Yosemite 3 nights in Midpines
 

Hello, my original post was for staying in Oakhurst. We have changed our reservation to Midpines the end of June. We are flying from PA to San Francisco for a wedding and want to take advantage of the opportunity to visit parts of CA. The house is 22 miles from the Arch Rock entrance to Yosemite NP. Most advice I received on my Oakhurst post was we should stay in or closer to the park. The rentals are very expensive and not within our budget. My husband and I are traveling with my brother who is not able to walk a great distance. On my wish list is Glacier Point and Mariposa Grove. If we get on the road by 7AM do you think we will be able to visit Yosemite? We would be visiting Yosemite on Thursday and Friday 6/29-6/30. Any advice is appreciated!

Maribeth

If your only interests in visiting Yosemite are Glacier Point and Mariposa Grove, and not Yosemite Valley, then Oakhurst is a far better location than Mid Pines.

Your lodging may be 22 miles (which is about 40 min or so) from the entrance to the park, but keep in mind that Yosemite is the size of the state of Rhode Island. It's about another 30min drive into the valley to get near any of the major sites there.

But if you're not interested in the valley itself, that's a moot point.

What is your budget? If you can get one, there are accommodations right in the park at Curry Village. The price for a unit that sleeps 4 is $176 per night.

The main reason to visit Yosemite is to visit Yosemite VALLEY . . . especially in June when the waterfalls are torrents. Midpines is not great for the Valley but isn't terrible. However Midpines IS terrible for Mariposa Grove. The only way to get to Mariposa Grove from Midpines is to drive all the way into the Valley and back out south on Wawona Rd -- about 2 hours . . . or take Hwy 49 south to Oakhurst (yes -- that Oakhurst ;) ) and north into the park on 41-- about 1.5 hours.

Maybe your budget wasn't realistic?

The option to get from downtown San Francisco to Yosemite without a rental car is the Amtrak bus over to Emeryville to get on a San Joaquin train all the way to Merced. You can either rent a car in Merced or ride the YARTS bus to the VALLEY. The YARTS bus has stops in Midpines, the BUG hostel, ElPortal and Yosemite Valley Lodge. The national park does have some free bus transport from the Lodge area to other parts of the park.

"The main reason to visit Yosemite is to visit Yosemite VALLEY . . . especially in June when the waterfalls are torrents. Midpines is not great for the Valley but isn't terrible. " That is one person's opinion.

In late June, after school is out, the Valley is horribly crowded. You get a better view of Nevada/Vernal Falls from Glacier Point. And good views of Yosemite Valley from the two viewpoint overlooks before you drive into the Valley. Most likely the only falls your brother will be able to walk to is Yosemite Falls. When I went in summer of 2017 (after a similar record snowfall) I made it to Yosemite Falls by 7am, and Glacier Point by 9am and was able to drive the road. I was staying at Camp Curry then. Back then they were taking people's entrance fees and routing them in and back out of the park.

Thursday is an even worse getaway day than Friday. I'm afraid I wouldn't want to take the trip you are planning. As Glacier Point Road was closed all of last year for reconstruction, I don't know what it will be like this year, especially as they are not requiring reservations any more. There is almost no parking left in the Valley if you are not staying there.

I do stay in Camp Curry (mostly because it comes with parking priveleges) but be aware they are common shower/restroom blocks and not necessarily well maintained.

Here is the report I wrote in 2017 but I came in from Tioga Pass and out via Oakhurst. From Tioga Pass you get routed in with all of the Bay Area traffic which you will be dealing with, unfortunately.
https://www.fodors.com/community/uni...tions-1456119/

Given your interests I think Oakhurst (or Wawona or Fish Camp) is probably a better choice. We have also stayed at Bass Lake when all of the Yosemite campgrounds were full.