I'm going to be in CA in May (starting from near Oakland) and want to check out Yosemite.  The internet is giving me conflicting info.  What's a good place to stay (relatively) near the park entrance (hour or so would be preferable).
Thanks in advance!!

We are heading that way in July. I'm looking at booking a house, off of home away. It's much cheaper than renting a hotel room.

Well, the Wawona Hotel is AWESOME.

The Ahwanee is a nice hotel but I always felt the patrons and staff were too snobby for my liking.  It was palpable.  Still, it's worth eating lunch there.

The Marriot is near the southern entrance to the National Park but it is an hour from the Valley floor.

There are rental homes available near the Wawona Hotel (The Redwoods In Yosemite) and near the Valley (the Yosemite West development)- both virtually inside in the Park.


https://www.scenicwonders.com/
http://www.friendslodgeinyosemite.com/
https://www.redwoodsinyosemite.com/

awesome, thank you!

Anybody stay at the Pines? Bass Lake area seems nice

Bass Lake is near Oakhurst so about an hour and a half maybe from the valley.  The Redwoods in Wawona is in the park, near south entrance and roughly 45 minutes or so to the valley, Yosemite West is on a spur road just out of the park off the Wawona Road.  El Portal is close in the Merced River valley.  Mariposa is about an hour out.  This close to the trip, it's not so much a matter of where the lodging is but if you can even get into anything.

They rent homes in the Pine Mountain Lake community. That's a really nice place along HWY 120 near the entrance. You can drop over into The Iron Door Saloon for a little historical local color. On the drive into the main entrance, this is right next to Groveland. That is the last little "town" before all you see are gas stops and isolated lodges. I believe there is still a little hotel right in Groveland as well.

ETA: I forgot about the Charlotte Hotel, cute Victorian right in Groveland. I have friends in PML so I forget to look at it that way.

The Evergreen Lodge is also really nice and in the deep woods. The food and their bar are good. This is a nice place for a side trip to the dam and to see the Tuolomne River coming out of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.

There is also Sugar Pine Ranch, and Big Creek Meadow Ranch as I recall, right along 120. I think the Westgate Lodge is also still running.

Along Ferretti Rd, there is The Yosemite Rose B&B, very nice and in a nice location.

All of these put you right along 120 up on the plateau in the woods near the entrance.

I have friends with a place in Pine Mountain Lake and we usually stay with them, but with groups we rent houses in that community all the time. Check the VRBO for Pine Mountain Lake or Yosemite area if you don't want one of the lodges along the way.

You will find the kind of place you want and near the gate with this variety, no problem.

Have a great trip and PM if you want to know more.

Last year my gr and I stayed in Oakhurst at this cool little place called Queens Inn by the River. They have maybe 7 cottage style rooms. They have a wine bar on site though we didn't go. There are some good places to eat there too. One really good one is the South Gate Brewery.

Tenaya Lodge. You won't be sorry.

Looking at this again.  There are three ways into Yosemite on the west side.  Highways 120 and 140 from the west, 41 is basically going north from Fresno.  120 is the most direct route from the Bay area.  Besides Groveland and some of the locations mentioned, you might be able to find lodging around Jamestown and Sonora, two old gold rush era towns.  But they aren't all that close and it's not a really fast road.  140 is farther south and runs essentially east from Merced.  I've really entered from the south, using 41 or 140 during bad winter weather periods so can't tell you the differences between 120 and 140 coming all the way from the Bay area.  If you enter "Oakland to Yosemite Valley,"  Google routes using 140 so that may be faster if not quite as direct.   So what you may want to do is check these places out on a map to get an idea of where they are and what that means for lodging, while checking what's available.  Wawona road (41) locations aren't as convenient from the bay area as they are from the south.  Places like Oakhurst, Bass Lake, Tenaya Lodge.  On 140, Mariposa isn't too far out but El Portal area lodging is quite convenient to the valley - but you may find that you pay for that convenience.

120 is closed storm damage

From the Yosemite NPS site  https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/conditions.htm


Big Oak Flat Road (Hwy 120) closed into Yosemite Valley; no access to Yosemite Valley via Hwy 120
Alert 1 , Severity ,closure ,, Big Oak Flat Road (Hwy 120) closed into Yosemite Valley; no access to Yosemite Valley via Hwy 120
Big Oak Flat Road is closed between Crane Flat and Foresta due to storm damage. There is no access via Hwy 120 to Yosemite Valley from Buck Meadows, Groveland, or Sonora. From Groveland, use Hwy 49 to Mariposa, then Hwy 140 to Yosemite Valley.

If 120 still closed, you will want to travel down 99 to pickup 140 to Mariposa.  The stretch of 49 north of Mariposa to 120 isn't particularly scenic nor fast.