Wawona

Wawona offers several starting points for planning your trip: historic buildings, hikes, and activities such as golf or horseback riding. If you’re looking for a hotel in Wawona, consider what you’d like to focus on during your stay. By car, you can reach Wawona via Wawona Road, which continues Highway 41 within the park. YARTS provides seasonal public transportation to Wawona on the route between Oakhurst and Yosemite Valley. Check the schedule before you travel.

Historic Buildings and Park History

The Wawona Hotel opened in 1879 and is designated a National Historic Landmark. It is the largest surviving Victorian hotel complex within the boundaries of a national park. The Chinese Laundry in Wawona was built in 1917 as a laundry for the Wawona Hotel. These buildings offer different historical perspectives: the hotel is a large complex, while the Chinese Laundry recalls a specific former function serving the hotel.

The Yosemite History Center is a collection of historic buildings. Free-to-access informational signs tell the stories of people from around the world who shaped Yosemite’s development. The historic Thomas Hill Studio houses the Wawona Visitor Center. Park information, wilderness permit reservations, maps, and books are available there. Check the Visitor Center’s operating status before your trip.

Hiking Trails and Waterfalls

The Wawona Meadow Loop is a 3.5-mile (5.6-kilometer) mostly flat loop trail that begins at the Wawona Hotel. The hike to Swinging Bridge is much shorter at 0.6 miles (1 kilometer), with mostly gentle slopes. It leads to a suspension bridge and a popular swimming spot on the South Fork Merced River. Water conditions and access may vary seasonally.

By contrast, the Chilnualna Falls Trail is very strenuous: it is 8.2 miles (13 kilometers) long and gains 2,400 feet (732 meters) in elevation. Check trail conditions before hiking. Chilnualna Falls consists of five major cascades flowing over granite formations above the Wawona area. Water flow is strongest in spring and early summer. The trail length and elevation gain help distinguish this hike from the shorter options.

Golf and Horseback Riding

The Wawona Golf Course is a nine-hole, par-35 course founded in 1918. Reclaimed water is used in its maintenance, and no pesticides are used; these maintenance practices may change.

Wawona Stable offers two-hour and full-day horseback rides in the Wawona Historic District. The two-hour ride follows the Meadow Loop Trail past the Wawona Hotel, alongside meadows, forests, and a former Miwok camp, and offers views of Wawona Dome. Full-day rides depart from Wawona Stables and travel to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. The grove is in the wider Wawona area and is Yosemite’s largest giant sequoia grove; it is home to more than 500 mature giant sequoias. Ride dates and availability may change. If you’re planning to visit the grove, note that shuttle arrangements may change seasonally.

Discover more destinations: Midpines, Bootjack, Mariposa, Buck Meadows, El Portal, North Wawona, Coulterville, Yosemite National Park

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