Travel & Stay
Evergreen Lodge is located 2 miles from Yosemite National Park.
You can fly in to San Francisco Int’l (SFO, 4 hrs), Sacramento Int’l (SMF, 3 hrs), Fresno Yosemite Int’l (FAT, 3 hrs), or Mammoth Yosemite Regional (MMR, 2.5 hrs) Airport. In all cases, we recommend renting a car to drive to Evergreen Lodge, as public transit is minimal and time-consuming.
Reception becomes spotty as you get into Yosemite and near to Evergreen Lodge. We highly recommend that you print out directions or download an offline map to your phone prior to driving to the Lodge.
Given spotty cell reception, we recommend that you turn on wifi calling (iPhone instructions here) and check with your cell phone carrier prior to arriving. Additionally, consider using an alternative app like WhatsApp.
Where to stay
If you are planning to attend our wedding, we encourage you to book lodging at your earliest convenience.
All wedding events will be taking place at Evergreen Lodge, and cabins are blocked for guests to stay on site. Please go to the Evergreen Lodge website and use our wedding code KD2022 for a group discount. If you are planning to stay for more than two nights, we recommend you call the Lodge, and they will extend the discount for another night or two.
While we highly recommend staying on site to be close to the action for the full weekend, there are a few other options in the area, including Evergreen’s sister hotel Rush Creek, a 15’ drive 7 miles from Evergreen. In general, we’ve found that AirBnBs are, at closest, 30’ away starting in downtown Groveland.
Yosemite is a great place for families with children: please feel free to bring yours! However, the wedding events will be ‘adult-only.’ Childcare will be available during wedding events for those who are bringing children; please indicate in your RSVP the number of children for whom you will need childcare.
If you are flying in to San Francisco before Friday, the city offers many chain and boutique hotel options. We recommend avoiding the Tenderloin when looking for places to stay.
Some of you coming from the East Coast or Europe are planning to fly into SFO on Thursday then drive to Evergreen on Friday. If you are looking for a hotel to stay in on Thursday night, we recommend driving to Pleasanton (on the route to Yosemite), where there are a number of reasonably priced hotels.
What to do
Yosemite passes are now available on recreation.gov. Day use or overnight passes are mandatory to enter the Park, one per vehicle. More details are here.
Nearby Yosemite National Park is one of the most beautiful places on earth! Have a look at the official Yosemite website and the detail here on entrance passes. You DO NOT need a Park pass to attend our wedding: Evergreen Lodge is outside of Yosemite Park.
Day use or overnight passes are mandatory to enter Yosemite Park in the Summer (May 20, 2022 - September 30, 2022). 70% of the reservations became available on March 23; the remaining 30% of reservations are available 7 days prior to your arrival date. For example, if you plan to visit Yosemite on Thursday, July 14, you should check the website now for availability. If there are no reservations available, return to the website on July 7 to reserve. The reservation is good for three consecutive days in the park, and applies per vehicle: as long as you have one person with a reservation in your car, you will be able to enter the park.
Evergreen Lodge runs a number of excellent tours of Yosemite as well. For more information on those tours, check out the Evergreen website.
Hetch-Hetchy Reservoir is a great day hike that is two miles down the road from Evergreen Lodge. Learn more here.
Event logistics
What to wear
Attire is “forest formal”, i.e., cocktail or semi-formal. For men, ties are optional with your suit or blazer. Remember it’s a Summer wedding and may be hot - we want you to be comfortable!
Childcare
We will be providing childcare for the weekend’s events to make things easier for families traveling to Yosemite together. Friends and family can notify us of childcare needs by identifying the number of children for whom you will require childcare on your RSVP card. We have reserved the help of our dear friends’ nanny and her mother to safely monitor and care for your children. Both women are professional nannies who are warm, caring, and excited to help out our community on this very special weekend. Below is the childcare schedule for your reference.
Childcare Schedule:
| Date | Wedding Event, Location, and Time | Childcare Location | Childcare Timeframe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday July 15th |
Welcome BBQ Coyote Hill at Evergreen Lodge 5:00 - 9:30 PM |
TBD | 4:30 - 10:00 PM |
| Saturday July 16th |
Wedding Ceremony and Reception Wapama Grove and Main Plaza at Evergreen Lodge 3:30 - 10:00 PM (After Party at Tavern 10:00 PM - 1:00 AM or later) |
Cedar Room (above pool area) | 2:30 - 10:30 PM (Childcare not provided for After Party at Tavern) |
| Sunday July 17th |
Farewell Breakfast Evergreen Restaurant Patio 8:30 - 10:30 AM |
Kids welcome! Please feel free to bring your kids to the breakfast buffet. | N/A |