Evergreen Lodge prepared tents or Curry Village at Yosemite
 

We have the option of going to Yosemite at the beginning ( Friday/Saturday night) of our week long Lake Tahoe stay, or the end (Sunday through Tues.) on way back to SFO to pick up a family member.

Looking at accommodations, price-wise, only Curry Village and Evergreen Lodge tents appeal to us. There is availability at both.

Which would be more convenient to the different areas of the park one usually visits and does 2-10mile hikes from?

We visited Yosemite many may years ago, but only drove through and walked around the entire day, but did not do any strenuous hikes as we were with a very young child.

We are looking forward to a couple full days there this time, but am not sure which lodging option in our price range ( and also available) would best suit us for location.

I have done a search here and only one person seems to have asked about Evergreen Lodge and didn't get an answer. I think it looks like a lovely place. Their tents are only $75, whereas Curry Village has BEDS in tents for $113.

http://www.evergreenlodge.com/?gclid...FQEKfAodwiuPfA

Curry Village is far more convenient for hiking. Evergreen Lodge may be only 1 mile from the park boundary, but is still a 45 minute drive into the central area of the park where most of the hiking areas are.

Not sure why you capitalized BEDS. Curry Village Tented Camps mean you don't need to bring sleeping bags, padding, or other camping linens. Maybe Evergreen doesn't have beds and you need to bring sleeping equipment.

Thanks for your observations.

Sleeping equipment is provided by Evergreen, but it seems it is on the floor of tent, whereas the C.Village tents have cots or something similar, at least from the photos this is what I have deducted.

I am a little concerned about the density of the C. Village tents. They seem awfully close. Has anyone who stayed there been terribly disappointed?

Curry Village is dense - you won't be having a wilderness experience in camp, that's for sure :) But it is what it is - Yosemite is a popular place and a lot of people want to go. In the interests of keeping as much of the park natural as possible, they have to make the lodging more dense. I am sure plenty of people have been disappointed with Curry Village, but in general, I think that most disappointment stems from unrealistic expectations - if you know what to expect going in, then you won't be disappointed.

Curry Village reminds me of a miltary base camp in a lot of respects - tent cabins lined up row by row, central bathing and dining facilities. But you are right in the middle of Yosemite Valley where you have views of iconic sites on your way to brush your teeth in the morning. And the park rangers are pretty good about enforcing quiet hours, so people aren't loud late into the night or early in the mornings.

I do think that the convinience of staying IN Yosemite Valley and being able to walk/bike/shuttle to a lot of the things you want to see and do counts for a lot. Having to drive in, park, and then drive out after a long day of hiking can be a hassle. I've done both and I MUCH prefer staying in Yosemite Valley in whatever is available - even over staying at Tenaya Lodge at the south end of the park, which is a very nice resort. First thing in the morning and evening are my favorite times in Yosemite Valley - absolutely magical. You miss that when you stay outside the valley unless you are a really early riser or hang out late.

I prefer Camp Curry. When you check in ask for a tent toward the far end of a row, so you have less walk-=by traffic. Also ask to be as far away from any school groups as possible. I think quiet hours are at about 11 am.

It's definitely like camp. If you are high maintenance you may want to up your budget but there may not be any room left at the Lodge.

Summer camp, definitely. And wonderful. I haven't been in 20 years, I really have to get back. Thanks for the reminders of why, november_moon.

Thanks, everybody!