Yosemite’s Wawona Hotel Is Closing Temporarily

A popular National Park hotel will soon begin renovations. 

The Wawona Hotel, located within Yosemite National Park, will close temporarily in December as the the National Parks Service plans to conduct an audit of additional repair that may need to be made following its roof replacement. 

There currently no reopening date or a clear estimated time for the repairs to be completed. As a proactive step, the hotel canceled and refunded all future bookings for impacted guests. 

For travelers looking to enjoy the hotel before its temporary closure, Travel + Leisure spotted wide availability throughout October and November, where rooms start at $94 a night. 

After sharing the news on social media, the post received hundreds of engagements, including one traveler calling the property a “golden gem” and supporting the upkeep. 

“Wawona is my favorite place to stay in the park. It has so much charm and history that most of the other park accommodations are lacking. I hope NPS does the right thing and quickly invests in Wawona’s future,” one person commented on the social media post. 

The property was first opened in 1856, and is described as “one of California’s original mountain hotels”. The property has 50 regular hotel rooms, and 54 rooms that have a shared bathroom. The property has a stunning front porch that extends the length of the building, complete with Adirondack chairs for leisure time. The Victorian-style rooms are complemented with artwork and fixtures that nod to the history of the property which was popular with hikers and outdoor travel enthusiasts. 

The Wawona is the latest hotel inside of Yosemite National Park to get a makeover. In 2022, the park was awarded a $31 million construction contract which provided upgrades and maintenance for the Ahwahnee hotel.