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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 · Reviews · Website

Open May through Autumn

Lake View Lodge

51285 Highway 395 · (800) 990-6614 · (760) 647-6543 · Reviews · Website · $60 - $270

Hotel rooms from $70 - $160 during summer (May - August), cottages from $140 - $270 (rates listed on website, but direct links to the page don't work); pets allowed ($20 fee)

Murphey's Motel

51493 Highway 395 · (800) 334-6316 · (760) 647-6316 · Reviews · Website · $58 - $123

Rooms from $58 - $123 (see rates page); small pets allowed ($5 fee)

Tioga Lodge

54411 Highway 395 · (760) 647-6423 · Reviews · Website · $110 - $160*

Open May - October; rooms from $110 - $160

Tioga Pass Resort

85 Highway 120 West · No phone; see Contact Page · Reviews · Website · $105 - $230

Less than two miles from Yosemite's Tioga Pass entrance at 9,600 feet elevation; motel rooms from $105 - $115, cabins from $150 - $230 (see rates page)

Yosemite Gateway Motel

51340 Highway 395 · (760) 647-6467 · Reviews · Website · $160 - $200*

20 hotel rooms; summer rates from $160 - $200

* Asterisked hotels don't list rates on their websites, so rate ranges were obtained by haranguing hotel employees or checking a variety of dates in their reservation systems. Since they generally don't bother to inform yosemitehikes.com when they change their rates and calling them or checking their reservation sites every day would be intolerably boring, there's a chance that they've changed, so you'd need to check with the hotel to make sure that these rates are still accurate. Also, listed rates generally do not include taxes.