Yosemite - Where to stay?
 

I will be going to Yosemite for 2 nights at the end of September. Any reccommendations on where to stay? - Or am I already way too late to book anything? <BR> <BR>Any advice greatly appreciated! <BR> <BR>Laura <BR>Dublin, Ireland

Just when you will be in our neck of the woods, we will be in yours! All in park reservations are made by calling (209) 252-4848 and yes, they are probably fully booked as people book them a year in advance. However, since you can cancel without penalty up to 3 days prior, keep calling this number even after you get to the U.S. Accommodations vary greatly--do a search here for comparing them. There are several gates into the park and there are several hotels that advertise that they are "in the park" near the south gate on Hwy 41, in Wawona or in the town of Fish Camp. Actually, they are about 30 miles from the main center of the park which is known as Yosemite Valley. The gate closest to the valley is Hwy 140 and there there are two acceptable hotels, the Cedar Lodge and the Yosemite View (this is the preferable one)in the tiny town of El Portal. You will see people saying that El Portal is not a town on this forum, but you will spend your time in the park anyway and won't want to do anything back at your hotel but sleep. The drive from the gate at Hwy 140 to the valley follows the Merced River and is quite pretty. Good luck.

Yes, Hwy 140 is lovely, when it's not under construction as it has been since the 1997 flood. For road info go to: http://www.nps.gov/yose

We were there last in June, 99 and the construction on Hwy 140 was no problem except for some very minor delays. Unless it's gotten worse instead of better????

The road closing at 10:30 meant we couldn't be in the park on a beautiful moonlit night, which was very fustrating. Also, the road is very rough and dusty. Just want people to factor this into their decision. Everyone has different "styles" of travel. El Portal didn't work for mine.