Is there any question that fall is in the air? You can sense it, can't you? You know, that crispness, the smell of drying leaves, the color beginning to spread across the hillsides.
Well, at least in some parts of the country (mainly the Rocky Mountain West and California's High Sierra), fall is beginning to show its stuff. Yosemite National Park already had some snow, albeit in the high country, and there's an inkling of turning leaves in the aspen glades and maple pockets in Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier national parks.
But a more definite sign that fall is here is the number of lodging offers coming your way from parks in California's High Sierra. Just take a look at this list and start thinking about where you'd like to get away to to enjoy the coming season.
Sequoia National Park: The folks at Wuksachi Lodge (www.visitsequoia.com/lodging.aspx) in Sequoia are hoping to coax fall travelers with several lodging deals. Now, if you've never been to the lodge, it's not like the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone or the Bryce Canyon Lodge at Bryce Canyon, or any of the lodges that best reflect "parkitecture." In other words, you'll find no heavy, hand-peeled timbers with rocks in the building that houses the guest rooms. Rather, the rooms are motelish in character and layout. Still, they're comfortable. The main lodge where meals are taken has great views of 11,188-foot Mount Silliman. The setting is gorgeous and not far from the Lodgepole Visitor Center.
So what are the deals for fall?
- "Fantastic Fall Rates." This package starts at $128 per night per couple at the lodge, which is not far from the western entrance to the park. The deal is available for stays beginning September 7 through October.
- "Bed and Breakfast Package." Starting at $153 per couple per night at Wuksachi Lodge, this gets you one night's stay and breakfast the next morning. This deal is available through the end of the year.
- "Fall Foliage Package." Starting at $189 per couple per night, this package gets you a room at the lodge, box lunches with homemade granola, a field guide, backpack and one single-use camera. Available September 7 through October 31.
Yosemite National Park: While many folks try to find accommodations in Yosemite Valley, that can be a hard thing to do any time of year unless you book a room months in advance. One option is to check out the Evergreen Lodge (tel. 209/379-2606; www.evergreenlodge.com), an historic Yosemite resort that completed a major expansion earlier this year. To encourage your stay, the lodge is offering a 25% room discount on weeknights now through September. Located on the western border of Yosemite near the Hetch Hetchy Valley, the resort offers the opportunity to experience one of America's premier national parks in its most popular season.
The 25% discount is available for new bookings in all cabin types through September 30, Sunday through Thursday. Advance booking is required and restrictions apply.
All cabins have forest views and are furnished with beds with feather pillows, heat, fans, private bathrooms, scenic decks, and SIRIUS satellite radio and more. Room rates for the cabins range from $99 to $299, depending on the season and type of cabin. The Evergreen also offers custom camping, where fully furnished campsites conveniently include tents, sleeping bags, mattresses and lanterns. Rates start at $55.
Once at the lodge, you can either ask for the staff to customize an outing for you or check out their maps and guidebooks and plan your out trek.
Devils Postpile National Monument: Often overlooked by national park travelers due to its location on the eastern slope of the High Sierra, Devils Postpile National Monument lies within 800 rumpled and wooded acres cut by the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River and surrounded by the Inyo National Forest.
The monument gets its name from an exposed volcanic intrusion of columnar basalt. Popular with day hikers and campers and crossed by long-distance hikers on the John Muir and Pacific Crest trails, the monument is a pocket of tranquility thanks to the surrounding mountains and its somewhat out-of-the-way location.
While there is no lodging within the monument, other than your tent if that's your preference, in nearby Mammoth, California, the 450-acre Snowcreek Resort (tel. 800/544-6007; www.snowcreekresort.com) is offering one-third off its regular nightly rates for stays between September 7 and November 24, and again from November 29 through December 17.
Rates start from $190 per night for a one-bedroom condo to $540 per night for a four-bedroom "Lodge," the newest ranch-inspired homes with expansive living areas, wood-burning fireplaces and gourmet kitchens. During this special you'll also receive complimentary access to the Snowcreek Athletic Club and free greens fees at Snowcreek Golf Course, weather permitting. A two-night minimum stay is required to qualify for these rates.
Kurt Repanshek is the author of several national park guidebooks, including National Parks With Kids. You can get a daily dose of national park news, trivia, and commentary by visiting www.nationalparkstraveler.com. This site tracks "Commentary, News, and Life in America's Parks." Follow National Parks Traveler on Twitter at www.twitter.com/parkstraveler.
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