Vacations in Yosemite-Kings Canyon Area

[enrique_flores]

Hi everybody:

 

I am planning to spend four to five days in California, visiting Yosemite and

Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Parks. I will be driving a rented car. I do not

know the area and judging traveling distances and time from a map can be

deceptive. My question is: Would it be better to use a hotel in a nearby place,

say Fresno, as a base to move to both parks? Or to look for hotels in different

places, one for Yosemite, another for Kings Canyon?

 

Your comments are greatly appreciated.

 

 

Enrique Flores

[louie]

Fresno is definitely too far away. I don't think you'll find an adequate base from which to visit both parks. You'll have to split your time between two locations.

 

For Kings Canyon/Sequoia, I'd look for lodgings within the park. For Yosemite, you can get away with lodgings outside the park gates, though, obviously staying within the park is much more convenient. It makes it much easier to get in position for sunrise and for a shorter trip back at sunset.

[enrique_flores]

Thanks for your advice, Louie. I will try to find accomodations as suggested. A first round of hotel searches has rendered some names in those areas, although in some cases, checking customer satisfaction has produced not so good comments. I will keep searching. I still have some time since I will be there the first week of September.

[klsphoto]

When booking a room for Yosemite, be aware that Hwy 140 from Maraposa to El Portal is closed with a landslide. So if you book rooms in Maraposa or along Hwy 140 on the side away from the Park you will have a long drive down Hwy 49 and back up Hwy 41 into the East (South?) entrance. Check the NPS web site for further info.

Yosemite is beautiful. Enjoy your trip, Karen

[enrique_flores]

Karen:

 

Your tip is quite valuable, thanks a lot.

 

At this point in time, my first hotel option for Yosemite is the Tenaya Lodge on Hwy 41. I will check the NPS web page AND with the hotel to find out what the best access is.

[craig_gillette]

It takes in the vicinity of 2 hours, more or less, to get from Fresno to Yosemite Valley, something over 1.5 hours or so to get from Fresno to Kings Canyon/Sequoia, depending on traffic conditions (how much RV traffic crawling up the mountains, etc., locations involved, etc.) I'd agree that trying to find closer lodgings for both would be a better idea. The highways aren't all that fast, not always convenient turnouts or passing opportunities can result in slower traffic causing delays for everyone, etc.

 

The Tenaya Lodge is right outside the south entrance, maybe about an hour from the valley. Close to the Mariposa Grove and Wawona sections of the park.

 

You can stay in the El Portal area (space permitting of course) and access Yosemite, you just can't get there for now directly from Mariposa. This wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea if you wanted a little more centralized access to the valley and Tioga road as well as the southern portions.

[tien_pham]

I've done it! Stayed at Fresno; took me about 1-2 hrs to either park, depending on traffic. Think about it, if you stay at Yosemite and if you are visiting Kings Canyon, you have to go 2hrs to get there (Kings Canyon) and about 2hrs on the return trip. Beside, staying at Fresno would give you more choices for a cheaper lodging rate. At Fresno, you also have more choices for a dinner.

[enrique_flores]

Craig / Tien:

 

Thank you both for your comments, you are confirming my assumption that estimating driving time from a map could be wrong in mountainous areas.

 

By now, I have reserved hotel rooms at the Tenaya Lodge (Yosemite)and will spend a couple of days there. Then,I will move to Kings Canyon/Sequoia. I have reserved rooms at the Holiday Inn in Three Rivers. I am still looking for something better but at least I have my bases covered.

 

I like nature photography and expect to have the opportunity to shoot many frames in these parks. As I said in my first post, I do not know the area but I have seen many beautiful photos made by both professional and amateur photogs. I will post some of my own once I am back.

 

I live in Northern Mexico, in a city surrounded by mountains close to the Eastern Sierra Madre range. Here is a photo I took last winter of a canyon in the mountain range. The vegetation is different but the view is impressive nonetheless.<div></div>

[larry h.]

Enrique and others:

 

Hopefully you will see this post in New Answers. Could I get an update from people on how practical it is to use Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp, CA as a base to visit not only Yosemite, but also Kings Canyon and Sequoia NPs? My wife has a meeting at Tenaya Lodge, so staying somewhere else is not an option.

 

Are there any road closings in the area currently? How long would it take to drive from Fish Camp to either Kings Canyon and/or Sequoia? If I visited only one of those two parks, which would be best for day hikes and casual landscape photography? Which of the two parks should I target as first choice?

 

Thanks, Larry