The central core of Yosemite Lodge at the Falls is an open courtyard with a small amphitheater. Guests and visitors traverse this open area, partly shaded by deciduous trees, as they move between the registration lobby and the Lodge’s food court, restaurant, bar, retail shops and other destinations. This outdoor space is the hub of the property, defined and bordered by large expanses of glass that make it a focal point from every angle and every destination.
Each holiday season, we watched as strands of miniature lights were draped through the bare branches of trees and shrubs in the courtyard, a well-intentioned but anemic Christmas display with bulky plugs and bright UL safety tags at eye level and which featured a pair of illuminated, wire-framed deer, their heads slowly bobbing as they “grazed” the bare, frozen earth.
We had a better idea. We proposed a cohesive design for the courtyard that extended the spirit of the property’s traditional holiday centerpiece — the large, fresh Christmas tree that appears each year just outside The Mountain Room restaurant. Our design called for two dozen fresh cut Douglas Fir trees, in heights ranging from four feet to eight feet, staked throughout the courtyard as if growing there. Illuminated with warm white, energy-saving LED mini lights, this enchanted holiday forest provides a tremendous visual impact from every vantage point and different experience from every angle. And it’s breathtaking after a snowfall.
