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MULTISPORT ADVENTURES

Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides (831/459–8735 or 800/231–4575 | www.symg.com) leads multiday adventure trips into the southern High Sierra backcountry.

SKIING

Mammoth Mountain (Rte. 203, off U.S. 395, Mammoth Lakes. 93546 | 800/626–6684 | www.mammothmountain.com), one of the nation’s premier ski resorts, offers more than 3,500 acres of skiable boulevards, canyons, and bowls, and a 3,100-foot vertical drop. Ski season starts in November and can run through June. There’s a ski school, cross-country trails, snowboarding, snowmobiling, and dogsledding. You can rent or buy equipment. The resort has extensive lodging, dining, and shopping options in the Village at Mammoth.

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WHERE TO EAT

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ABOUT THE RESTAURANTS

Yosemite National Park has a couple of moderately priced restaurants in lovely (which almost goes without saying) settings: the Mountain Room at Yosemite Lodge and Wawona Hotel’s dining room. And the Ahwahnee Hotel provides one of the finest dining experiences in the country.

Otherwise, food service is geared toward satisfying the masses as efficiently as possible. Yosemite Lodge’s food court and Curry Village Pavilion’s buffet (breakfast and dinner only) are the Valley’s best lower-cost, hot-food options. In Valley Village, the Village Grill whips up burgers and fries, Degnan’s Deli has $5–$7 made-to-order sandwiches, and Loft Pizzeria has a chaletlike open dining area in which you can enjoy pizza, salads, and desserts until 9 PM. The White Wolf Lodge and Tuolumne Meadows Lodge—both off Tioga Road and therefore guaranteed open only from early June through September—have small restaurants where meals are competently prepared. Tuolumne Meadows also has a grill, as does the store at Glacier Point, and Sliders Grab-N-Go serves fast food during the ski season at Badger Pass, off Glacier Point Road.

IN THE PARK

In addition to the dining options listed here, you’ll find fast-food grills and cafeterias, plus temporary snack bars, hamburger stands, and pizza joints lining park roads in summer. Many dining facilities in the park are open summer only.

Fodor’s Choice | Ahwahnee Hotel Dining Room.

$$$–$$$$ | CONTINENTAL | Rave reviews about the dining room’s appearance are fully justified—it features floor-to-ceiling windows, a 34-foot-high ceiling with interlaced sugar-pine beams, and massive chandeliers. Although many continue to applaud the food, others have reported that they sense a recent dip in the quality both in the service and what is being served. Diners must spend a lot of money here, so perhaps that inflates the expectations and amplifies the disappointments. In any event, the Sunday brunch ($40) is consistently praised. Reservations are always advised, and for dinner, the attire is "resort casual." | Ahwahnee Hotel, Ahwahnee Rd., about ¾ mi east of Yosemite Valley Visitor Center, Yosemite Village | 209/372–1489 | Reservations essential | AE, D, DC, MC, V.

Food Court at Yosemite Lodge.

¢–$$ | AMERICAN | Fast and convenient (if outdated), this food court serves simple fare, ranging from hamburgers and pizzas to pastas, carved roasted meats, and salads at lunch and dinner. There’s also a selection of beer and wine. At breakfast, you can get pancakes and eggs made any way you like. An espresso and smoothie bar near the entrance keeps longer hours. | Yosemite Lodge, about ¾ mi west of the visitor center, Yosemite Village 95389 | 209/372–1265 | AE, D, DC, MC, V.

Mountain Room.

$$–$$$ | AMERICAN | Though good, the food becomes secondary when you see Yosemite Falls through this dining room’s wall of windows—almost every table has a view. The chef makes a point of using locally sourced, organic ingredients, so you can be assured of fresh greens and veggies here. The Mountain Room Lounge, a few steps away in the Yosemite Lodge complex, has a broad bar with about 10 beers on tap. | Yosemite Lodge, Northside Dr. about ¾ mi west of the visitor center, Yosemite Village