Where to Stay When Visiting Yosemite National Park

The only lodging directly inside Yosemite Valley puts you on Northside Drive and Southside Drive, minutes from every major landmark. Half Dome Village offers canvas tent cabins and hard-sided cabins near Happy Isles trailhead. Yosemite Valley Lodge sits at the base of Yosemite Falls on Village Drive. The Ahwahnee Hotel on Ahwahnee Drive, a National Historic Landmark built in 1927, runs $500 per night and up. Book six months out minimum. Reservations open at 7am Pacific and sell out in minutes. You skip the two-hour morning commute from gateway towns and can walk to Mirror Lake, Valley View, and the Cook's Meadow loop from your door.

Best for

First-timerspeak summer visitstravelers who want maximum trail time without a car

Walk times

Yosemite Falls trailhead 5 min
Happy Isles trailhead 10 min
Mirror Lake trailhead 25 min

Skip if: You are on a budget, booking within three months, or need reliable parking in summer

Local tip: Use the free Valley Shuttle (routes 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 13) and leave your car parked at Curry Village lot all day. Day-use parking fills by 8am in July and August.

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$157per night

El Portal

14 miles out, full access, none of the valley chaos

Mid-range $150-$290/night

El Portal sits on Highway 140 along the Merced River Canyon, 14 miles from Yosemite Valley and just inside the park's western administrative boundary. Yosemite View Lodge on El Portal Road offers rooms with balconies directly above the river, plus an on-site pool. Cedar Lodge, one mile east on the same road, runs slightly cheaper with larger rooms. Both are flanked by granite walls on all sides. Highway 140 is the lowest-elevation route into the park and the only one reliably open in winter. You pass through the Arch Rock entrance before most Valley traffic wakes up, gaining 30 minutes over Highway 120 travelers from the Bay Area.

Best for

Familiesyear-round and winter visitsearly risers who want to beat Valley traffic

Walk times

Merced River bank 2 min
El Portal Market for groceries and coffee 5 min
Arch Rock entrance station: -drive, not walkable 10 min

Skip if: You want to walk to trails or have a real town nearby in the evenings

Local tip: Request a river-view room at Yosemite View Lodge. Rooms in the 100 to 200 block face the Merced directly and typically cost no more than interior-facing rooms if available at booking.

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$168per night

Mariposa

Real town, real prices, 45 miles from the Valley

Mid-range $100-$220/night

Mariposa on Highway 140 is the largest gateway town, with a working Main Street and Charles Street lined with restaurants and Butterfly Brewing Company. Best Western Plus Yosemite Way Station and Mariposa Hotel Inn are the two reliable mid-range options, both on Highway 140. It is 45 miles and about 75 minutes to Yosemite Valley in light traffic, stretching to 90 minutes on summer weekends. The Mariposa County Courthouse on Bullion Street, built in 1854, is the oldest in continuous use west of the Mississippi. Budget travelers and last-minute bookers find real availability here when El Portal and the Valley are sold out entirely.

Best for

Budget travelerslast-minute bookersanyone who wants a real town atmosphere after a long park day

Walk times

Charles Street restaurants 5 min
California State Mining and Mineral Museum 10 min
Safeway grocery for trip supplies 8 min

Skip if: You want to maximize trail time. The round-trip drive adds 2.5 to 3 hours daily compared to staying in El Portal.

Local tip: Grab breakfast at Charles Street Dinner House before 7:30am to beat the line and reach the Valley before 9am, which is when day-use parking pressure starts building at all major trailheads.

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$112per night

Groveland

Historic Gold Rush town on the Highway 120 corridor

Mid-range $120-$280/night

Groveland on Highway 120 sits 26 miles from the Big Oak Flat entrance, putting you 68 miles and 90 to 110 minutes from Yosemite Valley in summer traffic. Main Street (Highway 120) has the 1849-built Hotel Charlotte and the historic Groveland Hotel, both with original Gold Rush architecture and genuine character. Iron Door Saloon, in continuous operation since 1852 and one of California's oldest bars, is a two-minute walk from either hotel. Groveland is the closest gateway for Bay Area travelers coming via I-580 and I-205. Highway 120 closes at Crane Flat in heavy snow, making this approach unreliable from November through April.

Best for

Bay Area travelersshoulder season visits in May and Septembertravelers who want genuine historic character over chain hotels

Walk times

Iron Door Saloon 3 min
Groveland Hotel dining room from Hotel Charlotte 2 min
Pine Mountain Lake for swimg and boating: -minute drive 15 min

Skip if: Winter visits, traveling from Los Angeles or the Central Valley, or if you need full service hotel amenities and flexible check-in hours

Local tip: If visiting May through November, the Tioga Pass road through the park to Lee Vining and the Eastern Sierra begins near here. Groveland is the best base for the full cross-park drive, one of the best road trips in the state.

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$134per night