Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board hotel accomodations at yosemite

i know this is off-topic but maybe some fellow hikers here might know of the name of a nice place to stay at yosemite. looking to do half-dome with friends this summer but spouses want to stay in a "first class" hotel while we hike. no tents for them. any recommendations from whitney pros?

thanks, wood.

There are really only two options (and a half if you count the tent cabins at Curry Village) inside the Valley: the Yosemite Lodge and the Ahwahnee Hotel. Here's a pretty good site with reservation capabilities:

http://www.nationalparkreservations.com/yosemite.htm

I think the rooms at the Ahwahnee are on the small side, but comfortable, and the dinig room is to die for. I could also spend hours in front of the huge fireplace in the Great Room just off the lobby.

The lodge, is well, basically a motel. Comfortable, and easy access to The Falls.

Good luck. And have fun with Half Dome. It's a GORGEOUS hike.

-L

On average, "first class" in Yosemite doesn't come cheaply either.

We stayed at an awesome bed and breakfast recommended by someone here on the forums...run by Don and Kay Pitts..just an awesome time we had there:

http://www.yosemitewest.com/peregrin.htm

Don and Kay were great...they packed us a nice little picnic lunch to take with us for our early hike up Half Dome (we hit the trail at like 4:30AM or something).. Great room..great breakfast and great company.

You can read about our stay and hike up Half Dome here:

http://www.mudspike.com/california.htm

Good luck..

Chris

Not in the Valley proper, but still in the Park:

Yosemite West complex on Wawona Road near Glacier Point turn off
http://www.yosemitewest.com/

Redwoods Cottages in Wawona
http://www.redwoodsinyosemite.com/

I have stayed at the Redwoods far from the crowds. From there, have driven early to Glacier Point, and done the 14 hrs round trip from Glacier Point via Ililloette/Panorama to Half Dome that way.

Have also done Half Dome from the Valley floor up the Giant Staircase as well(which is the usual way) but in summer it is very hot down low there. Be sure to start early (I'd recommend 5AM) One problem from the Valley is lack of shuttle service before 7, so if you walk from Yosemite Lodge or Awahnee to trailhead at Happy Isles, add another 45 minutes each way, I think. Alternately, drive car from lodging to Day Parking lot and from there it is about 20 min to Happy Isles trailhead. If you start with purple pre-dawn you will have the place to your self and be amazed at the difference it makes compared to what you will see when you come down. Harvey

As far as when to do your hike; after Labor Day. The weather has been perfect the last two years the first weekend in October. Someone here posted a picture of a traffic jam trying to summit at the same time during a typical summer day. That would wreck it for me.

I have stayed at the motel down in El Portal -- just 8 miles from the valley floor, so the drive in is short and pleasant. It's a huge place, so you wouldn't want to stay all day there -- spouses could drive into the valley and do the more touristy things.

You can check out the Yosemite View Lodge and the Cedar Lodge in El Portal. Both are outside the park but a short drive in (as Steve C indicated). They also are on the Merced River (if you like river rafting tours) and have nice pools (as well as a restaurant).

For those those who don't enjoy a tent and all that comes with that, I like to suggest Tenaya Lodge on the southern entrance. There are several levels of accommodations there from the very nice to completely posh. Beautiful property and probably about an hour from the trailhead in the summer.

norweejunwood, yes, your ladies need to go first class. Over the years I've stayed in virtually all of the accomodations in Yosemite Valley, and like HikerLaura, I can't say enough about the Ahwahnee Hotel. I've stayed in an Ahwahnee cottage and the hotel rooms. If you can fit it in your budget--and it is expensive--go for the Ahwahnee, and book early. The accomodations are most definitely first class, with first class service, and the Ahwahnee dining room and dining is an unforgettable experience. (Years ago they had a strict, semi-formal dress code for dinners, but that's long gone now.) My wife and I love Ahwahnee dining so much, we've driven from Pasadena to the Ahwahnee just to eat! I've also enjoyed the Yosemite Lodge and Curry Village. Yosemite Lodge is a very nice motel, and Curry Village makes for economical "upper class" camping, but with a roof over head and decent beds and a tiny bathroom in each unit. The Tenaya Lodge is another top first class place.

I hope your ladies can "camp" first class in Yosemite Valley. It is most definitely an unforgettable, and I think, delightful experience.

thanks to all for your warm and welcome thoughts.

I've never stayed at the Ahwahnee, but I've visited many times. High Tea is a fun event, and just looking at the architecture is always something, in the setting of Yosemite.

I also can't think of the Ahwahnee, without thinking about their special Christmas pageant dinner, the Bracebridge Dinner, which used to be a harder ticket to get than the Masters. The history alone is worth a visit to the site:

http://www.bracebridgedinners.com/

I was fairly astonished to find out who created the pageant in the form in which it is performed today.........

Nice lure, Ken. It worked on me.

It might be just me, but the Ahwahnee and the Half dome hike seem incongruous. I'm not sure you can easily get a reservation for this summer anyway (though it's very pricey, there are plenty willing to pay it). The Ahwahnee is more after shave and perfume, champagne brunch, "look at the nice waterfalls" and "I wonder if the Merlot will go with the lobster?" where the Half Dome trek is, well, trails and nature, getting out early, just basically "Yosemite".

One way around this, if you stay there or in one of the nearby out-of-valley accommodations might be to just reserve a campsite at Upper (or North) Pines for a night (assuming you don't mind tents yourself) and when you get up early you'll be within a few minutes of Happy Isles to head up the Mist or JM trail nice and early...no need to wait for the shuttle at 7+. That way the wives can bask in the luxury of whatever hotel you pick, and you're not worrying about getting to the trailhead or whether you should shower first...8^) Especially in summer when it's hot, you might want to forego the fancy Ahwanee-type dinner the night before, and save it for afterward if you're so inclined.

You would still have to think ahead, as campsites during the summer are snapped up on 'opening day', but getting a night or two isn't too hard if you try early. The Curry tent cabins are often noisy, something like sleeping in a barracks..I'd drive out of the valley before I'd even think of staying there, but the camps quiet down nicely at night, and when you wake up, you're "there" and in the right frame of mind.

Hmmm... I guess I don't see the incongruity between living well and also enjoying a nice long hard hike. I have stayed at the Ahwahnee (once: my brother was getting married there) and (when I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity) a few other luxurious places around the world. I enjoy good wine (or better yet, single malt whisky), but am also quite happy to have day-old water (with dirt, etc.) from my nalgene -- as long as it comes with a beautiful view!

That being said, when I did half-dome (snake dike), we stayed at one of the nearby campgrounds the night before and that worked very well. The Ahwahnee is indeed better for the night after, especially since you don't want to miss breakfast there!

The single malt comment got me…Oban!
Anyway, after an 8-day trek from Tuolumne, with my wife – her first real backpacking trip – we hurriedly got off the shuttle bus at the Ahwahnee, under the guise of not being late for High Tea…still wearing our dusty backpacks and trail dirt. She did not know that I had a night’s reservation.
You should have seen the look on her face when, in the Great Room, an employee came over, and we deposited our well-used packs on the bellhop’s gurney, purple velvet ropes and all.
Quite the nice hotel and we really got a kick out of the “country-club” type patron’s stares as we headed up to our room. Life can indeed be sweet!

Be warned though, the Ahwahnee has no air conditioning, and our room was unfortunately on the sunny side - (I did not think to check beforehand.) In the afternoon August sun it was almost too hot to stay inside the room…somehow though, we managed...LOL.
As for the dinner, try the rack of lamb…great wine list too...something in a rich, gooey chocolate for dessert...with a 15-year-old port. What incongruity?

It was just a suggestion; while it would be incongrous for me, it wouldn't necessarily be so for the next person. I see Wood has been around the forum for a while, so the Half Dome trek may not be much of a challenge for him...though for most folks it's a pretty exhausting trip by the end of the day. If you can have rack of lamb with wine and malt and head out for Half Dome feeling fine the next morning, that's all that counts. Admittedly, fancy restaurants aren't a priority to me, I'd just as soon go for a pizza upstairs at Deegnan's after a hike, so I'm sure I'm in the minority there. And while I do appreciate nice lodging, in Yosemite I'd frankly rather stay in the campground than anywhere, assuming reasonable weather, not 4 days of rain...

The morning after our (last May) Half Dome trip,
http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/halfdome
I woke up nicely rested at Upper Pines in my comfortably-large tent, in a warm oversize sleeping bag on a soft air mattress, and took a stroll up to the fen and around Happy Isles islands at daybreak, which look great that time of year; it stretched out what stiffness had set in, and was just a memorable 'good feeling' morning. I'd take it over the champagne brunch at Ahwahnee any day, your mileage may vary 8^).

But primarily I was suggesting it to simplify things, get going early and beat the crowd, especially if they have to stay outside the valley.

some great feedback from everyone so it deserves a follow-up. since it is our first trip to yosemite, we booked the lodge for it's central location and because it happened to have 2 rooms available for our mid-week, mid-july dates. the awahnee was booked for most of the summer so we will have a libation or two there and consider it for the future. thank you beach and gary for your photos and links -- i am sooooo pumped up for the visit and to take my own pictures. the B&Bs recommended were booked otherwise they looked to be a great value and with nice people. thanks again to all. been 3 years since our group did whitney and we are looking forward to getting in the outdoors again.

norweejunwood: Could you scout out the Valley for me and find out if any of these are available:
lefse
krumkache
aquavit
brown cheese...........these could influence my travel plans for the summer.....thx......steve