Yosemite - puzzled about where to stay
 

Hi
We are an English couple, never been to California before and just finalising our plans. We are confused about where to stay when we visit Yosemite. We will be there mid-March and have heard that we shouldn't book anywhere to stay in the park as we won't be allowed in unless we have snowchains on our car - and we will be in a hire-car that doesn't allow these chains! We were 'told' that El Portal is the place to stay, but there doesn't seem much choice there. We can't (quite!) afford the Awahnee(?) but we do want something nice, quiet and comfortable. We don't have our children with us on this trip and so aren't looking for 'family friendly' places - in fact a bit of grown-up peace and quiet would suit us fine! Our plan is to be out and about all day, and then in the evening relaxing with a nice meal. We wondered about 'bed and breakfast' accommodation?
My head is spinning with looking at sites - any input from anyone would be very much appreciated!

Morgana
We were caught in a snow storm while in Yosemite but 140 remained open while other roads were closed. We also had a rental car and no chains but none were needed. It's a good question and I'm sure someone on this board has more info than I.
We stayed in the Valley at Yosemite Lodge and I would recommend that. The location is scenic and beauty surrounds you. The hotel is basic but very clean and you are surrounded by mountains. Take CD's or DVD's as there are no tv's or music. Once you are there you don't need to drive as they have transportation and tours. However, we did drive to the Mariposa Grove and saw the most beautiful huge Redwoods. But once you move your car it is hard to find another parking place. A good reason to park and leave it. :-) Enjoy!

We stayed outside the park in the small town of Groveland, about a 50 minute drive west of the main entrance. Suited us but not if you want to be in the middle of things. The Groveland hotel is two delightful old fashioned buildings with cosy rooms and a fine dining room which serves as the breakfast room as well. The saloon next door is fun and claims to be the oldest in California. They also have a good restaurant.
Groveland would be a good alternative if you were also interested in seeing the old gold towns on Route 49 such as Jamestown and Columbia.
Hope that helps and have a great time!
Adam C

As per the offical Yosemite National Park web site:

"Carry tire chains in your car and be prepared to use them (even if you have four-wheel drive): chains may become mandatory at any time."

http://www.nps.gov/yose/now/conditions.htm#roads

The weather can turn bad at any time even in the spring in Yosemite. More than likely, you won't run into heavy enough snow that you would be requried to put chains on but no one can guarentee that. If you are worried then staying outside the park would be best. You can take the YARTS buses into the park if chains are required. Of course the best place is to be in Yosemite Valley. You will have to weigh the pro's and con's and decided.

Utahtea

Whenever I am asked by friends or relatives about visiting Yosemite, I always tell them it is best to stay in the park itself. You save yourself from having to drive in and out of the park each day, and it is easier to enjoy what the park has to offer. It is also much more relaxing that way. As someone else noted, once you are in the park, there are tours and transportation available. If you are on a budget, the Yosemite Lodge at the Falls is the best place to stay in the park.

If you can't get reservations in the park, El Portal is the next best choice because it is very close to the park and a fairly easy drive to get in and out each day. The best place to stay in El Portal is the Yosemite View Lodge.

Yosemite can be spectacular at this time of year, and the crowds are much less than the summer season. The "problem" is that you can have snow, rain, or incredibly beautiful weather. No one can predict what it will be.

I have been in the park in March when it snowed and thought it was beautiful, almost magical. I did not have chains with me and didn't find it to be a problem. However, I was driving a four wheel drive vehicle. You might want to consider renting one for your trip, even if it costs a little bit more. If you arrived and snow storms were predicted, you could buy a set of chains to carry with you, although I doubt you will have to use them unless there was a very major snowstorm.

Morgana, having been to England and enjoyed its much more geographically compact and concentrated attractions, I think I may be able to help a little here. If you have not been to a major National Park in the Western U.S. yet, I think it may be difficult for you to envision what the lodging situation is because there is just no counterpart in the U.K. (or even in the Eastern U.S.) to the enormous size of these parks and the distances between the major sights in them and any sort of private development not under the control of the National Park Service.

Within the parks themselves, one concessioner has sole rights and offers very limited choices. Private hotels, B and B's or even private residences, for that matter, just do not exist except outside the park boundaries, usually a long, long drive away from what you want to see. There does happen to be a notable exception at Yosemite, which I will dicuss below.

Within the park, if you don't want to pay the extremely high prices of the Ahwahnee, the place to stay is the Yosemite Lodge, right in the middle of the top sights, which I highly recommend you get into if you possibly can. Even if they report no vacancies, keep trying up until the last minute, as you can often get in on a cancellation, as I did year before last. It is worth it for the unparalleled location. Then there is a historic hotel called the Wawona, also within the park and under the control of the concessionaire like the Ahwahnee and Yosemite Lodge are, but about an hour to the south of them. It is a preserved nineteenth century period piece and a little lacking in modern comforts, but is a unique, beautiful and peaceful spot, priced closer to the Lodge than to the Ahwahnee.

If you can't stay at Yosemite Lodge, perhaps my best tip for you, though, is a collection of private condos and homes whose owners frequently rent them out,
and which even includes three B and B's, called Yosemite West. Here is their web site: http://www.yosemitewest.com

Yosemite West is on the road between Yosemite Valley and Wawona, at a point where the road goes especially close to the park boundaries, and a side road leads to the Yosemite West area just outside the boundaries. So there are accommodations (no commercial hotels or inns, though) there which seem like they're inside the Park, even though technically they're not.
These are closer to the Yosemite Valley sights than any other accommodations, I think, not under the control of the concessionaire or the Park Service.

You don't say what direction you are coming from. If from the West, El Portal, even if it doesn't seem to have many choices, has more commercial hotels, motels and inns closer to the Park sights than anyplace else. I think, though I'm not certain, that it's farther out than Yosemite West, and the area is on the pretty commercial, family oriented and charmless side in my opinion, so it may not meet the preferences you express. Many people also stay in the larger town of Mariposa, further out on the same way into the Park (Route 140) as El Portal, which offers more choices but a longer drive. There are probably some B and B's in Mariposa.

I agree with a poster above that the accommodations outside the Park with the most adult charm and interest in themselves are at Groveland, along the way (Route 120) to the other one of the two Western entrances to the Park. I like this tiny old town too, especially the Groveland Hotel, but you should realize it is a long drive--probably more than an hour realistically--into the heart of the Park.

If you happen to be coming from the South, there are more commercial accommodations at Fish Camp at the south entrance, including the Tenaya Lodge, a relatively new and luxurious hotel. Further out is the larger town of Oakhurst, which has many more choices and B and B's, including a famous one, Chateau du Sureau, which is even more expensive than the Ahwahnee. This area is a long, long way from the Valley, though, and don't consider it unless you are stopping on your way into the Park from the South.

Like other posters, I would urge you not to choose your accommodations around a possibility of being unable to get into the park. Weather if that severity is unlikely, and if present, I think you would be able to work out alternatives.

Hi, Morgana (we've met over on the Europe forum)

IF you can still get a room in Yosemite Lodge, by all means do so. You will have a good idea of what the weather should be about 6 or 7 days before your trip. (IF you are unlucky enough to be at Yosemite when there is enough snow to require chains you'd be stuck anyway since you would not be able to get into the valley w/o them.)

And realize "in the Park" and "in the Valley" are not the same things. When most folks talk about staying in Yosemite, they mean in the valley itself. The Park is huge and the Valley is but one small part of it.

If you cannot get a room at Yosemite Lodge, then like JCB, Yosemite West or Groveland would be my second choices.

I'd get on it immediately and hope you can get a room at the Lodge.

And - when chains are required it is usually only for relatively short periods. No guarantees of course, but if a storm (especially in the spring) dumps a lot of snow, chain requirements may go up until CalTrans can get the roads cleared, and then they open up again in a few hours.

I agree with everyone else. Stay in the park if you can. While Groveland is very nice, I don't think I would stay there at that time of year. It is about an hour drive to get to the valley from there and with bad weather it wouldn't be a great trip. El Portal isn't much, just a couple of motels and a restaurant, but I think it is closer to park's entrance and the drive is easier.

Thank you so much for all your replies (hi again Janis).
This has made things sooooo much easier for us!
Our reason for visiting California is to see our son who is spending a year at Irvine University. But we just HAD to try and get to Yosemite. The pictures look fabulous and I know the reality is going to be just amazing. I can't wait. I'm busy researching all your suggestions - thank you again!
M

I agree with Jack that Groveland probably isn't the best choice for that time of the year because of the road between Yosemite Valley and Groveland is long, curvy, and steep. If memory serves, Priest Grade is between Yosemite Valley and Groveland and there are some parts of the road that literally hug the side of the mountain. Also, the elevation of Hwy 120 is higher than Hwy 140, and the higher the elevation, the greater the chance of closure due to snow. El Portal and Mariposa aren't as charming as Groveland, but I think Hwy 140 would be a better winter choice.