Facilities and Accommodations in Yosemite National Park

The National Park Service has provided a nice selection of facilities within Yosemite Valley and throughout the park. There are several hotels in the valley ranging in price from the luxurious but rather expensive Ahwahnee and the moderately priced Yosemite Lodge to the budget priced cabins and tents at Curry Village. There are also several camping facilities in the valley. Unfortunately, many of the accommodations are completely booked during the busy summer months, so you must make reservations far in advance. It is often easier to find accommodations outside of the valley. Fortunately, the park service provides accommodations and camping in other parts of the park, and a selection of private motels and campgrounds are located near the park. Within Yosemite Valley, the Park Service aslo maintains a museum, a visitor's information center, several restaurants and snack bars, a small convenience store, a gift shop, a riding stable and tour guides. For more information about accommodations in Yosemite check our Yosemite Accommodations and Camping page.
Yosemite Valley is situated at about 4000 feet (1300 meters) with some other parts of the park at much higher elevations. The weather can be quite warm and dry during the summer, but nights may be cool. In the winter, it can be quite cold with frequent snowfalls that sometimes create hazardous driving conditions. Tioga Pass and the higher elevations of the park are normally closed from November through May due to heavy snow accummulation. Spring and Fall are transition periods that alternate between nice weather and wet or snowy conditions. Summer offers the warmest weather but is the busiest tourist season. Spring, with its heavy runoff of snow melt, offers the most spectacular waterfall show. Fall, with its multicolored foliage and usually pleasant weather, is a scenic time to visit, although Winter often produces some beautiful snow covered landscapes. Whatever season you choose to visit Yosemite, it is wise to take a variety of clothing that can be layered to match changing weather conditions.

Yosemite Valley offers incredible beauty

Yosemite National Park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the USA. This is partly because of its proximity to the population centers of Los Angeles and San Francisco but is mostly due to the incredible natural beauty of Yosemite Valley. The glacially eroded alpine valley is just 8 miles long and less than one mile wide with sheer granite walls rising vertically over 3000 feet (1000 meters) on either side. Nine magnificent waterfalls cascade into the valley. Five of them are over 1000 feet (300 meters) high including the 2425 feet (800 meters) Yosemite Falls. Yosemite Park actually encompasses about 1200 square miles (3000 sq. km) and includes many other natural attractions, but most tourists visit only Yosemite Valley or the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia trees near Wawona at the southern entry.
Due to its immense popularity, Yosemite Valley frequently becomes very crowded in the summer months and on weekends throughout the year. The single loop road that circles the valley floor often becomes choked with traffic on popular summer weekends. The National Park Service provides a free shuttle bus around the loop from various parking areas outside of the valley. They are considering a ban on automobile traffic within the valley; but so far, the shuttle bus is just voluntary. It is possible to visit Yosemite by taking the Amtrak train to Merced and then boarding a bus to Yosemite, but automobile travel is the most convenient method of exploring this vast natural wonder.

In the Canyon

Do not attempt to hike all the way to the bottom of the canyon and back in one day! It is a 20-mile round trip with a 5000-foot descent and a long hot 5000-foot climb back to the rim.

It requires at least two days to hike to the bottom of Grand Canyon and back. On the first day, you should hike down the South Kaibab trail to Phantom Ranch. This trail is steeper than Bright Angel and has no water supply, but does offer some spectacular scenery. It is easier to hike down this trail than climb up it. Take about 4 liters of water per person and some food! If you arrive at Phantom Ranch before 18:00, you can samoy cookout. (Costs $28 per person for grilled steak, $17 for vegetarian, $17 for stew. Always reserve in advance!) At Phantom Ranch, you can camp outdoors with a camping permit, or sleep in the bunkhouse for about $22, but you must have reservations.

Grand Canyon

Approaching from the south, you first drive for hours across desolate high-country range with rolling grassy hills, some isolated trees and an occasional horse or cow. The Ponderosa pines start a few miles south of the park, and you soon find yourself driving through dense forest. A sign reads, "scenic lookout", so you stop and walk a few yards through the bushes. Suddenly, there it is, and it takes your breath away!

The Grand Canyon stretches 12 miles before you to the further rim, and as far as you can see on either side. The land at your feet drops almost straight down for over 3000 feet and then several thousand feet more into the serpentine canyons below. This vast gorge is filled with rocky buttes, sheer limestone cliffs, and deep canyons all arrayed in a rainbow of colors. Words cannot describe it. It is one of the most magnificent sights on earth.

Most visitors only see the canyon from lookout points on the South Rim, but to really experience its natural beauty, you need to descend into it.

You can hike about halfway down and back in one day. Bright Angel trail to Lookout Point is about 12 miles round trip with a 3000-foot descent and a long hard 3000-foot climb back to the rim. The trail is broad and well maintained, but you might have to share it with an occasional mule train. Watch what you step in! It takes about 7-8 hours of hiking at a leisurely pace. Start early in the day and take food and water! The temperature in the canyon may be 20 to 30 degrees hotter than on the rim. Most months, drinking water is available along this trail. Camping facilities and toilets are available at Indian Springs 4.5 miles from the rim.