Vacation rentals in Yosemite Valley

Things can get a bit confusing when it comes to place names here. Yosemite Valley is a town outside Yosemite National Park. It’s also the name of a place inside the park that is, well, maybe one of the prettiest places on Earth. And Yosemite Village is the name of the place inside the town of Yosemite Valley where (mostly) park employees live. Yosemite Village is a stopping point for those en route to the main event — the park — but you’d be wise to slow down and appreciate this little town. Construction began on the 46-acre village in 1918, led by preeminent landscape architect Charles Punchard Jr., who called for winding streets and rustic buildings made of granite, river stones, and logs, a style that would define the look of the entire national park system. The village is home to 68 historic buildings, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Yosemite National Park is open year round, so deciding when to visit depends on what kind of experience you seek. Summer is warm to hot, and ideal for hiking. It’s also a high season when crowds and traffic are dense. Fall brings fewer crowds, a range of hot and cool weather, rain showers, and even snow. Snow blankets the park in winter, creating a hushed landscape with radically fewer visitors than summer. (Snow can also cause some roads in the park to close between November and early summer.) In spring the park creeps back to life, and the magnificent waterfalls roar with snow melt.

Yosemite Village Post Office

Completed in 1925, the village’s historic post office was designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, famed for his work in the rustic — or parkitecture — style. The post office’s wood and stone facade is home to 760 ornate brass post boxes where mostly park employees receive their mail. Stop in here and appreciate the craftsmanship before sending a letter to a pal that will bear the Yosemite postmark.

Yosemite Cemetery

This graveyard dotted with granite and wooden markers is a kind of who's-who of Yosemite’s past. Here lie the bones of James Mason Hutchings, who led the first tourist party into the park in 1855, and Galen Clark, who arrived as a visitor the same year and decided to remain in the nearby mountains. Laborers, hotel operators, and homesteaders rest here, too. Wander among the graves and giant sequoia trees and ponder the lives and deaths this park has seen.

Yosemite Museum

This small museum, opened in 1926, is one of the first museums established in the park system. It houses exhibits exploring the geology, natural history, and indigenous cultures of Yosemite. The museum also has a gallery with rotating displays of artworks inspired by the park.