I am looking forward to my first trip to Yosemite towards the end of May. It was a late idea and lots of the hotels are booked already. I will be there 5 days and want to make the most of my stay. I would like to stay as close as possible to the park without spending a fortune. I have researched hotels over the internet. I am leaning towards the Mariposa Lodge. The reviews I have read look good. Does anyone have an opinion about the Mariposa or a better location. Thanks in advance for your help.
Posted by Derek Sedillo on April 18, 2009 at 7:41 PM
Yosemite View Lodge is really nice. We just stayed there this Winter. It is the closest to the valley floor just outside the park (~ 7 miles) which is a very easy quick drive.
We will be staying at Cedar Lodge 1 night next month which is a bit more driving (Saturday night). Then we will be staying at housekeeping camp right inside the valley the rest of the week. That location is unbeatable although more camping and roughing it.
While Mariposa is doable it is a bit of a long drive thru the Canyon every day. It is on the other side of the landslide area which has up to 20 minute waits for the one way bridge and traffic light. It takes ~ hour total. You may want to see if you can get a little closer if possible even if you have to split the nights up. Weekends drive further because they are more booked. Then try for some days closer midweek or even camping select nights.
Derek
Posted by Lon Overacker on April 19, 2009 at 1:21 AM
Kevin,
Aside from the crowds you'll be dealing with, it's a nice time to visit the park. The waterfalls will be booming and will be the major attraction to the valley. It's unlikely, but possible that the road to Glacier point will be open - if it is, you should definitely make that one of your visits.
As far as lodging goes, have you tried to get reservations at Yosemite Lodge or Curry Village? You didn't mention if you would be traveling with your family, but if you're going solo, the cabins and tents at Curry Village are pretty good options.
Can't vouch for the Mariposa Lodge, but any of the locations in Mariposa it will be your basic motels. I would recommend the "Miners Inn" for dinner. There's also lodging at at the Miners Inn
Like Derek, I would highly recommend the Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal. It's just a couple of miles from the Arch Rock entrance and if you can get a "river view" room, it's quite an experience to listen to the rush of the Merced River outside your patio door. They have a couple of restaurants there too. Cedar Lodge is about 6 miles or so further west, but another good option. Check out this website for accomodations in the area.
If everything is already booked, staying in Mariposa is not the worst thing. You will only be about 30-40 min from the valley and traveling along the Merced Canyon along the way is not a bad thing either.
And since you mentioned this is your first visit to Yosemite, have you purchased Michael Frye's "the Photographer's guide to Yosemite?" If not, I would check amazon and order it. If anything, it should provide some ideas and inspiration.
Let us know if you have any questions. Have a great trip.
I will be traveling with my wife. Almost everything is booked. I did not know about the drive through the canyon. I am now looking at lodging at Yosemite Ridge Resort and Yosemite Westgate Lodge instead of Mariposa. It is 12 miles from the west entrance on 120 and Buck Meadows. Michael Frye's book is currently out of print. I will look around for a copy at the local book stores. We should be there at the end of a full moon. It is difficult to make arrangements when you live so far away and have never been to a place before. This forum and information sharing is what makes the internet great. Thanks for everyone's input.
Posted by Derek Sedillo on April 19, 2009 at 11:02 PM
Although Mariposa is further I don't know if those hotels on HWY 120 buy you anything more in terms of time savings. The reason why is that HWY 140 is the least windy and involves less up and down climbing. So if Mariposa is 40 miles and the other is 30 miles to the valley floor it ends up taking about the same time.
If anyone else has more experience with these different hotel travel times please chime in as well.
Keep checking the lodging in the park....there are frequently cancellations, especially closer to the date.
Posted by Lon Overacker on April 20, 2009 at 5:38 PM
Kevin,
I'm not familiar with those motels/resorts, but am familiar with the drive. And in all honesty at that time of the year, it's not a bad drive. There will be outstanding viewpoints along the way and it's possible the dogwood will be blooming along the drive after the entrance station along 120. There's also the Merced and Tuolumne Sequoia groves along the route. Both require a little bit of walking, but if you're in to hiking, piece of cake.
I rechecked both Yosemite View and the Cedar lodge and there are rooms available, just not for all the nights (assuming 5/27 or so arrival?) Also as Anthony mentioned, keep checking the Yosemite reservations for cancellations. I think you would get so much more out of your visit if you could manage a reservaton in the valley. On the other hand, Yosemite Village will be a complete zoo that weekend as the kids are getting out of school and it will be crowded.
But fear not, it is pretty darn easy to lose yourself on a trail somewhere (well, except for Yosemite and Bridal Veil falls....) But with your length of stay, you should have plenty of time to figure out where those quiet spots are.
If dogwood is those bright pink bushy trees, then they're in full bloom.
On I-140 there's also tons of yellow and purple flowers.
The waterfalls are in full effect. We saw one dropping all the way down from sentinel rock, making like 5 waterfalls (we were around the 3 brothers).
For hikes, remember the road in front of El Capitan is closed for repaving, so a good time to stroll it with noone around, and take the photos you normally can't stop for with the car. Park yosemite lodge.
For stays, you missed the opening of booking season the 15th, it sells out in hours, starts at midnight. BTW, it's starting to be crowded, though I saw empty campsites in the u/l pines last weekend.
Staying on I-41 is nice, you get to see redwoods but it's long to the valley, though you can drive up to glacier point on the way, and stop at tunnel view etc.
For I-140, cedar lodge etc are a good choice, closest to the valley. There's also a small expensive walk in camping on the other side of the river.
For I-120, there's quite a few places to stay, though the drive is longer. I think one of the places has teepees. I tried one once and it's a fun experience once.
Last time when I was in Yosemite was last October and pretty much everything close to the park was booked or very expensive, so we ended up staying at the Comfort Inn in Mariposa, which was very nice.
If you think you will drive to the park early in the morning the traffic is not bad at all. You will have to wait at the landslide area, but other than that it is a quick 30-40 minute drive. On the way back it took us over an hour because the traffic. This was tiring especially after a 13 hour hike on top of Half Dome.
If you can find something available and that you can afford I would recommend you book in El Portal, which is a few minutes from the park entrance. Otherwise, Mariposa is not that bad especially if you leave early in the morning.
Thanks for everyone's input. I will be there 5/24 thru 5/30. I hate to go during a holiday week. It is my only window of opportunity for another year. I am still looking at hotels and reading their reviews. I do not plan to be in the room very much. Do not want to stay in a roach motel. The high dollar rooms are getting bad reviews also. Plus I have the wife in tow also. I do not like to wait until the last minute. I will pull the trigger on the room in the next day or two.
Posted by Richard Wong on April 25, 2009 at 1:52 AM
The Best Western in Mariposa is a decent place.
Posted by Lon Overacker on April 30, 2009 at 9:13 PM
Kevin,
You may have a chance to grab Michael Frye's guide to Yosemite. He just post some info on his blog that the AA Gallery has some copies. Check it out: http://michaelfryephotography.blogspot.com/
I'll drop you an email in case you don't get this.
Lon, thanks for the reply and the email. I have checked every where for Michael Frye's book. Amazon says it is out of print. I am on the list to notify when it becomes available. I will go to the AA Gallery as soon as I can when I get there. I am really getting excited about the trip. First trip I have been on since the Grand Canyon 3 years ago right before my father died. Everyone's information will help to make my trip a good one. To me, this kind of information sharing is what the internet is all about. Thanks again.
We had a great trip to Yosemite. Everyone's input help to make that way. Five days were not enough. We covered a lot of ground. Great water falls. Tioga had just opened also. It was our first trip there, but hopefully it will not be the last. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.
Discussion
13 repliesWe will be staying at Cedar Lodge 1 night next month which is a bit more driving (Saturday night). Then we will be staying at housekeeping camp right inside the valley the rest of the week. That location is unbeatable although more camping and roughing it.
While Mariposa is doable it is a bit of a long drive thru the Canyon every day. It is on the other side of the landslide area which has up to 20 minute waits for the one way bridge and traffic light. It takes ~ hour total. You may want to see if you can get a little closer if possible even if you have to split the nights up. Weekends drive further because they are more booked. Then try for some days closer midweek or even camping select nights.
Derek
Aside from the crowds you'll be dealing with, it's a nice time to visit the park. The waterfalls will be booming and will be the major attraction to the valley. It's unlikely, but possible that the road to Glacier point will be open - if it is, you should definitely make that one of your visits.
As far as lodging goes, have you tried to get reservations at Yosemite Lodge or Curry Village? You didn't mention if you would be traveling with your family, but if you're going solo, the cabins and tents at Curry Village are pretty good options.
Can't vouch for the Mariposa Lodge, but any of the locations in Mariposa it will be your basic motels. I would recommend the "Miners Inn" for dinner. There's also lodging at
at the Miners Inn
Like Derek, I would highly recommend the Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal. It's just a couple of miles from the Arch Rock entrance and if you can get a "river view" room, it's quite an experience to listen to the rush of the Merced River outside your patio door. They have a couple of restaurants there too. Cedar Lodge is about 6 miles or so further west, but another good option. Check out this website for accomodations in the area.
If everything is already booked, staying in Mariposa is not the worst thing. You will only be about 30-40 min from the valley and traveling along the Merced Canyon along the way is not a bad thing either.
And since you mentioned this is your first visit to Yosemite, have you purchased Michael Frye's "the Photographer's guide to Yosemite?" If not, I would check amazon and order it. If anything, it should provide some ideas and inspiration.
Let us know if you have any questions. Have a great trip.
Lon
Hope this helps,
Lon
If anyone else has more experience with these different hotel travel times please chime in as well.
Derek
I'm not familiar with those motels/resorts, but am familiar with the drive. And in all honesty at that time of the year, it's not a bad drive. There will be outstanding viewpoints along the way and it's possible the dogwood will be blooming along the drive after the entrance station along 120. There's also the Merced and Tuolumne Sequoia groves along the route. Both require a little bit of walking, but if you're in to hiking, piece of cake.
I rechecked both Yosemite View and the Cedar lodge and there are rooms available, just not for all the nights (assuming 5/27 or so arrival?) Also as Anthony mentioned, keep checking the Yosemite reservations for cancellations. I think you would get so much more out of your visit if you could manage a reservaton in the valley. On the other hand, Yosemite Village will be a complete zoo that weekend as the kids are getting out of school and it will be crowded.
But fear not, it is pretty darn easy to lose yourself on a trail somewhere (well, except for Yosemite and Bridal Veil falls....) But with your length of stay, you should have plenty of time to figure out where those quiet spots are.
Good luck and have fun,
Lon
On I-140 there's also tons of yellow and purple flowers.
The waterfalls are in full effect. We saw one dropping all the way down from sentinel rock, making like 5 waterfalls (we were around the 3 brothers).
For hikes, remember the road in front of El Capitan is closed for repaving, so a good time to stroll it with noone around, and take the photos you normally can't stop for with the car. Park yosemite lodge.
For stays, you missed the opening of booking season the 15th, it sells out in hours, starts at midnight. BTW, it's starting to be crowded, though I saw empty campsites in the u/l pines last weekend.
Staying on I-41 is nice, you get to see redwoods but it's long to the valley, though you can drive up to glacier point on the way, and stop at tunnel view etc.
For I-140, cedar lodge etc are a good choice, closest to the valley. There's also a small expensive walk in camping on the other side of the river.
For I-120, there's quite a few places to stay, though the drive is longer. I think one of the places has teepees. I tried one once and it's a fun experience once.
If you think you will drive to the park early in the morning the traffic is not bad at all. You will have to wait at the landslide area, but other than that it is a quick 30-40 minute drive. On the way back it took us over an hour because the traffic. This was tiring especially after a 13 hour hike on top of Half Dome.
If you can find something available and that you can afford I would recommend you book in El Portal, which is a few minutes from the park entrance. Otherwise, Mariposa is not that bad especially if you leave early in the morning.
You may have a chance to grab Michael Frye's guide to Yosemite. He just post some info on his blog that the AA Gallery has some copies. Check it out:
http://michaelfryephotography.blogspot.com/
I'll drop you an email in case you don't get this.
Lon