DonnerB
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2018
I visited in early May 2022. The reservation system hadn't kicked in yet for summer, the Half Dome chains weren't up, and Tioga Pass was still closed (along with Glacier Point). The dining room at the Ahwahnee wasn't even serving non-guests (it was mostly empty when we checked - pretty sure this was 100% due to staffing shortages), but we ate in the lounge (the limited selection of food was good, but expensive). The traffic on our weekend days in the Valley was outrageous even though it wasn't quite peak season yet. Parking wasn't impossible, but it wasn't great.
We had rented a cabin in Fish Camp, which I loved. We had a full kitchen and a fireplace in the living room for less than half of what the Ahwahnee would have cost us. We did drive to Oakhurst one night for dinner at the Elderberry House (wonderful). But it was a trek in and out of the park every day. If I were going in August, I'd probably pay to stay in the Valley for the convenience. We had visited Sequoia and King's Canyon at a similar time in 2021, and the experience in the parks there was far easier and more relaxing in regards to parking and traffic (I'm sure the pandemic had a lot to do with that).
We had rented a cabin in Fish Camp, which I loved. We had a full kitchen and a fireplace in the living room for less than half of what the Ahwahnee would have cost us. We did drive to Oakhurst one night for dinner at the Elderberry House (wonderful). But it was a trek in and out of the park every day. If I were going in August, I'd probably pay to stay in the Valley for the convenience. We had visited Sequoia and King's Canyon at a similar time in 2021, and the experience in the parks there was far easier and more relaxing in regards to parking and traffic (I'm sure the pandemic had a lot to do with that).