Park day use reservations will be required starting May 23. You can start making reservations on March 23 by logging on to “recreation.gov”.
Our rental is a charming 1893 cottage in a 7 acres Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard. We are 1/4 mile off Hwy 140, 35 to 40 minutes to the El Portal entrance to Yosemite. A porch, large deck, and a great cedar tree provide delightful areas to relax & dine. For 1 or 2 couples, or a family, it is a great hideaway to return to after a day of visiting Yosemite, or the local attractions. We provide the making for a continental breakfast for your first morning, as well as a bottle of wine we make from our vineyard. Please note that the Sierra Foothills get virtually no rain from mid May until October. We also are Bug Free - enjoy bug-free evening on the deck, porch, or under the cedar tree.
PLEASE NOTE: $175 nightly rental is for 2, $15/person for each additional person.
In addition to seeing some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, while visiting Yosemite, you make hike, swim, fish, or rent a raft for a lazy float on the Merced River in the Valley. You can also white-water raft in the Merced River Canyon, or take a rock climbing lesson. Mariposa is the southern end of the Sierra Gold Country and has a History museum, and the State Mineral Exhibit. Historic downtown Mariposa offers shopping, restaurants, and wine tasting.
Our cottage is an 80 area property. The cottage, our home, the caretaker cottage, and the vineyard are on a 14 acre parcel that is fenced in with a seven foot deer fence. We live on a paved County road 1/4 mile off Highway 140, the all weather entrance into the Park. When you leave our cottage to go to Yosemite, this highway takes you through the Merced River Canyon; where, depending on the season, you will see white water rafters, raging waters, beautiful fields of wild flowers, or lovely fall color. Yosemite's beauty can be seen in the towering granite cliffs, the spectacular waterfalls, the giant Sequoia and Ponderosa, and fields of wild flowers. When you visit the Valley, you may want to use the free shuttle buses to see all of the Valley sights. You can get off to walk to the base of Yosemite or Bridal Veil Falls, or hike up to Vernal and Nevada Falls.
The Valley has Park Ranger programs, a museum, bookstore, and the Ansel Adams Gallery. The Village Store is a grocery and variety store. Numerous food services are available from fine-dining at the Ahwahnee Dining Room to cafeterias at the Yosemite Lodge and Curry Village.
Since the Valley is a small part of a Park that is approximately the size of the state of Rhode Island, you may want to visit Glacier Point, the Wawona Hotel, or and the Merced Grove. If time allows, you can drive into the High Country. Take a picnic lunch, and drive to Glacier Point for a spectacular view of the Valley, Half Dome, and the towering peaks in the Back Country. Or you may drive up to Crane Flat and take the Tioga Pass Road, stopping at the various turnouts to see the northern part of the Park, and enjoy a picnic. You can stop at Tenaya Lake to enjoy the view while you picnic, sunbath, and swim in the icy cold lake. Tuolumne Meadows has limited food service, wonderful meadows to explore, and you may even want to dine at Tuolumne Lodge before returning to your retreat in the vineyard. If you take a drive toward Glacier Point or Tuolumne, you will find many hiking trails.
We have 6 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, and 1 acre of Sangiovese wine grapes. We are not a bonded winery, but sell our grapes. We keep a small amount of grapes to make our own wine. Our grapes have been used to make gold-medal-winning wines in the price range of $15 to $45. If we are home during your stay (we usually will be), we would love to take you on a 'tour' of our vineyard.
If you chose to spend time locally, we have many interesting sights to visit. The California State Mineral Exhibit is a great stop to see some truly beautiful minerals. The Mariposa History Museum has a changing exhibit of the interior of 49er stores and houses. There is a gold-stamp mill that was used to crush gold ore, the first step in refining the ore. A tour of the County Courthouse, the oldest in California, is great fun. You can go gold panning, wine tasting, ride a zip line, or play golf. Historic downtown Mariposa offers gift shops, and numerous restaurants including California Cusine, Mexican, Chinese, Pizza, a Sports Bar, and more. There is also an excellent Health Food Store and Restaurant.
You can spend some time at your cottage, relaxing under the Cedar tree, on the porch, or the deck. You can spend hours watching the Hummingbirds and Orioles feeding
