Yosemite Blue Butterfly Inn

We stayed here for just a night on our way into the park and had a great experience. They helped us with what to do at the park and save time seeing the best sights. Very clean nice room. Great view of the river from the back porch. Easy access to the park as well. Highly recommend staying here!

Great place, the host were very hospitable and accommodating not to mention the awesome breakfast in the morning.
They were very helpfull in providing information about the valley.
Highly recommended.

This was a lovely surprise right outside the entrance of Yosemite. Location is great. Hosts, Liz & Ron are lovely and they have a wonderful breakfast and are very helpful on giving you directions regarding park activity.
We had two rooms with our teen20 year olds. Top floor with deck was lovely. No shades in room so you wake up with the sun but that’s fine. It has a refridge/​sink which is nice to have. breakfast is served 830 am.
The 2^nd floor with deck. lovely with beautiful furniture.
We enjoyed swimming in the Merced river twice. It was low and very fun to climb over rocks and swim in little pools ⁸⁄₁₃

Fantastic accommodations, warm hospitality, great food, super close to park entrance, friendly cats, what more could you ask for?
Visiting Yosemite in winter was already a treat, but Liz and Ron made it even better. No way you can get personalized home-​style service like that at a chain motel –not even close. We spent so much time chatting with them over breakfast, we were almost late to our ski lesson –great people! They even made tea and cookies for us after we got back. Try getting that kind of treatment from Yosemite View or Cedar Lodge (good luck).
The place is kept immaculately clean (puts my own home to shame) and each room is decorated according to a theme. Some of the furniture that looks antique really *is* antique (Art Deco, Arts & Crafts, Victorian, etc.). Warning: adults only and no pets –part of the cost of protecting the fine furnishings and overall cleanliness, no doubt. As some have already mentioned, the place is literally tucked in between buildings belonging to the Yosemite View Lodge, but does overlook the Merced River (of which you have a very nice view from the upper balconies and lower floor dining/​sitting rooms). The location is a result of there being zero build-​able land left in El Portal –Blue Butterfly is the *only* B&B currently operating there.
Blue Butterfly might be a few more bucks than the big chains, but it’s well worth it IMO.

Reasons that the Blue Butterfly Inn is fantastic:
1) Spacious yet cozy kitchen/​sitting room
2) Back porch that sits right on the river. We were visited by a flurry of hummingbirds as we ate breakfast!
3) Freshly baked cookies when we arrived in the afternoon — and DELICIOUS breakfast. I mean, delicious.
And of course, as many others have noted, Ron and Liz were lovely, interesting, kind, and helpful. Liz had tons of advice on where to hike, eat and stop. Before we left, Ron called ahead for traffic restrictions and then went out in the pouring rain to check my tires for me. They love sharing stories about their travels and previous visitors who made an impression on them. Stay at the Blue Butterfly Inn and you could be next!
A few other things: The location is a little odd, in that they are almost completely obscured by a much larger motel-​like establishment (which we were very glad we were not staying at). The Inn is nearly impossible to see from the road, so be sure to ask if you think you’ve passed it. Also note that they have 2 cats, which are not allowed in the guest rooms but still managed to provoke a slight allergic reaction from me.

We really enjoyed our stay at the Blue Butterfly the first two weeks of November. The craftsman style house is really lovely. Liz and Ron are great hosts, full of great advice for activities and stories about Yosemite. They really made us feel like part of the family.
The room was comfy and the shower was wonderfully hot after a long day of hiking. Liz has decorated with lots of great antiques and it’s all in very good taste. Liz provided a yummy breakfast each morning. And in the evenings after hiking all day, we could sit by the fire with the cats… what can be more cozy? We also enjoyed watching the humming birds out on the deck and listening to the Merced River flow by (the inn sits right on the river).
This B&B is as close as you can get to the Yosemite Arch Rock entrance (El Portal) unless you stay in the park. It’s about ½ hr drive into the Yosemite valley where all the main sights are. It’s a bit hard to find the Blue Butterfly as it is buried in with another hotel, so be sure to follow the directions on their website and not your GPS.
All in all, we highly recommend the Blue Butterfly!
Carrie and Brian

Ron and Liz are fabulous. When we arrived to stay there on our honeymoon, they had conspired with my parents to have champagne and a card setup in our room. Throughout our stay, they accommodated my wife’s food restrictions, served GREAT breakfast, and were an absolute joy to talk to. Our only regret is that we didn’t spend more time at the inn during our stay there!
That said, it’s the closest you can get to the park — only a mile or two from the park entrance closest to the valley — and will only take you about 15 – 20 minutes to be out of your car starting a hike at half dome. There are a few restaurants just around the corner from the inn and a gas station and grocery store just a few miles up the road. We will DEFINITELY be back to visit again!

The Yosemite Blue Butterfly Inn is one of the best in the Valley. We had a spectacular time. Liz and Ron are incredible. The location is perfect and the rooms are beautiful with spectacular views. We spent President’s Day Weekend there and look forward to visiting in the Fall.

Incredibly friendly hosts, a gorgeous home, and a fantastic park only minutes away… what more could you ask for?

The Blue Butterfly Inn is a wonderful place to stay!
Ron and Liz were the last of the private land-​holders to not sell their property to the large motels, and their B&B is a gem. It is right in the middle of all of the motel buildings, but it is an enclave of hospitality, homemade food, and rest. The building itself was completely re-​done a year or two ago and is beautifully decorated in the arts and crafts style. AKA, it feels homey and not like grimy, standardized hotel rooms.
Ron and Liz are also great innkeepers. They have lived in the area for a very long time, and know everything about the park and El Portal. I really enjoyed having conversations with them over dinners. (Liz is a great cook, by the way.)
And, the rooms don’t have TVs and children aren’t allowed, so this B&B is very quiet. There is one cat, and he is very well-​behaved.

Have you ever made that reservation in fear and trepidation not knowing the area or what would be a good place. Well I did. This was supposed to be a special vacation for me and my fiancé. I was biting my nails until I saw our B&B. What can I say. It’s one of those moments where you feel like you have majorly lucked out. The Inn is everything they say it is on the owners website
and more. Not only is the room a lot more larger than I ever expected but it was beautifully and tastefully decorated and immaculate. And where do I begin on Liz and Ron the owners, they are the most kind, accomodating and engaging hosts. We looked forward to tea time after a day exploring Yosimite and talking to Liz and Ron. They have traveled extensively and have many stories to relate. And it was a treat to drink tea out of Liz’s antique teaset from England (she has several).
The back of the inn faces a wonderful view of a lake and Yosemite, in fact the inn is basically at the begining of the entrance to Yosemite.
The Inn is located snap dab in the middle of the Yosemite View Lodge and there is a fun story behind that but I’ll let Liz tell you that story.
This place is a gem and we plan to go back as many time as we can and I would like to stay in the Art Deco room again and the Glasgow room too.

This Bed and Breakfast was just simply wonderful. It is as close as it gets to the south entrance of Yosemite National Park, and about 10 minutes away from the valley floor, El Capitan and the magnificent sights located in the heart of the park.
It is located right on the banks of the river, offering spectacular nature views as well as a soothing sounds to lull you to a peaceful sleep after a long day in the park. You can observe nature at its best and wildlife directly from the deck or the rooms above.
We stayed in the Lotus room and were very pleased. It was a very comfortable, art deco room with beautiful, clean furnishings and a very nice private deck. The beds were super comfortable, appointed with feather beds and comfy bedding.
The breakfast was a really delicious, home cooked, meal, always with a surprising and tasty recipe.
Liz and Ron were wonderful hosts, friendly and helpful and the house itself is very cozy and inviting.
Even though there are no TVs in the house (which at first was a concern), we were actually happy to spend some quality reading on the deck and playing games (so be prepared to bring books along).
The pizza place adjacent to the house is very good and the bar has a TV where the men seem to congregate to watch the game in the evening.
All in all, the Blue Butterfly Inn made our stay in Yosemite very memorable and comfortable.
Thank you Liz and Ron!