Recreation, Relaxation, and Exploration

I’ve spent my entire life living in California and somehow managed to visit Yosemite National Park for the first time last month. Now that I’ve had my first taste of the majestic mountain peaks and the incredible vastness of it all, I’ll definitely be back again soon.

We started our long weekend at Rush Creek Lodge & Spa (rushcreeklodge.com), a beautifully unpretentious resort on the edge of the park which somehow magically provided every possible amenity we could have wanted in our suite, but still managed to have a bit of a family-camp feel and be very much in touch with nature and the outdoor adventures to come.

Rush Creek’s award-winning spa was a nice treat, with a design inspired by the natural beauty of Yosemite, including warm waterfall coves, an aromatherapy steam room, and Himalayan salt block sauna, as well as a cool mist room. I tried them all — even before doing a bit of hiking in the park!

From the pool to the billiard and game room, bocce ball, corn hole, zip lines, playground, horseshoes, and hammocks, this resort had so many family friendly things to do that it felt like a perfect place for an all-ages reunion.

The next day, we went into the park to explore some of the many wonders of Yosemite. The famous giant sequoias are jaw-dropping, and despite the fall season, we still took in some dramatic waterfalls and some lovely autumnal landscapes.

We had a lovely lunch at the historic Ahwahnee Hotel (travelyosemite.com/lodging/the-ahwahnee), which was designed and built in the 1920s to attract well-to-do clientele. I thought I saw Emilio Estevez in the dining room, but upon closer inspection, it was just a lookalike guy. However, over the years the Ahwahnee has hosted presidents and royalty (Queen Elizabeth) as well as many other famous personalities (Judy Garland, Walt Disney, John F. Kennedy) — and now us!

Lunch, in the dining room with 34-high beamed ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows, was great, and it was fun to walk around and see the iconic architecture in person. But my favorite thing at the Ahwahnee was sitting on a bench built into a footbridge with great views of Half Dome and Glacier Point, as well as some little kids running around the lawn playing tag.

That evening, we went over to Evergreen Lodge (evergreenlodge.com) to check out their new resort glamping experience near the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The words “bear box” always make me a little bit nervous, but they provided an already pitched spacious tent and a comfy bed, so there was none of the hassle of setting up camp, which I appreciated. And I didn’t see any bears amongst the nice firepits (with s’more’s kits provided), hammocks, bocce area, pool, and hot tub. Nestled nicely in the woods just bordering Yosemite National Park, this place also had a nice restaurant and tavern, and a very charming general store.

Interestingly, both the Evergreen Lodge and Rush Creek Lodge & Spa had weddings going on the nights we were there, and it was fun to watch the energetic line dancing as we sipped spirits in the bar at both spots.

While it was fun to explore and get a feel for the park on our own, one of the highlights of the trip was a guided tour with Echo Adventure Cooperative (echocoop.com/adventures), which picked us up at Rush Creek and took us through Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Falls, Half Dome, Royal Arches, the Merced River, El Capitan, Tunnel View, Glacier Point, and more. There was only one other couple in our van (which could have held several more people), and our guide was great, so this was a nice, relaxing way to cover a lot of ground where we’d get out and walk at the various sites, then get back in the van and go to the next one. For first-time adventurers like us especially, it was a great way to see a lot of the park and scout out some of the places we’ll want to return to on our next visit.

In addition to hiking and backpacking, depending on the season, Yosemite is ripe for off-road jeep adventures, rafting, fly fishing, swimming, snowshoeing, biking, and more.

For more information on the park and the surrounding areas, see yosemite.com.