Yosemite – 8 family-friendly hotels for your park trip
Yosemite National Park in California is one of the most popular national parks in the USA. The park is located in the central part of California, within driving distance from San Francisco. The stunning park offers a wealth of natural attractions, hiking trails of varying levels, a large visitor center, and all the joy of America's wild nature. In Yosemite Park, there are several lodges that allow for wonderful hotel-style accommodations right in the heart of nature. Near the park, there are plenty of towns like Groveland, Mariposa, and Oakhurst with excellent motels from all the major American chains. In California's Central Valley, there are large cities like Fresno or Merced, offering motels and hotels with a more urban character.
So before you rush to find a flight to San Francisco, want to get to know the breathtaking national park a little?
Click here for the complete guide to Yosemite National Park…
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Lodge Hotels in Yosemite National Park
The Ahwahnee
A lodge hotel that encapsulates the ultimate Yosemite experience even beyond daylight hours. Nestled in the heart of the Redwood destination, right under the cliffs of Royal Arch and North Dome, and above the Merced River. This is a four-star rustic hotel built in a grand mansion style. The hotel offers excellent culinary standards (at night, there are no dining options inside the park except for hotels), spacious rooms, and of course, simply breathtaking views.
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Yosemite Valley Lodge
The Yosemite Valley Lodge is a central and large lodge hotel in the heart of Yosemite Valley. It is a two-minute drive from the park's visitor center, situated in a breathtaking location in the glacial valley beneath all the giant cliffs and with views of the lower Yosemite Falls. It's a two-and-a-half-star hotel with a convenience store, a good restaurant, spacious and comfortable rooms that, of course, enjoy the park's fame and the prices reflect that.
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Yosemite View Lodge
The Yosemite View Lodge is a three-star roadside hotel located in El Portal, the gateway to the park, a straightforward minutes' drive from the visitor center. The hotel's backdrop is the babbling waters of the Merced River that flow right in the hotel’s yard, in the more open part of the glacial valley. The hotel offers a variety of rooms including those with kitchenettes, laundry facilities, and other conveniences for the traveling family.
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Hotels and Motels in Towns Near Yosemite National Park
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Oakhurst-Yosemite Park Area, an IHG Hotel (Oakhurst)
A very standard and comfortable hotel of the top brand Holiday Inn from the hotel giant IHG. This is a good hotel of the most average level (a very positive thing in remote areas where hotel choices are a gamble and reached by long drives). The hotel features spacious and modern rooms, a good breakfast, a relatively large swimming pool for those with time, a very convenient laundry room for those on a road trip, and all the other advantages of this great chain.
Click here to book at Holiday Inn Express & Suites Oakhurst-Yosemite Park Area…
Yosemite Southgate Hotel & Suites (Oakhurst)
A three-star level hotel/motel close to Oakhurst's Main Street, an hour and fifteen minutes' drive from Yosemite Valley. This is a classic American roadside hotel with spacious and comfy rooms, a small pool, a nice breakfast, and a great atmosphere of the Sierra Nevada foothills. The hotel is a very convenient accommodation solution for families, both in terms of quality and price.
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5th Street Inn (Mariposa)
A great rural three-star level hotel on the Main Street of Mariposa, an hour's drive from Yosemite Valley. The inn offers a particularly fun rural hotel experience with large and clean rooms and a warm and authentic American atmosphere. The hotel is a very convenient lodging solution for families and couples traveling in the rural area of the Central Valley.
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Best Western Plus Yosemite Gateway Inn (Oakhurst)
The Best Western Plus is a two and a half-star roadside hotel located close to the center of Oakhurst, about an hour and a quarter drive from Yosemite Valley. The hotel offers large and comfortable rooms perfect for staying with kids, a cute indoor pool, a really good breakfast, and great service typical of the international chain. The hotel is an ideal solution for families, not too pricey and very convenient.
Click here to book a place at Best Western Plus Yosemite Gateway Inn…
Hotel Charlotte (Groveland)
A unique and cool roadside hotel that belongs to the Wild West, almost like a pioneering set for accessing Yosemite National Park. The hotel is housed in an ancient wooden building in the center of Groveland, an hour's drive from Yosemite Valley. The hotel offers very comfortable rooms with a retro cool design, good breakfast, particularly friendly and personal service, and a fun atmosphere like a Wild West set.
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5 Tips for the Perfect Stay in Yosemite Park
- Stay close to the park or in San Francisco? – Visiting Yosemite Park usually spans over a day or two (two days are preferred). Most visitors come for a rather long and exhausting day trip that involves an early morning drive from San Francisco and returning at sunset. On such a day trip, you can often only get a taste of the park. A day trip is likely suitable for most travelers, those who don’t plan to hike the less popular trails but want to enjoy some nature. For anyone wanting to deeply experience the park, it’s definitely worthwhile to stay within or near the park and plan your trip around the hiking trails.
- Staying at park lodges – Staying overnight in Yosemite National Park is definitely a unique experience. Within the park, there are three lodge hotels, the most luxurious and expensive of which is The Ahwahnee, which is more of a resort than a typical hotel or lodge. These lodge hotels offer a distinctive atmosphere with the chance to see the glacial valley after dark.
- Hotels in nearby cities and towns to Yosemite – The towns and cities near the park offer a wide range of motels and three-star hotels. These are the almost official hotels of the park (apart from the lodges), following a consistently excellent American standard. Motels usually have two queen beds and are great for family stays, with relatively affordable pricing. As you get closer to the park, accommodation prices rise. Staying in cities like Fresno and Merced is much more budget-friendly, but the distance to the park becomes significantly greater.
- Accommodation in San Francisco – San Francisco is probably one of the most magical urban areas in the United States. The city is full of fascinating streets, stunning skyscrapers, magnificent parks, excellent museums, and especially iconic bridges over a rugged coastline and an enormous abundance of water and piers. The most attractive accommodation area in the city is its center, which includes the downtown, SoMa district, Union Square, and Chinatown. This is a vast area of skyscrapers and wonderful streets for shopping. There are also many hotels in the Fisherman's Wharf district, which has become a very popular tourist destination over the years.
- The Season – The perfect season to visit Yosemite Park is late spring, offering a perfect combination of gushing water from melting snow, dynamic green nature, snow still on the high peaks, and tranquility before the park is flooded with the summer's throngs of visitors.
Everything You Need to Know About Accommodation in Yosemite National Park
Since it's a good idea to dedicate two to three full days to touring Yosemite Park, it's also advisable to find accommodation near the park. There are several towns and areas nearby with motels and hotels.
Many people visit Yosemite Park on a day trip from San Francisco. There are plenty of organized tours that pick you up directly from your hotel in San Francisco and head straight to the park by bus. These guided tours follow a specific route in the park. San Francisco is one of the coolest cities in all of the USA for exciting urban stays, offering an enormous variety of hotels of all kinds and levels (Click here for a list of 12 excellent hotels in downtown San Francisco and Fisherman's Wharf…).
- Within the park, there's a range of lodges like the Yosemite Valley Lodge, Curry Village, and The Ahwahnee. The latter is a luxurious four-star hotel. Staying within the park is convenient for the location, but the evenings can be quite dull.
- Along the Central Yosemite Highway, you'll find a line of motels that are usually comfortable, but not particularly remarkable.
- The nearby towns and cities like Groveland, Mariposa, and Oakhurst are filled with great motels from all the well-known chains like Best Western, Quality Inn, and more. These are very comfortable lodging options just a reasonable drive away from Yosemite Valley.
- You can also stay in larger cities in the Central Valley like Fresno or Merced, where there are many motels and hotels. Staying in Fresno is especially recommended if you plan to explore all the parks of the Sierra Nevada, including King's Canyon and Sequoia National Park. Fresno is a big city, and the drive from there to each of the parks is roughly around an hour or so.
- Another comfortable lodging option is the Mammoth Lakes ski resort at the foothills of Mammoth Mountain. Although the town's resorts are mainly active during the winter ski season, they also offer a fun lodging solution in the summer, just a not-too-long drive from the eastern part of Yosemite Park. Staying in Mammoth Lake is not advisable if you plan to mainly explore Yosemite Valley.
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Map of areas worth staying near Yosemite Park
