I'm planning a honeymoon trip to Yosemite at the end of March 2007. Would welcome any all recommendations on (1) house/cabin rentals, (2) restaurants, and (3) is end of March/early April a good time to visit Yosemite?

Thanks!

In my experience March/early April is NOT a great time to visit Yosemite. While the chance of snow in the valley may not be great, the likelihood of flooded creeks, swampy meadows, and cold, damp weather are very very high.

You will not be able to enjoy hiking trails as you would in later spring. The high country will be shut for another several months under snow so you will be confined to minimal activity in the valley.

I recommend Yosemite no earlier than May, or later April at the earliest to give things a chance to warm up/dry out a bit.

Pickens - there are some additional responses to your first post. To find that thread, either scroll down the list to find your post - threads come to the top when people respond, so they are never in the same order - or click on your screen name and all the posts you have made will come up in order of most recent to least recent.

Yosemite in the snow can be magical. However, it tends to be slushy on the valley floors. But if you enjoy winter sports, you can do downhill at the Badger Pass ski center (disappointing for expert skiers) or rent snow shoes to wander around the area, or rent cross-country skis for longer excursions. We usually go there at the beginning of March and to the 7 mi. RT to Dewey point on cross-country skis.

Here are some pictures of Yosemite in March:

http://www.photoworks.com/share/shar...E0C2BB10&cb=PW

I was doing some research ealier this year about renting a cabin or staying in a B&B in Yosemite or outlying areas. We ultimately decided not to go because of too many other trips being planned, but here's a bunch of links I saved.

www.tenayalodge.com/default.aspx
www.yosemiterose.com/
sunsetinn-yosemitecabins.com/welcome.html
www.staynearyosemite.com/
www.groveland.com/index.htm
www.yosemite.com/tripplan/lodgingbak.html
www.redwoodsinyosemite.com/

March in Yosemite is a different place than May through October. I have been in March and the white of the snow with the beautiful valley backdrop is fantastic IF you don't mind staying in doors for part of the time and skipping hiking (it's your honeymoon - so that may be in the cards ...) My husband and I stayed at the Awahnee in March and absolutely loved it. We primarily relaxed in the lodge and took short walks in the valley. The Awahnee has huge fireplaces in the common area and such a wonderful elegant lodge feeling. However, it's expensive and might be difficult or impossible to reserve at this point. Good luck!

Michael -- THANKS for the photos! They definitely sealed the deal for me! Thanks for sharing!

Now that you've helped me make up my mind --- what suggestions do you all have for restaurants and side trips outside of the park? Thanks so much!

Sorry to keep adding to this, but keep thinking of questions.

Given that we are going to Yosemite at the end of March, how many days would you suggest we spend in Yosemite?

What other areas would you suggest visiting/seeing while we're there?

Thanks again!

Erna's is definitely a splurge (a menu of what we had included in my posted photos). The Ahwanee Sunday brunch is no longer the deal it used to be, but it is very enjoyable.

I don't have any recommendations for restaurants in and around Yosemite (we always camp and cook out when we are there) but I wanted to say not to worry about adding more questions to threads - a lot of times that is actually the best way to do it when you have more questions on the same topic. That way readers have the benefit of the other information you've given and can better answer your questions without having to mentally connect up multiple threads. Sometimes starting a new thread makes sense, but most of the time just continuing an exisiting one is the best thing to do.

If you like 5 star dining, Erna's is a must. Make reservations well in advance, they have a website to check menus. My husband will be taking a cooking class there this Spring.

We had the New Year's Brunch at the Awahanee Hotel, there is a buffet and you can also order off of a regular menu. I had a very good trout entree and my husband enjoyed the buffet there, the dining room is amazing, very pretty.

You may want to consider a side trip to Bass Lake, go to the Pines Resort. Ducey's on the Lake is the fine dining restaurant there and the casual grill there is also very good. Both have views of Bass Lake & Goat Mountain. We like to stay in the Spa Suites which are lakefront with many nice amenities. Don't forget to visit the Ansel Adams Gallery in the Village in Yosemite, it's great! Have a fun trip! ***kim***

Thanks for the great info. We're actually thinking of staying at Bass Lake, so that info was very good.

What side trips are of interest/worthwhile?

Thanks