Room at the inn
Comfortable lodging options abound if you’re off to Yosemite
Planning a trek? Here’s the scoop on where to stay if you’re heading for Yosemite, Stanislaus National Forest or Pinecrest Lake.
Yosemite National Park: The National Park’s most famous hotel is the landmark Majestic Yosemite Hotel — the hotel formerly known as the Ahwahnee, until a concessionaire change this spring caused a great deal of rebranding. But other options exist — from lodges and bed-andbreakfasts
Outside the park: Yosemite gateway towns, such as Groveland and Mariposa, host a number of lodges, B&Bs and vacation rentals. Groveland’s historic 1920s Evergreen Lodge (www.evergreenlodge.com) is always a popular choice. This spring, its owners opened the Rush Creek Lodge (www.rushcreeklodge.com) just outside the park gates. The newest Yosemite region resort to open in more than 25 years, the rustic-modern lodge offers 143 rooms, suites and hillside villas; a grand lodge, tavern and restaurant; a heated 2,400square-foot saltwater pool; a poolside bar; and outdoor recreation options, including guided Yosemite hikes, a kids’ zip line and Evelo E-bikes.
Other Groveland options include the historic and charming Hotel Charlotte (www.hotelcharlotte.com), with antique bedsteads, modern bathroom fixtures and a restaurant, Fork & Love; the historic Groveland Hotel (www.groveland.com), built as an adobe trading post in 1849; and the Yosemite Westgate Lodge (www.yosemitewestgate.com), which is 12 miles from the park’s west gate. Find more lodging possibilities at yosemitegoldcountry.com.
Pinecrest: Headed farther north? Find information for the Pinecrest Lake Resort’s lodging options, which include newly renovated motel rooms, as well as cabins and townhouses, at pinecrestlakeresort.com. In addition to the aquatic attractions of the lake resort, the Pinecrest Theater (www.pinecresttheater.com) shows first-run movies under the stars all summer long.
Twain Harte: You’ll find the recently updated Wildwood Inn (www.wildwoodinn.com), to vacation rentals. Within the park, Yosemite Valley Lodge (formerly Yosemite Lodge at the Falls) offers clean, comfortable and budget-friendly rooms in a convenient location. Like roughing it? Half Dome Village (formerly Curry Village) offers heated cabins and tent cabins in the shadow of Half Dome. Find more information at www.yosemitepark.com, the park’s new website.
Yosemite Vacation Homes (www.4yosemite.com) offers lodging within the national park’s gates, just 7 miles from the valley. Cabins, cottages and chalets in Foresta boast iconic Yosemite views. a motel with a swimming pool, in the center of town, walking distance to restaurants, shops and the golf course — and a mini-golf course, too. A mile away, the McCaffrey House bed-and-breakfast offers pet-friendly lodgings (www.mccaffreyhouse.com). And in Long Barn, halfway between Twain Harte and Pinecrest, new owners have begun renovating the venerable Long Barn Lodge (longbarn. com), which includes motel rooms and recently updated cabins painted a cheery cherry red. In the winter, there’s an iceskating rink on the property. For more ideas, check out Darlene’s Vacation Cabins (www.darlenesvacationcabins.com), which has properties in Pinecrest, Strawberry, Long Barn and Sugarpine.
More options: Search Tripping (www. tripping.com) for 5,000 vacation rentals, including rustic log cabins and rooms with a view in the Yosemite area, as well as Airbnb (www.airbnb.com) for options in Yosemite, Pinecrest and Twain Harte.