Lodging and Camping
Stay With us before and/or after your trip!
Most of our guests need a place to stay before or after their trip. With this need in mind, we have been working on providing lodging and camping at, and close to our home base. We have a several campsites at our home base to make for a seamless combination to your river trip on the Tuolumne. In addition With stunning views from our campsites and Lodge, to a cozy modern vacation rental that is our River House, we definitely have an option to satisfy the high demand of HWY 120, the preferred portal to Yosemite National Park.
Glamping at Sierra Mac
Our campsites set the stage for your adventure. We have 7 distinct sites that offer stunning views, privacy, a newly built bath-house with hot showers, flushing toilets and wifi broadcast throughout. What is better that camping at our meeting location the night before or after your trip! Starting @ $83 a night More…
Lillaskog Lodge, 5 Minutes from Sierra Mac
A private lodge/vacation rental looking into Hetch Hetchy. Are you planning to charter a trip, or want a private lodge for your group during your visit to the Yosemite area to call your home base? This is it. With views into the High Sierra, looking up into the Hetch Hetchy Valley, our Lodge can sleep over 20 people and is bordered by hundreds of acres of forest service land. Starting @$1250 a night, this lodge is equipped with vacation essentials, sleeps over 24, and is a active wedding venue More…
TUOLUMNE LODGING OPTIONS
The meeting spots for Sierra Mac’s Tuolumne and Cherry Creek rafting trips are located about halfway between the town of Groveland, California and Yosemite’s Big Oak Flat Entrance Station on State Hwy 120. In addition to lodging located within Yosemite National Park, which can be very busy during summer months, there are also a lot of options available outside the park. These include public campgrounds, vacation rentals, and hotels for every taste and budget. Here are a few options located within 30 minutes of our Tuolumne and Cherry Creek trip meeting spots. For our Merced trips, search in Mariposa for options.
Closest to our Tuolumne Base
Welcome to The Yosemite Westgate Lodge, 5 minutes from Sierra Mac’s meeting location on the Tuolumne. Conveniently located near scenic Highway 120, the hotel is only 12 miles from the Big Oak Flat “Westgate” Entrance to Yosemite National Park and only 35 miles down to Yosemite Valley. The hotel is ideally situated around popular attractions of Yosemite such as thriving waterfalls, Half Dome, El Capitan, Cathedral Rocks and many campgrounds for trails and other activities. The Westgate Lodge offers convenient and comfortable accommodations at affordable rates.
Firefall Ranch
10 Minutes West of Sierra Mac, new to the Yosemite landscape in Spring 2024, Firefall Ranch is unlike anything else Yosemite has ever seen. Fine but not fussy, Firefall Ranch meanders through serene meadowland and forested rolling hills near Yosemite’s popular northwest entrance.This basecamp for your Yosemite adventure is filled with striking design flourishes throughout the Cottages, Villas, Pool Area, Restaurant, Tavern, Wine Room and glorious Event Center.
Lodges/Resorts Hotels & Motels
The Hotel Charlotte
The Hotel Charlotte in Groveland is a Victorian-style hotel located just 15 minutes from our Tuolumne and Cherry Creek trip meeting spots. Amenities include a choice of king or queen beds and a complementary buffet breakfast, the perfect way to start your day of rafting. They recently opened the Fork & Love Restaurant, offering a variety of dishes using local ingredients, local beers and handcrafted cocktails. Thinking of staying a while? The Hotel Charlotte also manages several vacation rentals many of which are located at nearby Pine Mountain Lake. These vacation rentals are listed under the accommodations link on their home page.
Evergreen Lodge
Evergreen Lodge is located on Evergreen Road about 7 miles from Yosemite’s Big Oak Flat Entrance and just one mile from Hetch Hetchy. With two major expansions in recent years, the Evergreen has become a full-service, year-round resort and a classic Yosemite destination. Accommodations include deluxe cabins, family cabins, one bedroom cottages, and custom camping where guests arrive to a fully furnished, set up tent site and sleep among the big trees in our spacious tents. There is a swimming pool, restaurant and bar on site.
Rush Creek Lodge
Rush Creek Lodge is a brand new (opened in June 2016) full service resort located around 23 miles past Groveland and less than a mile from the Park’s entrance. Lodging options include lodge rooms, suites and hillside villas and their list of amenities includes a dining destination to enjoy California lodge cuisine, a general store for provisions on the way to the park, and a full service guided recreation program.
Yosemite Under Canvas
Under Canvas Yosemite is located on 85 acres of forested land featuring unique glamping accommodations, a main lobby tent complete with café-style dining, and upscale lounge areas luxuriously furnished by West Elm. Located just 10 minutes from the main, Big Oak Flat entrance station to Yosemite National Park with a designated YARTS transportation stop, our very first California location.
RV AND CAMPING OPTIONS
Looking for more of an RV or camping experience? The Forest Service operates several campgrounds in the Groveland Ranger District. Some take reservations and others are first-come first served, some can accommodate RVs and others are walk-in. For more specific information on these and other campgrounds and RV parks in the area see our Tuolumne River Campground Guide.
Yosemite Lakes RV Resort is a private camping RV/tent campground set on 400 acres along the South Fork Tuolumne River six miles from the Park entrance. With 254 full hook-ups, 130 tent sites, and a variety of cabin and yurt setups, Yosemite Lakes Public RV Camping is big enough to accommodate any size group.
VACATION RENTALS
Lillaskog is a six bedroom vacation rental capable of handling large groups (24) located atop a mountain in the Stanislaus National Forest, with views of Yosemite (Hetch Hetchy), just 5 minutes from our trip meeting spots. Lillaskog can accommodate weddings/receptions family reunions, bachelor parties, business retreats and other group activities. Minimum stay is 2 nights, and can be split up if rafting overnight with us!
Yosemite Cabin Rentals lists several properties that organize accommodations size of groups, luxury stays, pet friendly, affordability and by hot-tubs! This is a great place to start when planning your Yosemite Vacation. Make sure to note where the rental is at, and check driving times. They also list several other trips to do in the area.
The Groveland VRBO page lists over 100 vacation rentals by owner in the Groveland region. There are some good values, and many of the properties still have open dates for this summer.
Our recommendation is to plan some time after your rafting trip to stay and explore the nearby attractions both inside and outside the park. River trips open the senses, you start to notice things, like some of the unique bird species that populate this region, the flash of a trout as it passes beneath your raft, the smell of moving water. It is nice to stay a while while you are in this relaxed and open space and enjoy the all that the Yosemite region has to offer.
CLOSEST TO MERCED MEETING LOCATION
Under a grove of oak and pine in our own small valley with a stream, the Yosemite Bug Rustic Mountain Resort offers a magical scene with cabins on stilts dotting the mountainside where walking is part of the experience. This old camp dates from the 1930’s and we now offer private hotel style rooms in cabins, tent cabins, a hostel cabin, and house rentals along with group facilities, a health spa and a highly regarded restaurant. You will encounter couples, young families, and single outdoor adventurers in this gem just 27 miles downstream from Yosemite Valley itself. Value rate and cancellation here versus elsewhere for us.
