The Yosemite Lodge, Yosemite Park

Yosemite Lodge is a great option for a wheelchair traveler if staying at Yosemite National Park. It is right across the street from Yosemite Falls. There are a few rooms with a roll-in shower and others with bathtubs. All the accessible rooms have grab-bars and roll-up sinks. The two rooms with roll-in showers that I have stayed in are #4122 and #4501. These rooms are located in different buildings and have a few other differences.

Room #4122 at the Tamarack Building was recently remodeled and is one of Yosemite Lodge’s new eco-friendly green rooms. It’s located across the parking lot for the lodge. The electricity only works if a special card is placed in a designated holder near the on/off switches; the purpose is to conserve energy. Lights and the main blinds can be controlled with a remote, which is a nice added touch. The layout of the room is pretty spacious besides one side of the bed being blocked by the dresser. The one bed in the room is at a terrific height for a manual wheelchair user to transfer over to. A flat-screen television, lowered clothing rack and refrigerator are also there for convenience.

The roll-in shower in room #4122 was lovely with a portable padded bench about 3-3.5 feet in length but a few things stood out. One is the roll-up sink, which was nice but the bowl itself was placed fairly far back and made it difficult to brush my teeth. Another is that there was no lock for the bathroom or lights in the actual shower, so bathing was in dim lighting. Furthermore, the light switch for the toilet/shower area is located in the vanity/sink area which was always hard to remember in the middle of the night.

Closer to the lodge is the Manzanita Building where room #4501 is located. Two pathways take you up to the building and one is more steep than the other, so follow the universal accessible sign for the easier route. This room had all the furnishings as room #4122 but everything just wasn’t as new. Plus, it has Yosemite’s classic brass key to open the door. A small ramp has been installed at the door to make it easier to go over the lip. There is no lip to access the small back patio, which has a view of Lower Yosemite Falls.

The twin beds in room #4501 were each laid up against the wall on opposite sides of the room to maximize the space in between. These beds were also at a good transfer height. Like the other room, the roll-up sink is separate from the toilet and roll-in shower area. The door to the toilet and shower area has a sliding wooden door with a large handle. It also has a permanent padded shower bench built into the wall. Furthermore, although there is a lowered closet bar, the hangers do not come off which can make it difficult to hang up one’s clothes.

At the Yosemite Lodge pool is a bicycle rental shop where you can rent a  bike with hand-controls. If hungry while staying at the Yosemite Lodge one can dine at either the Food Court, Mountain Room Restaurant, or Mountain Lodge, which are the closest options. The Mountain Room Restaurant and Lodge are only open for dinner. Additionally, there is a gift shop on-site that also has snacks and pre-made items, like sandwiches.