Hotel Charlotte
On the way to Yosemite National Park

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Tioga Pass is Closed
YNPark Info: 209.372.0200

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Bridal Veil Falls in the early
morning hours.

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More Yosemite:
Photogallery
An Aerial View
A Winter Yosemite

Check out these Fountains
to remind you of the
Yosemite Waterfalls.

Yosemite Valley and
Half Dome live Webcam
from Yosemite Association

You can buy a National
Parks, Interagency Pass
online. Then choose the
cash lane when entering
the park, it will save you
some time.

Are you planning to  hike to the
top of Half Dome? Take a
look at these Pictures so
 you know  what to expect.
The Half Dome cables are
down for the season
 

I found an interesting Yosemite
resource today, a list of
opening and closing dates
for Tioga Pass since 1933

A winter Yosemite

Photo by LovesPhotography, a
frequent poster on
TripAdvisor.com

How about a virtual Yosemite?
We stumbled upon this website
with 360º views of the most
remarkable Yosemite landmarks.

A winter Yosemite is a virtual
"winter wonderland!

There are oodles of websites with Yosemite tourist information, but
do not undervalue the resource
 available to you through your
innkeepers. We live in
the area, participate in the
goings on and should be able
 to advise travelers on the most
 up to date Yosemite touring information.

I recently learned of a new
non-profit business, Balanced Rock Foundation in Yosemite that might offer travelers  something a little different. Check out their calendar, take a yoga or meditation course while visiting the park.
What a perfect setting!

We think a trip to Yosemite should include a visit to Hetch Hetchy. Learn a little about how this area came to be and the famous railroad that was built
 just to build the dam.

Last summer Victor & I took an aerial tour of Yosemite. Everything looks different from above! The picture just below is an aerial view of half-dome from the North edge, the worn line in the rock is where the cables are. Thousands of footsteps a year have trod this path.

"Can I do Yosemite Park in a day?" In a word, no! Give yourself as much time as possible to explore the beauty of our sheer granite walls, vista views and gorgeous blue skies. Each scene unfolds as you turn that last corner and then the next and it seems it couldn't get better, but somehow it continues to awe and overwhelm! Come and enjoy Yosemite for as many days as possible while lodging at the Hotel Charlotte. We guarantee you won't get bored!

Bear sightings are big this year! See what one travel writer, Cary Ordway has to say!

Bears are not uncommon visions in the park, keep your foods in bear-safe lockers.

Yosemite Park is our most famous national treasure, rich in both history and beauty.  Over the years Victor and I have taken several exploring trips to the park and have come to find some personal favorites to share with our guests. We have a wealth of Yosemite tourist information, much of it first hand, some of it collected from other distinguished Yosemite travelers.

Hikes we like!
From the valley there are a dozen or so wonderful hikes. A map with additional routes, trail head points and specific directions can be found at the visitor centers in the Park. Ask for the Yosemite Valley Hiking Trails Publication, it is a single sheet printed two sided. The NPS webiste also has a description and distances list of many popular Yosemite hikes online.

• Lower Yosemite Falls: an easy half mile round trip

• Bridal Veil Falls: another easy half mile round trip

• Mirror Lake: a 2 mile round trip easy hike (think of "mirror Meadows" in late summer/fall as the lake will have dried, but still a pleasant Yosemite hike)

• Valley Floor Loop: A 13 mile moderate hike, relatively flat and generally along the river. (we haven't done the whole loop yet, but plan to!) Take the whole route, or do it in pieces.

• We found this online link to a chart with every major hike in Yosemite identified by difficulty, crowds, elevation and so on. This is a priceless bit of research, we suggest you print it for future reference.

DNC, the concessionaire for Yosemite National Park offers many year round activities for the visitor. The quickest way to find all the offerings is from their website, covering the spectrum of events from Bracebridge dinners to cross country skiing and oodles more.  If you have never been to the park before, this is a great place to start your Yosemite Valley itinerary planning.

There are a number of every day activities that help make Yosemite Park special:

• Browsing the Ansel Adams Galleries and Museums

• Exploring the Indian Village of Ahwahnee

• Ranger programs for kids & families to enjoy including the walks, hikes and evening programs, art classes, camera walks, field seminars & so much more. Details and daily offerings are provided in the Yosemite Today visitors receive upon entrance to the park.

• Badger Pass ski area was the first ski resort in California and continues to offer the most affordable lift tickets. Ski conditions and snow report 209-372-1000 (seasonal)

• Mountaineering at any skill level! Yosemite Park offers classes from beginner to advanced along with special courses for groups, corporate events and more. Reservations required 209-372-8344.

• Daily ranger lead walks at 2:00pm, departure points and topics change by day of the week. Check the Yosemite Today newspaper for details on your day of visit.

• Ice Skating at Curry Village under the massive view of Half Dome  (seasonal)

• Sight-Seeing Tours, (209) 372-1240 for reservations & Info

  • Glacier Point Tour (4 hours)

  • Big Trees Tour (1 hour, departs from the Wawona)

  • Moonlight Tour (2 hours)

  • Grand Tour (all day)

  • Valley Floor Tour (2 hours)

• Snowshoe along the many beautiful trails throughout the park. We can make arrangements for snowshoe rentals at Mountain Sage in Groveland for you. And you can get trail guides online from Amazon.com

Yosemite Association is the non-profit Educational arm of the Park. The Highway 120 entrance Visitors Center is staffed by the Yosemite Association. Plan something special this year in the Park through one of their courses. See www.yosemite.org for a full catalog of neat programs including snowshoe hikes, winter photography walks, historical trails and oodles more.

Delaware North, the Yosemite Concessionaire sponsors several annual events worth noting and planning ahead for including the Chef Holidays, Bracebridge dinners and more! (details & information 559-252-4848)

A winter Yosemite is a wonderful experience with oodles of unique events scheduled throughout the park and season including: Bracebridge dinners, Chefs' Holidays, Vintners' Holidays, Badger Pass ski packages, ice skating at the Curry Village rink and more. For many of these events Yosemite lodging in the park can be difficult to secure and rather expensive. For alternative lodging, consider the Hotel Charlotte, just 24 miles from the Big Flat Entrance and offering affordable cozy rooms, good food and spirits.

Yosemite National Park Photography
Made visually famous by not only its natural beauty, but by the images captured and shared with the world by Ansel Adams, Yosemite is a blending of all nature has to offer. Take a moment to visit the Ansel Adams virtual exhibit before your trip to the Ansel Adams Gallery in the Yosemite Valley. The Gallery sponsors camera walks on the weekends.

While Ansel Adams is the master of Black & White photography, we often stumble across some fantastic shots of Yosemite. Check out the photos that travelers has submitted to TripAdvisor.com. Visit our own little collection of Yosemite images. We hope these photos will encourage you to experience the park for yourself. When you are ready to make your reservations, give us a call!

The National Park Service website has a wealth of information available to the traveler including event news, Tioga Pass updates and & weather conditions along with a good deal more that will help you in planning your trip to this great national park.

For Yosemite Hotels consider the Wawona for affordable in park Yosemite lodging. Stay with us on your way into the park, spend the day in the valley, at glacier point and areas in between, then make the Wawona your second night on the way out the south entrance. (or in reverse!)

For a listing of events and activities scheduled during your stay, check out Yosemite Guide magazine. If you won't be here for some a while, you can check out the calendar for the month of the year before your visit, that will give you a general guide, these schedules don't vary too greatly.

My favorite scene of Yosemite in the winter: camp chairs, a river, a waterfalls
and folks sitting and enjoying it all!—a virtual winter wonderland.

Hotel Charlotte
On the way to Yosemite National Park
Cozy Lodging, Good Food & Spirits 
Serving dinners Thursday-Sunday from 5:30
18736 Main Street (Highway 120) PO Box 787
 Groveland, California  95321
Reservations: (209) 962-6455,  Fax: (209) 962-6254
Email: HotelCharlotte@aol.com

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