers (and especially near waterfalls) can be VERY slippery. Stay on posted trails and you'll be fine.

I'd better stop there or you'll be wondering how you can see all of this in 4 days (answer: you can't so plan to return repeatedly for the rest of your life! )

DaveK42 - That a great list of waterfalls and hikes and fun stuff! Thanks so much! I will be making dinner reservations for the Wawona for sure!

Now that I've settled my lodging dilemma, I can head on to making hiking & dinner plans.

Thanks again for all the time you took responding to me! I am going to be printing out the answers here and taking them with me on my trip!

Jo Ann

Parklover - Thanks so much for all your help! I finally settled on a condo at The Yosemite Peregrine in Yosemite West thanks to your referral. Whew! A full-time job looking for lodging! Now, not only can I get on to planning the balance of my stay, I can also get back to work! LOL

I love all the info you have shared both lodging and food! So nice of you to take your time to help out!

Looking forward to my trip. Knowing me, I'll have more questions!

Jo Ann



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2013 12:18PM by jaschlott.

I hope that the condo will work well for you. I have not stayed in those ones but they know that they have been remodeled and are nicer than some of the other units. There are bears in the area so follow the "bear rules" and don't leave food or scented articles in your car. On one of our stays, someone left a car window opened and from our balcony we watched a bear climb right through the window. There was no food in the car so the bear immediately climbed back out. If you would like a nice walk with a view at the top, hike to the Henness Ridge Fire Lookout. Walk up the road past the condos and turn left where the road goes into a circle. The second street (it is on the left) is Azalea. Walk to the end of Azalea and follow the trail/road that goes towards the water towers. The trail/road goes in back of the water towers and the fire lookout is about 0.6 miles from there.

Thanks Parklover! I'll check that out!

I'd love to see a bear! I spent 10 days in the Grand Tetons & Yellowstone and never came close. Good thing, I guess, since they have Grizzlies! LOL

If you want to save a money on a hotel just camp, or go backpacking. wilderness permit = free. otherwise, i know wawona is great, yosemite west is very nice as well



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2013 08:03PM by marmot.

Remember, in her own words, she said that she was a wuss so no camping or tent cabins.

ah yeah just saw that, re edited my post It would help if they posted what they wanted to do or what parts of yosemite they plan on visiting if location of lodging is of significance. over the years i've spent working in Yosemite I've found that people often wish me to plan their trips for them when they arrive, rather than provide a fun suggestions on things to do or where to stay. If you are planning on spending the experience here visiting a different part of the park each day, then the valley is your best bet to stay in as it is a central location between tuolumne and wawona. Just depends which part of the park you will spend the most time in or what you plan to do



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2013 08:14PM by marmot.

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marmot
ah yeah just saw that, re edited my post It would help if they posted what they wanted to do or what parts of yosemite they plan on visiting if location of lodging is of significance. over the years i've spent working in Yosemite I've found that people often wish me to plan their trips for them when they arrive, rather than provide a fun suggestions on things to do or where to stay. If you are planning on spending the experience here visiting a different part of the park each day, then the valley is your best bet to stay in as it is a central location between tuolumne and wawona. Just depends which part of the park you will spend the most time in or what you plan to do

I'm glad to hear the valley is my best bet to stay for seeing the whole park. That was a helpful suggestion. I'd happily stay in the valley if reasonably priced lodging in a hotel or cabin was still available for my trip dates!! Just FYI, currently for my travel dates there are only tents in Curry ($125) and one type of room in The Wawona Hotel with no private bath ($154). That's for the ENTIRE park. That's all that is available!!

As a first time visitor to Yosemite and being just in the planning stages, I'm still working out what it is exactly I want to do and see. What is obvious to me is if I don't get lodging now for my trip in June, there won't be any place to stay! I don't want to be surrounded by wall-to-wall humanity if I can avoid it at all. I'm not into camping or backpacking, but I am into hiking and enjoying the wilderness, such as we humans have left it. I visited Yellowstone late last August. I was in the park for 6 full days and managed to see it from one end to the other doing several hikes etc. I didn't just drive the park. I experienced it. I hope to do the same with Yosemite in the 4 days I have.

I don't need anyone to plan my trip for me. I just hit this board looking for some suggestions about lodging and hiking guide books from people in the know that might not be immediately obvious online. If you have some "fun suggestions on things to do or where to stay", I'd like to hear them.

The motel style accommodations in the park start booking one year and one day in advance, so it is not surprising you found nothing with less than half a year away for your trip.

But because many people do book their rooms a year in advance, there tends to be a lot of cancellations, especially six weeks to a week before the dates one is seeking.

I've almost always have been able to find a room with a private bath at either the Lodge or Curry Village two to four weeks out, even in the middle of June, by regularly checking DNC's Yosemite website multiple times a day.

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We stayed at the Cedar Lodge for our one trip to Yosemite in June of 2011.It's not luxurious, but we found it very convenient. And they have a bar, which is a plus I'd definitely stay there again if we ever go back (we live in Wisconsin).

If it were just me, I'd backpack and camp in the park; but the missus likes to have a bed and indoor plumbing every night So we used the Cedar Lodge as a base for several excellent day hikes and it worked perfectly for that.Getting into the park was never a problem, since we went pretty early every morning. Getting out was sometimes a challenge, though. For example, we did Half Dome on June 21, which unbeknownst to us was a free park entry day that year. It took us nearly two hours to get from the Happy Isles trailhead parking back to the Cedar Lodge--after 12 hot dusty hours on the trail (As a side note, that was the year the cables went up on June 22nd, the next day. We stopped at the sub dome, not wanting give the loose cables a try.But it's still a long walk in the woods. The Mist Trail up to the top of Nevada Fall is great, but the hike after that is nothing to write home about. There are many way better day hikes I'd recommend, like the Yosemite Falls trail for example.)

And if you think you're too late to book a room now, here's a funny story: We arrived at Cedar Lodge at around 5:00 on a Saturday afternoon, and there was a couple at the desk who had just showed up that afternoon without a reservation, and they were mad that the place was fully booked! They'd been trying all over to find a place, and hadn't been able to find anything. I can't imagine heading off to a place like Yosemite without any reservations on a Saturday in June expecting to find a place to stay!

Oh, and I had the Moon guidebook, but some of the best tips I got were from this forum. I also recommend going on a ranger-led hike if you can. Whenever we visit a new National Park, we use the ranger-led hike to find out things you just can't get from the guidebooks. The one we did in Yosemite was from Glacier Point to Illiloutte Fall. It was led by Ranger Dick Ewart, who I had no idea at the time is a real Yosemite stalwart. He gave me lots of great tips for the week.

No matter what you do, you'll love Yosemite. And listen to the folks out here--they know what they're talking about

Thanks Scott!

I did settle on a condo in Yosemite West finally. I can see the folks on this site have lots and lots of great information they are willing to share! Very cool!

Maybe by the time I get back, I will have some advice too!