Wawona Hotel, Yosemite National Park, California: Where Gumbo Was #60

This puzzle had a rather short shelf life.  Congratulations to Lynn Millar who quickly recognized the fountain in front of the historic Wawona hotel in Yosemite National Park.  You can see the relationship of the fountain to the Wawona in the photo below.

When you think of Yosemite you’ll likely be picturing the beautiful glacier carved Yosemite Valley, with its dramatic rock formations and waterfalls, rather than this old hotel.  The Wawona is well removed from this busy valley and in a quieter, less traveled and more relaxed part of southern Yosemite Park, just 4 miles from the Park’s south entrance and not far from the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias .  The hotel is registered as a National Historic Landmark. 

The Wawona Hotel is situated on a large, relatively flat meadow, adjoining the South Fork of the Merced River.  It’s a treat a dawn or dusk to watch the many deer who come to graze in its meadow; once I even saw several dozen deer.  The grounds are partially shaded by large pine trees and there’s dozens of Adirondack chairs on the hotel grounds inviting you to sit down, slow down, and relax.  Nearby is a Pioneer History Center, a fun place to explore with children.

In 1855, Galen Clark, a miner, passed through the Wawona Valley on his way to Yosemite. Clark appreciated the beauty and potential of the place and returned a year later to built a log cabin in Wawona.  The main trail into Yosemite Valley ran near his place, and travelers would stop by during their journey; Clark soon made a living preparing meals for them.  Over the years, his operation expanded to included a small hotel the name of which changed Clark’s Station, to Big Tree Station, to Wawona Hotel.

 Almost all of the buildings were destroyed by a kitchen fire in 1878, and a larger more substantial hotel was built which included a lobby, sitting room, and dining room was completed in 1879.  As the Mariposa Grove grew in fame and popularity, so did the Wawona hotel as the place from which to launch one’s visit into this forest of giants.  One of its most famous guest in the old days was Ulysses S. Grant.

Currently the Wawona has over 100 guest rooms and consists of a main central hotel building with a number of nearby outlying smaller buildings that contain hotel rooms.  There’s a lovely veranda overlooking the hotel’s lawns and the above illustrated fountain.  The hotel has an excellent dining room.  Immediately adjoining the Wawona hotel are services including an attractive golf course, tennis courts, pool,  and stables, gas station, post office and a park information office .  

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Stop at the Wawona.  Take the chair below and relax, as we did, and enjoy this great place!