Yosemite

[Alanfujii]

I am planning on renting a Class A motorhome and visiting Yosemite in early September after Labor Day. Our kids start school in mid September and I'm hoping the park will be less crowded at that time. I have made reservations at Yosemite Pines RV Resort for 10 days. My question is whether anyone is familiar with this RV site and whether I should plan on splitting our time with another site rather than staying there for the whole trip.

[Zimectrin]

Welcome to IRV2.

Suggest that you move this thread (or copy it) to the Crossroads Section.

Think you will get much better exposure.

[Tom and Patty]

Will you have another vehicle to travel to Yosemite?

Here are a few other suggestions .

Maybe you could look at The KOA at Midpines on highway 140. It is not to far from the park entrance, and 140 runs right along the Merced River....which will be very low this year.

http://www.koa.com/where/ca/05195/

Also you might consider staying in the valley. There are no hook-ups, but you will be right in the middle of things. Upper, Lower and North Pines.
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/campground.htm

Another spot would be up in Tuolumne Meadows area. It is at 8000 feet and will be cooler at night, but Patty and I think this is the absolute best part of Yosemite.

Down the mountain, a very careful drive, on Hwy 120 is Lee Vining. There is a full service RV park in town. http://www.leevining.com/businesses/19.htm

Certainly the park will be less crowded. Spring, Fall, and Winter are our favorite times in Yosemite. If you live in Newport Beach, you could come in on the west side and leave out the east side down 395.

[Alanfujii]

Is there a place to rent a car in Yosemite or nearby?

[Tom and Patty]

You could rent a car in Fresno or Merced, possibly Oakhurst. I cannot think of any other locations nearby at this time. Were you planning to break camp every day and drive the motorhome?

[Alanfujii]

No, I would rather leave it and drive around. I was thinking of going into the valley and try and get a site if available. I would keep the site at the Pines as a backup.
I'm also worried that 10 days may be too long. Do you think I should break it up and maybe stay in the June lake area?

[Tom and Patty]

I will send you a private mesage. Look for a flashing icon at the top of the page, directly to the right of: Go, New, Find ,Notify ,Tools, Reply

[Gary the Wombat]

We just spent a week there and stayed at the Midpines KOA. We drove our toad into the park and also to Hetch Hetchy (a usually forgotten area but well worth the effort).

Hwy 140 is closed to anything over 28 feet due to an earler landslide and subsequent detour, but 120 is available.

The Upper and Lower Pines campgrounds do not have electricity or sewer (although dump stations are available) so keep that in mind for a long stay. Once in the valley, the shuttle service is both free and excellent, so a car is not needed.

As to whether 10 days is too long, that depends on what you want to do--hike, fish, explore other areas (like Hetch Hetchy, Badger Pass, sequoia forest etc.) Yosemite is one of my favorite destinations and I could easily spend a couple of weeks there, but other see all they want in a day or two.

[Tom and Patty]

You can always spend one day hiking to Half Dome


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[Paulin]

There is also Yosemite Lakes RV Park on Hwy. 120 just 5 miles from the west entrance to Yosemite. It is a TT/NACO park but has in the past had a limited number of full hook-up sites open to the general public. Although it is only 5 miles to the west entrance, it is still another 35 miles +/- to the heart of Yosemite.

We have used this park as jumping off point for many trips to Yosemite. We often carry bicycles into Yosemite as renting them inside the park is expensive.

[Andy Bean]

How far is it from Midpines KOA into the main part of the Valley. How many miles (roughly)?
We are considering using this as a push off point. Also considering Yosemite Lakes. Any idea which is closer? Which is nicer?

[Andy Bean]

You seem to be the resident expert on Yosemite!!
Can you help me? We were going to stay at either Yosemite Lakes or Midpines KOA.
Our Rig is 43 feet. HWY 120 is a restricted road. No rigs over 40. Sounds like HWY 140 has issues and no rigs over 28.
Any thoughts or ideas on how we can get in.
Midpines is off 140 and Yosemite Lakes is off 120.
Andy

[Gary the Wombat]

Midpines KOA is about 23 miles from the Yosemite entrance (according to their website). Getting there from HWY 99 or 5 is easy--only an easy climb the last few miles from Mariposa. I have never stayed at Yosemite Lakes (don't even know where that is) so can't comment or make a comparison about it.

Due to a major landslide a few years ago, there is a section of 140 with a 28 ft limit (the detour has 2 very tight turns over a couple of small bridges). However, that is between the KOA and the Park, so if you have a toad, it's not an issue.

[Firecapt]

We stayed at Yosemite Pines Rv Resort last year in mid June. The RV park was great with dirt/gravel pads w full hook-ups,lots of trees and shade, pool, good WiFi, easy access to sites, etc. The management was very friendly and helpful.

I would not recommend taking your Class A into Yosemite from this entrance point (Big Oak Flat Rd/ Hwy 120). The road is narrow and if you are new to driving an RV of any type it can be a harrowing experience. In addition, this entrance has tunnels you must go through and your RV may not meet the height or lenght requirements. This is a quote from the NPS website:

"Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120)
Maximum vehicle length: 45 feet for single vehicle.
Height restrictions: tunnels, into Yosemite Valley: 10 feet 3 inches; from Yosemite Valley, 13 feet 8 inches (the height of the tunnel at the white fogline is higher and full sized tour buses are able to drive through the tunnel while remaining in their lane).
Seasons: Open all year (chains may be required in winter)."

On balance, the spring and fall are the best times to see the park since the attendance is down. Also realize that all the waterfalls visible from the valley floor are snow melt fed and are running best in the spring.

I wouldn't plan on staying at Yosemite Pines RV park for more than 5 days. While the RV park is beautiful, you will probably have exhausted your sighting options after 5-7 days. Your entry fee into Yosemite (paid at the Big Oak Flat entrance) will be good for 7 days, allowing you in and out privilages for that time period.

All in all the best way to see the park is to stay outside the park (you'll have a hard time getting a spot on the valley floor) and take your toad or tow vehicle into the park.

We have backpacked, tent camped, and RV camped Yosemite many times over the years so if you need further insight please feel free to email me or send me a message