Nature lovers who flock to Yosemite National Park for its iconic waterfalls, soaring granite peaks, and trails among the redwood forest are about to have many more options when it comes to staying in and around the park, with four new places opening within the next year—and the park’s grande dame getting a serious revamp.
Following the spring 2024 openings of Firefall Ranch and Wildhaven Yosemite, there will a new Under Canvas outpost and Outbound Yosemite debuting in 2025, and the iconic Ahwahnee hotel is currently undergoing a multi-million-dollar restoration that is slated to be fully completed by the end of this year.
Here’s everything you need to know about the forthcoming outdoor-driven accommodations in Yosemite National Park.
Get your glamp on at the freshly unveiled Wildhaven Yosemite.
Courtesy of Wildhaven
Wildhaven Yosemite, opened May 2024
With panoramic views of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Wildhaven Yosemite opened to guests on May 1, 2024. Located 45 minutes from Yosemite National Park’s Mariposa entrance (and one mile from downtown Mariposa), the property includes 12 heated and air-conditioned cabins in both studio and one-bedroom models, all with a small kitchen, private bathroom, and outdoor seating area with a firepit. There are also 30 safari-style tents, each with one or two queen beds or a queen and two sets of bunk beds. The tents each have a private covered deck and share a communal bathroom and shower building.
Among the on-site amenities are hiking trails (including one to a hilltop pergola for sunset views) and a clubhouse where guests can purchase barbecue meal kits and locally crafted libations. Daily activities include yoga, wine tastings, and live music. Nightly rates start at $200.
After a busy day in the park, guests at the newly opened Firefall Ranch can sit back, relax, and enjoy some pool time.
Courtesy of Firefall Ranch
Firefall Ranch, opening May 2024
The brand-new Firefall Ranch opens its doors on May 8, 2024, and it’s named after the natural phenomenon that happens each February when the setting sun hits Yosemite’s Horsetail Falls at just the right angle, causing the water to appear as though it were ablaze.
The resort—from the same team behind the family-friendly properties Evergreen Lodge and Rushcreek Lodge and Spa—is located in Groveland a few minutes’ drive from Yosemite’s northwest entrance. It features 55 stand-alone cottages and villas, all in one-, two-, and three-bedroom configurations. Each accommodation includes a sitting area (with an additional queen sofa bed), an indoor/outdoor gas fireplace, and a private deck overlooking 300 acres of meadowland and forested rolling hills. Guests have three dining options: a General Store (where coffee, grab-and-go lunches, and snacks are on offer), the Firefall Ranch Tavern (a casual tapas and craft cocktails lunch and dinner eatery), and the Firefall Ranch Restaurant (a more formal, all-day option with acai bowls at breakfast and flame-grilled proteins at dinner). On-site services and amenities include a pool area, yard games like bocce and horseshoes, a spa, nightly fireside s’mores, and a team of professional guides leading hikes, rafting excursions, and snowshoeing adventures. Rooms start at $675 per night.
Under Canvas Yosemite will be the brand’s first foray into the Golden State.
Courtesy of Under Canvas
Under Canvas Yosemite, opening May 2025
A brand known for its safari-style tented camps near national parks, Under Canvas is slated to open its 12th outpost on 80 acres of pine-dappled forest 10 minutes from Yosemite National Park’s west entrance on May 22, 2025. Each of the 70 tents will have king-size beds (with heated mattress pads), bedside lanterns, and USB charging packs, along with an en suite bathroom featuring a sink, shower, and toilet. They will also all have a private deck, and some will include stargazing windows above the bed. In a central lobby tent, guests will be able to lounge in the game area, eat at the indoor-outdoor café-style dining area, and book experiences like fishing, rock climbing, and rafting with the adventure concierge. Reservations for Under Canvas Yosemite’s inaugural season, which will run from May 22 to October 27, 2025, have already opened. Rates start at $319 per night.
You can get a sense of the Outbound design aesthetic in the bar area of the Mammoth outpost.
Courtesy of Outbound
Outbound Yosemite, opening summer 2025
We don’t yet have many details on the soon-to-be newest Outbound location at Yosemite. For now, the brand has only announced it’ll be coming in summer 2025 and will include 135 cabins on 17 acres of land roughly 25 minutes from the southern entrance to Yosemite at Mariposa Grove (where visitors have the added bonus of giant Sequoia viewing). It will also feature a bar and restaurant, a pool, lobby, and event space. Outbound Yosemite will be the fourth property in the brand’s growing portfolio; the other three are in nearby Mammoth; Stowe, Vermont; and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Outbound lodgings are based in nature-rich destinations, offering amenities like pools and hip dining venues with modern design at an affordable price point. For comparison, nightly rates at Outbound Mammoth start at $143.
The newly reopened dining room at the iconic Ahwahnee in Yosemite Valley
Photo by Kit Leong/Shutterstock
The Ahwahnee, renovations fully completed by end of 2024
The nearly 100-year-old Ahwahnee, one of the few hotels located in the heart of Yosemite Valley, is currently undergoing a $31.6 million transformation thanks to a grant through the Great American Outdoors Act. Earlier this year, the Ahwahnee reopened its legendary dining room with its soaring 34-foot ceilings, dramatic chandeliers, wooden beams, and tall windows; this semi-formal venue has been a huge draw for guests and nonguests alike over the years. The pool area is still under construction and is slated to be completed by the end of the year, along with updated heating and air conditioning and other infrastructure improvements.
The Ahwahnee remains open during its overhaul (though warns guests about possible construction noise and disruptions during working hours). The iconic hotel features 97 guest rooms with a wide range of room configurations and 24 cottages that can accommodate multiple guests. It’s not easy to score a reservation, especially during high season, but if you do, you will be in the heart of the action, with little to no driving needed once parked at the hotel, which is within walking distance of Yosemite Village and several coveted hiking trails, including Yosemite Falls and Cook’s Meadows Loop. Rooms start at $500 per night.
