By Peter Fish, Sunset Editor-at-Large

Photograph by Kenny Karst

When it comes to Yosemite historic hotels, the Wawona tends to get overshadowed by the more famous Ahwahnee.

This is too bad. The Wawona has the virtues of simplicity. Where the Ahwahnee is champagne, the Wawona is lemonade, where the Ahwahnee is filet mignon, it’s ribs. 

The hotel is, in fact, even older more historic than the Ahwahnee, opening in 1879. (The Ahwahnee is a newcomer, opening in 1927.) It has small but functional guest rooms, broad porches that are ideal for sitting and figuring out where in the park you want to go next, and a pleasantly old-fashioned dining room that features pot roast. It is not in Yosemite Valley but it is near a lot of the good stuff in the southern third of the park, notably the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias. And it’s not far from Glacier Point, or, come winter, Badger Pass ski area.

And compared to the Ahwahnee it’s a bargain: right now, $140 for a room with private bath, $70 for a shared bath.  

Fall is a great time to be up here: no crowds, some remnant fall color, and bracingly cold clear nights. So, if you’re in the mood for lemonade, consider the Wawona.
For more on Yosemite, visit Sunset’s online park guide.