Wawona Lodging
Wawona
Wawona, also known as Big Tree Station, Clark's Station, Wah-wo-nah, and the Clark's Ranch) is a unincorporated area in Mariposa County, California. It is located 18 miles (29 km) east of Mariposa, at an elevation of 4000 feet.
Wawona is located totally within Yosemite National Park border. It has approximately 160 year-round residents, although the number of inhabitants does swell considerably during peak summer tourist seasons, due to the large number of rental cabins in the town.
It was known to Native American Indians as Pallachun, which meant "a good place to stay".
Galen Clark occupied the site in 1855 and established a tourist rest in 1856. Galen Clark sold the place to the Washburns in 1874. It was named Wawona by hotel keeper Jean Bruce Washburn in 1883. Wawona is the supposed Southern Sierra Miwok Indian word for Big Tree. A variety of sources also suggest Wawona was named after "the local American Indians' word for the hoot of the owl sound, which they considered the large trees' spiritual guardian."
The town is situwated on the south fork of the Merced River at an elevation of approximately 4000 feet. It is on California State Highway Route 41, the main passage from Fresno to Yosemite Valley. Wawona is the historic location of the large white Wawona Hotel, built in 1876. It is the nearest town to Chilnualna Falls and the Grove of Giant Sequoia at Mariposa. The principal trails into the south Yosemite wilderness start in Wawona.
| Wawona buildings and services - Wawona Anderson's Cabin, Wawona Artists Cabin, Wawona Carriage Shop, Wawona Clark Cottage, Degnan's Bakery, Wawona DNC Employee House, Wawona DNC Employee Residence, DNC Employee Residence, Wawona Fire Management Office, Grey Barn, Wawona Kessler Cabins, Wawona Moore Cottage, NPS B&G storage garage, Wawona NPS Fire Dormitory, NPS Fire storage garage, NPS garage, NPS Prescribed Fire Office, Wawona NPS Residence, NPS storage garage, Wawona Pine Tree Market, Wawona Ranger Station, Wawona Tack Room, Wawona Wagon Shed, Washburn Cottage, Wawona Campground Restrooms,Wawona Elementary School, Wawona Fire Dept, Wawona Fire Station, Wawona Gas Station, Wawona General Store, Wawona Hotel, Wawona Hotel Annex, Wawona Hotel Studio, Wawona Library, and Wowona District Office. |
Data source NPS.
Note that building features, locations, feature removal, and names are "as is" and could have changed after this map and data were produced. We are not responsible for new changes not shown on the map and NPS map data.