Any of y’all ever been to Yosemite ?

We were supposed to go in April, but my gf tore her ACL skiing 2 months prior. :/

We had a place booked in a little town that was about an hour drive to the closest entrance iirc. There are several such towns with places to stay outside the park. Obviously staying inside or right outside the park would be ideal, but it just depends on how much you are wanting to spend. My gf and I are thrifty travelers.

We stayed in the valley a couple of nights and in Wawona hotel a couple of nights. I’d definitely try to stay in the valley a night or two if possible. There are some great trailheads there and you’ll be able to get to them first thing. I hiked up to Yosemite falls and got to see the sun come up over the valley. Never saw a soul until I was on my way down way after sunrise. A lot of folks love Yellowstone (as do I), but give me yosemite any day.

Appreciate the information . We are shooting for last few days of June for next summer. 27-30th. Theres a lodge for a decent rate in a little town of Incline right beside El Portal. Would like to stay in the park if we can find something in the 200ish range. (And can get reservations as they fill up very fast I’m hearing ). Planning to pay the big bucks for stays in Monterey/Carmel area for almost a week prior to our drive to Yosemite so wanting to be a little more frugal on the back end of this trip. I saw a YouTube video on the hikes you mentioned. They look incredible. I’m a distance runner and in pretty good shape so I would likely be up for anything as would my teenage stepsons and wife but not sure how we’ll plan to tackle it considering we will have my son who will be not quite 5yrs/old when we go. May have to divide and conquer.

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And can get reservations as they fill up very fast I’m hearing

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They do. I’m not sure if it’s still the case, but the cancellation policy used to be very generous. As a result, people would book the first room available anywhere that fit their schedule and then cancel them later if they decided to stay somewhere else. Cancellations happened a good bit and rooms open up, but they are snapped up quick. I picked up all of my reservations by checking back multiple times a day and grabbing an open room that someone cancelled.

How much was the wawona hotel if you don’t mind me asking. ? Also , where else did y’all stay in the valley ?

What was your favorite thing in the park ? The falls look so cool.

It is an amazing place, and I would absolutely try and stay in the valley. The daily drive and traffic is a pain. I haven’t been in a few years, but they used to release availability in the yurts or the tent/bunks 6 months out to the day, and it books up in a few hours.

The yurts aren’t bad - even if your wife doesn’t like primitive. They are just right next to one another. But the location is great. You can walk from the yurts to to a bunch of trailheads. After your muscles are sore from some amazing hikes, soaking in the river is a perfect relaxing day. If it weren’t for the crowds, it would probably be my pick for most beautiful place in the country. If your dates are flexible, After Labor Day in September would be a good time to go. The crowds are a lot less in September but the weather is still great.

I don’t recall for sure how much Wawona was, but I’d guess $200-$250/night. We had a private bathroom (wife wouldn’t go for the shared bathroom), but the shared bathrooms weren’t bad. I enjoyed the setting of the hotel and walking around he grounds in the evening. The dining room there was very good at the time too.

We stayed at Yosemite valley lodge in the valley and I think it was around $250/night. Nothing special, but it the price beat the $500/night room I had booked at the ahwahnee until the lodge room opened up. The mountain room restaurant there was good too.

I really enjoyed all of the falls, but we went in late July so they weren’t at their peak. Standing at the top of Yosemite, vernal, and Nevada falls and looking down is a pretty cool experience. The hiking in Yosemite is excellent and if you are in good shape I highly recommend hiking up out of the valley and getting some of the world class views. We swam in the Merced river a couple of times on the way back to the lodge after a long hike. The Mariposa Grove is cool as well. I didn’t get to do any hikes in the tuolomne area unfortunately, but they are supposed to be excellent. I tried to get a permit for half dome, but didn’t draw one. We did hike up to Nevada falls (it gets a lot less crowded after vernal falls) and then returned on the John Muir trail. Glacier point road was closed when we went, so I missed all of that. There was a large fire when we were there and all of the fire personnel were staged along the road. As a matter of fact they actually closed down and evacuated the park when we were there (Ferguson Fire 2018). If you have an extra day I would suggest driving to sequoias and kings canyon too. Can be done as a day trip if you start early. There are several fruit stands that you will pass just east of Fresno and I highly suggest stopping in and buying whatever is in season. We picked up some of the best peaches and nectarines I’ve ever had. I’m jealous and plan to go back whenever I have plenty of time for the hikes.

Thanks. What about curry village. They have a little cabin/hotel with rooms and private bathrooms. Looks like for a double bed they’re around 270$ a night. Won’t do much better than that staying in a nearby town in a roach motel.

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Shared bath

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Fine with me. My wife (god bless her ) is a diff story.

This is what I was eyeballing.

We did a San Fran -> Yosemite -> Monterrey trip a few years ago and it was very special. As another poster said Yosemite is probaly the most beautiful place I have every been too (Glacier NP is the only one that I ever went to that made me second guess my thoughts about Yosemite) We rented a home in West Yellowstone and the drive in was about 30 minutes but having a house was good for us. Also dont miss the Mariposa Grove while you are there and do 17 mile drive and Carmel while in Monterey, Enjoy..it's magical.

Glacier Point


17 Mile Drive