Lee Vining, California
Location: 12 miles (19 km) east of Yosemite's Tioga Pass entrance; 69 miles (111 km) from Yosemite Valley; via Highway 120 (map)
Population 398; elevation 6,781 feet (2,060 meters)
Lee Vining is a small, high-elevation town on the eastern slope of the Sierras. In addition to being close to the Tioga area of Yosemite, it's on the western shore of Mono Lake, and it's a short drive to Bodie, California's most famous ghost town, and to Mammoth Mountain, a gigantic ski resort.
Gas & Groceries: Lee Vining has a small but fetchingly painted grocery store (visible above) and multiple gas stations.
Dining: A stay in Lee Vining should include a visit to the famous Whoa Nelli Deli, located just south of town inside the Mobil Station at the intersection of Highway 395 and the Tioga Road.
Pro: It's closer than any other town - or even Yosemite Valley, for that matter - to the spectacular eastern section of the Tioga Road, where the highlights include Tuolumne Meadows and Tenaya Lake. And when was the last time you stayed in a town named after a miner who died after his own pistol went off in his pocket?
Con: The Tioga Road, your route from Lee Vining to Yosemite, is closed in the winter. See the Road Conditions page for the road's opening and closing dates in recent years.
Lee Vining Lodging
El Mono Motel
Highway 395 & 3rd Street · (760) 647-6310 · Street View · Reviews · Website · $80 - $140*
Open May through September
Lake View Lodge
51285 Highway 395 · (800) 990-6614 · (760) 647-6543 · Street View · Reviews · Website · $71 - $330*
Hotel rooms from $140 - $300 during summer (May - August), cabins, cottages & "glamping trailer" from $120 - $330*
Mono Vista RV Park
Highway 395 · (760) 647-6401 · Street View · Reviews · Website · $28 - $44
RV and tent sites $28 - $44; open April 1 - November 1
Murphey's Motel
51493 Highway 395 · (800) 334-6316 · (760) 647-6316 · Street View · Reviews · Website · $70 - $175*
Six room types; free wireless Internet; refrigerators in all rooms; all rooms non-smoking; Rooms from $70 - $175; small pets allowed ($15 fee/night)
Tioga Lodge
54411 Highway 395 · (760) 647-6423 · Street View · Reviews · Website · $130 - $210*
Open May - October; rooms from $130 - $210
Tioga Pass Resort
85 Highway 120 West · Street View · Reviews · Website · $125 - $260*
10 cabins and 4 hotel rooms; Less than two miles from Yosemite's Tioga Pass entrance at 9,600 feet elevation;
no maid service, no smoking, no pets; motel rooms $125, cabins from $170 - $260*
*** (Closed until 2020 due to snow damage) ***
Yosemite Gateway Motel
51340 Highway 395 · (760) 647-6467 · Street View · Reviews · Website · $80 - $310*
20 hotel rooms; summer rates from $80 - $310