Curry Village Recreation Center, Rafting and Ice Skating

The Curry Village ice skating rink is a great alternative for those visiting Yosemite Park who don’t want to go skiing or snowboarding.
Once you get off the shuttles, the ice skating rink can be a little difficult to find and the people working there are not the most helpful bunch. Best direction was «just go through the parking lot.» Eventually we found it.
The skating rink is timed for about 2 hours. The entrance is ten dollars and the skate rentals are four bucks. There’s also lockers for rent in the tent next to the rink for one dollar and can only be operated by obtaining a dollar coin from the rental window.
There’s a bonfire set up near the rink which is a nice touch, especially if you’re waiting for the zamboni to finish leveling the ice.
Shoes run big, so if you’re normally a 6, then you should get a four for a snug fit.
There’s no better feeling than gliding onto fresh ice that’s as clear as glass. As I live out my Winter Olympic dreams, I am suddenly jolted back into reality as I nearly collide with a toddler pushing a freaking water bucket across the ice. What the ?!? And it’s just not one, but a handful of rug rats skimming across the ice rink with ice buckets. Umm, am I the only one who thinks there’s an accident or two waiting to happen? I’m sure the little kiddos should have a chance to skate too, but that just seems very dangerous to me especially when the rink starts getting crowded.
Besides the babies and buckets, skating at Curry Village with the mountains as your back drop is simply breathtaking and for a moment I pretend I am Michelle Kwan.
Beware the ten dollar «s’mores kits»!

So curry village in general is pretty darn awesome. They have all kinds of activity in all seasons. We had the amazing opportunity to do the rafting down the merced river. It was super amazing. It was about $ 30-​$ 40 dollars per person.
They have a pretty good setup going. They have a small safety class before going out. They have all the gear provided. I dont recall if they also charge for that tho.
The raft itself is pretty heavy duty. I mean like really heavy duty. Me and my wife were arguing about who was going to paddle which way when all of a sudden a tree trunk pops out of nowhere! Lol we weren’t paying attention. Immediately we were in swimming mode and my wife put her camera in her bag and was ready to throw it, hoping to make it on dry land lol.
Nothing happened tho! We didnt sink or die! Although I wanted to reenact the Titanic scene. Yeah you know which one im talking about. Anyways the struggle was getting off thw stupid tree trunk, it was pointy so it was a shock the raft didn’t burst.
Take your time tho! That’s the best tip I can give you. There is mo rush here. You’re not paying for time but for the experience. So make stops, have lunch on a beach, have FUN!
If you’re going to swim please take video and upload to youtube, I want to see how fast you go into hypothermia. Thats all melted snow.
Have fun tho.

Rafting highly highly highly recommended!!!
RAFTING
The Merced River is fairly calm during the summer, other than the occasional 2 ft. falls. The current basically just takes you through the 3 mile route. My raft actually had 5 grown adults in it, which meant that we would get stuck in most shallow places. Sometimes it would be hard to get out of the rocks, so some of us had to get out of the boat to push it at least 3 times. We also switched off at paddling, so by the end of it none of us were too tired. You can stop the raft whenever you want to just rest and swim. The views are also AMAZEBALLS. I loved this, it was my favorite thing we did during the trip.
HOURS
It opens at 10 am and you must pick up the raft before 3:30. And you have to finish rafting by 6 pm. You won’t get left behind even if you’re there later than 6 — there’s an employee on a kayak who makes sure that every single person is in the shuttle before sundown.
PHONE /​CAMERA
I didn’t take my phone or camera on the boat because the raft gets pretty wet, and I was afraid the raft would flip over or something (which is practically impossible considering the river is very calm). However, I really wish I did have my phone so I could take pictures. It’s very possible to take electronics on board. Next time I go, I am going to put my phone in a ziplock bag, wrap it in a towel, and put it in a backpack. This would be more than enough protection.

This was the highlight of my trip to the eastern sierras!!! The raft rentals are $ 31 a person which is a great deal… considering you can keep the rafts pretty much all day.
The only problem is getting the raft down to the water when it’s just two of you. But, other than that, it was really fun.
You raft down 3 miles and it is simply beautiful. You can pull your raft up on one of the numerous beaches along the way and have a picnic lunch or just hang out and swim. Along the way you will see waterfalls and everything else beautiful Yosemite has to offer. When you reach the end the raft company shuttles you back up to the top.
Definitely recommend doing this!!!

$ 10 entrance fee.
$ 4 skate rental.
2.5 hours of ice skating inside Yosemite Valley, surrounded by ginormous granite walls and Half Dome in the background = Priceless.
Words cannot explain how beautiful this place is, and how lovely it was to ice skate with friends in such a majestic setting.

This is probably the closest I’ve ever been to paradise. The 1,000+ miles of hiking available in Yosemite National Park can really tire you out. It’s important to remember that Yosemite’s peaceful beauty is not about checking hikes off a list, it is about moments like these that take your breath away. This is a perfect way to relax and recover from the tiring hikes.
Rafting through the Merced River provides views that cannot be experienced from anywhere else. We went in late June. The weather was perfect, about 75 degrees. The water however, was freezing. We dared to swim in the 40 degree water for about 10 minutes and then baked in the sun on the sand for about an hour.
It’s $ 30 per person, up to three people per raft. You only get two paddles per raft, so you need to either take turns or leave someone out from paddling. As long as you have the raft back by 4 p.m., you are good.
We did the trip in 3 hours taking our sweet time (I believe it was 1.5 miles total).
All in all, I highly recommend this trip to anyone.

Very basic accommodation for a price that’s really too high for what you get. But, you have limited choices in the Valley, and this is one of them.
We planned to go tent camping, but couldn’t secure a site. So we wound up at Curry Village. It’s reasonably comfortable in an extremely basic cabin with canvas sides. Two beds, a chair, a small structure to put folded items on, and a bear box.
Tents are very close together, so you can hear other people arriving late, snoring, have a conversation, etc. The showers are adequate but small.

The Ice Skating was a lot of fun and thankfully it wasn’t too crowded the weekend after Thanksgiving. Helmets are offered but not required. My 7 and 9 year old niece and nephew and I had a blast. When my sister inquired about her 2 year old going on, the staff said she was able to and if she didn’t like it after a few minutes, come back for a refund. That was a nice gesture and must have been offered from experience because my 2 year old niece had fun for about ½ a lap and then inexplicably began crying and refused to keep going making us carry her off. (That’s a 2 year old for you) So the woman at the window gave my sister her refund and all was well again.
The fire pit was a nice relief from the cold air. There are hot drinks for a very reasonable $ 1.75 and a vending machine the kids gladly bought snacks from. The view of Half Dome and Glacier Peak is spectacular as promised. It was overall a great experience and I was tempted to go back the next day but opted to do other site seeing. However, I can see this becoming a tradition for winter Yosemite trips!

I had a lot of fun rafting down the river! It took maybe an hour (we didn’t pull over anywhere, but you can if you want) and gave some great views. I loved leaning over the edge and looking through the super clear water at the riverbed.
They have an *amazing* military discount, which was very appreciated.
My only con is that the raft is freaking heavy and unwieldy & you have to drag it quite a distance to the river. One employee was walking towards us from the launch site, saw us struggling with the raft, turned around and walked back to his post. And he was a bit of a twat once we (finally) got there too.
Don’t let that deter you. It’s a great experience. Bring a camera and possibly a picnic.

«Silly Horus, why didn’t you rent one of those tents at Curry Village?»
At least, I think that’s what he said. The alcohol consumed afters makes that part a little fuzzy. But lo! The seed was planted!
After a bunch of comments about how cold it was going to be over the weekend, I quickly made the decision to rent a heated tent at the village. You see, this was my first time ever in this national park, and I had no clue what to expect. And of course I had failed to ask the right person, so he had to drop the bomb on me the week prior to the trip. Thank you Commodore. Your suggestion made the world of a difference.
The heated tents are amazing! Coming in from ten to twenty degree cold, but not having to sleep out in it was heavenly. I stuck my bed right underneath the heater, and life was swell all night long. The last night, we got 2 inches of snow, so when I woke up at six to run to the facilities, the entire camp was blanketed in the most amazing white stuff you’ll ever see! (Obviously I don’t spend much time in the snow)
The best part was that there was a coffee shop two jumps away from our tent. Which was great, as you couldn’t cook anything in or around the tents. Morning coffee before epic trips are wonderful. The bathrooms are heated too, and there’s a grocer/​supply store and equipment store right next to it. The free shuttles take you all over the valley floor, and a hot meal’s not far off should you wish it. Which was good, because our bear locker was packed with alcohol, not food.
We’re coming back in early summer. You’re welcome to come along, as long as you bring libations with you.

Our family of 4 went rafting July 4^th week of this year. It was an extraordinary experience. It is a bit pricey, $ 104 for two adults and two children but if you don’t have your own rafts and life jackets it was worth it. All four of us went in one raft. We got two oars so we took turns rowing. The river is shallow this summer so we had to get out and drag the boat a couple of times. It is a beautiful view of the Yosemite Valley. The river was nice and gentle. Be prepared to lift a heavy raft for about 200 hundred yards at each end of the 3 mile trip. Bring your sunscreen and water bottles if it is a warm day. A 10 minute tram ride back to Curry Village is included with your fee. It was a very memorable way to experience Yosemite. I also recommend a bike ride from the Yosemite Lodge to Curry Village and back which was also a great low– to-​medium-​exertion way to see the park.