Re: Curry Village Showers

I was at Yosemite last weekend-camped at North Pines. Wonderful weather. Had a great time.

But I was a little bit dissapointed to find out that Curry Village Showers is charging $5 for anyone who is not residing at Cury Village. The charge is for showers only. I think $5 is too much. If they have to charge then one option is to make the showers coin-operated.

Also does someone know where else one can take showers for free.

abm

Five bucks? Last year I was only charged $3. It's actually on the honor system. There's no credentials check at the door (part of the buildings are actually public restrooms open to anyone).

Seriously though - I used the Curry Village showers twice on my trip last year. The first time (before my wilderness trip) I paid the $3 at the front desk. The second time (when I got back) a different clerk refused to take any money and told me to just take the shower. He even offered me a towel.

Of course I'm not advocating anyone use the showers without permission.

I've used various coin-operated pay showers last year. The Fallen Leaf Lake campground near Lake Tahoe charged $1 for 3 minutes. I was ready to deposit another $1 but managed to get everything done quickly. I remember taking a shower at Lodgepole in Sequoia NP. It was something like $3.50 for something like six minutes, with a 1 minute extension for each additional quarter deposited before it shuts off. The problem is that the timing mechanism seem to be mechanical and doesn't indicate how much time is left. My wife got ticked off because the shower cut off on her before she finished, even after depositing extra quarters. I remember over at the Mazanita Lake store in Lassen Volcanic NP, there are public coin-op showers. The price was maybe 50 or 75 cents for several minutes. If I knew, I would have brought a towel with me just to wash up after a long-day hiking.

If you're using a timed coin-op shower, you can maximize your time by washing some areas first. You can usually wash your arms and face in a sink first, then finish up other areas in the shower.

Here are a few options near Mammoth. I don't know if you'd go that far for a cheaper or free shower.

http://www.visitmammoth.com/static/index.cfm?contentID=86

I think a few RV parks have token operated showers.

---

Here's another alternative. Not ideal, but you get 35 of these for less than the cost of a single shower at Curry Village. They kept me from smelling completely putrid in the backcountry, and are decent for avoiding that sticky feeling of sunscreen and insect repellent before heading for the sack.

http://www.playtexproductsinc.com/wetones/wo_outdoors.asp

y_p_w wrote:

> Five bucks? Last year I was only charged $3. It's actually on
> the honor system. There's no credentials check at the door
> (part of the buildings are actually public restrooms open to
> anyone).

y_p_w,

I ve been visiting Yosemite at regular intervals since 2006 but never paid or saw anyone charging money for the showers.

In anycase now there is always some attendant at the showers and they are allowing free showers only if you ve show them keys of your tent cabin.

Though their hours of operartion is from 7am-11pm. Beyond that timeframe its free for all.

abm wrote:

> y_p_w,
>
> I ve been visiting Yosemite at regular intervals since 2006 but
> never paid or saw anyone charging money for the showers.
>
> In anycase now there is always some attendant at the showers
> and they are allowing free showers only if you ve show them
> keys of your tent cabin.

I guess things have changed. Last year I wasn't sure where the pay showers were supposed to be, although I read that public showers were available at Curry Village. All I saw was a sign saying that showers were for Curry Village guest use only. Again - on my two trips to the front desk I was charged the first time (at the front desk - not given a receipt), and told to just use it without paying the next time by a different clerk on duty.

> Though their hours of operartion is from 7am-11pm. Beyond that
> timeframe its free for all.

I would have thought that they would have shut down the showers at night for regular maintenance.



Post Edited (06-09-08 14:41)

abm wrote:
> I ve been visiting Yosemite at regular intervals since 2006 but
> never paid or saw anyone charging money for the showers.
>
> In anycase now there is always some attendant at the showers
> and they are allowing free showers only if you ve show them
> keys of your tent cabin.

I've never once had any indication you have to pay for a shower there, and always use the showers when staying at the campgrounds; I'm guessing this is a summer thing (Only time I've stayed in summer was at the Lodge so never needed a Curry shower).

The campground page
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/campground.htm
doesn't say anything about a fee; I've always just walked right in...though I bring my towel etc.; maybe if you asked for a towel they'd want to charge you. five bucks is a lot though; according to a sign in the lobby at the Lodge, the park facilities are not supposed to be more expensive than similar facilities outside the park (right....).

You told him you were staying at the campground, and he specifically told you that you'd have to pay? I'd have raised a stink about that...



Post Edited (06-10-08 10:09)

---

Gary
Yosemite Photo Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/yo

Sierrafan wrote:

> You told him you were staying at the campground, and he
> specifically told you that you'd have to pay? I'd have raised
> a stink about that...

I don't mind paying a small fee for a shower that I am not otherwise paying for (upkeep isn't free, after all) - but $5? That seems steep.

---

Wilderness forever,
Bruce Jensen

bpnjensen wrote:
> I don't mind paying a small fee for a shower that I am not
> otherwise paying for (upkeep isn't free, after all) - but $5?
> That seems steep.

If I were passing through or a day hiker not staying in the park or backpacking, I'd probably welcome availability of a shower at $5. But staying and paying at a campground in a location with electricity and running water would probably expect they'd have shower facilities...if not included, at least a minimal fee.

$5's not much to argue about, but a family of 4-6, say taking a couple of showers during a stay of several days gets a little pricey.

I still think it's probably just due to the high number of summer visitors; when the park is packed every day, and if there were free unattended showers, word would get around. Even in May there were some lines there at 5-6PM, and if the people staying at Curry have to wait forever, that's not reasonable either. Maybe they figure the $5 will keep out the ones who might just want a quick hose-off on a hot day, where a buck wouldn't.

---

Gary
Yosemite Photo Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/yo

Near Mammoth and quite free:



http://yosemitephotos.net/main.php?g2_itemId=2255

They used to charge for showers in the 90's at the curry village shower house and the pool showers...$2 from what I remember. Its been a long time though since they have charged for showers...thats too bad to hear. Especially since the condition of the shower house has declined greatly in the past few years.

miguel wrote:

> They used to charge for showers in the 90's at the curry
> village shower house and the pool showers...$2 from what I
> remember. Its been a long time though since they have charged
> for showers...thats too bad to hear. Especially since the
> condition of the shower house has declined greatly in the past
> few years.

I clearly saw a sign last year with the "rules" for using the Curry Village shower facilities. One was that they were shared facilities, so be reasonable about how long you use them. The other was that they were for the use of Curry Village guests only.

At least last year payment for taking a shower (when not a Curry Village guest) was supposed to be paid at the front desk, and was on the honor system.

Wow! 5 bucks? We go to Yosemite every year and count on a shower at Houskeeping camp whether we stay there or not and we have never been charged. Guess I had better save up for gas money and shower money for the trip this year. Or fill a bunch of 5 gal jugs and leave 'em in the sun...

I go with the baby wipes idea. Don't need no stinkin' showers. Shave at your campsite (rechargeable razors are very handy) and be sure to pack everything into the bear boxes, especially the wipes!

Vince wrote:

> I go with the baby wipes idea. Don't need no stinkin' showers.
> Shave at your campsite (rechargeable razors are very handy)
> and be sure to pack everything into the bear boxes, especially
> the wipes!

I got back from my trip this week and I did use my rechargeable razor. I would have liked to pack everything into bear boxes (just to avoid cramming everything back in the car) but only saw one campground with individual boxes.

I encountered a variety of different shower facilities, including ones that I didn't necessarily use. Some campgrounds had nearby shower facilities, others had ones a decent drive away, and others required one to find a private shower somewhere.

At Crater Lake's Mazama Camground there was a public shower facility (several stalls separated into men's/women's) which was coin-op for 75 cents. Didn't use it though, so I can't comment on the experience.

At Kalaloch Camground (really nice campground right on the beach) at Olympic NP there were no shower facilities. There were supposedly places one could get a shower. I used the public hot springs pools at Sol Duc Hot Springs at ONP, but that was $11 and towels were extra (wish I had brought my own). That included shower use, but they charged $3 for daily shower use only.

The KOA in Port Angeles, WA of course had adequate showers, including two shower-only rooms (one each for men and women) where you could lock the door.

At Mt Rainier it was interesting. The only public showers were at the Jackson Visitor Center (open 10-7) and are maintained by the NPS and not a concessionaire. They had two co-ed single showers where you can lock the door behind. It was only a quarter for what a ranger described to me as "seven and a half minutes of lukewarm water". There was no way to control the temperature or flow of water. For me it varied from nice very warm shower to lukewarm as described; and that was during the same shower. The coin-op mechanism was a little bit strange. It required the quarter to be inserted with a knob turned counterclockwise. Then the mechanism is wound by turning all the way clockwise. The cycle is then started by turning it back counterclockwise and to the "ON" position. If you're done you can turn off the shower by turning slightly clockwise. I only took about 3 minutes, so I tried turning it on and off several times, which I guess can be done if there's still time left. A sign said one quarter while the mechanism said four quarters (might have been changed at one time). My wife couldn't figure it out and eventually put in five quarters before she got it working, although I figured it out with a single quarter. They're building a new visitor center and supposedly these showers are going down with the dismantling of the old visitor center. Nobody I talked to know if there were going to be new shower facilities at the old one. I'd hope they would have some, since these NPS-provided ones were the only showers available to campers anywhere nearby.

What about Housekeeping? Do they charge there? I always shower there because of the zoo that is Camp Curry. I've never had a problem there, but then again I'm usually going late, so maybe the attendant (half the time he isn't there) doesn't care.

Seriously, it costs money to maintain the facility. I believe you also get use of the pool when it's open, and a towel.
There's even soap in the dispensers, and it's usually fairly clean.
The water is hot, and it doesn't turn off after a certain amount of time, and you don't have to leave the
park. After a few days or weeks in the backcountry it is money well spent.

When I stayed in the tent cabins for a couple of years running (about 3-4 years ago) they always made me show my room key to use the shower. And I'd swear the sign somewhere said $5 for non Curry Village guests. Somebody was always manning the entrance every time I went.

Oops. Just realized this was an old thread. Oh well. :-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/2016 02:31PM by JohnC.

I recommend paying the money.... the rest of us will breathe easier.