Historic Yosemite National Park Hotel Closing
The Wawona Hotel is one of the oldest mountain resort hotels in the U.S.A.
Yosemite National Park has announced the indefinite closure of the Wawona Hotel, a historic building where many climbers have stayed over the years. The National Park Service announced that starting Dec. 2, the Wawona will close to allow for a comprehensive condition assessment. It’s found around one hour from Yosemite village.
The building was originally named Clark’s Station when it opened in 1856, but was renamed 20 years later after being purchased by Henry Washburn. It was renamed once again in 2016 to Big Tree Lodge. It has hosted several noteworthy travellers over the past 168 years, including president Theodore Roosevelt.
The NPS recently replaced the roof on the main hotel building and noted that conditions “revealed the need for more intensive investigation and assessment of the hotel.” Park spokesperson Scott Gediman has yet to elaborate on what exactly led to the closure of the hotel. Electrical repairs and facility upgrades kept the Wawona closed for all of 2020. At the time, a survey determined that the electrical system, dating to 1917, needed replacement and upgrades for safety and the preservation.
The hotel has 104 lodging rooms, and roughly half of those have private bathrooms. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on June 2, 1987. Clark Cottage is the oldest remaining structure on the property, it was built in 1876. For more information see the post and video below.
