Yosemite Village
Yosemite Village
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.0
514 reviews
Excellent
203
Very good
186
Average
95
Poor
23
Terrible
7
Leslie S
3 contributions
Dec 2021
We shopped at the Village gift shop and dropped almost $200 on gifts including Tolumne beef jerky for our daughter as a stocking stuffer. It was not cheap but it was stale and nearly rancid. What a waste. Fortunately our dog likes it.
Sadly, we also bought some nuts in the Yosemite Falls lodge cafeteria - and they were stale - and expensive.
Sadly, we also bought some nuts in the Yosemite Falls lodge cafeteria - and they were stale - and expensive.
Written December 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kathrine
Pennsylvania609 contributions
Oct 2021
Most stores in the Village are open. Museum closed, Visitor Center closed but they did have staff outside to answer questions and give advice and maps. The Village Store is pretty well stocked with items. We didn't have any way to cook but they did have prepared sandwiches and salads - which we took advantage of for hiking. Parking only for the store is right outside, and just a short walk away is parking for the Visitor Center with very clean flush bathrooms.
Signs - agree with other TA posts - need better directions. Once we did the 'circle' once we figured out where we were going.
Signs - agree with other TA posts - need better directions. Once we did the 'circle' once we figured out where we were going.
Written October 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nancy W
Dundee, UK43 contributions
Feb 2020
Yosemite Village Store visit in a peak winter wonderland. It was absolutely magical to visit the village after the snowfall. The view was a picture postcard. The snow was deep and chains on the wheels were compulsory. There was easy parking as the traffic was stopped due to the snowfall and we were locked into the valley.
Written January 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
William L
Sandown, NH1,029 contributions
Aug 2021
We exited Happy Isles through hordes of tourists knowing the shuttle was down due to Covid. We booted from the exit of the JMT into Yosemite Village. Pretty much a disorganized mess, no restaurants open, visitor center and theatre closed. Covid has ruined things here. We did find a grocery store that was open and was able to charge my phone while waiting for the YART bus. I would love to return here when things get back to normal. The backdrop is stunning.
Written September 17, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TravelerCentralFLA
Clermont, FL1,777 contributions
May 2023
Yosemite Village is the area of Yosemite Valley that includes the visitor center, the wilderness center, the Ansel Adams Gallery, the Yosemite Museum, the Village Store, and more. We stopped here on our visit to Yosemite National Park. Do be aware parking can be hard to find unless you arrive early. The Village was well-maintained and had a wonderful visitor center and store. We really liked the Ansel Adams Gallery. This is a good place to stop in Yosemite.
Written June 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
robert c
Sunnyvale, CA3,337 contributions
Apr 2014 • Couples
1. Visitors to the village center may park in the visitor's parking lot about a 5 minute walk from the village center. This parking lot usually fills up by mid day on weekends in the summer.
2. If the visitor's parking lot is filled, one can park in the medical clinic parking lot behind the village center.
3. Finally if both the visitor's parking lot and the medical clinic parking lot are filled, park at Curry Village, and take the free shuttle to the village center. This is a very short ride, as there are three stops at the Curry Village both going to and from the Mist Trail shuttle stops.
4. Bathrooms with flush toilets are available at the visitor's center., Degnan's Deli, and the Village Grill. Ladies, enjoy it while you can, as all the trails have unisex pit toilets, and the toilet seats and floor are often marred with the sprinkling of males.
5. The visitor's center has small blackboards listing the current weather conditions, which roads are open, and which trails are open. There is usually a knowledgeable park employee behind the counter to answer questions.
6. The visitor's center also has a bookstore, a hands on 3 D topographical map, and a walking historical timeline entitled the Changing Face of Yosemite, marking events in the history of the valley from the the dawn of time, to the coming of the native Americans, to the efforts of the Yosemite Conservancy to preserve the Valley for future generations to enjoy. Pictures of visitors in their 1920s car jams in the Valley, and of visitors in open air train cars with floppy hats at the turn of the 20th century.
7. Behind the visitor's center is the Yosemite Museum, with many Native American artifacts, including Indian dance capes, a panorama of life in the villages, before the white man came, and Chef Lemee doing traditional Miwok Indian dances before village center visitors in 1949.
8. Next door is the Theater showing the 23 minute film of the 150th anniversary of the Yosemite Conservancy.
9. The next door Ansel Adams Gallery shows famous black and white pictures of Yosemite taken by the famous photographer, and pictures of his life, from the 1930s through the 1970s. There is the one famous shot of him standing on the top of a station wagon, with a platform rigged to the roof of the wagon, and him manning camera on a tripod. And yes, there are tripods and other photographic equipment for sale.
10. There is a wilderness center, closed during our visit, but where one can get permits for overnight camping at various spots, and permits to climb certain peaks and monuments in the valley.
11. The post office is also here where you can mail all your postcards bought at the Visitor's center, with a Yosemite Village postmark.
12. Degnan's complex is next, with Degnan's Deli and Cafe, featuring freshly made sandwiches, and packaged refrigerated salads, same as the ones at the Food Court at the Lodge. There are tables outside, with squirrels ready to pounce on any crumbs dropped. The indoor Cafe was not open in April.
13. Next door is the Loft, a pizza restaurant, also not open in April. The Loft is open 5 to 8pm in the late Spring and Summer, and is the only place in the village center open for dinner.
14. Habitat Yosemite is a clothing outlet with sweatshirts, etc. with the Yosemite logo. I don't frequent such places, as I have accumulated enough sweatshirts to last a lifetime.
15. The Village store is the only market in Yosemite Village, where you can buy groceries, fruits, and food. However you must remember that the Lodge, Curry Village, and the Ahwahnee all prohibit cooking foods in the rooms, and none of them have microwave ovens. The Lodge and the Ahwahnee do have mini dorm size refrigerators, without freezers, which can hold a four 32 ounce bottles of juice, along with a six pack of 12 ounce cans. There is a microwave oven at the Food Court for guests to heat up food.
16. The Village Grill features hamburgers, salmon burgers, and chicken pesto dishes, all on outdoor tables. It too is only open until 5pm, and only in the late Spring and Summer.
17. There is a Sport Shop which sell outdoor equipment, and rock climbing equipment. Never been in there, but we could have used them as one of my hiking poles broke on the way up Sentinel Dome in April.
18. Finally there is the Village Garage, for service to your vehicles should you have auto problems. Never been there either, and never hope to be there, but is is good to know that it is there in case you need to fix your broken down vehicle.
19. We usually visit the Yosemite Village on our first day in the Valley, if we can't check into our rooms at the Lodge until 5pm and the Ahwahnee until 4pm. Or we will wait until our last day in the Valley before visiting the Yosemite Village. The other days we are doing full day hikes, such as the Mist trail, Vernal Falls, Nevada Falls, Upper Yosemite Falls, or the loop completely around Mirror lake through the landslide area, or visiting Glacier Point.
2. If the visitor's parking lot is filled, one can park in the medical clinic parking lot behind the village center.
3. Finally if both the visitor's parking lot and the medical clinic parking lot are filled, park at Curry Village, and take the free shuttle to the village center. This is a very short ride, as there are three stops at the Curry Village both going to and from the Mist Trail shuttle stops.
4. Bathrooms with flush toilets are available at the visitor's center., Degnan's Deli, and the Village Grill. Ladies, enjoy it while you can, as all the trails have unisex pit toilets, and the toilet seats and floor are often marred with the sprinkling of males.
5. The visitor's center has small blackboards listing the current weather conditions, which roads are open, and which trails are open. There is usually a knowledgeable park employee behind the counter to answer questions.
6. The visitor's center also has a bookstore, a hands on 3 D topographical map, and a walking historical timeline entitled the Changing Face of Yosemite, marking events in the history of the valley from the the dawn of time, to the coming of the native Americans, to the efforts of the Yosemite Conservancy to preserve the Valley for future generations to enjoy. Pictures of visitors in their 1920s car jams in the Valley, and of visitors in open air train cars with floppy hats at the turn of the 20th century.
7. Behind the visitor's center is the Yosemite Museum, with many Native American artifacts, including Indian dance capes, a panorama of life in the villages, before the white man came, and Chef Lemee doing traditional Miwok Indian dances before village center visitors in 1949.
8. Next door is the Theater showing the 23 minute film of the 150th anniversary of the Yosemite Conservancy.
9. The next door Ansel Adams Gallery shows famous black and white pictures of Yosemite taken by the famous photographer, and pictures of his life, from the 1930s through the 1970s. There is the one famous shot of him standing on the top of a station wagon, with a platform rigged to the roof of the wagon, and him manning camera on a tripod. And yes, there are tripods and other photographic equipment for sale.
10. There is a wilderness center, closed during our visit, but where one can get permits for overnight camping at various spots, and permits to climb certain peaks and monuments in the valley.
11. The post office is also here where you can mail all your postcards bought at the Visitor's center, with a Yosemite Village postmark.
12. Degnan's complex is next, with Degnan's Deli and Cafe, featuring freshly made sandwiches, and packaged refrigerated salads, same as the ones at the Food Court at the Lodge. There are tables outside, with squirrels ready to pounce on any crumbs dropped. The indoor Cafe was not open in April.
13. Next door is the Loft, a pizza restaurant, also not open in April. The Loft is open 5 to 8pm in the late Spring and Summer, and is the only place in the village center open for dinner.
14. Habitat Yosemite is a clothing outlet with sweatshirts, etc. with the Yosemite logo. I don't frequent such places, as I have accumulated enough sweatshirts to last a lifetime.
15. The Village store is the only market in Yosemite Village, where you can buy groceries, fruits, and food. However you must remember that the Lodge, Curry Village, and the Ahwahnee all prohibit cooking foods in the rooms, and none of them have microwave ovens. The Lodge and the Ahwahnee do have mini dorm size refrigerators, without freezers, which can hold a four 32 ounce bottles of juice, along with a six pack of 12 ounce cans. There is a microwave oven at the Food Court for guests to heat up food.
16. The Village Grill features hamburgers, salmon burgers, and chicken pesto dishes, all on outdoor tables. It too is only open until 5pm, and only in the late Spring and Summer.
17. There is a Sport Shop which sell outdoor equipment, and rock climbing equipment. Never been in there, but we could have used them as one of my hiking poles broke on the way up Sentinel Dome in April.
18. Finally there is the Village Garage, for service to your vehicles should you have auto problems. Never been there either, and never hope to be there, but is is good to know that it is there in case you need to fix your broken down vehicle.
19. We usually visit the Yosemite Village on our first day in the Valley, if we can't check into our rooms at the Lodge until 5pm and the Ahwahnee until 4pm. Or we will wait until our last day in the Valley before visiting the Yosemite Village. The other days we are doing full day hikes, such as the Mist trail, Vernal Falls, Nevada Falls, Upper Yosemite Falls, or the loop completely around Mirror lake through the landslide area, or visiting Glacier Point.
Written May 12, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
syrahgirl
Seaside, OR58,088 contributions
While waiting for our table to be ready at the Awahanee Hotel, we decided to go over to the village and walk around a bit. We wanted to go through the Ansel Adams Art Gallery, also. The village is very nice with a couple of little cafes to grab a bite to eat and there is also a pretty nice grocery/souvenir store you walk through to get back to the gallery. We did not go to the museum or the theater here, but will next time. The Ansel Adams Gallery is very nice with many prints and photographs for sale of his work.
The Yosemite Shuttle bus also stops here if you are taking the bus around the park. This is a great place to stock up on snacks and drinks or souvenirs of the park. We saw 3 deer and a buck while walking through the village. This is also a great place to ride your bike. There is a bike trail that begins here that leads up to the waterfall. A very pleasant place to spend time in while visiting Yosemite National Park.
The Yosemite Shuttle bus also stops here if you are taking the bus around the park. This is a great place to stock up on snacks and drinks or souvenirs of the park. We saw 3 deer and a buck while walking through the village. This is also a great place to ride your bike. There is a bike trail that begins here that leads up to the waterfall. A very pleasant place to spend time in while visiting Yosemite National Park.
Written January 3, 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brad
Hong Kong, China174,411 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
The Yosemite Village is located within the Valley area of Yosemite National Park. To enter the valley and find the village, you must drive through the Yosemite Tunnel on Wawona Road. This becomes the Southside Drive while traveling east through the valley.
Eventually you turn north and reach the Yosemite Village and small area of civilisation in what is otherwise a beautiful outdoor wilderness.
The village includes a National Park Visitor Centre, other heritage and education centres, two churches, library, U.S. Post Office, Ansel Adams studio shop, large Village Store, a few eateries, parking lots for daytime visitors and a free shuttle service depot for those who want to park and leave their vehicle and use the free shuttles to travel around the valley.
There are a few accommodations and campground location nearby to the Yosemite Village. You'll also find several of the easy hiking opportunities passing by or starting from the village. Leaving Yosemite Village, you simply drive west on the Northside Drive.
Eventually you turn north and reach the Yosemite Village and small area of civilisation in what is otherwise a beautiful outdoor wilderness.
The village includes a National Park Visitor Centre, other heritage and education centres, two churches, library, U.S. Post Office, Ansel Adams studio shop, large Village Store, a few eateries, parking lots for daytime visitors and a free shuttle service depot for those who want to park and leave their vehicle and use the free shuttles to travel around the valley.
There are a few accommodations and campground location nearby to the Yosemite Village. You'll also find several of the easy hiking opportunities passing by or starting from the village. Leaving Yosemite Village, you simply drive west on the Northside Drive.
Written May 21, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DRWade
Midlothian, VA22 contributions
One thing I was unaware of before we went earlier this month is that it takes a long time to get there from the park entrance. If you don't get to the Village early, you may have trouble finding parking. We stayed in Oakhurst, CA, which is at the south entrance to the park. When we found out from our hotel receptionist that it would take about 2 hrs to get to the Village from the hotel, we left early (about 8:10am). We were so glad we did! It took us 1 hr, 45 min to get there from the hotel, or about 1 1/2hrs from the entrance. We spoke to another visitor, and he said that the day before, they had driven around for 2 hours, looking for a parking space. Not sure what time he got there. Also, be careful not to park in the lot where the big campers park because another visitor said he parked there before, and someone in a big camper completely blocked him in, so they had to wait at their car until the owner returned to move it!
Also, be aware that there is currently construction on the southern entrance road (Rt 41), and if they are working, it will take you even longer to get to the park center. I don't think they work on the weekends, because they were fortunately not working when we went in on a Sunday. There is a a Yosemite Road & Weather information number you can call ahead of time to find out if there is construction. I believe it is (209)372-0200, or you can ask your hotel for the correct number if that isn't right. Before you book a hotel in the area (even if it is inside the park), you may want to call them to find out how long it takes to get to the Village from the hotel. Our hotel info claimed it was only about 13 miles from the park entrance, but I didn't realize that with the curvy park roads, it would take about 30 minutes, plus the rest of the way to the center was 1 1/2 hrs more!!
Yosemite was WELL worth the effort to get there, but these tips would have been nice to know ahead of time. We only had one full day at the park, and, yes, we packed in a lot that day, but I was organized with my list in the order of how it appeared on the map (& then I confirmed with a park employee), and we set priorities for what was most important to us.
Also, be aware that there is currently construction on the southern entrance road (Rt 41), and if they are working, it will take you even longer to get to the park center. I don't think they work on the weekends, because they were fortunately not working when we went in on a Sunday. There is a a Yosemite Road & Weather information number you can call ahead of time to find out if there is construction. I believe it is (209)372-0200, or you can ask your hotel for the correct number if that isn't right. Before you book a hotel in the area (even if it is inside the park), you may want to call them to find out how long it takes to get to the Village from the hotel. Our hotel info claimed it was only about 13 miles from the park entrance, but I didn't realize that with the curvy park roads, it would take about 30 minutes, plus the rest of the way to the center was 1 1/2 hrs more!!
Yosemite was WELL worth the effort to get there, but these tips would have been nice to know ahead of time. We only had one full day at the park, and, yes, we packed in a lot that day, but I was organized with my list in the order of how it appeared on the map (& then I confirmed with a park employee), and we set priorities for what was most important to us.
Written August 17, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
stilts6
Longmont, CO41 contributions
Start with the Lodge at Yosemite Falls. I'm ashamed as an American that foreign guests--and there were many of them--see and experience this touristic nightmare. The rooms are dispersed in a ramshackle array of buildings with atrocious path lighting. The Food Court is a culinary travesty. Some very simple fixes could make the food court marginally less awful. For example, have patrons bus their own tables. As it is, platters and cups pile up disgustingly while waiting for the understaffed employees to remove the trash while snaking their way with a tray cart through a VERY crowded (in October!) room. Obtaining a meal is trying at best. The multiple "carousel" ordering locations are hopelessly out-dated from the 1970's. In Yosemite itself the signage requires saintly patience to interpret. It is small--yes, I know, we want to be unobtrusive in such a grand location-and leads to much confusion. We went to The Ahwahnee Hotel for dinner. Upon arrival one of our party asked the greeter at the port cochere if we had arrived at the back entrance. No. I'd never been to a grand hotel with garbage cans piled near the red carpet before! For god's sake, this is a premier American site! Anyone who travels abroad knows how ragtag our infrastructure is compared to most of our competitors. Let's at least make Yosemite's infrastructure and accommodations the equal of it's natural environment.
Written October 10, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
is hot.
Please ask detailed questions on the Yosemite forum page. This Q&A feature for the small area in Yosemite Valley that has the visitor center, store, & museum does not have many readers. You'll get immediate and helpful replies on the forum.
Written July 22, 2018
Hi Contact the NPS directly. I don't know if there are any wheelchairs to rent from the Yosemite Visitor Center in Yosemite Village. If you ask on the TripAdvisor forum, we can offer advice about how to enjoy Yosemite NP with physical limitations (wheelchair accessible trails, parking for folks with a disabled placard, accessible viewpoints, etc.)
Written July 22, 2018
I know this question is old, but if anyone wants to know more about Yosemite Village, you can shop & check out the Visitor Center & such.
Ask future questions on the TripAdvisor forum where answers are posted the same day.
Written February 6, 2016
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