For the finest rooms, resort homes and RV park nearest Yosemite Valley, click on any of the four Yosemite Resorts properties in the left column. From luxury to economy, they're four great places to stay!

Amid the dog days of summer, Yosemite locals find cooling refuge in swimming holes in and near the national park.

Among the most easily reached is a hole at the Cascade Creek picnic area on the Merced Road (SR 140) a half mile east of the Arch Rock entrance station. Farther up Cascade Creek, near the Tamarack Flat campground is a brilliant-green pool. The road to the campground from the Tioga Road (SR 120) closes in mid September, but can be reached by mountain bike to the campground, then a hike along the El Capitan trail from there.

Perhaps the most visited hole is Emerald Pool above Vernal Falls. The three-mile hike up the Mist Trail so raises your body temperature that you’re eager to jump into the icy water. Natural water slides along polished granite at the east end of the pool provide a fun diversion, though be cautious about getting anywhere near the waterfall at the west end. Even at low flows, the current is strong and can carry swimmers over the edge. The trail to Chilnualna Fall near Wawona (SR 41) is a steep, 8.2 mile hike, but the reward is a many layered fall into pools that provide refreshing swimming.

Outside the national park, Diana’s Falls is 13 miles east of Coulterville near the confluence of Bean Creek and the North Fork of the Merced River in the Stanislaus National Forest. This classic hole is surrounded by rock walls and a picturesque waterfall that fills it. There’s good swimming and plenty of space to sit around the edges.

More about these and other Yosemite area swimming holes is found in “Swimming Holes of California” by Pancho Doll sold in area stores and online.

For the finest rooms, resort homes and RV park nearest Yosemite Valley, click on any of the four Yosemite Resorts properties in the left column. From luxury to economy, they're four great places to stay!

Comments collected from a 74-day scoping period focused on a plan for management of the Merced River inside Yosemite National Park are now available online. Six scoping meetings were held in 2007 in such diverse locations as Yosemite Valley, Mariposa and San Francisco, resulting in 108 comments. To read those comments CLICK HERE.

For the finest rooms, resort homes and RV park nearest Yosemite Valley, click on any of the four Yosemite Resorts properties in the left column. From luxury to economy, they're four great places to stay!

At the confluence of the middle and south forks of the Merced River is the site of Major James Savage’s legendary 1849 trading post. Savage was the leader of the Mariposa Batallion, the first group of non-Indians to enter Yosemite Valley. This authentic trading post attracted prospectors, loggers and trappers during the California gold rush.

Eight, luxurious, extended-stay vacation homes and apartments are located there. Favorites include Cliff House, the Hunters’ Retreat, the Annex, the A-Frame, the Overlook Apartments and the Log Cabin. Savage’s Trading Post accommodates from 2 to 16 in any given home. All homes have private access to the south fork of the Merced River and the Hite Cove Trail (excluding fire season). The Hite Cove Trail is considered to be one of California’s finest wildflower trails (March to May). Savage’s Trading Post is 18 minutes west of Yosemite National Park on state route 140.