Adventures with Holly - A Vacationeer

06/02/2025

The final Xanterra product I will highlight for now is Yellowstone. The photos are of the cabins at Mammoth Hot Springs. These are definitely a bit more rustic. They have shared bathrooms like at a campground (though they are quite nice!), and there is no wifi except at the closest cabins.

This location is nice if you want to be in the park, but want to stay on the far northern side. There are definitely more central lodging locations open later in the summer. The lodges around Old Faithful are also very popular. There are also hotel rooms at this location. Since we had a larger group, we opted for the two bedroom cabin.

Note: Yellowstone is one of the more accessible parks, with many of the highlights being visible by car or boardwalk. Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley both allowed easy access to wildlife viewing without leaving the safety of the car (for accessbility OR in case you don't want to meet bears on the trial like we did!). You definitely want to purchase bear spray if you are hiking out on a non-boardwalk trail.

05/31/2025

I am so excited they are bringing in a new parade!

✨ JUST ANNOUNCED! "Disney Starlight: Dream The Night Away" will debut at Magic Kingdom on July 20, 2025! ✨

05/31/2025

The next Xanterra product I want to highlight is the Grand Tetons. These photos are of Signal Mountian Lodge in a lakeside cabin with a kitchen. The staff and the view are both incredible!

05/25/2025

For my second post on national parks and Xanterra, I want to highlight Yosemite Valley Lodge and Yosemite itself!

This lodge has a few less frills than some of the other choices in the valley, but the room has a refrigator, bunk beds, a view of Yosemite Falls (for some rooms), and is right in the middle of all the action. Do note, this lodge has no AC, which is fine most of the year and if you cool it off at night, but could be an important factor.

There is a LOT to do in Yosemite!

Favorite Trails
-Mist Falls: This is a fairly strenuous trail, and you get absolutely soaked, but it has payoffs all along the way, allowing you to cater its length to your ability (as long as you can manage stairs) and offering amazing viewpoints all along the way.
-Yosemite Falls: you can do an easy hike to lower Yosemite Falls or do a longer hike to the top

Other activities:
-rent bikes: there are bikes paths around the valley and these allow you to see a lot of beautiful spots!
-rock climbing/bouldering: bring your own equipment or sign up for classes
-tours: take a tour of the valley floor or take a shuttle to the top of Glacier Point
-watch elite climbers on El Capitan: it is really cool to see them climbing and sleeping on this steep rock face
-Ranger led activities

05/22/2025

I ate at the Das Stakehaus in Dark Universe (Epic Universe at Universal Orlando) and had a wonderful piece of salmon with potatoes and veggies. It was gluten free and delicious and the atmosphere there is really cool!

05/20/2025

The Vacationeer now works with Xanterra, the company that handles most National Park hotel reservations! This is perfect timing because we just finished a whirlwind trip through five national parks and four different national park lodges/cabins using Xanterra.

The first location I want to share about is John Muir Lodge, nestled in King’s Canyon and just a short drive from Sequoia National Park.

I love this lodge! It has ample seating both inside the building and outside on the wonderful porches. We had a refrigerator in our room, a microwave in the lobby, and it saved us so much driving time to stay there vs outside the parks.

Favorite hikes:
-Panoramic Point at sunrise: (this was right by the lodge and is a very short walk when the road is open) This viewpoint offers a stunning view.
-Congress Trail: loops off of the General Sherman Trail and winds through the sequoia grove
-Big Stump Basin: winds through large sequoia stumps
-Grizzly Falls: this was a very short trail in King’s Canyon and beautiful
-Zumwalt Meadow: a very peaceful trail

These two national parks are just a couple of hours from Yosemite and just over an hour from Fresno. Two or three days can give you a good feel for both parks if you aren't planning any day-long or overnight hikes.

05/20/2025

How cute is this little restaurant in the Harry Potter area of Epic Universe!

05/18/2025

Entering the Ministry of Magic (at Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe) is inspiring in its scale. I absolutely love it!

05/17/2025

Throughout the day, music and water create a show at the dedicated entrance to Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe for hotel guests at Helios.

05/13/2025

05/11/2025

Here are a few detail shots from the How to Train a Dragon area at Epic Universe. The dragons were all so cute! The toothless is amazing!

05/05/2025