Yosemite Area Hotels: Groveland

Groveland is a small but charming town with an interesting history, located an hour's drive from Yosemite Valley on Highway 120. Local businesses like to say it's closer, but they're talking about the distance to the entrance gate, not the valley. Private pilots can fly into the Pine Mountain Lake airport here.

Nightly rates vary by season. Our rate key: $$$$ = over $200, $$$ = $150 to $200, $$ = $100 to $150, $ less than $100.

Groveland Hotels

• Evergreen Lodge at Yosemite $$: A historic lodge with fully-furnished cabins, a restaurant and a classic tavern, Evergreen Lodge also offers very affordable, fully-set-up tents, too.

• Groveland Hotel $$$: With only 17 rooms and a host of amenities, the Groveland Hotel has a great dining room, is pet friendly - and even has its own resident (friendly) ghost. Check rates

• Sunset Inn $$$: Three comfy cabins.

• Yosemite Westgate Lodge $$: They're located 12 miles from the Big Oak Flat entrance to Yosemite, with a pool and 45 rooms.

Groveland Bed and Breakfasts

• Blackberry Inn at Yosemite $$$: Three rooms, 12 miles from the Yosemite entrance.

• Hotel Charlotte $$: This 10-room bed & breakfast hotel on the National Register of Historic Places offers free high speed internet access. Check rates

• Yosemite Rose Bed and Breakfast $$$: Seven rooms in a Victorian-style home, and a one-bedroom cottage.

Vacations Rentals Near Groveland

One of our favorite places to stay in Groveland is Pine Mountain Lake, one of the Yosemite area's best-kept secrets. At Pine Mountain, you can rent a condo or house, have access to all the resort's amenities and cook your own meals if you want to.

You can look for more Groveland area vacation rentals at HomeAway.com

Groveland Camping

• Pine Mountain Lake They have campsites and vacation rentals - and you get access to their facilities, too.

• Stanislaus National Forest: Lumsden, The Pines, Lost Claim and Pretty Sweetwater campgrounds offer pleasant surroundings, but minimal amenities with vault toilets - and you may have to bring your own water. Some of them also get quite hot in summer. Once you reach their website, choose "Recreation" to get to the camping info.

• Yosemite Lakes: RV parking, regular tent sites, bunkhouse cabins and yurt-style tents with plenty of amenities - and they're one of the only camping places around Yosemite that doesn't allow campfires (great if you have allergies).

• Yosemite Ridge Resort: Camping cabins, family cabins, RV sites and one-bedroom cottages. Rates are reasonable and cottages fall in the $$ range.