The decision on where to spend the nights at Yosemite depends on your preference, budget, and planning skills. You can find inexpensive tent cabins or stay at the luxurious Ahwahnee Hotel. You can rough it at a campground or go on a backpacking trip through the wilderness.
Whatever you decide to do, you will need to plan far in advance. All hotels, lodges, and campsites are booked many months in advance, and some of the more popular ones are booked 12 months in advance.
Lodging
The best value lodge is Yosemite Lodge is in the Yosemite Valley Lodge. It is located right on the valley floor next to Yosemite Falls. It is a large complex with about 240 rooms, a swimming pool, a food court, a restaurant, shops, bicycle rentals, and many other amenities. Rooms cost around $200 per night, depending on the season.
Book your Yosemite Adventure here.
The main drawback is that the rooms do not have air conditioning, and if you want Wi-Fi for your gadgets, you will need to go to the main lobby.
Tip: It is almost impossible to find a room at the Yosemite Lodge. You have to plan your trip 12 months in advance and keep trying to book the room daily until you get lucky. The best time to try is 7 am every day, and you will be trying for an arrival date 12 months in the future. Visit Yosemite Reservations to try to find your room.
Another good choice is Curry Village. This area sits right under Glacier Point and near the Mist Trail in the Valley.
It has regular motel rooms, cabins, and tent cabins. The motel rooms have A/C and private bathrooms.
Book your Yosemite Adventure here.
Like the Valley Lodge, it has a food court, restaurants, and an activity center. Many Yosemite activities, such as rafting and biking, can be booked here.
If you decide to live it up at the Ahwahnee Hotel, expect to pay close to $500 per night—there is always a room available at this price.
If you prefer to stay outside of Yosemite, book your lodging on Expedia.com!
Camping
During my 2012 visit, I did not plan 12 months in advance, so I was not able to find reservations anywhere in Yosemite Valley. I did not want to stay outside of the valley either, so I opted for the only remaining option: Camping.
Important Warning: This is bear country. It is almost guaranteed you will encounter a bear during your visit. To make it a peaceful encounter, you must follow certain rules. First, make sure you completely empty your vehicle. No trash, no gum packets, nothing that may have a smell should be left in the car. At camp, you must put all your food and drinks in special metal lockers – no exceptions. If you don’t, you will come face to face with a hungry bear trying to break into your car or tent to find the nice smelly stuff. Near Camp 4, you will see an old SUV with the door ripped open as a reminder of what bears can do.
There are a few campgrounds set aside for walk-ins (no reservations). During the summer months, these camps fill up very quickly. When I drove into the first campground to check availability, I knew I might get stranded. As a backup plan, I booked a room in a motel outside the park boundaries. Thankfully, I did not need to use it.
See "No Reservations Camping" for a list of such campgrounds.
The first camp I went to had no spots, but they called other camps for me and found a place at Camp 4. I did not know it then, but I lucked out finding this spot. Camp 4 is a tent-only camp right next to Yosemite Lodge – which also means right next to Yosemite Fall.
The camp is very basic - it does have bathrooms but no showers. I parked my SUV in the dirt parking lot and had to carry and drag my camping equipment to the campsite. I had to make several trips to get all my stuff. I was really exhausted by the time I was settled in.
Since this camp is so close to Yosemite Valley Lodge, I could walk or bike there to swim in the nice Olympic pool, shower, or dine at the food court. They also have Wi-Fi service in the lobby. You have to purchase a 24-hour pass if you want to connect your device.