Life in the Slow Lane (The Pearl): Yosemite's Curry Village

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends ... The mind can never break off from the journey.” —Pat Conroy

When I called last summer for a reservation in Yosemite, all the lodges in the Valley were full. So I decided we’d rough it a little and stay in one of the historic tent cabins in Curry Village. We didn’t mind our accommodations…even though we had to walk to the shower house. The biggest drawback was the invasion of Jr. High school kids, there to take part in the Nature Bridge program…over 400 hundred of them. The evenings and early mornings were very loud and the showers were very crowded. Even with the small inconveniences we really enjoyed staying in the park and being able to take the bus to trailheads and other places so easily. We definitely want to come back to do more exploring.

Curry Village History:

Camp Curry began in 1899 when two school teachers, David Curry and Jenny Etta Foster (later known as Mother Curry), opened a tented camp. They wanted to provide accommodations that were less expensive than the hotels but offered more services than the campgrounds. They advertised "a good bed and clean napkin with every meal" for $2 a day (equivalent to $57 in today's dollars). It was developed in the early 20th century as a camp concession for tourists to the park. Today the Camp Curry complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and its accommodations include 18 hotel rooms, 60 cabins and 424 canvas tent cabins. In 1970 the community changed its post office name to Curry Village.

Significant structures that still exist include the 1914 entrance sign, the 1904 Old Registration Office; the 1913 dance hall, now adapted as guest lodgings known as the Stoneman House; the 1916 Foster Curry cabin, and the 1917 Mother Curry's bungalow. Bungalows with en-suite baths were built from 1918 to 1922, and bungalows without plumbing were built during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The best thing about staying in Curry Village is the incredible views of Half Dome and Glacier Point. What an awe inspiring way to wake up in the morning.