Lodging Options in Yosemite National Park

Many people think that vacationing in a National Park must be very expensive.  In most National Parks, however, there is a very wide variety of lodging options that can make visiting National Parks a very budget-friendly endeavor.

Nowhere better exemplies the range of lodging options than Yosemite National Park.  The most expensive room in Yosemite will run you $1,415 per night, while tent camping is as low as $14.00 per night.

Even if your budget doesn't allow you to be a registered guest of one of the finest hotels in the National Park System,  the grand Ahwahnee, do make a point to visit the hotel to take a look around.  Queen Elizabeth II stayed in the Mary Curry Tresider Suite during her trip in 1983.

You can take a break with a refreshment from the lounge and take in all the historic beauty of a lodge built in the 1927 to lure the wealthy to Yosemite to garner support for the concept of a National Park system.

Or order a cappuchino from the espresso bar and sit on the back patio and enjoy the gorgeous scenery.  From the Ahwahnee, you can see several of the major landmarks of Yosemite: Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, and Glacier Point. 

Architect, Gilbert Stanley Underwood, designed this masterpiece with fire safety in mind.  The exterior looks like redwood but is actually painted concrete.

Getting the tons of building materials to this very remote worksite was the most complex trucking operation ever undertaken in the mid 1920s.

The Grand Lobby is decorated in a Native American style to honor the history of the Miwok Indians who lived in the Yosemite Valley on this site.

The Indian rugs on display are worth the trip into the hotel alone:

The dining room was elegant.  In fact, jackets and ties are "respectfully requested" for dinner time: they have some to borrow if you didn't bring your own.  A dinner for two will run you around $100.00.  But a simple lunch or breakfast here would fit into most people's budgets.

This is the only National Park hotel that I know of that rolls out the red carpet for all visitors:

For those who would love to stay right in the center of Yosemite Valley, but do not have the resources or desire to spend thousands on a single vacation, Yosemite Lodge is just a short walk from the Ahwahnee.

Yosemite Lodge is the center of many family fun activities.   There is an outdoor amphitheater that features ranger programs and educational movies about the Park.  Many of the organized Park tours leave from Yosemite Lodge using the "Green Dragon", an open tram that tours different sections of the park.  So many folks bike all around the Yosemite Valley.

Hidden within Yosemite Lodge is a Food Court that has pizza, deli sandwiches, and a casual grill.

The Mountain Room Restaurant in the Yosemite Lodge has an unbeatable view of the 2,424 foot high Yosemite Falls and serves fine food such as lamb, duck, seafood.

The falls are nearly dry in November, when I visited.  I am planning a Spring return to see the Park in its full glory.

The Wawona Hotel, located close to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, appealed to me the most of all.  It is outside of the bustle of the very crowded Yosemite Valley and its Victorian charm and peaceful grounds really made me feel as though I was transported back to simplier days.

I never expected to see a golf course within the bounds of Yosemite National Park, but you play nine holes on the oldest golf course in the Sierra that has been in operation since 1918 and it is organic and a certified bird sanctuary as well.

You can choose to stay in the main hotel, or in one of several cabins.  All the buildings are whitewashed and full of wicker furnishing and other period pieces.  The hotel's elegance is modeled after European guest houses.

Here is another charming cabin that looks like a chapel in the wilderness.

I enjoyed sitting out on the famous veranda and taking in all the scenery.  November is a peaceful time to visit Yosemite.  Summers can be very crowded.

Here is a family taking it easy on the lawn:

There is even a pool for those kids that need to swim on vacation:

 It is most definitely worth the time to take a peek in the lobby of this hotel built in 1882.

This old-fashioned secretary was my favorite piece:

The dining room's elegance matches the rest of the hotel:

A quick glance at the menu made me want to stop here next time I'm in Yosemite and enjoy a lunch here.  Flat Iron steaks, a regional speciality, along with fresh fish, and other local favorites at under $20 a person peaked my interest.

Curry Village, located near Glacier Point and Half Dome, is the most budget-friendly option for families.  It was build in 1899 by David and Jennie Curry who dreamed of making the National Park experience afforded for the masses.  They promoted "a good bed and clean napkin with every meal" for $2.00 a day.  Today the motel rooms, cabins, or canvas tents that include cots cost more than $2.00 a day, but it is still very affordable.

Regular tent camping can be found in many campsite all around Yosemite.  It can be challenging to get reservations for the busy months.  Some of the camp grounds are first-come/first-serve.

This camp site near the Wawona Hotel costs only $14.00 a site for up to six people. 

If you want to really experience the full natural beauty of Yosemite, nothing could beat sleeping under the stars and waking up to the sounds of birds.

I hope you get the chance to vacation in a National Park soon.