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JOURNAL

Admire the Wildflowers on Your Way to Yosemite

A field of yellow wildflowers against a bright blue sky

California features approximately 5,800 total species of flora, and the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range contains over half of them! When wintertime waters the landscape rain, we get a wildflower super-bloom. Starting in the deserts where temperatures are already rising into the upper 70s, you can find a profusion of blooms that in some areas are visible from space! Here’s your guide to admire the wildflowers on your way to Yosemite.

 

As you travel through California’s Central Valley on your way to Yosemite National Park, you’ll find the nut and fruit trees have pretty much finished with their pink and white blossoms – already leafing out in bright green leaves (not wildflowers, but stupendous all the same!).  Driving out of the valley towards Groveland, you enter the oh-so-green (this year!) Foothill Oak Woodlands which are starting to reveal colors with several poppy species showing their bright orange faces to the sun – precursors to a profusion of lupine’s deep purples, bush monkeyflower’s and buttercup’s dazzling golden yellows, Indian pink’s brilliant reds, and the myriad little white flowers that are scattered throughout the fields.  As you find your way up the Priest Grade on Highway 120, before you arrive at the Groveland Hotel, look for these wildflowers in the rocky side-cuts of the road.

 

As the seasons progress, with the late snow melt, you’ll be able to follow the explosion of wildflowers up slope to the high elevations of the Sierra Nevada into late summer this year.  As you leave the foothills and rise up the western slope you enter the Mixed Conifer Forest where you’ll find luscious purple flowers such as the wandering daisy, stickseed, and brodiaea.   

 

Head higher up to the Subalpine Forest and you’ll find buckwheat in a variety of shades – from white to beige to pink to rust, leopard lily and crimson columbine in their bright orange and red plumage, and the ingenious pussy paws whose stems act like hydraulics and lift the flowers off of the rocky ground in the heat of day, to lay back down at night when the earth cools.  You’ll find some of these flowers as you hike the trails above Yosemite Valley.

 

As you proceed to elevations above 8,500 feet you enter the Alpine zone which features more flowering vegetation, though the season is short and the temperatures plummet at night, even in the midst of summer.  At these high elevations you’ll find interesting plants such as Whitney’s Locoweed which produces a papery fruit that looks like a small bladder and rattles with the seeds inside.  Yellow flowers abound in the upper elevations like alpine gold, shaggy hawkweed, and several kinds of asters.  These types of flowers can be found in the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite.

 

There are so many California native wildflowers that this doesn’t even touch upon the varieties and colors you’ll find as you explore the range of climates, topography and geographic zones that together make the state one of the most diverse floral areas in the world.

Happy flower finding!

The Groveland 18767 Main Street circle logo

Summer Menu

Small Bites & Shares

Southwest Chicken Spring Rolls with Pico de Gallo $12

Vegetable Samosas with cilantro chutney $12

Heirloom Tomato Flatbreads with grape tomato, mozzarella, pecorino, pesto, balsamic reduction $14

Grilled Chicken Wings with teriyaki, pineapple pepper relish, scallions, peanuts $14

Truffle and Parmesan French Fries with garlic aioli $11

Charcuterie and Cheese Plate with mostarda, crackers, whole grain mustard $16

 

Greens

Fiesta Salad with romaine, Pico de Gallo, black beans, avocado, pepper jack cheese, chipotle ranch $13

House Caesar Salad with parmesan crisps, garlicky croutons, lemon Caesar dressing $12

Artisan Salad with apple, celery, dried apricots, cucumber, pumpkin seed vinaigrette $12

*Add Shrimp +$14, Chicken +$10, Steak +$14, or Salmon +$12

 

Mains

Vegetarian Orecchiette Pasta $24

with Spring vegetables, tomato coulis, pecorino Romano

Fried Chicken Sliders $22

with brioche bun, sweet pickles, coleslaw, chipotle mayo and house fries

Wagyu Burger Sliders $24

with aged cheddar, brioche bun, mustard aioli, romaine lettuce and house fries

Blackened Chicken Tacos $24

with flour tortilla, jack cheese, black bean aioli, mango salsa and tortilla chips

Pan Roasted Salmon $32 

with cous-cous tabouleh, seasonal vegetable, citrus vinaigrette

Jumbo Shrimp and Potato Gnocchi $34 

with English peas, mushrooms, heirloom tomato, lemon butter sauce

Grilled Steak Frittes $42

with Prime NY strip, house fries, chimi churi sauce

 

ADA

Room 110 is situated at the back of the hotel in the Annex building on the lower floor.  This cozy room features a queen bed, with a large private bathroom containing a tub/shower.  This room accommodates two guests. This is a pet-friendly room.

Accessibility Features: Entry door is 32” wide; there is an outlet within 4’ of the telephone jack; the door lock is located 44” from the floor; there is more than 36” of room to the right side of the bed; hangers are located 53” off the ground.  Currently, the door handle is a historic twist knob, but we are working with our locksmith to replace this with a levered handle that can easily be operated with one hand and without tight grasping, pinching or twisting the wrist.

The bathroom has room to do a t-turn; the toilet seat is 18” off the ground and has a grab bar located behind the toilet; the wash basin is 30” off the ground with insulated pipes; the wash basin faucet is easy to operate with one hand without tight grasping, pinching or twisting of the wrist; the towel racks are 46” off the floor; the bathroom floors are slip resistant.  There are no grab bars on an adjacent wall in the bathroom for the toilet as there is not an adjacent wall to place them on. 

The tub has faucet controls positioned at the center of the end wall and open side of the tub; faucet can easily be turned on and off with one hand without tight grasping, pinching or twisting the wrist; there is a grab bar at the foot of the tub and at the head of the tub; and there are two 40” grab bars alongside the tub to serve for low and high needs.  The fixtures in the bathtub are historic and therefore we do not have a 60” hand held shower wand.

Due to the historic nature of our property, our rooms are fairly small, therefore we are unable to provide 36” around both sides and the foot of the bed.  However, we do provide full clearance between the door and the right side of the bed.

You can book this room online or please call us 24 hours/7 days a week at 209-962-4000 or email us at guestservices@groveland.com and we would be happy to find the room that most meets your needs.  

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Pet Friendly

Your search for pet-friendly vacation lodging near Yosemite National Park ends here.  Our four-legged guests love the Groveland Hotel as much as our two-legged ones!  We’re happy to offer select pet-friendly rooms, located on the first floor, for your stay in Groveland, California.  The pet fee is $75 per reservation, with a limit of one pet per guest.  We welcome pets 60 lbs or less.

For dog-friendly activities near the Groveland Hotel, we recommend a walk along the Hetch Hetchy Railroad or going for a refreshing dip in the pet-friendly Rainbow Pools swimming hole.  If you are heading into Yosemite National Park, check their website for pet rules and restrictions.

Looking for a local dog sitter/boarder where you can keep your dogs for the day while exploring Yosemite?  There is a great nearby facility called Big Creek Boarding.
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