PLEASE NOTE, THE PARK SERVICE HAS IMPLEMENTED A ENTRANCE RESERVATIONS SYSTEM. You will need a reservation to enter the Park on weekends and holidays from April 14 through June 30. You will need a reservation to enter the Park any day of the week from July 1 through August 16. A reservation will be required to enter the Park on weekends and holidays from August 17 through October 27. Go to recreation.gov, and search for day use entry reservations for Yosemite. ALSO PLEASE NOTE: When you scroll down, you will see amenities, it says we have a washer, dryer, and air conditioning. That is incorrect. We have none of those. Click on amenities, and then on all 55 amenities, and it shows the correct amenities except we do not have a coin laundry. There is a laundromat in town . Sorry for the confusion. I have spent 1/2 hour on the phone with VRBO to try to get it corrected. That is the best they can do.
In our property description, VRBO states we are on a river. That is incorrect. We are about 7 miles to the Merced River.
We have 3 bad reviews. These guests complained that the house was hot at night. One couple we afraid to keep any doors or windows open. They ran the swamp cooler, but it will not work unless the door by it is open 6 inches, and a window in the front bedroom opened an inch. The second couple neglected to fill the water tray when it was empty. Be sure and fill it before you go to bed.
Our rental is a charming 1893 cottage in a 7 acre Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard. We are 1/4 mile off Hwy 140, 35 to 40 minutes to the El Portal entrance to Yosemite. The house is furnished in a Victorian style. 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 a bottle of wine we make from our vineyard. We provide sugar, salt, pepper. 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.
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. You can also white-water raft on the Merced River 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.
PLEASE NOTE: $165 rental per night is for 2 guests. There is a charge of $15/person for each additional person.
Our cottage is on an 80 acres 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 perhaps to hike up to Vernal and Nevada Falls.
The Valley has Park Ranger programs, a museum, book store, 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. You can go horse-back riding, or rent a raft to float lazily down the Merced River.
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 the Wawona Hotel (closed until spring 2021 for remodeling) and history village, and the Mariposa Grove of the Giant Sequoia at the south end of the Park. You may even want to play golf on the Wawona 9-hole golf course. If time allows, you could 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 have a picnic. You can stop at Tenaya Lake to enjoy the view while you picnic, sun bath, 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. Whether you take a drive toward Glacier Point or Tuolumne, you will fine many hiking trails.
Our cottage is on the edge of a wine grape-vineyard. 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 to wineries. 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 $50. Depending upon the time of your visit, you may see us pruning, training, or harvesting the grapes. 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. Mariposa is the southern end of the Sierra Gold Country. 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,, play golf at a nearby 9-hole golf courses. Historic downtown Mariposa offers fun gift shops, numerous restaurants including California Cusine, Mexican, Chinese, Pizza, a Sports Bar, and more.
Perhaps you will want to 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 at our bird feeder. There are many other birds to watch such as Bluebirds, Barn Swallows, Robins, and Red Tailed Hawks. Be sure to allow plenty of time to view the night sky. On a moonless night the Milky Way is truly unbelievable. You may be lucky and see a meteor shower, or the Moon rise or set. We also have spectacular sunsets.
Please note, we do not have Air Conditioning in the cottage. We have a swamp cooler, and ceiling fans in the living room and in bedrooms 1 and 2.
We live in a house in the vineyard, approximately 300 feet from the cottage. There is also a caretaker living on the property. We will respect your privacy; however we, or the caretaker will be available to answer any questions you may have, and give you suggestions on what to see and do.
