After being rained out of our beach camping trip, we decided to head east to the mountains. We spent some time looking for Airbnb cabins or other hotel type places since the rain would make camping impossible. Plus, an astounding number of campsites in Yosemite Valley have been wrecked by the winter storms and are not even scheduled to reopen until summer. In searching for accommodations, we decided to #treatyourself and splurge for a cottage at the Tenaya Lodge and Resort just outside of the south entrance to Yosemite. There at least if it was going to be raining, it would still be beautiful and peaceful (things we look for when planning a Spring Break trip).
We drove out to Yosemite on a different route than we are used to. It took us through some crazy switchbacks but also through amazing snowy tree zones and brought us into the Valley with a fantastic view.
We headed down into the Valley, which is always breathtaking. Together, we have been to Yosemite three times. This is a place that never gets old and will always hold a special place in our hearts. One of our past trips was exactly two years ago for Spring Break with Jason and Chelsea. On that trip we were here for almost the full week. We camped at an amazing site and did a lot of the great hikes that you must do when in Yosemite Valley. One thing we did not get to do two years ago was drive up to Tunnel View. This is the road that comes in from the south and after driving through a tunnel, opens up to one of the most iconic views of Yosemite National Park.
We spent some time taking in the view and then decided to head to our cottage at the resort. It was an awesome little town-home type cottage with our own private balcony, fire place and kitchenette. We were a short walk away from the main area of the resort. We are not usually "Resort People" so many things about this experience were new to us. We were super bougie, ordering fancy drinks, eating amazing foods and asking the concierge for advice on activities we should do. He suggested we visit their spa and treat ourselves to pedicures with champagne. He was a smart man!
Before our pedicures though, we had to earn it. We did several hikes throughout the Valley and, as we have said before, the benefits of waking up early always makes a difference. On our hike to Bridalveil Falls we were some of the only people on the trail. When we came back down to the car... the parking lot was full and people were spilling out onto the road to try to find parking. We win!
By the time we made it over to Lower Yosemite Falls there were quite a lot more people around but still, this was a Thursday and technically it is still winter in the mountains so the crowds were much smaller than they typically are at other times of the year. We hiked up to Lower Falls. The Upper Falls hike is a monster that is 7.2 miles long with an elevation gain of over 2,000 feet...we are not in shape for that! Plus it is still covered in snow. We will do that hike one day. But not today. Today we just did the Lower Falls trail which is mostly paved and very easy but still has a great pay off.
We spent some more time enjoying being in the Valley and then made another stop at the tunnel View overlook. We also made a trip over to our old campsite to check out the winter storm damage. It was nuts. Giant trees have been knocked down, branches everywhere and the river has flooded so much that even the little stream that ran through our site has overflowed and made the entire site mush. It was sad to see but I am glad we had such great memories there before.
The next day we wanted to visit Mariposa Grove. This is a sequoia grove that has been shutdown for restoration since 2015. It recently reopened and we were excited to go. First hiccup of the adventure though... the shuttle from the parking lot to the start of the grove was not running. "Winter" So, the only way to get there was to add an extra 1.9 miles each way. We decided to go for it and again were not disappointed by the journey.
The trail was still covered with snow and in some spots we had to be super cautious of our foot placement or else you would end up thigh high in a snowdrift. When we got to the grove, the paved trail that is raised off of the ground to allow for groundwater to flow near the trees, was still covered with at least 2 feet of snow. No wonder the shuttles were not running yet.
The snow on the ground and the rain that had started on our trip back to the car made this hike a little harder than it should have been. This was when we really enjoyed the fact that we had decided to be bougie and stay at the resort. When we got back to the cottage, we enjoyed nice warm showers. We sat by the fireplace and then fully appreciated having someone else cook our lunch. We spent the afternoon in the spa and left feeling extremely pampered and relaxed.
Overall, Part Two of Spring Break was a great combination of exciting and relaxing. We took in the beautiful views of Yosemite and enjoyed some great chill time at the cottage. I am sure that this Resort experience did not change us forever, we still like sleeping on the ground. But it did show us that we do like some added comforts every once in a while.
Enjoy a few more photos of our beautiful journey.
