Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite Timberlines Newsletter

Below you'll find the stories from the Spring | Summer Newsletter, including packages and offers.

Spring getaways starting from $159*

For added adventure, add the UNLIMITED SUMMER FUN PASS
Worth over $80 in value, you can choose from a host of outdoor activities right on resort property.

Four Diamonds, Full Circle - Top Tenaya GM Returns More Info

At Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, guest experience is paramount, and we’re proud of delivering it with Four Diamond quality.

Our goal is total guest satisfaction, and though it takes an entire resort team to deliver on that promise, it’s the ultimate responsibility of Tenaya Lodge’s General Manager.

SAY HELLO to a familiar FACE

Today, we are proud to announce the return of Paul Ratchford as General Manager of Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite. Paul led the lodge for eight great years in the 1990s, directing its rise as a luxury resort. Now he’s ready to take the property into a new era.

“It’s great to be back at Tenaya Lodge,” says Ratchford. “I feel like I’m home. There’s a legacy here that is very special, and I am honored to be a part of it – past, present and future.”

While he was away, Paul served as President of The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, and as General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay. Previously, he was General Manager and Vice President of The Pebble Beach Company. Clearly, he is no stranger to the world of iconic American resorts.

As Paul served in executive management with some of the most burnished brands in travel, Tenaya Lodge grew by 20,000 square feet and became Double Silver LEED certified. And with Paul back at the helm, the expansion continues. Tenaya Lodge will add new luxury and garden suites – ready for this summer – and renovate 3 existing luxury suites. Jackalope’s Bar & Grill will double in size, the guest-favorite Summerdale BBQs will increase to five nights a week, and the new outdoor pool area will see a detailed makeover that will divide and enhance both the relaxation and fun areas of the poolside guest experience.

If Paul sounds like a man with a plan, you’re right. But he also loves to take time and engage with Tenaya Lodge guests. After all, his hotel career started in the started in the family travel business in Georgia, where "Southern hospitality" was invented.

CELEBRATE PAUL'S HOMECOMING with the Spring GM Special. Available for a limited time through June 1, the special starts from only $189* per night and includes breakfast for two and a complimentary Yosemite National Park Pass. Use promotional code GMOFFER when booking.

Stand Up, Take Action, Share Your Vision for Yosemite More Info

Recent headline news – the National Park Service’s release of the Merced Wild and Scenic River Draft Comprehensive Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement will have an impact on your future Yosemite experience.

The NPS is actively seeking public input on the plan by April 30, 2013. (See below on how to submit your comment.) The plan presents an environmental analysis of six alternatives, ranging from no action in Alternative 1 to a 46% reduction of lodging in Alternative 2 to an increase in lodging of 21% in Alternative 6 (for a summary of the six alternatives see http://www.yosemitepark.com/mrpintro.aspx). The National Park Service has identified Alternative 5 as the preferred alternative. It would:

• significantly increase the campsite inventory in all river segments (+28%) and in Yosemite Valley (+37%).
• increase day-use parking spaces in Yosemite Valley (+11%).
• reduce commercial services within the river corridor by:

    - removing Curry Village raft rental, ice rink and bike rental stand.
    - eliminating horseback day rides in Yosemite Valley.
    - removing Yosemite Lodge bike rental stand and swimming pool.
    - removing The Ahwahnee swimming pool.

• maintain the current use level of approximately 19,900 visitors per day in Yosemite Valley.
• manage day-use capacity in Yosemite Valley through intentional traffic diversions and monitoring.

Your Opinion and active engagement counts.
Share your comments with the National Park Service in the following ways:

1. Mail to: Superintendent, Yosemite National Park, Attn: Merced River Plan, P.O. Box 577, Yosemite, CA 95389
2. Comment by visiting: http://bit.ly/MRP-comment
3. Email to: yose_planning@nps.gov

Ride the Majestic Mountain Loop More Info

With the new Majestic Mountain Loop, three bigger-than-life Southern Sierra national parks are within an easy 72-hour range.

Here’s how it works: By taking the Majestic Mountain Loop, travelers can explore Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Yosemite National Parks on an unforgettable three-day road trip. With glaciers, granite monoliths, steep canyons, thundering waterfalls, cool caves and magnificent Giant Sequoia trees, the hardest part of the experience will be keeping both eyes on the road! (Tip: stop at Vista Points and take turns driving.)

Visit the official Majestic Mountain Loop website at majesticmountainloop.com for suggested itineraries and points of interest. Tenaya Lodge offers “loopers” a great place to pull over and recharge before and after Yosemite – we’ve got your back with the California Bed & Breakfast Package. Starting at just $205*, you’ll sleep tight in a deluxe or cottage room with dreams of big trees, panoramic views and Sierra Restaurant’s lavish breakfast dancing in your heads. Enhance the escape with a visit to Ascent Spa at Tenaya Lodge, our 12-treatment-room oasis of healing and bliss.

Embrace The Season of Renewal at Ascent Spa More Info

When the Sierra winter turns to spring, energy is released. Snow melts, ice cracks, clouds part, and nature is reborn.

Follow suit and embrace the season of renewal with Ascent Spa at Tenaya Lodge.

Ascent creates bliss with therapies that are intended to nourish, heal and protect in the most comprehensive spa setting in the Yosemite Sierra region. Ascent therapists apply handcrafted, certified-organic products from local indigenous botanicals to heal and soothe the body, promote the elimination of toxins, and produce radiant, hydrated, smooth skin.

You’ll also find that renewal is affordable with Ascent’s Spa120 Special, starting from $209* per night. Along with two nights’luxury accommodations and 10% off dining, 120 minutes of treatment time from the Ascent Spa menu is yours to mix and match. You decide the best way to leave winter behind and prepare your “temple” for spring and summer.

When daylight starts flowing to the summer solstice, outdoorsy go-getters have even more time to hike, bike and climb. After a full day of Yosemite discovery, the Après Adventure Spa Package is the perfect way to recover. Starting at $305* per night, it provides one night’s deluxe lodging, one 60-minute Sports/Deep-Tissue Massage, one 30-minute Hiker’s Delight Foot Treatment and a gift from the Ascent Spa Boutique. Say “spa-ahhhhhh.”

Now you can Book Spa Appointments Online!

Click below to book ahead of time to make sure you get the time and treatment you desire.

or call Ascent Spa at 559-692-8954

Paddle and Pole, or Play it by Oar More Info

From whitewater rafting on extra-foamy rivers to fly-fishing on glassy pools, there are many ways to find your H2O happy place at Tenaya Lodge. Guests of any age and ability can play a line out onto Fish Camp’s fully stocked Big Creek, where you’re likely to encounter feisty Sierra rainbow trout. Serious anglers will strike for our two-night Yosemite Fly-Fishing Package – starting at $399* per night – that hooks you up with local guides and magical holes where the fish are bountiful and biting.

Bass Lake is a classic California locale for paddling a kayak, boat or canoe. A few miles from Tenaya Lodge, Bass is one of the most scenic lakes in the state and a place where your cares will float away. For something on the other edge of the aquatic spectrum, Zephyr Whitewater Tours lead rafting runs on the legendary Merced River. Believe it or not, you’ll be riding on whitewater that was free-falling over Yosemite Falls earlier in the day. Tenaya Lodge’s Whitewater River Rafting Package, starting at $325* per night, includes an all day whitewater trip on the rocking Merced with lunch and a two night’s stay in a deluxe or cottage room.*

Waterfalls, Wildflowers & Wagging Tails More Info

In the heart of the Sierra foothill springtime, there’s no need to stop and smell the flowers – they surround you with blooms at every bend. Dwarf Lupine, Bird’s Eyes and Red Maidens greet you with a massive colorful display. Wildflower lined hiking trails that crisscross Mariposa County are gentle and inviting, and they’re just a short and scenic drive from Tenaya Lodge.

Butterflies, rainbows and songbirds may join you. Furry four-pawed companions are welcome on these trails, too. Tenaya Lodge takes you higher with our Deluxe Pampered Pet Package, starting at $265* and including one night’s stay in a standard or cottage room, two hours of pet sitting, and lots of “pextras” that will have Fido bragging to his dog-park buds back home. It’s high time to savor some of the best weather of the year with the added bonus of traveling with your pet and enjoying great rates that are as short-lived as a field of wildflowers.

Secrets of the Southern Sierra More Info

Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, El Capitan. They’re Yosemite National Park’s big three, and they are awe-inspiring. But, just outside the park, in Tenaya Lodge country, there are at least 101 additional activities and attractions waiting to be discovered. The Southern Sierra is star-studded with scenic vistas, history, hiking and biking trails, art galleries, farmers’ markets, vineyards, rodeos, casinos, and even boasts the exact geographic center of California!

Way too many to list here, in fact, so we created a new local travel guide to the area called 101 Things to Do in the Southern Sierra. Browse through your options with our handy signature guide. We hope you have as much fun reading it as we did researching it!

_{*All packages and rates subject to availability. Restrictions may apply. Outdoor activities are subject to weather conditions.}