Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [444]
Curry Village has several food options (see "Where to Dine," later in this chapter) plus an outdoor swimming pool, bicycle rentals, raft rentals, kids' programs, tour desk, mountaineering school, and sports shop.
Housekeeping Camp
Yosemite Valley. ☎ 559/252-4848. 266 units, all with shared bathrooms and shower house. $67 per site (up to 4 people; $5 per extra person). AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Closed Nov–Mar.
A fun, funky place to spend the night, this is the closest thing to camping without pitching a tent. The sites are fence-enclosed shanties built on concrete slabs, each with a table, a cupboard, electrical outlets, shelves, a mirror, and lights. The sleeping areas have two single-size bunks and a double bed. There is also a self-serve laundry and grocery store. Reservations for accommodations are required.
Tuolumne Meadows Lodge
Tioga Rd., Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park. ☎ 559/252-4848. 69 canvas tent cabins, all with shared bathroom and shower house. $75 double. Extra adult $9. $4 per child. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Parking available in an adjacent lot. Closed winter. From Yosemite Valley, take Big Oak Flat and Tioga rds. north and east 60 miles (about 1½ hr.) toward Tioga Pass.
This is a group of canvas tent cabins. Like those at White Wolf Lodge (see below), these have tables and wood-burning stoves; they sleep up to four. This is prime hiking territory, with numerous trailheads, and the lodge is home base for wilderness trekkers and backcountry campers. There's a restaurant (see "Where to Dine," later in this chapter), plus a tour desk, small general store, gas station, mountaineering store, post office, and stables.
Wawona Hotel
Wawona Rd., Wawona, Yosemite National Park. ☎ 559/252-4848. 104 units, 54 with shared bathroom. $95–$170 double. Extra adult $10–$16. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. From Yosemite Valley, take Wawona Rd. south 27 miles toward Fresno.
This is a classic Victorian-style hotel made up of six stately white buildings set near towering trees in a green clearing. Don't be surprised if a horse and buggy round the driveway by the fish-pond—it's that kind of place, with wide porches, a nearby 9-hole golf course, and vines cascading from one veranda to the next. The entire place was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987. The 1876 Clark Cottage is the oldest building, and the main hotel was built in 1879. Rooms are comfortable and quaint, with a choice of a double and a twin, a king, or one double bed (most of the one-double units share bathrooms). All rooms open onto wide porches and overlook green lawns. Clark Cottage is the most intimate. The main hotel has the widest porches and plenty of Adirondack chairs, and at night a pianist plays in the downstairs sunroom. Check out the whistling maintenance man who hits every high note in "The Star-Spangled Banner" while the American flag is hoisted each morning (leaving many bystanders speechless as more than a few Wawona employees chime in to complete the whistling orchestra).
An adjacent dining room serves great food and an awesome Sunday brunch (see "Where to Dine," below). There is also a lounge, large outdoor pool, outdoor tennis court, golf course, grocery store, gas station, and stable.
White Wolf Lodge
Tioga Rd., White Wolf, Yosemite National Park. ☎ 559/252-4848. 24 canvas tent cabins, 4 wood cabins. All canvas cabins share bathroom and shower house. $71–$105 double. Extra adult $10 in cabin, $9 in tent. Extra child $4. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Parking available across the road. Closed winter. From Yosemite Valley, take Big Oak Flat and Tioga rds. north and east 33 miles toward Tioga Pass.
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