Tenaya Lodge ~ Yosemite
Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite is Beautiful! My son and I were driving in from San Francisco after a busy weekend exploring that historic city. I was looking forward to a relaxing couple of days in the mountains and that is exactly where we were heading. Tenaya Lodge in the Yosemite Valley was going to be just what I needed to unwind.
From the moment I visited the Tenaya Lodge website, I was excited about this visit. The cozy, warm feeling portrayed in the pictures on the site made it appear to be a resort full of wonder. I couldn’t wait for our vacation in the mountains.
The drive into Fish Camp and up to Tenaya was beautiful. I’ve been on a lot of vacations around the country, but I don’t believe I’ve driven through a more beautiful landscape until this drive from Modesto towards Yosemite. The winding roads with green hills on either side of the road – not much traffic, it was very tranquil!
Welcome to Tenaya Lodge
When I saw the sign for Tenaya Lodge, I got excited. My son didn’t know anything about where we were staying, but as we drove closer, he began getting excited as I was describing what I’d seen online. We pulled up to the canopy entrance and were greeted by the Valet and Bellmen.
They were eager to welcome us to Tenaya and helped us unload our vehicle with our luggage and brought it into the Lodge where we checked in. The entrance felt grand (in a mountain setting way) and was complete with a fireplace burning as we walked into the lobby.
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Entrance at Tenaya Lodge -
Grand Lobby at Tenaya Lodge -
Fireplace warming entrance at Tenaya
The Check-In process was very pleasant and the staff was very welcoming and explained everything about my reservation to me. I had pre-registered for a tour for the following day so the agent provided me with my vouchers and reminded me about the start time and provided information about food options, etc. for the tour.
Warm and Inviting was immediately how I felt walking into the lobby!
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Lobby of Tenaya Lodge -
Grand hallway - Tenaya Lodge -
View from 3rd Floor Tenaya Lodge
The bellman walked us up to our room with our luggage and spoke to us the entire way to the room, providing information about the Lodge and offering suggestions for things to do while there. He offered to fill our ice bucket and made certain we were comfortable and didn’t need anything else before leaving us to get settled.
The size of the room was a pleasant surprise. Since I was traveling with my son so I’d requested 2 Queen beds. The room was spacious with a beautiful view of the valley outside our window. There was plenty of room for both of our suitcases to be laid out. In addition, the bathroom was comfortable with a split layout – the large sink (which included a Keurig coffee maker and coffee/tea) was separated from the toilet and shower.
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Spacious Bedroom - Tenaya Lodge -
Bedroom - Tenaya Lodge -
Beautiful Bathroom - Tenaya Lodge -
Bathroom - Tenaya Lodge -
View from Bedroom - Tenaya Lodge
Tenaya Lodge offers several options for dining. There are restaurants, a bar and grill, a deli that offers fresh packaged foods, snacks and cold drinks as well as a pizzeria. Due to our limited time before our tour was to begin on our first morning, we had the breakfast buffet at Sierra Restaurant. The buffet was complete with fruit, eggs, breakfast meat, potatoes, cereal, pastries, etc. It was delicious.
We were scheduled for the Full Day Yosemite Tour after breakfast on our first morning. From 8:30 – 4:00 we were driven in a very comfortable Mercedes Tour bus through the Yosemite Valley. Our tour guide, Jarrett, was very personable and knowledgeable about the Valley, having grown up in nearby Fresno.
He spent his youth hiking through the valley and was a wealth of knowledge for our group as we were able to see sights such as; Glacier Point, Tunnel View, Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite Falls, El Capitan Mountain and many more. One of our stops was at Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias where we were able to walk along trails through the massive trees and just enjoy.
Full Day Tour through Yosemite Valley provided us with AMAZING views!
Yosemite Valley is Beautiful and we were fortunate to have alovely day to witness the beauty of Mother Earth. In addition to the all-day tour that we tookpart in, Tenaya Lodge has several other activity and tour options.
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Yosemite Valley - Tour -
Tunnel View - Yosemite -
Yosemite Valley - Tour -
Yosemite Valley - Tour -
El Capitan - Yosemite -
Yosemite Valley - Tour -
Yosemite Valley - Tour
After the tour that evening, we enjoyed dinner at Sierra Restaurant. The wait staff was very accommodating and made sure we had what we needed. The food, was delicious and the atmosphere, like the entire Lodge, was cozy and warm.
During dinner, I noticed other patrons looking out the windows. When I looked to see what was going on, I saw that it was snowing. Since we were visiting in mid-March, there was a lot of snow on the ground when we arrived. So, this snowfall was likely not a big deal to the staff and other locals.
It's Snowing!
For us Floridians, and especially my son who has only seen snow, but never been able to enjoy the snow FALL around us, this was exciting.
We let our waiter know that we'd be right back, then ran outside to take some quick pics while the flakes were large and noticeable. My son was wearing shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops (not exactly winter weather, but it was warm in the Lodge), so we had to make it quick. It was awesome!
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Snowing - Tenaya Lodge -
Snowing - Tenaya Lodge -
Snowing - Tenaya Lodge
After dinner, we went to the game room and played pool and shuffleboard. This game room is great for kids. It’s complete with 2 pool tables, air hockey, shuffleboard and 3 TV’s with Xbox consoles. Kids will love this room that's right next to the indoor pool.
So much to do at Tenaya Lodge!
In addition to the indoor activities, there is also an ice skating rink available onsite for a nominal fee. If the weather had been better while I was visiting, I would have loved to have been able to go skating. A fire pit on the lower deck is perfect for making s'mores and enjoying the nighttime beauty. The lodge also offers 2 pools, one indoor with 2 hot tubs and an outdoor pool for warmer months.
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Ice Skating Rink - Tenaya Lodge -
Fire Pit - Tenaya Lodge
For the adults, Tenaya Lodge offers a wonderful Spa onsite as well. Ascent Spa has a full menu for spa and wellness treatments, including massages, facials, skin care, nails and much more. Visit the Ascent Spa website to find out how you can pamper yourself during your visit to Tenaya Lodge.
Ascent Spa
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Ascent Spa - Tenaya Lodge -
Ascent Spa - Tenaya Lodge -
Ascent Spa - Tenaya Lodge
Tenaya Lodge is such a beautiful resort, set in the Beautiful Yosemite Valley. It would be a perfect location for a wedding or family reunion or girl’s weekend or any necessary time away from normal routine. I do wish we’d had more time to enjoy Tenaya Lodge, but for the short time we were able to explore, I would definitely recommend Tenaya as a vacation spot.
There is so much available to do while staying at Tenaya Lodge. In addition to all that they offer on-site, there is hiking, rock climbing, horseback riding... water sports, fishing, rafting. Tenaya offers tours through the resort and can also accommodate scheduling the various activities from their Concierge Center. Visit their helpful agents after checking in so that you can plan your fun adventures.
Beautiful Location….. Great Staff….. Warm and Inviting Accommodations…..
For your next vacation, consider Tenaya Lodge in the Yosemite Valley. You won't regret it!
With Serenity,
