Many veteran travelers consider the Ahwahnee to be America's finest national park lodging, and its setting, Yosemite Valley, the country's most beautiful place. That's a difficult combination to top. The hotel is historic, elegant, comfortable, and expensive. Yosemite Valley is absolutely stunning.

The Ahwahnee opened in 1927 as a fashionable, fireproof lodging facility designed to increase tourism and attract influential individuals who would, it was hoped, provide financial and

Many veteran travelers consider the Ahwahnee to be America's finest national park lodging, and its setting, Yosemite Valley, the country's most beautiful place. That's a difficult combination to top. The hotel is historic, elegant, comfortable, and expensive. Yosemite Valley is absolutely stunning.

The Ahwahnee opened in 1927 as a fashionable, fireproof lodging facility designed to increase tourism and attract influential individuals who would, it was hoped, provide financial and political support for the National Park Service. The hotel continues to offer fine lodging, both in the main hotel and in eight separate, but nearby, single-story buildings that house upscale cottage rooms. Together, the hotel and 24 cottages offer a total of 123 rooms that are filled nearly year-round.

The hotel includes two outstanding public areas: the Great Lounge, with a 24-foot-high beamed ceiling, stained-glass windows, and two huge stone fireplaces; and one of the most beautiful dining rooms in which you'll ever have the privilege of eating. The dining area boasts a 34-foot-high vaulted ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows. Among national park lodge dining rooms, the Ahwahnee is rivaled only by Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Not surprisingly, architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood designed both lodges. Public areas of the Ahwahnee are filled with pottery, baskets, paintings, and rugs. Guided tours of the hotel are offered daily.

The stylish guestrooms in both the hotel and cottages each have a television, telephone, guest bathrobes, coffeemaker, hair dryer, and a full tiled bathroom. Window views in the hotel vary, with some rooms offering vistas of Yosemite Falls or Glacier Point. Other guestrooms have windows with no good views. In addition to regular rooms, the Ahwahnee has two junior suites with extra-large rooms, and four suites that each have one bedroom plus a large parlor with excellent views. The suites offer the option of adding a second adjoining bedroom at an extra charge. Cottages and rooms in the hotel rent for the same price. The cottages are secluded and relatively quiet, thus appealing to people who are planning a stay of several days. First-time visitors are probably better off choosing a room in the main hotel where it is more convenient to roam the building and grounds.

Yosemite is a very busy national park. The park's free shuttle system helps reduce traffic in the valley, but there is no escaping the fact that there are lots of people who want to visit this area of the park. Fortunately, the Ahwahnee is in a relatively secluded location that is a stop on one of the shuttle routes but avoids most of the congestion in Yosemite Valley. The shuttle allows Ahwahnee guests to wander the valley without having to take their own vehicle. Yosemite Valley is home to three other lodging facilities: Curry Village, Yosemite Lodge at the Falls, and Housekeeping Camp, all of which offer options ranging from motel rooms to cabins to tents, each at substantially lower cost compared to rooms at the Ahwahnee.

David L. Scott and Kay W. Scott are the authors of The Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges. For more information about national-park lodges, visit their website.