On our September 2006 trip to Yosemite, we stayed one night at the Tioga Pass Resort (see review), 2 nights at Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, and 2 nights at the Yosemite Lodge in the Valley. Of all of these, my favorite was the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge! Of course, the Lodge is not actually a "Lodge"...rather, it is a large canvas tent, surrounded by a restroom building and guest tents. We booked our stay through the national park service website, and the price of our stay was about $80/night.

The main lodge tent is a short walk from the large parking lot, where you leave your vehicle. There are carts, if you need them, to haul your items to your tent. The parking lot also has bear cabinets at its edges, where guests must store all of their food and drink. Absent storage, bears will break into the cars to get food, empty chips bags, etc. You are also not permitted to have food in your tents, to avoid bear problems.

The scenery in the area is spectacular, and there are a myriad of day hikes that start in the area. We had a beautiful walk on our first day to camp Glen Aulin (one of the high sierra camps), and a gorgeous but very difficult trek up to the summit of Mt. Dana (13,053') on another day. Mt. Dana is the second-highest peak in Yosemite, and the only one that can be attempted without ropes.

The Tuolumne Meadows area is much less "touristy" than is the Valley. It is about a 1.5 hour drive from the Valley, and the scenery in on the drive is quite remarkable. There were very few children in the area during our stay, but we were there at the tail end of the season for Tuolumne Meadows (they close in mid-late September). Most guests appeared to be age 50 and older. We learned that many guests return over and over again to Tuolumne Meadows Lodge - it is a beloved vacation spot for many. One couple had stayed at the lodge for the past 35 years.

The main lodge at Tuolumne Meadows contains a dining area, and a check-in area. Guests stay in their own canvas-covered tents that are scattered around the area. The main lodge is accessible via a path from the large parking lot.

Dining in the lodge requires reservations, and it is served family-style. Tables seat 6 - 8 people. Prices are as you would expect (about $8 for a burger, $13 for good linguine, $18 for a stuffed chicken breast). All meals include salad and bread. Wine is as you would pay in any restaurant, and a beer is about $3.50 (it's .95 in the check-in area of the lodge).

I thought the food was quite good. Of course we were exhausted from hiking all day, but they had steamed seasonal fresh veggies with every meal, which were delicious. Without exception, all around the camp the staff was cheerful, interested in your daily activities, and knowledgeable about the area. Each night, a campfire was created by staff after dinner (at about 7:30), and guests congregated there and told tales of the day's adventures. It was quite convivial.

There are not a lot of choices for restaurants in Tuolumne Meadows. The only one within walking distance from Tuolumne Meadows Lodge is the dining hall in the lodge itself. There is a "grill" in Tuolumne Meadows, which is really a greasy spoon at which you place an order at a counter and then receive your burger or sandwich in a paper package; similar to A&W Rootbeer's packaging. You eat at a counter - there are no tables at which to be seated. There's also a store in the area, where you can buy the necessities to prepare your own meal.

Guests stay in canvas tents that surround the communal restrooms. In your tent, you have a choice of 4 single beds (cots) or a double and 2 singles. We had a double and 2 singles. Rooms are equipped with 2 candles (there is no electricity), wood and firestarters (we needed to ask for more wood each night), a wood-burning stove, and directions to start the stove. The blankets on the beds are itchy wool. Tents have 2 or 3 screens, to let air circulate through. You can cover the screens, if you wish, to keep rain and etc. out.

We never quite got the hang of the wood-burning stove. Each night, we smoked ourselves out of the tent. Other guests told us that the stoves are not cleaned until the end of the season, so much ash has built up in each stove. Thus, it's hard to keep the stoves lit and burning steadily. The stoves do warm the tents quite nicely, if you can get them going.

The previous poster noted that they bring a sleeping bag when they stay here. That would have been a good thing for us to have had. It was quite cold in the evening (it's colder in Tuolumne Meadows than in the Valley, and it dropped to around 30 degrees at night when we were there). As it was, we slept in our long underwear, wearing socks, hats, and gloves. Flashlights were essential for those evening runs to the bathroom. The blankets were heavy and itchy, but warm.

There were about 4 ladies showers, and 4 ladies stalls in the restroom building. I presume the men's were the same. This building is located in the middle area of all of the tents. The showers were akin to showers at a marina, but perhaps a bit more rustic. Soap was provided in a pushbutton contraption affixed to the walls. To keep the water flowing during the shower, you had to press and hold a button attached to the pipes. The shower wasn't perfect, but it worked just fine.

The people working at Tuolumne Meadows were wonderful - friendly, knowledgeable, helpful, and you couldn't ask for more spectacular scenery or better hikes. The tents served their purpose - a good rest after an active day. I have no complaints, and would return over and over again, if I had the chance.