Yosemite Area Roads And Hotel?

Hey all-

My best buddy and I are doing a trip of a lifetime. We have ridden all over the East coast but are taking it to the Left coast in July.

We have two Goldwings out of San Francisco. We will have the wives along and plan to spend one night in NAPA in a fancy Inn or hotel. Then we will ride to the Yosemite area for three nights mid week. (very little hiking as I have too much hardware in my leg).

We want to get a reasonable hotel (Best Western/Holiday Inn) that is clean and then do day rides out from there. One North toward Tahoe, one through the park and surrounding area for twisties and sightseeing, and one South to the Sequoia forest.

Any suggestions of a town near Yosemite with decent restaurants, hotels and access to the good roads is much appreciated.

We will then head to a little Inn at Monterey that we already booked for a day riding south to Big Sur and two days of MOTO GP action.

I can't wait!

I took a VFR tour of the Sierras last year in May/June. Best trip ever! Rivals Utah for the beauty and the roads are fantastic. Probably going back this June on my WING!

I would suggest Mariposa as the stepping stone to Yosemite. There is a Best Western there.



I will try to repost my trip report in the near future. But could take questions off line if you wish.

I have also been to the GP the last two years - race superb- crowd control improving but still needs work!

Man, are you going to be blown away! Awesome riding, and midweek is really smart!
Last time I went we stayed in Sonora. Mariposa might be better.

Make sure to do the little ride up to Glacier Point after going throught the valley!

I then highly recommend going up over Tioga pass, down to Mono Lake, then back over Sonora Pass! Sweeeeeeet riding. Sonora might get a little technical on 'Wings, but well worth it!

Make sure and post up near your trip date, maybe some of us can meet for a ride or something! fing02.gif

There are lots of places to stay all over in that area. El Portal is just outside the park on the west side and has a couple of hotels like your talk�n about.

If this is your first trip to that part of the world consider the following:

Spending time in valley floor
Go over Tioga pass
Eating at the Chevron Station after you drop off Tioga Pass at the junction of 120 and 395, you won�t believe food!
Stop at the Mono Lake Visitors center
Ride Monitor Pass/89/ Markleeville/Hope Valley
Run up just north of Mono Lake to Bodie Ghost town. It is a smooth graded dirt road, no problem for the wing
Be ready, in summer Tioga Pass can still get the rare snow storm and the not uncommon fierce afternoon thunder and hail storm.
Plan on ride�n slow in the park, lots of slow traffic and high enforcement

Have fun, ya really can�t go wrong in that part of the world

You might want to PM "Flailer" ... he's got some photos in his gallery where he took a Yosemite trip ... he may have some suggestions for you! fing02.gif

Brown81, Feb 12 2007, 07:09 PMMan, are you going to be blown away! Awesome riding, and midweek is really smart!
Last time I went we stayed in Sonora. Mariposa might be better.

Make sure to do the little ride up to Glacier Point after going throught the valley!

I then highly recommend going up over Tioga pass, down to Mono Lake, then back over Sonora Pass! Sweeeeeeet riding. Sonora might get a little technical on 'Wings, but well worth it!

Make sure and post up near your trip date, maybe some of us can meet for a ride or something! fing02.gif

Everything above ditto!!! My bride and I also spent a week in Yosemite in 04 and took my Wing. Camped in the pines campground area. Did rides every other day including Tioga, T Meadows, Mono and Glacier Pt. The roads are no problem for the wing as it handles great two up and at slow speed.

If you want Goldwing configuration help talk to me off line about that too.

Great trip and as you indicated the trip of a lifetime. fing02.gif

Edited to add "It does not get any better!"
[image: gallery_2144_2004_599980.jpg]

We stayed in Oakhurst over Christmas - just the one night, but the motel we stayed at (Days Inn) was quite good. It's just outside the park (couldn't get in, because it snowed HEAPS the night we were there, so we checked out Bass Lake and Sequoia Park instead). Lots of eateries there, including one right next door.
Or you could stay at Mariposa, but I dunno which places there are any good.

TN_VFR_Girl, Feb 12 2007, 01:07 PMYou might want to PM "Flailer" ... he's got some photos in his gallery where he took a Yosemite trip ... he may have some suggestions for you! fing02.gif

Thanks Sweetness. wub.gif

My only recommendation is whatever you do do NOT miss this trip!!!
And perhaps spend as much time on top and just to the west of the Sierra Nevada mtns as possible. -- Perhaps zigzagging over the mtns as much as possible.
Ditto on the valley floor, and everything else!!!!
Hetch Hetchy is nice, but not nearly as SWEET as EVERYTHING else.
Stop everywhere lots.
Get extra mem-stick for ur camera.
Bug repellent (for inside the valley itself - or you may not stop for the views / pics as often)

i'm a bit odd compared to most. (do i hear any seconds on that point?)(anyone?)
Cause i travel for work, staying in the best hotels, eating at the finest restaurants;; for vacation i choose to sleep in the dirt (ok, not quite, but close) and eat whatever comes handy (but is healthy.) A tarp, a pad, a bag of carrots, water, and a can of SB doubleshot and i'm set for a day, maybe two. Flexibility is my key word.

My advice would be to not base yourself in one place near Yosemite. I would plan on moving each day. That way you won't force yourself to ride the same roads when returning to your motel. Consider heading north from Napa to Clearlake, then across the valley towards Grass Valley and on to the north or south shore of Lake Tahoe. Lots of place to stay there. Day two head south on Hwy 89 to Markleeville. From there you can go west for an unforgetable ride over Ebbetts Pass and down to Murphy and Angels Camp. But I would go east and drop off the Sierra's and down to Topaz, Coleville, the Walker River. I would spend the night either at the cabins at Twin Lakes outside of Bridgeport or continue on around Mono Lake to June Lake Loop and do a B&B. Day three I would start the day with a breakfast at Nicely's in Lee Vining, then in to Yosemite via the Tioga Pass. If the lodges in Yosemite are to pricely, I would stay in El Portal, Bass Lake (Ducey's on the Lake) or the Indian casino in Coarsegold. This sets your up for a ride along the foothills to Sequoia and Kings Canyon. Think about going to Moro Bay and arriving in Monterey from the south on Hwy 1. Have a great trip how ever you choose to wander.

*Scribbling furiously making notes.

Thanks for the input so far. I really appreciate the responses and hope to get many more. Eventually I will putting actual routes into my GPS for each day (or at least a suggestion).

Busman. I hear you on the moving around bit. Keep in mind we will have our wives on the back and will have stayed in 4 hotels in 8 days. A few days in the heart of the Sierras with a home base will be good for marital harmony. It is also nice to know where you are going at the end of the day. If it were up to me, we would stay somewhere different every night.

I have a big vacation coming up next week (a family cruise), but what keeps me up nights is my trip in July!!

I stayed at the Roadway Inn in Mammoth Lakes both times I was there. Another nearby town I remember was Bishop.
Even tho there may be a lot of traffic the ride to Glacier Point is worth the awesome view from there and if you are lucky and traffic is light the road is fun too.