Waterfalls, towering granite, and scenic meadows entice 3.5 million people to travel to Yosemite National Park every year according to the National Park Service. The park is the perfect destination for backpacking, camping, hiking, and exploring miles of trails and thousands of feet of elevation. Visitors who want to see the wonders of the park but aren’t quite ready to rough it can stay in a Yosemite hotel.
Hotels in Yosemite
The most upscale of the Yosemite hotels is the Ahwahnee Hotel. Specially designed and built in the 1920s at the base of some of Yosemite’s signature cliffs, this Yosemite hotel offers standard, classic, or featured rooms that can be combined with a parlor to create a suite. Junior suites and cottage rooms are also available. Public spaces showcase the hotel’s design, and meeting rooms offer balcony views of Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, and Glacier Point. The renowned Ahwahnee Dining Room is known for its annual world-class culinary events that take place between late October and early February. Prices vary through the season, generally starting around US$470 per night.
Another lodging option is Yosemite Lodge at the Falls, located centrally in Yosemite Valley near the base of spectacular Yosemite Falls. Rates start at about US$220 per night, and guests can choose from standard rooms, slightly larger lodge rooms, or family rooms. Many of Yosemite Valley’s natural attractions are in close proximity: Yosemite Falls, Sentinel and Cook’s Meadows and their surrounding rock spires, El Capitan, and views of Half Dome along the Merced River. Dining is available in the Mountain Room Restaurant and more casual options can be found in the nearby Mountain Room Lounge and food court.
A third option for Yosemite hotel seekers is Curry Village Lodging, also known as Camp Curry, named for David and Jenny Curry, proprietors of a tent camp there in the early 1900s. Although composed mostly of canvas tent cabins, Curry Village Lodging also offers a small number of standard motels rooms in Stoneman Cottage and about 60 hard-sided cabins with baths. The cottage features a wide veranda for relaxing; the cabins have decks or patios. Prices start at about US$110 per night. Nestled in the woods at the base of the Glacier Point cliffs, Camp Curry is a center of park activity. Two shops and half a dozen dine-in and take-out eateries are part of the camp and adjacent to the cottages and cabins.
Hotels Near Yosemite
For visitors who don’t mind lodging outside Yosemite Valley, there are several hotels near Yosemite that allow convenient access to the park. Tenaya Lodge is just two miles from the southern entrance of Yosemite National Park. The recently remodeled mountain resort offers deluxe rooms, extended double deluxe rooms, junior rooms, and spa rooms as well as deluxe and luxury suites. Cottage rooms separate from the main lodge are available for guests who want additional privacy. Indoor and outdoor restaurants provide intimate and casual dining. Tenaya Lodge is convenient for year-round recreation in Yosemite and at nearby Badger Pass winter recreation area. The lodge also has a spa and an open-air ice rink. Rates vary seasonally and start around US$175.
Just two miles south of Tenaya Lodge in the historic town of Wawona is the Wawona Hotel. The Victorian-style structure opened in 1879 and currently offers rooms with and without baths, with the option of combining rooms into suites. Rates start around US$150 per night. Badger Pass winter recreation area is 30 minutes from the Wawona Hotel, and tours to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias depart daily May through October. The hotel is closed during parts of the winter.
Near the western entrance to Yosemite National Park on scenic Highway 140 are Yosemite View Lodge and Cedar Lodge. Yosemite View Lodge is directly outside of the park border in the village of El Portal. Guests can choose from standard rooms, spa rooms, family rooms, and master and honeymoon suites, all situated right on the Merced River's banks within view of Yosemite's granite. There are two restaurants and a lounge on the premises, and rates start at about US$150 per night.
Cedar Lodge is located in the stunning Merced River Canyon just eight miles from the park entrance. It offers a room selection similar to that of Yosemite View Lodge as well as private river access and a restaurant and lounge. Nightly rates start around US$115. Additional attractions at Cedar Lodge include hiking and recreation in the surrounding Sierra National Forest and on the Merced River, designated a wild and scenic river.
Plan Ahead to Stay at a Yosemite Park Hotel
With so many people visiting the park each year, reserving a room in a Yosemite hotel will require some advance planning. Few would say that it’s not worth the effort, however. Hotels in Yosemite Valley and close to the park's entrances offer a variety of options for a memorable visit to a Sierra Nevada treasure.
Nancy Jacoby - Nancy Jacoby is a freelance writer and scientific editor residing in California's San Joaquin Valley. She has a bachelor's degree in ...
