Business Travel to Yosemite; Down the Trail from Yosemite Falls

Our Local Expert Says:

A true classic national park lodging experience, the Ahwahnee is the top lodging option in Yosemite and one of the best in the West.

Description:

The Ahwahnee is one of the classic grand lodges of the Mountain West.  Opened in 1927, the Ahwahnee is situated off by itself in the east end of Yosemite Valley at the base of Royal Arch Cascades.  Impressive in scale both inside and out, the lobby leads to the Great Lounge and the Dining Room.  Both have towering ceilings and tall windows that show off Glacier Point and Yosemite Falls.  Huge fireplaces in the lounge generate warmth to counteract the Sierra winter outdoors.
The Dining Room has a top-notch menu and wine list, and many selections that attend to sustainability concerns.  Sunday brunch is a royal feast every week. 
The hotel tapers up to 6 stories, and includes suites occupied by JFK, Queen Elizabeth and many other dignitaries.  Adjacent Cottages add more space.  The Ahwahnee is full all year so plan ahead to get a room here for a special occasion.

Our Local Expert Says:

Choice location a short stroll from Lower Yosemite Falls - wow.

Description:

Recently renamed Yosemite Lodge at the Falls, this 1960's facility is full almost all year.  The location below Columbia Point and Yosemite Falls is astounding for access to great views and trailheads.  The Merced River drifts along nearby. 
There are two restaurants, with the Mountain Room being of high caliber.  Next door is the Mountain Room Bar for adult beverages and TV's with sporting events on.  There are two gift shops, meeting spaces, a shuttle stop, a post office, an outdoor swimming pool and a bike rental stand here. The central amphitheater has evening programs every night all summer. 
A highlight is the easy (wheelchair accessible) walk to the base of Lower Yosemite Falls.  Driving mist and roar in late May, the falls usually dries up by September. 

Description:

A Yosemite tradition this huge and elegant dining room somehow feels intimate, despite its 34-foot ceilings. For breakfast, you can choose from frittatas or omelets, or enjoy a variety of salads or sandwiches for lunch. The dinner menu features entrees such as Salmon Ahwahnee served with Dungeness crab with bearnaise sauce and wild rice. The restaurant has an extensive and award-winning wine list. Reservations are essential for dinner, and the evening dress code calls for jackets or sweaters for men older than 12 and dresses or pantsuits for women.

Description:

The best thing about this restaurant is the view. The food's excellent too, with an emphasis on local organic ingredients, but the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Yosemite Falls are spectacular. There's not a bad seat in the house. We suggest the grilled chicken breast, which is flavorful and moist, as are the rainbow trout amandine and the Pacific salmon. Meals come with vegetables and bread. Soup or salad is extra. There are entrees for vegetarians and an amazing dessert tray. The Mountain Room also has a good wine list, and the Mountain Room Bar and Lounge (open Mon-Fri 4-10pm and Sat-Sun noon-10pm) has an a la carte menu available.

Description:

This is one of a few places in the park where you can have a cocktail or beer without eating dinner. The patio has tables with green umbrellas for shade. The view from the patio is of Yosemite Falls and it is spectacular. The bar offers wine, an extensive selection of microbrew beers and ales, and traditional cocktails as well as fun tropical drinks. A few nights during the month the lounge features live music.

Our Local Expert Says:

A must-stop in Yosemite Village

Description:

Yosemite's best known artist was trained as a classical pianist, but he married into a photography business and it is still run by the Ansel Adams family today.  The Gallery is located in Yosemite Village, right next to the Valley Visitor Center, and it's open all year.  Whether you're a photographer or not, the Gallery is worth a visit, for some unique shopping, rotating exhibits of various artists and photographers (many local), and a look at some of the master's work on display.  There is jewelry, Native American craftwork, help with camera issues, a great selection of Yosemite and other books, as well as posters, videos, postcards, fine art prints, ceramics, etc.
Free camera walks go out with a local pro each morning in spring, summer and fall; reservations are strongly advised.  High-level photography workshops are described on the Gallery's website.  Ansel's inspiration lives on strongly in the digital age. 

Our Local Expert Says:

A great education can be had between exhibits, the bookstore, the film and talking with rangers.

Description:

The Yosemite Valley Visitor Center is the heart of Yosemite Village and is open daily, with hours varying with the season. The visitor center is immediately west of the main post office in the park at shuttle bus stops #6 and #9. You'll find information, maps, books, a series of great natural and cultural history exhibits, and helpful rangers to get you oriented to visiting the park.  Every half hour the park's award-winning film is shown in the Theater out back.  The Indian Museum and Indian Village are adjacent. 

Our Local Expert Says:

An enthralling stroll for any ability.

Description:

The trail to Lower Yosemite Falls is one of the easiest walks in the park, with the biggest payoff: staring up at a 300' waterfall.  During the spring's snowmelt you may find yourself getting drenched as you gaze at this famous waterfall and listen to the amazing roar of the pounding water. By contrast, if you come in August there may not be a single drop of water - that's a Mediterranean climate; the falls are entirely fed by snowmelt.  Start from Shuttle Stop 6 or Yosemite Village or Yosemite Lodge. This walk is likely to be crowded in summer but if you go early or late in the day, it's just you and the water. There is wheelchair access by staying on the eastern trail, and the trail is open all year.
The trail makes a nice loop, with several bridges over Yosemite Creek.  There are numerous interpretive signs along the way that explain the history and natural history of the falls area through the seasons.  John Muir lived in two different spots along this trail.  A convenient restroom is near the trailhead.  The popular 'Yosemite Frazil Ice' video was all filmed here; look for frazil ice in April.

Our Local Expert Says:

One of the top such organizations in the world.

Description:

The U.S. Congress authorized this non-profit to support interpretive, educational, research, scientific, infrastructure and environmental programs in Yosemite National Park. It works closely with the National Park Service and has 30,000 members worldwide. In addition to supporting the park, members receive considerable benefits including: a magazine subscription; 15-percent discount on all books, maps, posters, calendars and other products sold by the association (which has an outstanding collection); a 15-percent discount on the numerous field seminars conducted by the Conservancy in Yosemite; lodging discounts, tour coupons, member events, donor premiums and other benefits. YC supports a student intern program, the Art and Education Center and puts about 300 volunteers to work each year.  The very first of all the national park cooperating associations also raises $5-7 million a year for park projects.

Our Local Expert Says:

Along with Yosemite Valley, Abraham Lincoln protected these trees in 1864; the first time in history that a national government preserved land for the citizens simply because it was beautiful.

Description:

This grove was part of the world's first 'national park,' protected by the US government 8 years before Yellowstone.  It's open all year, but you can only drive in during the summer and fall.  In winter it's a couple mile walk, ski or snowshoe along the access road -very worthwhile.  These trees are huge, up to 300' tall, and 25-30' across at the base.  The Grizzly Giant is a main attraction, a mile's walk from the parking area.  The famous Tunnel Tree fell down in 1969, but there's a second tree with a tunnel cut through it next to the Grizzly Giant. 
Walking trails lace the grove of several hundred trees, and a small museum in the upper grove makes an informative and scenic stop.  Those who don't want to hike on these slopes can take a 1.5 hour tram tour for $26, with headset narration in 6 languages.
Parking is limited so for much of the summer, plan to park at the Wawona Store and take a free shuttle every half hour.  Trailers and RV's should not go up the narrow road into the grove.