capecod73

Follow up post to my 'help me plan CA/Oregon trip' I posted a few weeks back. Great feedback leads me to a trip focused on Northern California.

I am working on lodging. I've got Curry booked and am looking to upgrade to Yosemite View Lodge if I can. Mid July. Trip with very active 13 and 14 year old boys plus my husband and I. We like to DO stuff as well as see. Easy to moderate hikes.

Questions are: sample itinerary/must do hikes? Yes there's lots of info out there, I'd like personal opinions
Is there a reason to try to stay in different areas of the park? It's obviously huge - should I try to stay in two different areas if I can get the reservations?
activity/tour wise - is there anything else we need to do and possibly reserve in advance?

Tenaya Lodge - good idea or too far out? Worth it if I need one more night of local lodging?

Thanks in advance, your help is appreciated!

tomfuller

Stick with the hikes recognized by the NPS. http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/valleyhikes.htm
Consider yourself lucky that you got Curry for your full time.
Many people end up staying in El Portal without being able to get lodging in the park.
Use the bus service inside the park to avoid parking problems.

sludick

Tenaya Lodge - too far out. Stick with Curry.

sf7307

I agree - we stayed at Tenaya Lodge years ago, and it was about an hour's drive to the valley, which is where most of what the typical tourist will want to see is located (Half Dome, El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, etc.). Too far.

janisj

>>Yosemite View LodgeView Lodge.


No, don't stay in multiple places -- just unnecessary packing/unpacking to move to a less convenient location.

(And note due to a stupid law suit the names of several accommodations in the park are changed at least temporarily. Yosemite Lodge at the Falls is now Yosemite Valley Lodge, and Curry Village is now Half Dome Village.)

november_moon

I agree that Yosemite Lodge would be an upgrade from Curry Village, but Yosemite View Lodge would not as is it outside the park. Tenaya Lodge is quite nice, but I agree with the others - location is far from ideal.

capecod73

Excellent - thanks for making the decision so easy on this one

CathMc

Agree. Definitely stay inside the park at just one location. It makes life much easier and you can get round the park on the free shuttle. Keep the reservation you have but keep checking availability at Lodge at the Falls nearer the time. I did this last August and was able to change my accommodation one day at a time.

Dayenu

Yosemite Lodge is in the middle of the National Park by the fall. Yosemite View Lodge is in El Portal, outside of the Park, in a beautiful area between a river and mountains. (I see above both are mentioned.)

There may be a free park shuttle running from the view lodge - and definitely yes from the lodge. Check on NPS website.

Do not miss the Glacier point. Mountains, rocks, trees. Our adult children hiked down to the water (forgot if it was river or a waterfall). You will take photos there - they will be gorgeous.

janisj

>>There may be a free park shuttle running from the view lodge - and definitely yes from the lodge.