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The Ahwahnee Hotel Yosemite

Amenities and Services Listing

In-Room Amenities:

On Site Facilities:

Hotel Services:

Additional Notes:

• Sound insulation: The Ahwahnee Hotel Yosemite 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.
• Jess Stryker and Historic-Hotels-Lodges.com have no relationship with the Ahwahnee Hotel. We have not received free rooms, meals, or anything else of value from the hotel or it's operator in relationship to this website. Our visit to the hotel was unannounced and they had no idea who we were until after we had left. We do not receive a commission on any Ahwahnee Hotel bookings.

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.

Now might be a good time to visit, before construction begins. Portions of the Ahwahnee Hotel may be closed intermittently for repairs during the next few years. Work is expected to start sometime in fall/winter 2010, or later depending on how long the planning process takes. National Park service architects and engineers are currently drawing up plans for the rehabilitation of the hotel and cottages. Anticipated work will include building code upgrades, ADA accessibility compliance, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical upgrades, historic restoration of finishes, and landscape rehabilitation. While every attempt is going to be made to keep the hotel open and operating, the repairs are likely to require closing portions of the hotel and, like all construction projects, there may be some inconvenience to guests. So that you don't have any unexpected surprises, when making reservations for visits in fall 2010 or later I suggest that you ask the reservation agent about any planned construction during your planned visit.

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.

Advertisement: For an Oakhurst hotel I recommend the Best Western Yosemite Gateway Inn . This is a beautiful location, large clean rooms, spacious wooded grounds, a childrens's play area, with both indoor and outdoor pools and spas. 2-story wood frame buildings, no elevators, exterior corridors. This isn't an empty recommendation of an unseen hotel, Julie and I have stayed at the Yosemite Gateway Inn over 20 different times over the past 25 years and we highly recommend it. We last stayed here in February 2010 and the facilities are still very nice.