Fish Camp, California
Location: 2 miles (3 km) from Yosemite entrance; 32 miles (51 km) from Yosemite Valley; via Highway 41 (map)
Population 200; elevation 4,990 feet (1,520 meters)
Fish Camp, a tiny settlement with more hotel beds than permanent residents, lies in the forest just outside Yosemite's southern entrance. It's home to a few small inns; the immense Tenaya Lodge resort, which is owned by the company that ran the hotels inside Yosemite from 1994 - 2015; and the Narrow Gauge Inn, a hotel next door to a working antique choo-choo train.
Gas & Groceries: There are no gas stations in Fish Camp. You'll have to fill up seven miles farther along near the the Wawona Hotel. (Savvy travelers will have done this 13 miles ago in Oakhurst.) There's a small general store (pictured above) along the highway and a smaller one inside the Tenaya Lodge exploring new frontiers in pricing ($10 for an off-the-shelf plastic-wrapped sandwich, $2.95 for a 20-oz. diet pepsi).
Dining: The prices seem high for the standard sandwiches-and-stuff fare at Jackalope's in the Tenaya Lodge, but eating on the patio there at sunset just feels like the perfect cap to a long day's adventuring. There's a higher-end restaurant at the Narrow Gauge Inn that's open for dinners only.
Pro: Very pretty area; only two miles outside Yosemite's southern entrance and four miles from the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias.
Con: A lack of gas stations and general retail; if you're looking for a drug or grocery store, you'll need to drive back to Oakhurst, 13 miles south.
YARTS Stops: At the Tenaya Lodge (see the going to Yosemite and returning from Yosemite schedules)
Things to do in Fish Camp
The Tenaya Lodge provides a variety of guided tours and has a spa, climbing wall, and outdoor ice-skating rink. It's also got large meeting and ballrooms that are frequently booked by organizations from around the area and the Central Valley; if you want to work on your party-crashing skills, you could have opportunities here. If you fail, you can retreat to the Jackalope's Bar & Grill just off the main entrance.
The Narrow Gauge Inn is next door to the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad, where you can ride an antique narrow-gauge logging train dating from the first decades of the 20th century.
Fish Camp is 7 miles (11 km) from the Wawona Hotel, where the lounge pianist is an institution, entrenched there for more than 20 years.
If you're a seriously badass athlete, come to Fish Camp for the Shadow of the Giants 50k, an ultramarathon, usually in June, that winds through the forest and a Giant Sequoia grove. If you're only moderately badass, you can do the 20k instead.
Fish Camp Lodging
Bette's Bed & Breakfast
1248 Highway 41 · (559) 683-2584 · Street View · Website · $200 - $230*
Two guest rooms, each with private baths; two guests max per room; wi-fi
Big Creek Inn
1221 Highway 41 · (559) 641-2828 · Street View · Reviews · Website · $140 - $280
Bed & breakfast with three guest rooms; summer rates from $240 - $280, offseason rates from $140 - $210 (see rates page)
Narrow Gauge Inn
48571 Highway 41 · (888) 644-9050 · Street View · Reviews · Website · $80 - $250
26 guest rooms, all non-smoking; summer rates $145 - $250 (see rates page); restaurant onsite; pets allowed for extra fee; adjacent to a restored antique logging train that runs tours daily during the summer
Summerdale USFS Campground
Highway 41 · (559) 877-2218 · Street View · Reviews · Website · Reservations · $30
Forest Service campground between Fish Camp and the Yosemite entrance, roughly a mile from each; 28 campsites; $30 per night
Tenaya Lodge
1122 Highway 41 · (888) 514-2167 · Street View · Reviews · Website · $213 - $480*
One of the Yosemite area's largest hotels, with cottages plus half a dozen room types in the main lodge, rates from $213 - $480; various stores and two restaurants onsite; spa, climbing wall, ice skating rink, sleigh rides; mountain bike & snowshoe rentals; owned by Delaware North, the concessionaire that ran the hotels inside Yosemite from 1994 - 2015
Tin Lizzie Inn
7730 Laurel Way · (559) 641-7731 · Street View · Reviews · Website · $325 - $450
Bed & breakfast with two guest rooms, rates from $325 to $450 - see rates pages for king bed suite ($425 - $450), and queen bed cottage ($325 - $350) Model T Ford rentals available for an extra $275 - $300
White Chief Mountain Lodge
7776 White Chief Mountain Road · (559) 683-5444 · Street View · Reviews · Website · $70 - $240*
Room types (all non-smoking) include 1 queen bed, 2 twin beds, or 1 double and 1 twin bed; summer rates from $115 - $240
Fish Camp Vacation Home Rentals
Big Pine Cabin (Yosemite Forest Lodge)
(626) 798-1094 · Website · 10 guests max · $200 - $500
3-bedroom, 2-bath, 1,800-square-foot cabin; 3 night minimum stay in peak season, 2 night minimum off season; no smoking; pets allowed ($10/night charge); $150 cleaning deposit; summer rates $300 for 2 guests, $25 for each additional guest up to $500 for 10 (see rates page)
Little Ahwahnee Inn
7610 Forest Drive · (559) 683-5052 · Website · 6 guests max · $450
2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths; free wireless Internet; no smoking except in designated outdoor areas, no pets
Little Pine Cabin (Yosemite Forest Lodge)
(626) 798-1094 · Website · 4 guests max · $150 - $250
1-bedroom, 1-bath, 600-square-foot cabin; 3 night minimum stay in peak season, 2 night minimum off season; no smoking; pets allowed ($10/night charge); $150 cleaning deposit; summer rates $200 for 2 guests, $250 for 4 guests (see rates page)
Logger's Retreat
(626) 798-1094 · Website · 12 guests max · $225 - $575
3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2,300 square feet; free wireless Internet; no smoking; pets allowed ($20/night/pet charge); $200 cleaning deposit; 3 night minimum stay peak season, 2 nights offseason; summer rates $325 for 2 guests, $25 each for additional guest, up to $575 for 12 (see rates page)
Sugar Pine Cabin
1243 Highway 41 · (559) 642-6975 · Street View · Reviews · Website · 6 guests max · $180 - $340
3 bedrooms, 2 baths; no pets; 3 night minimum stay summer and holidays, 2 night minimum offseason; summer rate $340 for up to 6 guests, $195 cleaning fee
Yosemite Bridge Cabin
(559) 903-5511 · Reviews · Website · 4 guests max · $165*
1 bedroom, 1 bath; queen bed plus queen sofa bed; washer & dryer; free Internet; kid friendly, no pets, no smoking; $165/night
Yosemite Trestlewood Chalet
(626) 798-1094 · Website · 14 guests max · $250 - $650
5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths; pets allowed (additional fee, some restrictions); $200 cleaning deposit; 3 night minimum stay during summer/holidays, 2 night minimum otherwise; summer/holiday rates $350/night for 2 guests plus $25 per additional guest up to 14 total (see rates page)