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Yosemite View Lodge, one of the best kept secrets
outside Yosemite National Park, features the Merced River that rapidly flows
over huge boulders next to hotel rooms. Flanked by a
mountainside some rooms overlook, you can train your eyes on the forest and
scout for wild deer and roaming bears. "The river's the only thing that
keeps you separated from the bears," said one lodge employee who helped
deliver my bags to my room. Head down to the river with
a fishing pole and license for some of the best fly fishing to be had,
locals say.
You'll Strike it
Rich on a Mariposa County Vacation
Mariposa County, Calif.--Yosemite View Lodge
isn't perfect, but it comes pretty close. The affordable prices by
comparison to the in-park offerings make this highly-desirable accommodation
a preferred choice for travelers checking into the lodge. A family from Los Angeles
said it's been their favorite hotel for years--mainly because of the
amenities and price.
Very clean rooms, nice decorator treatments, and fully
stocked kitchenettes that include plates, silverware, pots and pans, are a
few of the great offerings that make this hotel ideal for Yosemite National
Park vacations. An added bonus is the YARTS bus stop at the hotel that takes
guests into the park, dropping them off at all the spots. Since the park charges a minimum of $20 for
car entry, this money-saving convenience is just one more reason to enjoy
Yosemite View Lodge, located in El Portal.
The well-maintained hotel
property with several swimming pools, spacious rooms and suites, comfortably
firm beds,
decent shower heads, and on-site shopping and dining, all point to quality,
convenience and value. As the closest hotel to the park, it doesn't take
long to be inside the national treasure having fun.
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Video of Merced River from hotel room at
Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal, CA |
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For those who love adventure, pay
a bit more for a room overlooking the swift-moving river, the mighty
Merced. While it has spilled over its banks rarely in recent
years, the doors on Yosemite View Lodge hotel
rooms provide information about the possibility of flooding and
procedures, should that happen.
A tour guide who lives in the area and
knows it well said that the storm of 1997 closed the Valley floor and shut
down several roads going into Yosemite Valley because of landslides.
Yosemite View Lodge's location is close to the National Parks El Portal
station, which monitors 80 miles of the Merced River under the Wild and
Scenic Rivers act. |
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Yosemite View Lodge has spotty cell service, and Internet wifi
for guests is only offered in main the lobby, which closes each night at 11
p.m. As of this writing, the cost of wifi is $9 per day.
For a full list of accommodations, get the Yosemite/Mariposa
County Tourism Bureau free guide at homeofyosemite.com, or
call and request your guide at Mariposa County Visitors Center:
(866) 425-3366. Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon-Sat during the winter
months, beginning in mid-May the Center stays open every day
from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. through November. Location: 5158
Highway 140, Mariposa, CA. |
