Yosemite lodging
 

Were would you recommend staying in Yosemite if the Valley Lodge is full? How about Sequoia National? Thanks.

If I couldn't get lodging in the valley, I would try to get something in El Portal, which is just outside the Arch Rock entrance to the park and pretty convinient to the valley. About 45 minutes further down the hill is Mariposa, which has several lodging options.

Another option would be to stay in Wawona, which is in the park, but south of the valley. And then a bit further south, just out of the park is the Tenaya Lodge and then south of that are the towns of Fishcamp and Oakhurst.

HOw about in Sequoia National? Has anyone had any experience with Tenaya Lodge?

We stayed at Tenaya Lodge about four years ago and liked it a lot. Very nice place, stylish and well-run. My husband was attending a conference there.
It's outside the park itself, but is also in a pretty setting.
As I remember, it took at least an hour to drive to Yosemite Lodge from there. But you see prettty vistas of the park and El Capitan on your drive in.

You could rent a cabin which is what we do. There are a number of companies that do this. Either in Wawona or closer to the valley at the Glacier Point area...

If you are planning to visit both Kings Canyon and Sequoia I would look at Grant's Grove which is convenient to both. That is where we stayed and they have both camping and a lodge there. If you are just going to Sequoia, there are a couple of lodges there that people like. Do a search here--I'm not sure what you are looking for as far as price range, but I would stay in the park if possible.

We are renting a condo at Yosemite West in May. It's inside park boundaries and seems to be fairly close to the valley. My friend also stayed here last year and she thought it was pretty nice. Here's the website:

http://www.yosemitelodging.com/

At Sequoia/KC, i have stayed at Grant's Grove. It was a very convenient to see both sections of the park.

We stayed at Tenaya Lodge a couple years ago. It was nice although I probably wouldn't choose to stay there again. It is more of a resort than a hotel with a couple of pools, spa services, a couple restaurants, etc. Being that close to Yosemite, I have no interest in staying at the hotel long enough to actually use those facilities, so to me it isn't worth paying the premium to stay there.

The drive from Tenaya Lodge to the southern boundary of the park is only a few miles, and then 45 minutes to an hour into the valley. From the south entrance, you come through Tunnel View, which has an incredible vista just past the tunnel.