giannetta

My husband and I are looking for a family friendly spot in the Sierras to take our son, his wife and their two babies who will be 11 months and 27 months by July. A resort, cottages, lake, river, pool all fine. Rustic is good as long as the accommodations are pretty and comfortable. Yosemite is Ok but often very crowded in July. We would like to take short hikes/walks, etc. Any ideas are welcome.
Thanks, janet

Supercilious

There are many great spots in the Sierra. Where do you live? The Southern Sierra is a lot closer to LA or San Diego. The Northern Sierra is much closer for Bay Area folks.

A favorite of ours is the Lakes Basin Area near Graeagle in Plumas County. There are many good lodges or inns to choose from:

http://www.plumascounty.org/Places%2...LakesBasin.htm

The Lassen area is another good choice with Lake Almanor having many rustic resorts.

There are also some beautiful spots in the Eastern Sierra between Bridgeport and Bishop.

http://www.thesierraweb.com/lodging/cabinslodges.cfm

giannetta

thank you supercilious,

We live in Boston, grew up in SF and would be going on trip from SF where 2 of our children live with their own families. Your suggestions look good and I will go to the websites you listed.

boom_boom

Also look at Lake Tahoe/Truckee area and Carson City/Virginia City/Gardnerville in Nevada.

onemoneygirl

Here are some areas to goole.. sorry I don't have links... need to get my own in bed!

Huntington Lake, Shaver Lake, Camp Sierra, Bass Lake, Hume Lake, Hartland Camp. Each of these are in Central CA an hour or two outside of Fresno, CA.

The rental agency I've used at Shaver Lake has always been Coldwell Banker... they manage quite a few properties in that area.

Have a wonderful time!

abranz

the tahoe/truckee area is wonderful in the summer.
it is about a 3 - 3 1/2 hour drive from s.f.
depending on your budget, there are resorts like the one at squaw or smaller ones with individual cabins around kings beach.
you could also look at renting a home.
tahoe donner is a great area for walks/hikes, golf and tennis. they also have 2 clubhouses w/ pools - specifically wading pools for babies, an equestrian center and a private marina on donner lake where you can rent out water equipment.
a lot of the houses there are 2nd homes and sometimes rented out.
disclaimer: i owned a home there for 16 years but sold it 2 months back.

Jean

We've stayed at this resort at June Lake a few times and have reservations for Sept. '09:

http://www.doubleeagle.com/index.php

The Double Eagle has 2-bedroom/1-bath/full kitchen cabins that sleep 6. Resort amenities include indoor pool, spa, fitness center, restaurant and a fly fishing pond.

There are a few hikes that start at the resort, but there are many other trailheads a short drive away. Our family favorite hikes are at Twenty Lakes Basin in the Hoover Wilderness Area (north of Tioga Pass Road, east of Tioga Pass) which is accessed by a boat taxi ride across Saddlebag Lake.

http://www.saddlebaglakeresort.com/Boat%20Taxi.htm

Other things in the area:

Mono Lake
Ghost town of Bodie
Tuolumne Meadows

enzian

I too was going to suggest June Lake and the Double Eagle Lodge.

Another place to consider would be Mammoth Lakes. We had a nice 3-bdr. cabin at Tamarack Resort on Twin Lakes last summer:

http://www.tamaracklodge.com/lodging/

The views are even better at Woods Lodge on Lake George:

http://www.mammothweb.com/lodging/wo...e/default.html

But I think it may be harder to get into.

azzure

Another vote for the Mammoth/June Lake area...there's really a lot to do there in the summertime, and many beautiful hikes to choose from. Plus Mammoth is a ski town in the wintertime, so there are lots of decent restaurants there. The Stove still serves great breakfasts, I hear!

november_moon

Our family has been going up the Lakes Basin area for generations - we generally camp, but there are a lot of cabins and places to stay with a few more amenities. Definitely a good place to vacation with a wide range of ages.

A few years ago, we had to cancel spring plans for Yosemite and couldn't get away until July - so we went up to Sequoia national park, which was terrific. And although there were people around, except for a few key spots, it definitely was not crowded.

Parrothead

Definitely do something in the California side, I wouldn't suggest anyone fly cross country and spend a vacation in the Nevada side except for the east shore of Lake Tahoe around the Incline village area. Carson City and Gardnerville in Nevada are pretty dreary, IMO.

I like Graeagle and Lakes Basin in Plumas County and Incline & Northstar around Lake Tahoe the best. Truckee would be a distant 3rd choice for me, but there is shopping and a cute downtown area good for a day visit. All of these places have tons of rentals available on Craigslist and VRBO. For Graeagle try the Plumas Pines Realty website.

sf7307

Northstar is an outstanding all-in-one resort (houses, old condos, new condos, stores, restaurants, golf, hiking, gym, pool, etc.) BUT the older lodgings are not what I would call "pretty". They're comfortable and I love going there, but not "pretty". Squaw Valley is similar, except that most of the accommodations within the resort itself are newer....there are many older condos and houses to rent right off-site, though. My biggest objection to Northstar and Squaw for your vacation, however, would be that neither is on the lake.

So, I would give a look to Brockway Springs Resort. It's on Lake Tahoe, easy driving distance from Tahoe City and Truckee (and therefore, from Northstar and Squaw in case you're interested). It's WALKING distance from Kings Beach and the town beach. The units are individually owned so not uniformly decorated or updated. But, the pool is on the lake with a spectacular view, AND the pool has a baby section (shallow). It's not a Hyatt resort-type pool, just a beautiful pool on the lake. Also, the low-rise condos are built in a horseshoe shape around a big lawn which is fantastic for the kids to play on. When we used to go there summer after summer for a week in August, we'd eat dinner and then EVERYONE would come outside, the adults with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, and the kids would run around on the lawn for hours. It was a wonderful place to vacation. Your grandchildren will be too young, but in King's Beach is the best miniature golf course I've ever played on.

Here's the link:

http://brockwaysprings.com/TheResort.htm

november_moon

We used to go to Brockway Springs with a large group of folks - went several years in a row and always had a great time. We liked that we could rent different sized units - options those who like to share lodging and those who like to have their own space. Some of us would rent a large condo together and some would rent something smaller just for their family. Some of the units are a little dated, but we found them all to be in good condition.