POZ Community Forums
Off Topic Forums => Forums Gatherings => Topic started by: Jody on February 07, 2007, 08:50:43 pm
-
Someone had mentioned in a previous thread going to Yosemite prior to the AMG gathering...I would be interested so can we get an idea on doing that, how to go about it, dates and details??? I need my hand held sometimes. ;)
Jody :)
-
The easiest way to get to Yosemite from San Francisco is to rent a car. Yosemite is about 200 miles east of San Francisco--a four-hour drive. There are day-trips to Yosemite by bus, but this is only for people who don't mind spending much more time on a bus than at Yosemite. There's also an Amtrak train that can take you to the town of Merced, where you can get a bus to Yosemite. I've never done this, but it sounds like quite an ordeal.
Accommodations within the park are very hard to get, but there are motels in the communities just outside the park.
The big waterfalls usually dry up by August, but the park is still very impressive.
You can check out the National Park Service website for Yosemite to find out more about the park and accommodations: http://www.nps.gov/yose (http://www.nps.gov/yose)
An alternative to a hotel or motel is to rent a cabin in a community of private homes that is actually within the park, at the southern end, near Wawona. The community is called The Redwoods. I've stayed there several times. There are various size cabins available. It's about a 40 minute drive to get to the Valley from The Redwoods, but this part of the park has its own beauty, including the Giant Sequoia Grove. One advantage of renting a cabin is that you can do your own cooking and save money. (The food available in Yosemite is expensive and terrible!) Here's the website for The Redwoods: http://www.redwoodsinyosemite.com (http://www.redwoodsinyosemite.com)
Another community within the park is called West Yosemite, where you can rent a house or condo. This community is closer to Yosemite Valley than The Redwoods, but it's not as rustic. www.yosemitewest.com/
Allan
-
Hi Jody,
I had previously posted that I was going to Yosemite prior to the AMG. I was going to spend a couple of days there but when I got to tallying up the car rental and room it was getting kind of expensive for a short Yosemite visit. In fact, all but the $$$ rooms within the park were booked for that particular week in September. They have wood framed tents with a naked lightbulb and bed still available for $50 per night ....with common showers/toilets building nearby.....but am not interested in roughing it. A friend calls it "little Vietnam" as it looks more like a prison camp or barricks. Tents are set so close together you can hear the neighbors snoring. No heat either. ha! ha! No,Thank You!
I decided not to do Yosemite. Having purchased my flight and hotel room already, Th-Su, it's not even feasible for me to reconsider now. I have a friend who lived in Palo Alto for years (recently moved back to Louisiana) and she tells me there is much to see just outside the city of SF that offers nature, beach, a lighthouse and of course the infamous Russian River area. Nothing like Yosemite, but within a couple of hrs. driving south or north. I likely will rent a car and do that for a day. I'm sure the locals can point me in the right direction. I'd be open to some company if that is of interest to anyone. 8)
Edited 4 hrs. later: I want to amend my post to say that there are hotel rooms available in those hotel-chain type accommodations. Just south of Yosemite, in Oakhurst, the Oakhurst Days Inn, and some to the west of Yosemite also. So, you and other interested parties could still do this if you choose to......but don't wait too long as it they get booked-up early in the year.
-
There are also a couple of motels on the road to Merced (Highway 140). I took my parents on a tour of Northern California two summers ago, and we stayed at the Cedar Lake Lodge (another one is the Yosemite View Lodge).
These places are the closest motels to Yosemite, without actually being in the park itself. The "town" as it were, is called El Portal, but it's basically just these two motels down the road from one another. They are about 8 miles away from the entrance to Yosemite.
They're fairly basic, but pretty clean. They can get crowded, so consider making reservations early. I used the website down at the bottom of my post here.
There's a lot more choice in Oakhurst and Mariposa, but it takes awhile to drive along the twisting road (probably about 45 minutes). The upside is, there are lots more restaurants in Mariposa, and especially Oakhurst.
FYI, Oakhurst is much further away from Yosemite Valley (timewise) than Mariposa, although it's closer to the Giant Sequoia Grove. Once in the mountains, the speed limit is probably 35-40 mph, so timewise it takes longer than you might expect just looking at the map.
http://www.yosemite-motels.com/ (http://www.yosemite-motels.com/)
-
I have been hiking the wilderness areas surrounding the park. There is no question about the quality or availability of the room, because you pack it with you along with food and supplies. We stopped to catch a fish for breakfast and I saw GOLD in them thar hills! Spent the morning picking GOLD flakes out of the creek, thought about quitting my job and becoming a prospector... Tried to become the new Ansel Adams with my 35 mm SLR. I was showing off my GOLD when I got home, someone pointed out that it was Fools GOLD. I still have that GOLD and pictures of our breakfast Trout, after 20 years. Have the best day
Michael
-
That's a funny story, Michael. I bet you had a crazed look in your eyes when you thought you'd struck it rich. :D
-
Speaking of "crazed looks", imagine discovering a fish really called "Brown Trout" after seeing Caddy Shack. Have the best day
Michael
-
i personally don't like yosemite in sep, no waterfalls!!!! just not as grand...
-
if you wanted to go somewhere gorgeous near s/f that is a day drive away, how about Point Reyes national park, Carmel or Half moon bay.
Yosemite is still amazing, just that i've been there many many times, and liked it the least in Sept because its dry, dusty, hot and no snow nor water. Waterfalls are in my opinion the best features of Yosemite.