Outdoorsy Yosemite — Hotel in Oakhurst

WARNING TO ALL TRAVELLERS

DO NOT STAY HERE! Don't let yourself be fooled by the positive recommendations. They are most likely done by their members, however, I will give my opinion on what is really going on.

We booked this RV park based on the high ratings and the fact that the following was stated on the website: Close to swimming possibilities by the lake -- 'right down the road' Lots of recreational possibilities at the lake -- only very expensive boat rental is at your disposal One hour drive from Yosemite valley -- in all honesty it is 1 hour and 45 minutes.

ALL OF THE ABOVE IS UTTER NONSENSE!

Upon arrival we were greeted by a not-so-friendly host. OK, it has been a long day for everyone. That can happen. When we were not-so-friendly directed to our RV site we were quite amazed. The RV sites for non-members are so small you can hardly fit your RV in it and still have room for your awning to slide out. Very small RV sites indeed. There is absolutely no space to quietly and nicely sit outside as it is all gravel and wood snippers outside your RV. The only place to sit is a picnic table, HOWEVER, this picnic table has probably not been painted since the opening of the RV park.The paint snippers can be pulled off the table for the painting DIY enthusiast. This, however, leaves plenty of bare wood surface for somebody to catch some splinters if you catch my drift. My wife, myself and our kid of 7 all have the splinters to prove this. In fact, I still have one rotting out my right hand as I am writing this review.

The showers are not clean, the toilets aren't neither. The whole park is full of what seems prison escapees or at least people that have some years under their belt at least. The same goes for the personnel. I will get back to that shortly.

After our 1 hour and 45 minute drive to and from Yosemite NP we experienced something that eventually drove me to write this review. Somebody parked in our RV spot. Upon speaking to the gentleman in question (this was actually not an ex-convict) we realized that the front office (the ones with the trailer park looks and matching attitudes) directed this man to 'our' RV spot. The front office, however, was closed so nobody to speak to. Luckily the spot next to ours was clear so we eventually parked our RV there. This spot was actually even tighter and worse than our other spot.

All of the above did not 'really' matter until this occurred. This was the reason for me to speak to the front office upon our departure the next day. I politely said that I wanted to get something off my chest, especially since our RV spot was given away by them the prior day. After stating all of the above their answer was that I am in every possible way wrong and most annoyingly they asked me to go outside because they did not want any other customers being confronted with my complaints. I was asked very rudely to go outside on several occasions which I refused as I stated my complaints in a calm and polite way. When offered to speak to the owner I joyfully responded: YES PLEASE! The offer was then, however, quickly retracted. Why I do not know but probably they would get in trouble for the below mentioned reasons.

The thing that amazed me most of all, apart from the front desk personnel objecting to my every point, was that they said the following: 'Let me tell you how this beast (?) works. Your spot is not yours and if you are not in it we can give it away to anyone driving over the park and wanting your RV spot'. OK THIS IS VERY WEIRD! We were confirmed spot 136 -- we paid for it so we are entitled to it for the duration of our stay. We were away for the day to Yosemite RV's can not drive over the park unless they are cleared by the front office -- How would the gentleman standing in our spot know he wanted ours? They gave away our spot anyways. What would happen if all spots were full? We would have to park our RV outside the park?

To conclude my (too long) story. This park should be avoided at ALL TIMES!!! It is not...

Recently stayed here for a week in July 2022. Have stayed here three times before. Principally a members resort with full hookup RV sites (50 amp), some sites only water & elec, a few tent sites, cozy cabins. However, note that remaining available spots open up to non-members to book at 90 days before.

--Site 70 was under trees on a hill with tiered spots. Fortunately they offered a spotter to help us back in our 33' fifth wheel into the gravel site. The site has great shade. Site so narrow though with so much slippery gravel, that I would not want young kids at this site as (1) they could slip down the hill just walking beside the RV and (2) there is no play area near RV due to being on a hill. very close to showers/bathrooms (3 showers, 3 toilets) and a bridge to take you down to pool, main clubhouse, kids' clubhouse, laundry room (bring lots of quarters), propane, a few items to buy at office (no snacks).

--Wifi has been upgraded (for purchase). Had an awesomely strong signal compared to previous years. First day, you get a code for free wifi (on a tiny piece of paper, don't lose it!) for just 24 hours, one device. When it expired, we purchased 30 days for 5 devices for $25, which is well worth it for the strong signal. The only other option I believe was $3 for one day.

--This year, the $20 site guarantee was honored and we actually got the site we booked!

--We are Good Sam members, but as we paid for site in full online at booking (required), when checking in was told it was too late to receive a 10% discount for Good Sam.

--Note the cancellation policy is a FULL three days before check in. For instance, say you were checking in on a Thursday, you must cancel (and not by voicemail) by the Sunday before your first day. Of course, for clarity they should just say four days before to cancel as most places don't count days that way.

--Our cell signal (Verizon) was fine at resort but was mostly non-existent when driving around lake and while dining at Ducey's at The Pines Resort

--Fri, Sat, Sun hot meals were available for purchase from food truck vendor crew in small cafe area at certain times of the day.

--Loud bell rung at 8am indicating breakfast (8-10am) by food truck vendor available to all for purchase (weekends). We were up the hill so far enough away, but wondered how those located close to the bell felt about that early wake up call.

--Nice large clubhouse with vending machine and gigantic TV and couches. Books, VHS and DVDs available to borrow. Horseshoe pit, dog park, basketball, pool, shuffleboard.

--Pool apparently not patrolled as we saw a woman in the pool drinking a beer in a glass bottle (potentially dangerous if it breaks!). Some pool chairs and plastic lounge chairs on grass outside pool fenced-in area.

--Both kids' clubs renovated recently (pool tables, foosball)

--Shaved ice truck, at least on our weekend

Nearby: Sunday 9:30am Catholic mass at St. Dominic Mission on Road 222 in the summer. Ducey's Bar & Grill, pizza/bakery/ice cream parlor, gift shops, market, post office, very small 2-pump Shell gas station (no diesel). Rentals for patio boats, kayak, waverunners. Uneven asphalt roads to ride bikes around the area and to The Pines Resort but...

This is our group’s 4th year staying at this RV park, but during that time it has changed ownership. It is clear they are making improvements to the park, including the 6 Premium Glamping Tents that were added this year (2024).

Here are the top things you should know: We continue to return to this park because you cannot beat the location. You can walk to The Pines Resort and Marina, and take a short drive to anywhere else you’d like to go, including Yosemite National Park or the Sugar Pine Mountain Railroad. The amenities are nice, but be sure to check before you travel. 2 out of the 4 years we’ve come, the pool has been unavailable. They do a nice big bonfire on the weekends, but be sure to check what days it will be available, we’ve ran into maintenance issues before. The busy weekends like Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Halloween, they usually do fun events. The booking process is a little crazy, and if you book online it seems like it is not connected to the office booking system. I suggest you call and book. Some of the trailer spots are pretty tight, or on steep hills, so your time at the park can be pretty dependent on what spot you are assigned. The flatter spots are on Chipmunk and Raccoon or up in the top culdesac by the Luxury Tents. I do not believe you can choose your spot, but those are our preferences. The cabins are great for families and most of them fit 4-5 people comfortably. They advertise bunk beds, but the top bunk is pretty high and I wouldn’t want to put a child up there. We used it mostly for storage. It can be a trek down to the fire pit and pool from the cabins on Bobcat, but overall still a good experience. There’s also one smaller cabin right by the pool that doesn’t have the bunk beds. The Premium Glamping Tents are great! They are about the size of a hotel room, and have a decent size mini fridge, microwave, Kuerig, TV, and a spa-like bathroom. They have a queen bed, and two twin pull out beds. You have to play with the furniture arrangement to be able to pull the beds out at the same time, but once we figured it out, it worked great! The location in the park is perfect, there’s lots of space for big groups to hang. There’s a nice community seating area with a few picnic tables and a grill. They come fully stocked with cooking utensils, toiletries, towels, etc. and the patio is perfect for your morning coffee and a book.

Hopefully...