Photographers come from all over, prompting special rules. In February each year if weather is clear, the valley’s Horsetail Fall is bathed in a golden backlight that makes it glow like a flaming waterfall. They’re along Highway 41, a 60- to 90-minute drive south of Yosemite Valley.Īlso consider the firefall, which you may wish to chase or avoid, depending on whether you own a tripod.
Pro tip: If you care more about amenities than historic grandeur (and you’re splurging), consider the intimate Chateau du Sureau in Oakhurst (10 rooms) or the large Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp (352 rooms). And just about every winter since 1928, there has been ice skating on a seasonal rink in the valley’s Curry Village. And Yosemite Valley under snow is priceless. (Will nightly rates still be north of $450? Yes.)īut it’s such a great building. There won’t be room service or daily maid service, and no lavish Bracebridge Dinner this year. The dining won’t have table service (it’s all buffet for breakfast and dinner, takeout for lunch). Despite the prices, the Ahwahnee’s service has often struggled to keep up with its rugged good looks, and many pandemic precautions are in place. If you get to the Ahwahnee this winter, be ready for more adventure and less luxury than usual. Or just sit by the fireplace in the Ahwahnee’s Great Room, my favorite part of the 1927 landmark. Check out the icy banks of the Merced River. Sometimes the conversation is the best part of these projects. If I’ve missed a great place for winter, please tell me where to go ( Twitter or Instagram), or tell us here. Before you head to any of these places, check websites (and maybe make a phone call or two) to be sure what each destination’s latest ground rules are for vaccination, masking and occupancy. Still, as we’ve learned during the last 21 months of battle against COVID-19, things change. This collection comes in the wake of my earlier summer and fall Top 40 lists, and it’s tailored to allow for the increased indoor access we’ve been seeing lately. Here, fellow travelers, are my Top 40 winter adventures statewide. A fresh rewriting of every farm-to-table menu. Livelier stages, concert halls and museums. It’s not just holiday lights and snow in the mountains but whale migrations, elephant seal love-ins, butterfly conventions and “Nutcracker” productions, pandemic permitting. We recognize that great things happen in these months ahead. The rest of the world might not understand our winters, but Southern Californians know.