Where to Stay in Yosemite: In-Valley Lodges (Ahwahnee, Valley Lodge & Curry Village) vs Gateway Towns

Here is the single biggest perk of booking a hotel, cabin or pitch inside Yosemite National Park: any overnight reservation inside the park automatically includes your Peak Hours Vehicle Entry Permission, so you never need a separate recreation.gov entry ticket.

1. Inside Yosemite Valley: The 3 Lodges (Book at travelyosemite.com up to 366 Days Ahead)

All official lodges inside the park are managed by one concessionaire (Aramark at travelyosemite.com; check the official site for current rates). If your dates show sold out, check the website daily 7 to 14 days before your trip, when the free-cancellation deadline hits and rooms pop back up:

1. The Ahwahnee (Shuttle Stop #3, Historic 4-Star Luxury): the 1927 National Historic Landmark stone-and-timber lodge with an outdoor heated pool overlooking Yosemite Falls.
2. Yosemite Valley Lodge (Shuttle Stop #8, Best Mid-Range Hotel): modern motel-style lodge rooms with en-suite bathrooms, a swimming pool, bike rentals, two restaurants and direct views of Yosemite Falls 200 metres away.
3. Curry Village (Shuttle Stop #14, Cabins & Canvas Tent Cabins): founded in 1899 right beneath Glacier Point and nearest to the Mist Trail. Choose between Wooden Cabins with Private Bath, Stoneman House rooms, or over 400 landmark wood-framed Canvas Tent Cabins (shared bathhouse; in spring and autumn, book a 'Heated' Tent Cabin). Also check out basic canvas tents at Housekeeping Camp on the Merced River beach.
4. Inside the Park, Outside the Valley: historic 1879 Wawona Hotel (near Mariposa Grove) or renting a private home or apartment inside the park gates at 'Yosemite West' or 'Foresta' (which also grants automatic park entry).

2. Best Gateway Towns Outside the Park (Ordered by Drive Time to Yosemite Valley)

• #1 Closest, El Portal (Highway 140, Only 20 to 25 Mins from Yosemite Valley): stay at riverside Yosemite View Lodge or Cedar Lodge (with indoor and outdoor pools and YARTS bus stops right outside).
• #2 South Gate, Fish Camp & Oakhurst (Highway 41, 5 to 20 Mins from Mariposa Grove): upscale Tenaya at Yosemite in Fish Camp, or affordable hotels and supermarkets in Oakhurst.
• #3 West Gate, Mariposa (Highway 140, 55 Mins) & Groveland (Highway 120, 35 to 55 Mins): look at resort-style Evergreen Lodge and Rush Creek Lodge right outside the Highway 120 gate, or historic gold-rush town Mariposa.