Hotel Review: Explorer Cabins at Tenaya Lodge Near Yosemite, California

Finally, the Yosemite area has an accommodation option that keeps sacred all that’s great about camping but filters out the rest. At the new Explorer Cabins, part of Tenaya Lodge, all the energy that is often expended during a camping trip is protected, allowing clients to reset for productive days spent exploring Yosemite National Park.

Tenaya Lodge is a AAA Four Diamond hotel, offering guests the big attractions of a resort — such as multiple restaurants, a gym, a spa and daily activities — just 2.5 miles from the South Gate entrance of one of America’s most popular national parks.

The Explorer Cabins, which are located adjacent to the main lodge, debuted last summer and are part of a $25 million investment to enhance Tenaya. Each of the 50 cabins features two bedrooms, a bathroom and a living room complete with a kitchenette. The setup includes a microwave, a refrigerator and a Keurig, while the living room section features a leather sofa and additional seating. A large wood coffee table — topped with a bowl of succulents — ties the mixed-use room together. The room is extra-cozy thanks to a fireplace, which is located below a flatscreen television. 

The 650-square-foot cabins are filled with photography of Yosemite’s highlights, and their decor is also outfitted in plaid prints, brown hues and lots of wood. There’s a definite attempt to conjure the feelings of camping via large picture windows that frame surrounding incense cedar and sugar pine trees. The staggered arrangement of the cabins ensures great views no matter which unit you get — though I would recommend requesting the Deluxe Explorer Cabins, which are farther away from the highway, for a quieter stay. 

Each cabin includes a small terrace set with red Adirondack chairs, which are also found at several campfires located around the property. Further proof that Explorer Cabins are like camping — but without the extra effort — is the fact that fires are lit every evening by staff.

Another homage to camping: S’mores are in the cards — each room comes complete with a set of chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers. 

Guests in the cabins also receive two large flashlights, two pocket flashlights, wooden walking sticks, binoculars and refillable water bottles, making packing for this trip a breeze. An exclusive Explorer Clubhouse for cabin guests offers a light breakfast of breads and cereals (no hot food) as well as a daily happy hour featuring local beer made exclusively for Tenaya Lodge by South Gate Brewing in Oakhurst, Calif. A Camp Host mans the clubhouse and is available around the clock to give advice for exploring the surroundings, to fulfill check-ins and checkouts and to pour drinks for happy hour.

My husband and I loved the privacy of our Deluxe Explorer Cabin: There’s something inherently romantic about retreating to a private cabin in the woods after a long day spent hiking in Yosemite or the surrounding Sierra National Forest.

Plus, we loved that we could walk through a nature trail to get to the main lodge, where we ate dinner every night, stocked up on snacks for our day trips to the national park and met our guide for an evening hike. My personal highlight was a trip to the lodge’s Ascent Spa, where I enjoyed a massage before making the drive back home.

Despite how good the cabins are for couples, they’re also ideal for groups of friends or family. Families with young kids can request the Family Explorer Cabin, which includes bunk beds and a shower/tub combo. This makes the cabins perfect for families with more than two children and who dread having to split up the kids into multiple guestrooms. 

The living room sofa can be converted into a bed, too, allowing for a total of six guests in one cabin. Both bedrooms have their own televisions, as well — a thoughtful detail for families with differing interests.

The accumulation of such small but crucial creature comforts differentiates Explorer Cabins from both hotels and camping options in the area — and the Yosemite area is all the better for it. 

The Details
Explorer Cabins at Tenaya Lodge
www.tenayalodge.com