Hotel Charlotte
On the way to Yosemite National Park

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More Yosemite:
Photogallery
Hetch Hetchy
An Aerial View
A Winter Yosemite

Yosemite Valley and Half Dome live Webcam from Yosemite Association

 Half Dome Permit Required
for 2010 weekends and Holidays

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. Half Dome cables are taken down for the winter season. Permits will be required for the weekends and holidays in 2010.

I found an interesting Yosemite
resource, a list of opening and closing datesf or Tioga Pass

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!

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.

Yosemite Falls in the spring,
green and roaring!

Many of the Yosemite photographs on this page including the bikers, the rafters, the painter and the spring Yosemite falls were provided to us curtsey of Special Photography by Terri Metz

This is a very special Yosemite photograph shared with us by Terri Metz

"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 be bored!

Yosemite National Park is our country's most famous national treasure, rich in both history and beauty.  Over the years Victor and I have taken many Yosemite exploring trips and have come to find some personal favorites to share with our Yosemite bound hotel guests. The Hotel Charlotte is your Yosemite Visitor Information Center in Groveland. We offer a wealth of Yosemite tourist information, much of it first hand, some of it collected from other distinguished Yosemite travelers, neighbors, guests and friends.

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

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.

• Bridal Veil Falls: an easy less than a mile round trip walk

• Lower Yosemite Falls: another easy walk, just a wee bit longer. Be sure to start the Yosemite Falls hike at the main walk entrance where the waterfalls will be framed by the big trees your whole stroll in, then cross the bridge and follow the meandering riverside walk back. If done the opposite directions, the view of the trees framing Yosemite Falls will be behind you and you will be wanting to turn around and walk backwards.

• Mirror Lake: an easy 3 mile round trip hike along the base of the cliffs.  Mirror Lake has three distinct personalities, Mirror Lake in the spring, Mirror Marsh in the early summer as it is drying up and Mirror Meadow late summer and winter.

• 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.

A winter Yosemite is a wonderful experience with oodles of unique events scheduled throughout the park and winter 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.

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

• Ride a bike, raft the river, paint the scenery, frolic in the fields

• Browse the Ansel Adams Galleries and Museums

• Explore the Indian Village of Ahwahnee

• Join in the Ranger hosted programs for kids & families including talks, walks, hikes and evening programs, art classes, camera walks, field seminars & many more free Yosemite activities. Details and daily offerings are provided in the Yosemite Guide 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 in the Sierra. Ski conditions and snow report 209-372-1000

• Mountaineering at any skill level! Yosemite National Park offers classes from beginner to advanced along with special courses for groups and corporate events. 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 Guide for details on your day of visit.

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

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

  • 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 back country permits and information stop at the Highway 120 Main gate entrance is staffed by the Yosemite Association. Plan something special this year in Yosemite Park through one of their great courses. See www.yosemite.org for a full catalog of neat programs including snowshoe hikes, winter photography walks, historical trails and many more.

Delaware North, the concessionaire for Yosemite National Park offers many year round Yosemite activities for the visitor. The quickest way to find all the offerings is from their website, covering the spectrum of events from Bracebridge dinners, Chef dinners, Wine events to cross country skiing, bicycling, horseback riding, river rafting and oodles more activities.  If you have never been to Yosemite before, this is a great place to start your Yosemite Valley itinerary planning. 559-252-4848

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 have submitted to TripAdvisor.com. Visit our own little collection of Yosemite images. We hope these photos will encourage you to experience the glory of Yosemite National Park for yourself.

The National Park Service website has a wealth of information available to the traveler including events and activities updates, 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. The Yosemite Guide is the magazine distributed at the entrance gates and is published online. You can preview what is going on in the park before your visit. 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.

One summer Victor & I took  an aerial tour of Yosemite. Everything looks different from above! This photograph is an aerial view of Half Dome from the North edge, the worn line in the rock is where the Half Dome cables are. Amazing!

There are plenty of websites with Yosemite tourist information, but do not under value resources available to you through your innkeepers. We live in the area, participate in the goings on and can advise travelers on the most up to date Yosemite touring information.

Hotel Charlotte
On the way to Yosemite National Park
Cozy Lodging, Good Food & Spirits
Serving dinner Thursday-Sunday from 5:30
Lunch: Friday, Saturday & Sundays from 11:30
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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