Yosemite just may be the most recognized national park on the entire planet, and for good reason. The hits just keep on coming: massive granite structures, waterfalls galore, enormous trees, sprawling meadows, and plenty of California’s famous sunshine. While Yosemite Valley steals the show and remains the big draw for most people, there is so much more to explore across its 1,187 square miles of natural wonders.
There’s no better place to start your journey than at Yosemite’s South Entrance on Highway 41. With the posts below, we share the insider knowledge we’ve accumulated over decades spent in and around the park.
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Is Rush Creek Lodge Right for Your Family Trip to Yosemite?
Planning a trip to Yosemite National Park is a must-do for many families across the country and around the world. Visions of towering granite walls, ancient sequoias, and gushing waterfalls have enticed travelers for over a century. Gone are the days of roughing it with pack mules and making camp wherever you like. Today’s visitors…
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Staying at The Ahwahnee: Main Building vs the Cottages
For generations, walking through the massive stone-and-timber archway of The Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite was treated as an ultimate American travel rite of passage. Opened in 1927 and designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood as a masterwork of National Park Service rustic architecture, it stands as a sprawling sanctuary of textured concrete, soaring log-beamed ceilings,…
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The Yosemite South Gate Strategy: How to Beat the Crowds
Highway 41 is a big reason that Boom Chalet works so well as a homebase for exploring Yosemite. Nine miles of beautifully banked and striped two-lane road connect Sugar Pine to Yosemite’s South Entrance, providing further access to three of the national park’s best regions: Wawona and the Mariposa Grove, Glacier Point, and Yosemite Valley….
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Yosemite Lodging Guide: Where to Stay In and Around the Park
Planning a trip to Yosemite National Park often involves a sudden, overwhelming realization: The park is massive and it’s not at all obvious where to stay. Do we want to camp? Do we need a kitchen? These hotels are kind of expensive… Spanning nearly 1,200 square miles of rugged Sierra Nevada terrain, Yosemite rewards those…
🌲 Host Insider Tip
Heading into Yosemite without a solid plan for the day can be a recipe for frustration. It’s a big place and there’s just no way to cover it all in one day. You might hit a random traffic jam. You might have to wait for parking. You might get rained on or mist might obscure the one amazing view you most wanted to photograph. So plan ahead, pack some snacks and drinks in the car, and try to focus on only 1-2 key areas of the park on any given day.
>> Go back to the full Yosemite Guide or check availability at Boom Chalet
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