Yosemite National Park Travel Answers

A couple of things to consider. In August it will also be more crowded because of vacations and even now you might have some difficulty getting rooms outside the park. My wife and I stayed at a bed and breakfast outside of Mariposa for 3 nights and drove into the park for 2 days. This was at the end of October and the ride from our b & b took about 45 minutes to the entrance on Route 140. Another place people stay is in Oakhurst down on the southern entrance. That is probably where you will want to stay if your first entrance to the park will be through the Wawona Tunnel off Route 41. That is also nearer the Mariposa Grove of Sequoia Trees in Yosemite which you should also spend some time at. We didn't enter through the Wawona Tunnel initially as we entered the park on the western end by Route 140, but we did eventually get to the tunnel. You will still have to pull off into the small turn off area to get the entire valley view that you see in pictures. You won't be able to stop in the tunnel and get the framing effect for photos because you will be on a well traveled road. You never know about waterfalls. We were very lucky when we arrived as the weekend before we visited they had about 4 to 5 inches of rain in the area which fortunately started up the waterfalls.

Also consider going up to Glacier Point near sunset. You will get some spectacular light changes especially with Half Dome at that time of day. Here is a link to my Yosemite page in case you want a little more detail and pictures from our experience. "An American Gem" - Yosemite National Park by riorich55

There are a couple of places you could stay outside the park that will be reasonable and probably not full. If you are coming from San Francisco the best route to Yosemite is via Hwy 120. That take you through Manteca. There is a nice Hilton Hotel just off the freeway with plenty of places to eat, movie theater, and a huge Bass Pro Shop you can spend a little time in. The drive from there to the valley floor is less than 90 minutes. Now, granted its not as pretty as Oakhurst or Mariposa. But will be easier to book and cheaper.

Hopefully this isn't too late. If you're heading to Yosemite from San Francisco and want your first view of the valley to be from the Wawona Tunnel, then your best bet is to stay in Oakhurst. Your best way there is to head to Manteca from San Francisco to Highway 99. Take 99 south to Merced and get on Highway 140 east. That will take you to Mariposa. Once you get into Mariposa you'll hit Highway 49. Take that south toward Oakhurst. It's about 30-40 minute drive from Mariposa to Oakhurst and overall from San Francisco, it's a good 4 hour drive. The south entrance, about 15 miles from Oakhurst is the only way you can take the Wawona Tunnel without first going into the valley and then backtracking up to the tunnel. And from the south entrance, it's a good hour or so until you get to the valley. You will actually see the valley as you round a corner just before you get to the tunnel and if that's your first experience with it, it will really take your breath away. It is an unbelievable view and there is a long turn out on the north side of the road. Then it will disappear as you go through the tunnel. Right as you exit the tunnel is a parking lot on both sides of the road. The right side usually seems less crowded but you will have to cross the street to get to the viewpoint. From Mariposa it's about an hour drive into the valley along a curvy road that runs along the Merced River at the bottom of a canyon most of the way. From Oakhurst, it's about an hour and 15 minute drive to the valley along a curvy mountain road that climbs to 6000 feet before dropping into the valley. There isn't much to see on the drive from Mariposa to the valley, but from Oakhurst to the valley you can stop at the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, the Wawona Hotel, and take the 6 or 7 mile road to Glacier Point and get a birds eye view of the valley from the rim.