This September marks the 20th anniversary of Yosemite Facelift, Yosemite National Park's annual park-wide cleanup event. As a reward for all their hard work, Rush Creek Lodge & Spa—a Yosemite gateway partner—is offering Facelift volunteers who stay at the Lodge a free detox treatment at the on-site Rush Creek Spa.
Yosemite Facelift was founded in 2003 by Ken Yager, President of the Yosemite Climbing Association, as a way for climbers to give back to the park after the summer climbing and tourist season. It has since grown into a week-long event with a range of volunteer opportunities and programming. Volunteers from all over the world descend on the park to help clean up the national treasure. Nearly 3,000 volunteers participated in the 2019 event, collecting close to 16,000 pounds of trash, much of which was recycled. In all, Yosemite Facelift has removed one million pounds of trash from the park over the years.
The 20th-anniversary event will take place in Yosemite Valley from September 20th to 24th, 2023 with a range of volunteer opportunities, daily giveaways, guest speakers, music and more celebrations. Volunteers can contribute as little as an hour or participate in multi-day projects. Registration information can be found at yosemiteclimbing.org.
Rush Creek Lodge & Spa, located just outside the park, will reward any Facelift volunteers staying at the property during the event. Volunteers will not only feel good about their service, they can end their day with some serious pampering at the luxurious, Yosemite-inspired spa. The Rush Creek Spa will treat volunteer guests to a complimentary Detox Experience that includes a magnesium foot soak in the Spa's heated outdoor lounge and access to day-use amenities such as the Granite Waterfall Mineral Hot Tub, Warm Waterfall Coves, Aromatherapy Steam Room and more. Volunteers can also enjoy 10% off their stay. Find out more on the Rush Creek Lodge website.