Read prior reviews and you will know what you will be getting into. Because it is Yosemite, because there is absolutely no competition, because everything still books up a year in advance, you have little choice. I like the idea of "tents" for sleeping quarters and have done so in numerous places, sometimes paying dearly but loving it. Here at Tuolumne, tents are old, doors and "window flaps" barely work, the "beds" are cheap metal cots with musty bedding that they did not even change during our stay. One small communal shower/bathroom shared by 100 people leaves much to be desired. The only place to eat, as noted in prior reviews, is of poor quality and overpriced, but the workers were mostly nice and helpful. Not worth $150/night for two, but little choice.

After all, it's the only game in town.

Drawbacks

1. It's overpriced - but this is Yosemite, so all the lodging is overpriced.

2. They're canvas tents and they're right next to each other, so if someone nearby slams his screen door at 5:45am and you're not a deep sleeper - well, you'll also be awake at 5:45. On the plus side, I got to enjoy a lovely sunrise.

3. The bear lockers are over by the parking lot so you've got a walk to reach them. You don't get your own locker and it's first come, first served - so good luck finding space for your cooler if you arrive later. The bear lockers also require two hands to open.

4. The last part of the road to the lodge is only one lane wide. Which isn't necessarily a drawback, but I wanted to warn you to be careful as some drivers don't slow down (they're probably the same people who slam the screen door at 5:45 am) and there are limited areas to pull over.

5. There's 69 cabins and only four toilets and one of the days I was there, one of the toilets wasn't working and the hatch to the door of another one broke - when I opened the door, it almost collapsed on me. So there were only two toilets available for quite a few women. In all fairness, however, someone was fixing the door when I came back at 8am the next morning.

I recently wrote a review for the cabins at Lassen Volcanic National Park. After staying here, I feel like I should go back and give the Lassen cabins another star. They're much nicer and cost less. But then Lassen isn't remotely as popular as is Yosemite.

Pros.

1. Location

2. Location

3. Location - not only is it the only place to stay in Tuolumne Meadows if you don't want to camp, but the tents are near some cascades. I just loved falling asleep to the sound of the water.

4. The lodge's employees were very nice.

5. The bed was comfortable. Blankets and sheets were clean, comfy, and kept me warm enough even though it got down into the 30s at night.

This section of Yosemite is absolutely gorgeous. And even on the weekend, it was pretty uncrowded during the mornings. While there were more people around in the afternoons, it didn't remotely approach anywhere near the crowds that you have to endure in the valley. While I wasn't particularly impressed with Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, I was extremely impressed with this section of Yosemite and hope to spend a lot more time here. So unless I buy some camping equipment, I'll probably be back soon. Maybe I'll bring ear plugs for the mornings.

Tuolumne Meadows Lodge isn't the easiest place to stay if you're used to conventional lodges or even cabins. It's not really a lodge at all, but a collection of tents. However, even though the parking lot is right next door, staying here is peaceful in a way that conventional accommodations can't match. I used to love camping but haven't done it in years, and this place brings back some of that feeling.

To start with, Tuolumne Meadows is not like Yosemite Valley at all, in terms of crowding and the general human environment. There are far fewer people, and the atmosphere is less tense and fast-paced. Not as many spectacular highlights, but a beautiful place with great views.

Our tent had four twin beds with mattresses, and in the middle was a wood-burning stove and a table. Because of the size and arrangement, it would have been hard to combine two twins for a double. Kindling, fire-starters, matches, candles and a good set of towels were provided. We slept in our sleeping bags on top of the beds, but the sheets seemed to be clean.

The lodge serves meals in a single dining room, where you need to make reservations for dinner and sign in to be seated for breakfast. The food is not included in the room (tent) rate, and it is not cheap. However, the dishes we had ranged from decent to excellent. Diners are seated one table at a time, and some dishes such as salad and rolls are shared. This makes it a bit of a group dinner with people you've never met before, and there was lively conversation during all the meals we enjoyed here. There's a generally friendly atmosphere around the camp. The nights are very quiet.

The shared restroom has good plumbing and hot water, but it's nothing fancy. There are windows near the top of the peaked roof that are open to the air, so expect a draft. There's a private entry area with each shower (two curtains) but the floor gets very wet.

The biggest issue for me was the logistics: You have to put all your food and toiletries in a bear lockers next to the parking lot. They're not locked, and they're shared by the rest of the people at the lodge. Thus, your toothpaste, lip balm, etc. are up to 100 yards away from the place where you sleep. Plus, the tents don't lock from either the inside or the outside. You can latch the door from the inside and there's a place to put on your own padlock from the outside. But cameras and any other valuables have to stay with you or go in your car. And you need a flashlight to get around at night.

Special, beautiful place, but the overcooked, gummy, white rice, two, one-inch squares of bell pepper for "vegetable," an overcooked trout with the black skin on one side was quite pungent, plus romaine lettuce salad soaked in vinegar. But, nice people and good service, but we were shocked when one bed was full of bed bugs resulting in many swollen bites.