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The Ahwahnee Hotel

Information Sheet

In-Room Amenities

On Site Facilities

Hotel Services

Additional Notes:

• Sound insulation: The Ahwahnee Hotel has concrete walls, which provide very good sound insulation. We found the room we stayed in very quiet. The quietness of a room is pretty subjective. Much depends on how noisy the folks in the adjacent room are. When making a judgment on this issue we try to consider hotel construction, noise masking (white noise) sources in the room (like fans), the layout of the rooms, and the policy of the hotel management on guest noise. We always suggest you take along ear plugs, just in case you find there are elephants staying in the adjacent room.
• 3-prong outlets: This means the room has standard 120 VAC grounded electrical outlets. The electrical system in The Ahwahnee Hotel is fully updated.
• Disclaimer: The information above is a combination of information provided by the hotel and things we observed when we visited. Many of these items are subject to change at any time and we make no guarantee that the above information is accurate. Please send us an email if you notice something above is not correct. Thank you!
• There are several hotels in the vicinity of the Ahwahnee, all operated by the same company. They share some facilities, so some facilities that the Ahwahnee claims to have may actually be located at one of the nearby hotels. I've tried to note this in the list above where it applies. There are free shuttle buses that run between all of the hotels, as well as the stores, restaurants, visitor centers, waterfalls, and most major hiking trails.

Rates and Reservations:

The Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite National Park, California
Operated by the Delaware North Company
Reservations phone (801) 559-5000 (Central reservations for all Yosemite lodging)
Internet room rates & reservations: http://www.YosemitePark.com    

Planning a Visit:

NEVER GO TO YOSEMITE EXPECTING TO STAY THE NIGHT WITHOUT ADVANCED RESERVATIONS! This applies to all accommodations, including camping. For the Ahwahnee Hotel: holidays and special events generally require booking a year and a day in advance. Booking at least 6 months in advance is generally necessary for weekends in spring and summer. Weekdays in summer and weekends in fall and winter often need to be booked 3 months or so in advance. Reservations may not be made more than a year plus one day in advance.

Room rates start about $250.00 per night mid-week during winter. Standard room rates run $439.00 or higher per night at peak demand. Parlors and suites are more. Rates may vary, of course. These rates are based on the 2008 year.

Dinner at the Ahwahnee Dining Room starts around $50.00 per person and goes up rapidly with fancier dishes, wine, etc. Breakfast and lunch run about $20.00 per person and up. There are many other dining choices close by, with a very wide selection of food types and prices.

Ahwahnee hotel may be closed? If you want to visit the Ahwahnee Hotel in the next few years, now may be the time. The Ahwahnee could shut down for a major structural upgrade as early as mid-year 2010, and be closed for 2 years or more.

Yosemite National Park is located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the east side of central California. There is a $20.00 per car entrance fee to enter the park. The park roads are narrow and slow, expect travel times to be longer than you might think. Once in Yosemite Valley, free shuttle buses provide transportation between the hotels and other facilities. Day use parking is extremely limited, once you find a space, park the car and take the free shuttles. Yosemite has frequent road closures and vehicle restrictions, these can cause delays or the need to reroute your trip, so always check. Check the current Yosemite Road Conditions before traveling to Yosemite. Road closures can occur at any time of the year due to snow, rock slides, construction, or accidents! Call (209) 372-0200 (press 1 then 1) for the most up-to-date road conditions.

The free shuttles make Yosemite Valley a great location to visit with teenagers. They can roam on their own, and they quickly find new friends, often from other countries. The Valley is not crime-free, in fact there is enough crime in summer to support the presence of a magistrate and court in Yosemite Valley. So be sure your kids use common sense regarding whom they hang out with, and understand that the rangers do not put up with any misbehavior. They are particularly intolerant of under-age drinking of alcoholic beverages (21 is the minimum age) and any illegal drug use. One place I do not recommend you visit is the Yosemite Valley Jail!

If you plan to fly to Yosemite, the closest major airport is the Fresno/ Yosemite International Airport in Fresno, California: www.flyfresno.org. Rental cars are available at the airport. The drive to Yosemite from the airport takes 2 to 3 hours. Train service via Amtrak is available to Merced, California: www.amtrak.com. Bus service to Yosemite Valley is available from the train station in Merced: www.yarts.com.

Other accommodations in Yosemite National Park include the Yosemite Lodge at the Falls, Curry Village, the Wawona Hotel (a vintage Queen Anne style wood hotel that is about 30 years older than the Ahwahnee), the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, and White Wolf Lodge.

Lodging outside Yosemite National Park is available in the adjacent towns of Oakhurst, Mariposa, and Fish Camp. When we visit Yosemite we often stay at the Best Western Yosemite Gateway Inn in Oakhurst. We have stayed there over 20 times over the past 25 years and we highly recommend it for your Yosemite visit. It is a beautiful location with spacious wooded grounds, with both indoor and outdoor pools and spas. The outdoor spa is tucked into the side of the hill at the end of a winding trail, and is surrounded by thick vegetation with tall trees overhead. If you can manage to get into it alone with your special someone, it can be very romantic!