We will be visiting Yosemite at the end of March and see an all inclusive package for the Yosemite Lodge. Has anyone taken advantage of this? It includes 3 meals per day and badger pass activities. Is the road to Badger pass open to vehicles or just the shuttle bus? The package is about $160 more but includes 3 meals daily for 3 people for 2 days. That alone seems like a good deal. Please reply with advice. Thank you.

18 total meals for $160 seems like a pretty good deal in Yosemite as long as you can eat them either at the Lodge food court or at Badger pass Grill. Will that be possible given your activities? That extra cost also includes one valley tour and one ice skating session in addition ot the one pass for the Badger Pass activities. Seems pretty good.

Badger Pass is the ski resort so it is open to cars as skiers come and go all day.

You might need chains to get to Badger Pass. If you have ever done cross-country skiing, you might want to consider a RT from the Badger Pass ski area to Dewey Point overlooking Yosemite Valley. Count on 4 or 5 hours for the RT.

Another thing to consider is that if chains are required due to road conditions on Badger Pass and you're in a rental car (not a 4WD SUV), you're probably out of luck, since most if not all rental car companies do not allow cahins to be put on their cars.

since most if not all rental car companies do not allow cahins to be put on their cars.

But most people who need to do it anyway.

How would one get chains to carry that time of year? We WILL be in a rental car and not an suv. Thank you

You can buy them on the way. You can even check ahead of time to see if maybe a Walmart has the right chains for your vehicle. Are you coming from SF or some other direction? Or you can get them in Mariposa or Merced as you get closer. You'll have to carry them in your car once you enter the park as required by the Feds.

"since most if not all rental car companies do not allow cahins to be put on their cars.

But most people who need to do it anyway."

Yes, lots of people do it (and mostly get away w/ it). BUT, if you do install chains and anything happens to the car, the insurance is voided

Just fair warning... a relative of my coworker put chains on a rental car and didn't do it correctly. The chain broke, wrapped around the axle, and he was on the hook for $1600 worth of damage to the car. I think it's totally unfair that they put that restriction on car rentals, but there it is, and you can ignore it at your own risk.

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Even if they allowed you to put chains on the rental car, s/he would have been responsible for the damage caused by the broken chain/axle wrapping.

What else are visitors going to do? 4 WD does not necessarily cover it since the feds can require 4 WD to carry and use chains as well.

Park outside and use YARTS to go into the park and then shuttle around I suppose?

Prolly should remind visitors that the vast majority of those who use chains don't have the bad experience detailed above.

Here's another site with some good information on where to get chains nearby.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...alifornia.html

Thanks for the snow chains information. Has anyone taken advantage of the all inclusive rate at the Lodge at Yosemite Falls? If so would you please advise? Thank you

No