Ahwahnee Hotel

With more than 4 million people visiting Yosemite National Park last year ? and that number expected to increase this year ? it's no wonder lodging inside the park is snatched up quickly. "We typically sell out during the summer season," Delaware North Cos. spokeswoman Lisa Cesaro said of its Yosemite accommodations (Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite Lodge at the Falls, Curry Village and the housekeeping camp on the Merced River; the Wawona Hotel, and in the back country, Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, White Wolf Lodge and the High Sierra camps)

WHERE AM I? Well lighted and high up This man is changing a lightbulb in one of the country's best-loved national parks. (Bring on the ranger jokes.) This fancy lamp hangs in a signature park hotel, well above sea level, somewhere west of the Mississippi and east of the Ginza (in Tokyo). But which hotel is it, in which park? (Hints: The park was founded in 1890. The hotel opened in 1927 and was used as a Navy hospital during World War II.) Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite National Park, Calif.

The Ahwahnee Hotel, a long-cherished refuge in the heart of Yosemite National Park, does not meet modern seismic safety standards and risks partial collapse in a major earthquake, according to a study released Thursday by park officials. Presidents, movie stars and vacationers from around the world have stayed in the Ahwahnee since the Art Deco lodge was finished in 1927.

If you're interested in making some early New Year's resolutions, why not make 100 of them? Fodor's just released its 100 Hotel Awards 2012 , and I can't think of a better way to start next year than to resolve to visit them all -- or even a 10th of them. What I like best about this list is the smart categories that convey more about the experience at each venue than mere numeric rankings. For example, the Bellagio in Las Vegas shares Global Icon status with the likes of the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok, Thailand, and the Connaught in London.

The historic Ahwahnee Hotel in California's Yosemite National Park will close from Feb. 22 through March 17 for renovations that include everything from fire sprinkler upgrades to fresh paint in the rooms. The closure will affect not only guest rooms but also the dining room, lobby and other public areas. It's the hotel's first major renovation since the 1940s, when the building was pressed into service as a naval hospital, park spokesman Scott Gediman said. The $8 million face-lift includes new carpets, drapes and bedspreads in most of the rooms and fresh paint in guest rooms and public areas.

Last year, in the middle of the recession, my husband, Paco, and I pondered our fall vacation, weighing an ever-growing travel wish list with an ever-growing urge to save. Instead of Greece or the Great Barrier Reef, we chose a California road trip. By avoiding international airfare and the weak dollar, we were able to splurge in a few key places while saving in a handful of others, a high-low budget journey without the jet lag. Google Maps plotted our teardrop-shaped drive — from Los Angeles to Yosemite National Park, across to Big Sur, and back down the coast on California 1. We blocked out a few days in mid-November, late enough in the season to avoid crowds on the roads and trails.

John Muir understood that the best way to see his beloved "Range of Light" is to travel light. His packing advice couldn't have been simpler: "Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence. " That's what I've done — more or less — and now, as evening descends, I'm a two days' walk from the trailhead with little more than a toothbrush and a change of socks in my daypack. Muir used to shiver through the long, frosty Sierra nights in hollow logs, but I'm looking forward to a bit more comfort: a reasonably comfortable bed in a heated tent cabin, a hot shower, flush toilets and a four-course dinner that the Ahwahnee Hotel would be proud to serve.

Sixty guests at the Ahwahnee Hotel had to be evacuated Wednesday afternoon because of a rock slide. Many more guests were outside during the slide and all were kept out of the hotel as geologists evaluated the situation. Park ranger Erik Skindrud said no injuries were reported, but one vehicle sustained moderate damage when a large rock smashed through its windshield in the parking lot. Some of the rocks were as large as microwave ovens. The slide occurred along the south rim of Yosemite Valley in an area known as the Royal Arches.

WHERE AM I? Well lighted and high up This man is changing a lightbulb in one of the country's best-loved national parks. (Bring on the ranger jokes.) This fancy lamp hangs in a signature park hotel, well above sea level, somewhere west of the Mississippi and east of the Ginza (in Tokyo). But which hotel is it, in which park? (Hints: The park was founded in 1890. The hotel opened in 1927 and was used as a Navy hospital during World War II.) Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite National Park, Calif.

SANTA CRUZ, CALIF. Wilder Ranch Heritage Harvest Festival When, where: Oct. 23, Wilder Ranch State Park Highlights: The classic harvest celebration promises square dancing, pumpkin decorating, wagon rides, games and live music. Cost: $10 a vehicle Info: (831) 426-0505, http://www.parks.ca.gov SANTA FE, N.M. Día de Los Muertos When, where: Oct. 31, Museum of International Folk Art Highlights: Mexican and Catholic themes predominate this lively celebration, which will include food, musical performances and hands-on crafts projects.

Foodies, spoil yourselves. Sit down to a five-course meal by candlelight at the Ahwahnee Hotel created by Suzanne Goin from Lucques  in L.A or Rick Moonen of RM Seafood  in Las Vegas. It's all part of the Chefs' Holidays sessions that bring 25 cooking pros to the chilly climes of  Yosemite National Park in January and February. Guests can sign up for one (or more) of eight sessions that feature face-time with a top chef who will share his or her talent and techniques as well as a moderator and two other professional cooks.

John Muir understood that the best way to see his beloved "Range of Light" is to travel light. His packing advice couldn't have been simpler: "Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence. " That's what I've done — more or less — and now, as evening descends, I'm a two days' walk from the trailhead with little more than a toothbrush and a change of socks in my daypack. Muir used to shiver through the long, frosty Sierra nights in hollow logs, but I'm looking forward to a bit more comfort: a reasonably comfortable bed in a heated tent cabin, a hot shower, flush toilets and a four-course dinner that the Ahwahnee Hotel would be proud to serve.

With more than 4 million people visiting Yosemite National Park last year ? and that number expected to increase this year ? it's no wonder lodging inside the park is snatched up quickly. "We typically sell out during the summer season," Delaware North Cos. spokeswoman Lisa Cesaro said of its Yosemite accommodations (Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite Lodge at the Falls, Curry Village and the housekeeping camp on the Merced River; the Wawona Hotel, and in the back country, Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, White Wolf Lodge and the High Sierra camps)

The historic Ahwahnee Hotel in California's Yosemite National Park will close from Feb. 22 through March 17 for renovations that include everything from fire sprinkler upgrades to fresh paint in the rooms. The closure will affect not only guest rooms but also the dining room, lobby and other public areas. It's the hotel's first major renovation since the 1940s, when the building was pressed into service as a naval hospital, park spokesman Scott Gediman said. The $8 million face-lift includes new carpets, drapes and bedspreads in most of the rooms and fresh paint in guest rooms and public areas.

SANTA CRUZ, CALIF. Wilder Ranch Heritage Harvest Festival When, where: Oct. 23, Wilder Ranch State Park Highlights: The classic harvest celebration promises square dancing, pumpkin decorating, wagon rides, games and live music. Cost: $10 a vehicle Info: (831) 426-0505, http://www.parks.ca.gov SANTA FE, N.M. Día de Los Muertos When, where: Oct. 31, Museum of International Folk Art Highlights: Mexican and Catholic themes predominate this lively celebration, which will include food, musical performances and hands-on crafts projects.

WHERE TO STAY Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, 1122 Highway 41, Fish Camp; (888) 514-2167, http://www.tenayalodge.com. The resort's best feature is its location just two miles outside of the south entrance of Yosemite. Doubles begin at $159 April 1-June 30 and at $285 July 1-Sept. 30. Ahwahnee Hotel, 9005 Ahwahnee Drive, Yosemite National Park; (801) 559-4884, http://www.yosemitepark.com. Doubles start at $443 until Oct. 2. Glen Oaks Big Sur, Highway 1, Big Sur; (831) 667-2105, http://www.

Foodies, spoil yourselves. Sit down to a five-course meal by candlelight at the Ahwahnee Hotel created by Suzanne Goin from Lucques  in L.A or Rick Moonen of RM Seafood  in Las Vegas. It's all part of the Chefs' Holidays sessions that bring 25 cooking pros to the chilly climes of  Yosemite National Park in January and February. Guests can sign up for one (or more) of eight sessions that feature face-time with a top chef who will share his or her talent and techniques as well as a moderator and two other professional cooks.

WHERE TO STAY Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, 1122 Highway 41, Fish Camp; (888) 514-2167, http://www.tenayalodge.com. The resort's best feature is its location just two miles outside of the south entrance of Yosemite. Doubles begin at $159 April 1-June 30 and at $285 July 1-Sept. 30. Ahwahnee Hotel, 9005 Ahwahnee Drive, Yosemite National Park; (801) 559-4884, http://www.yosemitepark.com. Doubles start at $443 until Oct. 2. Glen Oaks Big Sur, Highway 1, Big Sur; (831) 667-2105, http://www.

Last year, in the middle of the recession, my husband, Paco, and I pondered our fall vacation, weighing an ever-growing travel wish list with an ever-growing urge to save. Instead of Greece or the Great Barrier Reef, we chose a California road trip. By avoiding international airfare and the weak dollar, we were able to splurge in a few key places while saving in a handful of others, a high-low budget journey without the jet lag. Google Maps plotted our teardrop-shaped drive — from Los Angeles to Yosemite National Park, across to Big Sur, and back down the coast on California 1. We blocked out a few days in mid-November, late enough in the season to avoid crowds on the roads and trails.

If you go THE BEST WAY TO BADGER PASS From Los Angeles, take Interstate 5 north to California Highway 99 north to Fresno. From Fresno, take California Highway 41 north to Oakhurst and Yosemite National Park. To reach Badger Pass from the park's southern entrance, take Wawona Road to Chinquapin and turn right on the Glacier Point Road to Badger Pass. An alternate route, if road conditions are snowy and you are staying in Yosemite Valley, is to take California 49 northwest to Mariposa and pick up California 140 (the all-season highway)