Debbie

We're planning a trip out west & Yosemite is on our list. We're planning on 2 weeks, but want to divide our time between Las Vegas & Yellowstone.

How many days should I plan on in Yosemite? What are some of the sites not to be missed? We're planning on staying at the Tenya Lodge. Any information on the lodge and the parks will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Debbie

Suzie

I've stayed at the Tanaya Lodge twice, once just last summer. We were there at the end of July so it was busy but still quite enjoyable. It's a beautiful hotel with nice size rooms. We've always gotten rooms with a view of the outdoor pool. There are 2 pools and 2 spas. 1 each indoor and outdoor. You can rent bikes at the hotel and they offer lots of activities including flashlight hikes etc. Call ahead to see what they'll be offering when you go. We've eaten in both their restaurants and enjoyed them. Our son who was 10 last summer was amazed that in their more expensive restaurant the chef would prepare his pasta any way he wanted it regardless of what was listed on the menu. He wanted to go there for every meal. We ate on the patio at each of them. We stayed two nights which semed like enough but we live in Northern CA. We drove in from the east side through Lee Vining and spent that day seeing the sights in the Yosemite Valley. The next day we spent hiking through the giant redwoods. It was very fun even with 6 and 10 year olds. Bring Water! You don't have to hike though you can take a tram but you will miss some of the beauty. Hey the hike back down was quick! I don't know when you're going. July is quite warm and the waterfalls in Yosemite are not that full but it sure is a sight to see.

Howard

How long you stay in Yosemite really depends on what you want and like to do! If you enjoy hiking, then Yosemite's a great spot to spend 4-5 days.
What are your initial plans in terms of how many days you'll spend in each of your three destinations?

Suzie

If this is the same Debbie who posted for Las Vegas she has 3 kids, so 4 or 5 days in Yosemite might be a bit long. Young kids need more time to play, too much sight seeing makes them bored and cranky. If you get to Yosemite later in the day I'd stay 3 nights. If you arrive early and can do the valley on the first day then I'd stay 2 nights and move on to your longer pool stay in Las Vegas. Kids just love those elaborate resort pools with the slides.

Bob Brown

You are planning to drive to Yellowstone from LV and then from Yellowstone to Yosemite? Yellowstone to Yosemite is not a short trip, being something like 800 miles depending on which two points you are using for the measurement.
Both parks are very special to me, and I hope you enjoy them both. I think they are worth the drive.

kam

If you can spend a day in the Gold Country (towns like Columbia, Murphy's, Sutter Creek) there's a lot for kids to do. For adults it's a bit touristy, but still fun. It's just north of Yosemite. You can then continue on north through Lake Tahoe and take I 80 east through Salt Lake City to Yellowstone. Not familiar with Yellowstone, but I think 3 days in Yosemite, possibly 2 if they are really little and can't hike, is fine. Bring mosquito repellent, sun screen and hats--altitude and inland hot temps. It does sound like an awful lot of driving. If your kids are school age, there is a website from the Mariposa school district about all the Indian legends of Yosemite. Good for pretrip reading and then they will see the various rock formations. Yosemite is my idea of heaven!

rob

4 full days was good for us....take a day trip to bodie, ca. about 1 hour north east......its a neat state park that used to be an old mining town.