This post is the last in the National Park-road trip series, and first of all I want to emphasize the beautify of our country, the vastness of its resources, and the challenge of spending 8 weeks in a car with your family.
But onto the meat of things: the Ahwahnee Lodge is one of The Great Lodges of the American west. It is a dream of home within a wilderness, and its simple beauty exemplifies the quiet peace that vacations can be.
Nestled in the heart of Yosemite National Park (see photo above! its the tiny building at the bottom of the frame), the Ahwahnee offers weary travelers a quiet refuge from the often crowded bustling of high summer season in the park. 
Its streamlined elegance may not at first glance be as catching as some other lodges, like the Old Faithful Inn, but a tour of the grounds proves it to be one of the most reflective and calming lodges that retains the old architecture of the American settlers.
Just a note: it is a little more expensive than most National Park accommodations. At around $550 a night, it’s not the most expensive place on earth, but may be out of the budget for many caravanning family campers. One thing I learned (during my one night stay there) was that its elegance and luxury were intended to accommodate the most impressive of guests. When English royalty visited early in Yosemite’s inauguration, they lodged complaints about the lack of accommodations that were adequate to house such distinguished guests.
When the park was made a National Park, meaning the bulk of its funding came from the federal government, the Ahwahnee architect saw a chance to increase donated funds by providing high profile guests with the style and comfort they were used to. His idea was that if visitors with money visited the park and were sufficiently impressed, they would help support the maintenance of the area through donations. His plan worked, and notable guests of the Ahwahnee include Steve Jobs, Queen Elizabeth II, Walt Disney, Charlie Chaplin, Gertrude Stein, Ansel Adams, Lucille Ball, Will Rogers, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and the Shah of Iran.
Yosemite National Park itself is an incredible place luminous with beauty a few hours away from San Francisco or Los Angeles. If you can’t afford the luxury of the Ahwahnee, you should at least make an effort to someday see America’s first designated park as a preserved area.
Also home to Sequoia and Redwood National Parks that shelter the largest and oldest trees in the entire world, California is a spectacular outdoor vacation destination. Contact Premier Timeshare Resale or browse our California timeshares for sale to get in on the action!
