Cheap Hotel Rate - Yosemite National Park

Introduction

The park draws a large crowd of professional and hobby nature and wildlife photographers. Mountain Climbers try their skills on the 3593 foot (about 1100m) vertical granite wall of El Capitan and Rafters ride the wild waters of the Merced River. The park has much more to offer, while most of the over 4 million visitors only see Yosemite Valley. The steep cliffs and the magnificent waterfalls, it is here where Ansel Adams shot his most famous photographs after he fell in love with the awe inspiring landscape. Yosemite National Park is one of the most visited parks in the U.S.A.

Location

It does not include State Parks. You should consider buying a National Park Pass for $50, if you plan to visit at least 2 other parks within a year. The park entrance fee is $20/car. Which is not always open (see below), you have to cross Tioga Pass. You can enter on CA-120, from the east. CA-140 meets CA-120 in Yosemite Valley. You will most likely enter the Park on CA-140. If you are coming from L.A. Take CA-120 to enter Yosemite National Park, from the west. Follow CA-120 into the park. CA-120 east, i-5 North (2.2mi), i-205 East, from San Francisco take I-580 east. The park is located about 200miles (3 hours) east of San Francisco (Airport Code: SFO) in the heart of the High Sierras.

Yosemite Valley

Most likely you will not be allowed access without carrying snow chains. Call 209-372-0200 for current conditions (209-372-4726 for recorded information). In February the roads may not always be open due to snow. The best time to visit the Valley is February through late May. The bus stations are marked in the Newspaper that you will get at the entrance station. Free shuttle busses are available to get around. It is also the only place in Yosemite where you can buy food. This is definitely the place to go, if you have only one day to visit Yosemite. If you take a short hike along the many trails you can avoid the crowds easily. Don't let this discourage you from visiting the Valley. Traffic jams are a common occurrence. August and maybe September the valley is full of visitors, july, during the summer month of June. Yosemite Valley is unquestionably the most visited part of the park.

Glacier Point Road and Mariposa Grove

Glacier Point Road

But don't take my word for it, you should be here by car anyways and if the road is not open so be it, if you don't have wings. The elevation is not to be underestimated. You don't want to try this, believe me. On the four-mile trail, you could also hike up here. As you will have some of the most spectacular views from up here, plan for many stops and hikes though. It is a 32-mile drive from the visitor center to Glacier Point itself (the end of the road). Glacier Point Road usually opens in late May (later in years of heavy snow fall) and closes in November.

Mariposa Grove

This is the place to go, if you ever wanted to feel like an insect standing next to a tree. The largest tree (Grizzly Giant) is about 1800 years old and has seen the rise and fall of empires. Mariposa Grove is divided into upper and lower Grove. You have to hike on the snow. As the 2-mile road into the grove is closed, in winter it is not easy to reach. Mariposa Grove is Yosemite's largest grove of giant sequoias.

Tioga Pass

It is still well worth the visit, even though it is not as big and magnificent as Mariposa Grove. Another place to see giant sequoias, you will come to Tuolumne Grove, immediately after the Intersection. Take CA-120 towards Tioga Pass instead of driving towards Yosemite Valley at the intersection near Crane Flat, if you drive through the park from East to west. Tioga pass itself is 9945 feet (3031m) high and offers some of the most spectacular views of the park. Making the Meadows a wonderful patch of colors, if you come here in June or July you could experience the blooming of the Wildflowers. Massive amounts of Snow make this area inaccessible in winter. But there are years when the Road is closed until July, the Road usually opens in late May and closes in October. CA-120 crosses Yosemite from East to West and leads over Tioga Pass. Actually this area should be referred to as the backcountry. You should consider coming up here, if you visit Yosemite in June or July.

Tips

There are still opportunities later if you don't mind spending more money. Get gas in Oakdale, if you come from San Francisco. The park is big and gasoline is not available everywhere. Gas up. On better days I shot a few hundred exposures. More than once have I seen people asking desperately around to buy them when all of a sudden the beautiful setting sun bathes the cliffs in red light and they ran out. Bring enough film or memory cards. Pick them up and put them on your shoulders to prevent them from being attacked, if you have children. Mountain lions are scared of anything really big. Don't approach them, if you see a mother with cups. Bears can run faster then you and climb trees, remember. That's just asking for trouble, if you are camping and leaving open food containers around. That the bears cannot smell it, always wrap your food and pack it in such a way. Bears have been known to break open cars to get food. A large population of Black Bears lives in Yosemite. Consider that help may not be close, if you are all by yourself in the backcountry.

Accomodation

It is obviously the better choice, if you can bankroll a stay in the Park. But they are much farther away from the park, there are a bunch of Hotels on CA-120. I have been able to get some good deals in El Portal (on CA-140 just outside the park). As less people will compete for the same room, if you can afford to come here during the week you will get better deals. Traveling during the weekend has its price, as usual.

Hotels on the east side

Alternatively you can go north towards Bridgeport. Offering plenty of Hotels, if you go south for about 40 minutes you will get to the town of Mammoth Lakes. Well good luck, if you have no reservation. The only Hotel I would stay in here is the Best Western. If you exit Yosemite on the East towards Mono Lake you will get to the city of Lee Vining.

Restaurants

Much more information about Yosemite National Park can be found in my article http://www.opentravelinfo.com/ynp. But I bet after a day of hiking you wont care much and a nasty burger will sound just as good as Filet Mignon, both are not very good. Next to the Visitor Center in Yosemite Valley there is a small Burger place and a Sandwich place. They also have a Pizzeria if you cannot wait. But you have to wait to get a seat, the Restaurant that belongs to the Yosemite View Lodge is pretty good.