mrwunrfl

I booked the Kennedy Suite at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite and want to get an idea of what time we would get to the hotel.

We land at the Fresno airport at 10AM. Get a rental car and drive up to Yosemite. Mapquest says the trip would be 1 hour 49 minutes.

We will stop at the sequoia grove near Wawona. How long to visit there?

What is the drive like from Wawone up to Yosemite Village? Is it one that we would want to make several stops along the way?

Half hour to get the car, two hours drive time, two hours? sightseeing time enroute means we would get to the Ahwahnee about 2:30 or maybe 3PM?

I realize that we could probably spend a whole day at the south end of the park but this is a short visit. We will have one full day and a second night in Yosemite (Yosemite View) before moving on.

Jean

I can't answer all your questions, but Mapquest probably is accurate. FYI, the speed limit inside the park is 30 mph, and it's enforced.

enzian

Your stop at the Wawona grove can take as little or as long as you like. It depends if you want to walk and wander among the trees. From there, it is downhill to the Valley. I haven't done that drive in awhile, but as I recall the only place you will really want to stop is just as you emerge from the tunnel, where the beautiful valley comes into full view.

Since the Valley is the highlight of a visit to Yosemite, you might want to go more or less straight there after visiting the Wawona grove, to maximize your time there in the daylight.

Braunsky

I assume you mean you intend to stop at the Mariposa Grove of sequoias, which is right at the south entrance to the park, not near Wawona, which is several miles further up the road. The Mariposa Grove is large - there are some magnificent trees within an easy 1/2 hour walk from the trail head or you could hike 2 hours up to the Wawona Point Vista (which it doesn't sound like you'll want to do). How long it takes you to get to the Grove depends on whether you can drive up to the visitors station at the trail head or you have to park at the bottom of the hill because that parking lot is full and you have to wait to take a bus up or walk up. The drive from the Mariposa Grove to the Village can easily take an hour, not counting stops for scenic views. It's a daunting drive if you are not used to mountains. You'll probably want to stop at the Tunnel View and to see Bridalveil Fall on your way in. If you want to take a longer detour off the road to the Village, I'd highly recommend Glacier point, but your time is limited as you point out. Walking around is in my mind preferable to spending too much time in the car and jumping out for 5 minutes of picture taking. Get a map and a guide to the park and pick your spots. There's so much beauty you won't be disappointed.

Braunsky

PS - I meant 1/2 hour round trip hike in the Mariposa Grove to see just a few trees, and 2 hour one way / 4 hour round trip to go all the way up to Wawona Point Vista. Also - you will love the Ahwahnee. It's wonderful, and the dining room is spectacular. My wife thinks it looks like the great hall at Hogwarts at night.

mrwunrfl

Thanks for the great info. I'll figure an hour for the drive from Mariposa Grove to the village and then won't get a ticket. Your replies belped to confirm my basic understanding. I will have to plan this out a bit more. It was last night when I decided on the suite I don't want to get there too late to fully enjoy the place and also don't want to rush thru the park just to get to the hotel. So, we will be able to take our time and get to the hotel at 3PM or 4Pm or no later 5PM with a couple of stops and no rush.

This will be mid-May so we will still have a couple of hours of daylight when we get to the hotel. Settle in, look around, have dinner. We will be there with the new moon and planned to drive to Glacier Point to see some stars if the sky is clear, but I read that most of Glacier Point Road will still be closed at that time of year.

maj

It took us approximately 90 minutes to get to Yosemite View Lodge from Fresno and approximately the same time from Mariposa Grove to Fresno on the way back. Fresno airport isn't that large and we thought it was easy to get in and out of fast.

We arrived May 15 and were still not sure if Glacier Point or Tioga Road would be open yet. (I kept checking on the web site) I think Glacier Point opened a couple of days before and the other the day before we arrived (with your limited time you probably won't be going on Tioga Road anyway). Glacier Point is an unbelievable view, but it takes a while to drive up that road also (trying to remember -- guessing about 45 minutes one way). Also, once you enter the Valley you will go past quite a few of the sights on your way to the hotel. We found it very helpful to have a guidebook (we used Yosemite Road Guide (which we found indispensable--some of markers are hard to find,so it is easier to go by the mileage between posts). We bought it before our trip, which was a great help since the Visitor Center was closed when we arrived. Another pamphlet we bought which we thought was very helpful was the Map and Guide to Yosemite Valley ($2.50) which we bought at the Visitor Center, but I would get it before your trip if possible.

Plan, but plan to be flexible. Especially at the time of year you are going. (the Falls should be fantastic then) At Mariposa Grove, we had to take the shuttle because there was a massive cleanup taking place -- trees had fallen in the parking lot, but since it isn't really crowded yet, it didn't take us long to get up there. It is definitely worth a stop, IMO, and you can spend as much time there as you want. Even with a short walk, you will see many sequoias.

BillJ

With your arrival time giving you a mid afternoon valley floor arrival time, and another full day, you should have plenty of time for the highlights of the valley.
My experience is to plan 2.5 hours from Fresno to Valley floor without stops.
You can lunch in Oakhurst, about 1 hour from the airport up 41, should be about right for you. Plenty of restaurants, fast food and others.
The road past Oakhurst can be slow; its winding and narrow, and if there's a lot of cars. . . .
When you are coming down to the valley from Wawona, be sure to stop at the overlook at the lower end of the tunnel. Begin slowing in plenty of time, there is a lot of congestion.
The views will be stunning, espeicially in May with all the falls in full power. Photo ops here and just absorb the beauty. As you hit the valley floor, you can visit Bridalveil Falls, short walk.
Be advised this time of year you will get wet approaching the falls since so much water is coming over the top (most years, anyway). Bring rain gear.
Yosemite Falls can be especially wet on the trail.
Wow, a suite at Awhahnee. I'm jealous. Hard to get. Enjoy it. The Ahwahnee is special. The meals are legendary.

mrwunrfl

Great, thanks for the tips, I will use them. We will be arriving on a Thursday, the 17th, so maybe the traffic won't be bad?

maj

From our experience at that time of year the traffic wasn't bad at all. There was a definite increase on the weekend in the Valley. Have a great trip and don't forget your trip report -- love to read them!