Yosemite Ridge Resort

Over priced, terrible services. internet barely works. cabins are 1980’s trailers with crappy furniture. bring your own kitchen utensils. I asked for soup spoons, there were only 3, and after multiple tries never got them. out door furniture so cheap it is dangerous. mattresses cheap and worn out… not worth the price

Miraculously got a reservation here just a day before our Yosemite trip and we were not disappointed. Instead of a boring, ol’ hotel room over an hour away, we got to stay in a cozy, outdoor cottage no more than 30 minutes away from Yosemite’s west entrance, for cheaper! We stayed in garden cottage T3 and got settled in in no time. It was completely furnished, down to towels, pots and pans, bed sheets, and even salt and pepper. It also had a nice little outdoor patio, complete with a table and chairs. There’s a general store which gives off a nice, old school vibe, and a restaurant down the road (Buck Meadows Restaurant). There is also a pool, laundry facility, additional bathrooms, and more. Complaints about slow Wi-​Fi, ants, and plumbing are completely unfounded. A. Dude, you’re on vacation, just unplug for a while. B. You’re in the damn mountains. C. You’re in the damn mountains. For an affordable and convenient stay, I would definitely recommend that you stay at Yosemite Ridge.

Weekend stay for a guy’s whitewater rafting adventure with AO Rafting the Cherry Creek Class V run. For a fairly reasonable rate of $ 175 per night for the newer Lodgepole Pine family cabin, this Groveland location close to our rafting meet up was great for three guys.
Like many of the other cabins here, the Lodgepole Pine cabin was like a prefabricated RV, but made of wood. This unit had a high ceiling common room with flat screen TV, AC unit, dining table, sofa/​futon and a kitchenette with refrigerator, separate queen bedroom, a low ceiling loft above the bedroom with a full size air filled mattress, two bunks in a tiny alcove next to the full bathroom. Everything fit into this rectangular prefab unit.
The cabin was clean, had plenty of light, the AC worked hard, and provided enough sleeping options good for three guys who didn’t want to sleep too close to each other (one slept in the bedroom, one in the loft and the third in the bunk room).
The whole «resort» was a throwback to the 1940’s or 1950’s as far as the condition of the onsite office, general store, laundry room and community bath house (rustic). The brand new not yet open swimming pool will be a needed amenity.
Overall it’s a mix of RVs with prefab cabins, but folks honored the 10 pm quiet time curfew and we all slept OK on the hard beds and mattresses.
The adjacent Yosemite Westgate Lodge is nicer and more modern by comparison, but the summertime rate significantly higher. If on a budget, and for a brief visit, this place worked.

stayed at Yosemite Ridge Resort the weekend of July 18−20^th. We were completely HAPPY and SATISFIED with our accomodations (Garden Cottage, T2). The cabin had everything we needed (and then some!). Good working fridgerator, stove, oven, microwave, toaster and even a coffee maker. The kitchen cupboards had cups/​plates/​utensils/​pots & pans. The cabin itself was CLEAN and smelled fresh. On a hot summer afternoon, the AC unit was in top form! TV/​DVD worked great. Internet was slow (but no biggie). No cell service (buy, hey! we’re on vacation, right?). The resort grounds itself was clean and very well kept (kudos to your grounds keepers/​maintenance crew). Your general store proved to come in handy with last minute items we forgot, as well as grocery items (eggs & bread). We especially loved the communal /​group restroom & showers (what a welcomed surprised!). All three days we were there, it was CLEAN! It kept our party of 6 from having to wait and take turns using the shower in our cabin. They had gas service on the grounds (WOW!). Booking was quick and easy. Joe and Brandi had great email communication. Everyone there we met were very nice and quite helpful. There is a cute little playground for the younger kids. Their swimming pool was in progress (estimated completion date, August 2015), but again, no biggies since there is an awesome lake/​pool nearby (Rainbow Pool). All in all, this was Perfect for what we needed. Would definitely stay again.

After a long day at Yosemite, we arrived late afternoon on Saturday, July 18^th. Our cabin smelled so strongly of Lysol and also what I think was Febreze that we couldn’t stand to stay in there. The owner was very argumentative, insisted that’s what had to be done and said that all I needed to do was let it air out for a few minutes. It was so strong that opening the windows for a few minutes wasn’t going to help. After much arguing and pointing out their cancellation policy (I don’t care what your policy is when you don’t meet your basic obligation to provide a habitable room), they agreed that, if they could re-​rent the room that night, they would give me a refund, minus $ 20.
They did re-​rent the room, but still kept $ 25 (not $ 20) I don’t care what credit card fees they incurred or what their policy is, I know that they weren’t charged $ 25 by the credit card companies and they should have done their job and provided a room we could stay in. I shouldn’t have to pay a penny. Seriously, why should I be out $ 25 for the privilege of having our plans completely disrupted and having to drive 200 miles back home unexpectedly?
Believe me… I would have much rather had stayed here. I wasn’t being cheap, trying to save a buck and wasn’t somebody who was stressed out about how much the trip was costing, so I made up some excuse to try to recoup some money.
If you love the overwhelming stink of Lysol and Febreze, this is definitely the place for you.

We planned on staying here 3 nights over the 4^th of July weekend. I have to say the website is a little misleading. We were super excited that the kids would be able swim during the afternoon after our visit to Yosemite. Nope! No pool. As stated on the website. This was one of the reason we picked this park. Seeing the weather in this spot in July is in the high 90’s.
We decided to head home a day early due to the weather being so hot and no pool. We asked the lady at the store for a refund for the one night. She stated she was unable to issue it and that the owner would be down at our site to talk with us. Next day… He finally comes up when were about to head out and would not issue a refund. But, stated he would if he filled our spot for the night. Doubt we will see it. The park was not full and very small spots.

Small 15 site mom and pop place. We were only there for 3 nights but had to move after 2^nd night which we were told when I was making reservations. Absolutely no cell reception, there was WiFi (tengo internet) but it was down and we were told someone was working on it but we never did get on which can create problems especially when you need to make or research places for your next stop. There is direct Tv and you get a box from the office. Laundry available only $ 1 for wash and dry. Showers available if you needed, they were older. It actually took 20 minutes to get to the entrance station at Yosemite to pay then another 25 miles to get to Yosemite Valley. It would have been more convenient to stay there but it sure is one heck of a ride with an RV which is why we chose to be outside the park. All in all this place was quiet and everyone was very friendly.

The two stars are for the location (which is not really any feat of good hospitality), relative serenity, and ease of transaction. We stayed in T-​5 Garden cottage. We booked for 3 nights at $ 80 per. As we pulled up the first thing I notice is the porch and picnic table covered in bird droppings, leaves and spider webs. We enter the cottage and get that old musty smell right off the bat. The window sills are riddled with spider webs and dead flies. As I start walking around I come to realize that it looks like we are the first residents since it reopened for the spring, and nobody came in to do a cleaning. A gritty dust covered most surfaces. It looked like housekeeping, if there was such a service here, came in the morning of our arrival and threw down some linens. The fridge was warm and was duck taped in several spots on the inside. After these observations, I made the mistake of turning on the faucet. The smell was like hot garbage and sulfur. The smell was worse from the hot water which had the perfume of rust. A clear sign that they never drain the hot water tank and flush it out, or that the pipes are in fact simply rusted. Either way, unacceptable. The coffee maker was stained black and the reusable filter torn so I got to eat coffee grounds each morning. the sugar packets were all empty and torn and left in the basket (gross) and the only thing left was splenda and equal (gross). The microwave is hard wired (no plug) into some wires protruding from the wall with black tape. Yikes. After we «settled» in I grabbed a broom left in the corner and went outside to wipe away all the obviously old and noticeable spider webs from the front door and stairs. I didnt dare step onto the porch to clean the picnic table, it was a lost cause with all the bird droppings. I walked around the to the rear of the cabin where the back door and stairs were just covered with spider webs and leaves. I left it. We used the outdoor grill all 3 nights we were there and the usual custom for those who do not frequent cabins and RV sites, is the caretakers would normally come by each morning and empty the leftover char coal remnants. Not here, It just built up for 2 days and on the 3^rd day I had to find a box and empty it myself. (the grill btw, also covered in old spider webs). While outside I also did the owners and everyone else a favor by picking up 4 dry wall screws laying half buried in the parking spot. The bathroom was gross and a build up of slimy grime along the shower was just par for the course, I don’t know why I would have expected a clean bathroom after seeing everything else. Oh yeah, they also left us ¼ roll of toilet paper with no refill. The kitchen garbage had not refill bags so after the first fill up it was just throwing the garbage straight into the can.
It was a lot of little things that just added up. I am all for roughing it, this is why we wanted a cabin in the woods so to speak, but the lack of effort put in but the management is why this a 2 star review. I expect spiders and bugs and nature to happen, that should be part of the experience, but the overall dis concern for cleanliness and facility up keep is the reason for this review. Just because it is $ 80 per night does not mean one should set aside the hospitality. Money is irrelevant in this regard. I have paid $ 300 per night for rooms dirtier than this. Its about pride in your product.

I only gave it a three star just because of the many disappointments I had to endure in order to get the cabin. I was told many things from the start to finish, and felt like a ping pong ball, back and forth. I must say, the communication was iffy at best.
However, Joe, the owner, and all the women who work for him were extremely nice, and accommodating. It all worked out, but if you have the money, definitely spring for a garden cabin. The smaller camping cabin is OK, but no place to cook except the grill outside. So bring hamburger, hot dogs, buns, etc.
We had to unplug the refer every night, as it made a ‘humming sound” that kept me awake. Also the first night the toilet ran every time you used it. My husband had to get his tools and fix it. I guess the repairman for the resort had no idea unless he used it himself.
I never was able to get service on the internet, or even place a phone call while I was there. That was interesting, because just a few miles down the road to the North gate, I was able to get and receive calls.
The restaurant at the Lodge (Buck Meadows) is adorable. The food was great, and the service excellent. We had breakfast, and I must say, I was tempted to have Joe’s favorite, but i got a small order of hash browns with gravy on top, instead of a whole plate full.
Anyway. It’s well maintained and close to the entry into the park. You really can’t go wrong. You just really need to like each other to get that tiny cabin.

We were SUPER happy with the accommodations. We were there the week before Thanksgiving, so there was very little traffic, with very few people — just how we wanted it. The cabin had a full kitchen with dishes, a full fridge, pots & pans, utensils, soap and a sponge. We went grocery shopping before we arrived and were set for our whole stay. We wanted something comfortable but not luxurious. We wanted to stay close to the park but not pay a premium — this is exactly what we got. There was also a diner within walking distance, which was, again, just what we needed.
A note: we were unable to get connected to wifi and had no cellphone reception. Ended up being a blessing in disguise. Not sure if other guest had a problem, but we gave up trying and read a book, chatted with each other and went to bed early. There was a TV, but in the end, we didn’t really care and were grateful for the quiet time away.
Would definitely stay here again. Super chill management.

We stayed here for three days during the new year in one of their garden cabins. It’s a neat place with a full range kitchen. The pros: just 14 miles away from north gate. The owner is a helpful man, responds to your questions with a smile. The entire place is well kept. Gas station on site is convenient.
The cons, not exactly about the place which is great, but about the location: cell phone reception is zero, at least for at&t. Wifi is available, but is slow and weak.
If you want a complete away from the city experience, at the least price tag, relatively near by to yosemite park, this is the best place.
We will be coming here again.

This place is ideal for those that want to get as close as possible to Yosemite National Park and not pay through the teeth. I believe this is the closest you can stay to the park, don’t quote me on that though.
One thing you need to know about this place is it’s not designed for those that intend to spend the majority their time in the room. It’s better suited to be a base camp of sorts while you journey through all that Yosemite has to offer. There are little frills and it’s very basic, so do not expect a luxurious accommodations. I do not intend that as an insult but you need to understand that this place’s appeal is cheap lodging with close proximity to the park.
This place fit my needs because I was in need of somewhere I could come back eat dinner, have a beer, and get a good nights sleep. Then wake up in the morning and head back to the park. We had a party of 5 adults and there was enough beds to sleep each of us comfortably. There was a queen bed in the bedroom, two bunk beds in the hallway, and a sleeper sofa. It’s pretty tight quarters for 5 adults so you won’t want to hang out in the unit long, but there is a picnic table outside if you wanted to play cards or something. Also, the DVD player didn’t play some of the Netflix movies we brought, so you might want to bring a laptop to play DVDs. The kitchen comes stocked with basic cooking supplies so do not plan on cooking any elaborate meals. Stick to hot dogs, hamburgers, or anything you want to cook on the grill. I recommend bringing your own charcoal because the nearby store prices it at a high markup. There’s no cell phone reception but the do have a pay phone onsite, plan on bringing some quarters incase you need to make an emergency call.
We enjoyed our stay here and the staff was very friendly, we would probably stay her again if we ever came back to Yosemite.

Yosemite Ridge was the perfect park for our Yosemite adventure. We are driving a 40′ Holiday Rambler with a 24′ car trailer. Brandy was great when we called and helped us visualize how we would drop our Jeep, unhook the trailer, and get in our site. All worked as planned and we had a fantastic stay.
This park is what you would want when going to Yosemite, everything you need, but small and quaint. If you’re looking for a jumbo parking lot RV park go someplace else. If you want a nice site with trees and friendly people come here.

We had the privilege of camping with our trailer at Yosemite Ridge just last weekend and really enjoyed it. I’m glad we stayed here instead of the other RV site since this was waaaay nicer. All the sites are really nice, clean and organized with plenty of trees. Even though the place was full, it never felt crowded since everything was spread out surprisely for a small campground. We especially liked the mom & pops style and its so well maintained as you can tell they take pride in their campgrounds. It’s great for multiple families get togethers since you can choose between cabin and RV sites. There’s useable playground (not some abandoned ghetto site) for kids, roads to cruise on bikes and not to mention a general store with all amenities you might need. Also there’s a short walking trail takes you to popular restaurant where we had breakfast.
Additionally we had snafu with our truck hitch breaking during our trip. Since it broke over the weekend, no one was available to repair (it was really stressful calling around everywhere). However, the owner generously allowed us to park our trailer for the week on side lot which we were really grateful so we could properly get our truck fixed near home and not have to take time off work. This saved us a lot of stress and also money as he could easily have charged us a storage fee.
We are glad we found this gem and plan to return next year. It might become our new family tradition.

It’s okay, but nothing special. Only about 14 miles from the north gate of Yosemite. Most sites are level, but avoid 13 if you can. I had to use 8 blocks to level the front of my 22′ trailer. The hookups were all in the back corner and the sewer was higher than my hook-​up, I had to repeatedly lift the hose to drain it and then lower it to refill it.
The bathrooms are as far from campsites as you can get, up front near the cabins where they’re not needed.
Not much to do for small kids but a playground, but we didn’t intend to stay around the campground.
Follow their directions on the website, many of the roads are pretty twisty and steep.

We stayed here in our RV. Sites were gravel, fairly level. The staff was friendly and helpful. Not much struck me about this place but you know what they say… Location, Location, Location! Pretty easy in and out, enough space, hookups, etc. Bring your own fire pit. Plan to park your rig here, sleep, then get out into the wilderness! Come back for BBQ, cocktails and then some sleep. Get up and do it again. This place is just fine. I plan to come back!

A lovely place to stay, super convenient to Yosemite. We left SF a lot later than we wanted to, and with a three hour drive ahead of us, we knew we weren’t going to make it for a ten pm check out. We called up the resort while on the road, and they made arrangements to leave our key in our cottage and check us in over the phone/​make our payment.
Our cottage was a cute little place to come home to during our 2 ½ days at Yosemite. It was perfect. There was enough space for my fiancé and friend to do their art, and the TV was there for me to zone out after long days of hiking. The distance from the park is also great– less than 30 minutes and you’re at the Big Oak Flat Entrance. The cabin/​cottage included everyting we needed to stay– dishes, cookware, linens, towels, some tolietries, toliet paper, dish soap. They are also equipped with ac and ceiling fans. The cabin we got slept up to six, which I booked with the pretense that we were to have two additional people joining us, but with three people it was roomy without feeling like we were taking up too little room. Fiancé and I had the back bedroom, and it was very comfortable for us. My friend took the top bunk and had her stuff laid out on the bottom and we were able to keep the pull out folded up as a couch.
there is also a grill and outdoor table. The store had a good amount of groceries, though we ended up buying most of ours in Yosemite.
Huge plus– gas station at the resort!!! Fill up before you head into the park– SO MUCH cheaper.
I am definitely recommending this place to anyone interested in staying at Yosemite, especially since it’s near impossible to get anything in the park. I corresponded a fair amount with the owner Joe since we booked back in March, mainly with idiotic questions about the coffee maker and crap like that, and he answered my questions in a friendly and professional manner.

In response to management feedback:
I would also like to clarify that my review was an accurate description of my personal experience while staying there. I did not find the pictures representative, and there was definitely «sway» in the cabins we stayed in. I am not sure what the size of our neighbor was, but I don’t think that is so relevant.
I do agree that it is an inexpensive alternative, and appreciate your apology for the water.