Hotel Spotlight: Rush Creek Lodge Yosemite May 20, 2018
Throughout my youth I was raised in small towns full of natural exploration. Living in such a small town, I was never in tune with nature as much as my brother was (who is now ironically an Organic Farmer). Now that I’m older, I’ve come to love the secluded splendor that raw nature has to offer. My travels brought my family and I to Rush Creek Lodge in Yosemite and boy, were we excited!

Waking up to a warm gas fire and opening the blinds to panoramic views of lush pines and soaring mountains made me feel so at home. To ease my stress, I often head out into nature, specifically though, the mountains for some nature therapy. For those of you who love a warm cup ‘o joe while watching the sun rise over Yosemite, then this is the perfect place for you. The simple touches of the lodge and spacious rooms and pantry made staying here feel so easy and comfortable. But the lodge is just the beginning to what this beautiful new hotel has to offer, which includes a big pool and hot tub, gorgeous outdoor bonfire area near the pool to enjoy evening s’mores, and let’s not forget the beautifully designed dining room and massive game room with everything you could imagine! For those who would like to get work done on their laptop in front of a fire and cozy couch, the main living area of the resort offers the perfect, serene environment to bang out a few e-mails.


But my favorite of course is the lodge’s close proximity to Yosemite, a beautiful and ancient national park surrounded by Sequoia trees and towering granite cliffs. We didn’t have to travel far to reach the epic sights of Yosemite. Since the lodge is located within a natural park, I was curious as to their sustainability measures. To my delight, Rush Creek Lodge has a great social mission that focuses on youth programs, local sourcing, energy conservation, waste reduction and environmental education. To learn more, I encourage you to visit this link. Rush Creek Lodge is a “B Corporation”, which, according to their website; “B Corps are a new form of company that uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. B Corps are designed for long term sustainability, putting the health of our communities, environment and staff on the same level as the health of the bottom line.
B Corps are certified to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. B Corp certification is to sustainable business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee, or USDA Organic certification is to milk. Today, there is a growing community of more than 1,300 Certified B Corps from 41 countries and 120 industries working together toward one unifying goal: to redefine success in business. Other B Corps you may recognize include Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, Method, Plum Organics and Revolution Foods.
You can learn more about B Corps by visiting www.bcorporation.net.”

The overall rating that I gave Rush Creek Lodge is a 10/10.
What I loved: Authentic natural location, game room, study room, in-room gas stove, balcony with sweeping views, delicious breakfast, wonderfully kind staff and general store, close proximity to Yosemite, and major efforts to be sustainable.
What Set It Back: Nada
Overall: Please give Rush Creek a stay for longer than 2 nights, you will not regret it!
What makes a sustainable or regenerative hotel? A reverse osmosis water system, farm to table produce, supporting local dairy and meat farmers, engaging with local non-profit or community organization endeavors to address an issue within the country or community, energy efficient lighting, low pressure water systems, recycling, employing locals and offering fair and equal pay, replanting what was lost during the construction, use of biofuel (for boats), engaging guests in local cultural experiences and making them aware of environmental and cultural needs, LEED Certification, educating staff on importance of sustainability (turning off lights, observing for wasteful practices, etc.), reducing bathroom amenities waste (using bamboo toothbrushes instead, locally made/organic soap, shampoo and conditioner that help the environment), the list goes on.


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