By Kelsey Hicks, July 7, 2026
Rush Creek Lodge, California
Let’s be honest. Summer in LA means one thing: everyone you know is either at the airport or complaining about being at the airport. Between the TSA lines, the surge-priced Ubers, and the group chat competition of who has a longer flight delay, sometimes the best getaway is the one you don’t need a boarding pass for. Enter Yosemite: no flight, no security line, no 5am airport alarm, and no $13 coffee. It’s the reset your nervous system has been begging for, and we found the spot where checking in to the hotel is the start of the R&R, not just a pit stop on the way to the park.
If you’re looking for the getaway to actually book and not just keep in that saved folder on Instagram, this is it: Rush Creek Lodge & Spa, perched minutes from the park entrance at 34001 Highway 120 in Groveland, close enough to feel like Yosemite’s front porch, but polished enough that “roughing it” is never actually on the agenda. You want the nature and the unplugged adventure, sure, but you also want a good pool, a spa day, and somewhere that doesn’t sacrifice comfort. Bonus: this is the lodge’s tenth summer in business, so there’s an extra layer of celebration woven into the season with 10 weeks of fun surprises and special programming through Labor Day!
