The purpose of the workshop is to engage the public in helping to develop the new Merced River Plan.  Objectives at the May 10 workshop are to:

1. Discuss the implications of a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling on the Revised Merced River Plan;
2. Discuss the new direction and scope of the new Merced River planning process; and
3. Discuss the future of the public planning process… what is working and what can be improved?

Objectives previously described for this workshop have shifted in response to the court ruling, which can be read at www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/litigation.htm.

Please RSVP to project manager Elexis Mayer, by Wednesday, May 7, if you plan to attend the workshop by emailing: elexis_mayer@nps.gov or calling: 209/379-1377.

Cheryl has won a three-night stay (double occupancy) at The Ahwahnee in Yosemite National Park during a session of the 2008 Yosemite Vintners’ Holidays (Nov. 2 - Dec. 4, 2008).  This prize includes: wine maker’s reception, Vintners’ Holidays seminars/tastings, two dinners at the session’s Vintners’ Banquet and a vehicle admission pass to Yosemite National Park valid for one week, a retail value of $1,513.

Congratulations to Cheryl and all who entered the Spring 2008 Yosemite Getaway Sweepstakes.  Please keep checking back to this site for announcements of other offers, promotions and Yosemite/Mariposa insider tips.

Prize A - Frederick C. of Union City who wins a complimentary room for two consecutive nights at the Yosemite Lodge at the Falls in Yosemite Valley and a vehicle admission pass to Yosemite National Park valid for one week; and

Prize B - Margie D. of Oakland who wins a complimentary room for two consecutive nights at the Yosemite Miners Inn in Mariposa and a vehicle admission pass to Yosemite National Park valid for one week.

The grand prize of a three-night stay at The Ahwahnee during the 2008 Yosemite Vintners Holidays will be drawn from all entrants and announced this week.

Of course, everyone who visits Yosemite National Park and Mariposa County in springtime is a winner.  So, whether or not you won one of the nine fabulous prizes given away, we hope you will include a visit during our  waterfall and wildflower filled spring season.  In Yosemite and Mariposa County, spring lasts six months, with wildflowers appearing in higher elevations until late summer.  So, there’s sill plenty of time to experience Mariposa County’s six-month spring. 

With your permission, we’ll keep you informed of fun things to do and see in the national park and its county on this site and through notices sent to you.  If you didn’t enter the contest, but would like to know more about Yosemite and Mariposa, please sign up for insider tips in the box at right.  We look forward to staying in touch with the many friends who, through this fun contest, have come to know Mariposa County, home of Yosemite and a lot more.

 And, to add your favorite scenic viewpoints, click on the headline to this article.

Prize A - David J. from Aptos wins a complimentary room for two consecutive nights at the Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal and a vehicle admission pass to Yosemite National Park valid for one week; and

Prize B - Phil G. from Sebastopol wins a complimentary two-bedroom cabin for two consecutive nights at The Redwoods in Yosemite in Wawona and a vehicle admission pass to Yosemite National Park valid for one week.

Two weekly winners will be selected each week through April 13.  A grand prize of a three-night stay at The Ahwahnee during the 2008 Yosemite Vintners Holidays will be selected from all entrants at the end of the Sweepstakes.  You may enter once each week by clicking “Enter Sweepstakes” on this page.

 A short walk away is the Mariposa County History Museum, declared by The Smithsonian to be one of the best rural museums in America.  Inside, you’ll walk past interactive exhibits that recreate the atmosphere of what it was like in Mariposa during the gold rush.  Outside, you can see a working stamp mill, oldtime newspaper office, Mono Indian lodge and a 49ers camp with hydraulic mining monitors, ore carts and other authentic mining equipment.

Beyond the museum, you’ll find charming Mariposa which has changed little since the late 1800s and early 1900s.  Tour the oldest continually operating courthouse in the west, look for souvenirs and fine art in downtown Mariposa’s one-of-a-kind stores or enjoy a free open-air concert (Fri. and Sat. nights in summer) at the Mariposa Art Park.  When you return to the Miners Inn, refresh by the motel’s pool with views of the Sierra foothills and plan your trip to Yosemite National Park, just 40 minutes away along the nationally designated “Wild and Scenic Merced River.”

 CLICK HERE for more about staying at the Miners Inn.

Operated by the Yosemite Resorts, a family-owned hospitality company, The View was designed to include ALL the special amenities Yosemite travelers desire, but often aren’t offered at other Yosemite area accommodations.  Most of the inn’s 335 rooms look face the spectacular Merced River, with private balconies or decks facing the river.  Kitchenettes, fireplaces, cable TV with CNN, ESPN and HBO, oversized tubs and showers and many other amenities are standard.

The View has four swimming pools, including a large indoor pool, and it features six spas.  Many of the rooms are outfitted with in-room spa tubs, and a few opulent suites feature such indulgences as body showers, in-room bars, pillow top beds, and media rooms with flat screen TVs.  One of these was the honeymoon choice of a European prince and his bride.  So, The View can literally say their rooms are fit for royalty.

Despite its princely charms, The View is priced lower than other rooms in the area with lesser amenities.  That has made it a favorite of Yosemite regulars and many visitors from abroad.  There is a distinctly international atmosphere at The View.  At breakfast or dinner at the lodge’s restaurant, you’ll hear several languages being spoken.  There’s also a pizza restaurant and large general store to stock your kitchenette.

Located directly on the park line at Yosemite’s west entrance, the Yosemite View Lodge is reached by taking state highway 140 through Mariposa to El Portal. 

CLICK HERE to learn more about The View.

 To post your favorite Mariposa County bike trail, click on the headline to this article.