Equine Photography
Landscape Photography
Hiking
Trail ride
Cabins with kitchens
Restaurant on site
Camp Store on site
Retreat arrival will be on Monday, Sept 14, 2026, cabin check in at 3 p.m.
Retreat ends Friday Sept 18, 2026 with check out at 11 a.m.
This retreat will be held at the Kennedy Meadows Resort and Pack Station. It is located just off HWY 108 in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, north of Yosemite National Park. The elevation is near 7000'. Don't let "Resort" in the title fool you. This is a rustic high sierra experience. We'll do lots of walking, which can be physically challenging and will require a certain amount of physical ability to safely enjoy your week. We are also planning a group trail ride, so you should be able to physically mount, dismount, and ride a horse. The trail ride will be walking only and will last about 90 minutes. I recommend staying in the mountains Sunday night, at at least 4000' elevation to begin to adjust to the altitude if you're not used to it.
Retreat participants will be assigned cabins. Cabins sleep more than one person, so pricing options include a shared cabin or a private cabin. All cabins include a kitchen and refrigerator. Some cabins have a small stove and pots/pans/dishes/utensils. Some have a wood stove and a campfire ring outside in front. Linens and towels are included. Bring all your own toiletries. Supplies are available in the Store. See photos of cabins below.
Meals are not included in the pricing, so you can choose to bring your own food and cook/eat in your cabin, or you can eat at the Kennedy Meadows Restaurant. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They do not really cater to dietary restrictions, so take a look at the menus (photos below), which can help you make your decision about meals.
Above pricing is based on double occupancy.
For a private cabin, add $500
For a couple in one room, sharing their cabin, discount is $500
All pricing subject to change with or without notice
If you are a photographer and your spouse is not, this is a perfect retreat for you both to attend. They can read, relax, hike, or fish. A tag along spouse will have a custom deeply reduced retreat price, based on their chosen degree of participation. Let's talk details!
A $500 deposit is required at time of registration. Deposits are refundable until 90 days before first day of retreat. Less than 90 days before retreat, deposits are 100% non refundable, but may be transferred to future retreat or workshop. Any cancellation made between 30 and 90 days prior to event will result in a loss of 50% of the deposit. Any cancellation made less than 30 days before event start will result in a total loss of funds. We reserve the right to cancel the trip if it is not meeting the trip minimum (if we do so your deposit is refunded in full). Trip cancellation insurance is always recommended whenever making travel plans. You can use our suggested Travel Guard Insurance online and choose from several policy options.
We will photograph wranglers on horses with western tack and loose horses in meadows and streams.
You can photograph the landscape throughout the Kennedy Meadows property. There is a river running through the property, several meadows, and pine forest, and gorgeous mountains in the distance. You can drive to locations or walk into the wilderness along the horse trails to find scenery to photograph. In addition, on our trail ride, we will stop to photograph the landscape from horseback.
Our retreat group will have a private trail ride, which will allow us to stop at any time or place along the route to take pictures from horseback. You will need a body mount or strap for your camera(s) so that your hands are free to hold the reins while riding.
Please enjoy some R&R. Build in some down time to just enjoy being in nature, or do some reading. I challenge you to minimize your screen time! If you're a fisherman (or woman), fishing in the river is an additional activity. Please contact Kennedy Meadows directly with any questions about fishing.
You may hike on any of the trails on the property. There are trail maps and details at the lodge.
There is NO cell reception at this remote location in the mountains. There will be Wifi at the lodge and cabins, but they do not allow streaming. You should plan to use Wifi just to send and receive messages, i.e. email, WhatsApp, etc. or to do a quick post to social media (please tag @essencecaptured and @loriessencecaptured)!!!
There is electricity, so you can bring your laptop for some quick checks and edits, but save the bulk of your editing for when you get home. You'll want to really enjoy this beautiful place!
If you'll be flying in, I recommend flying into Reno, NV (RNO) and renting a car. It is about a 3 hour drive to Kennedy Meadows. IMPORTANT; if you are unaccustomed to high altitudes, please plan to arrive a day early and stay at a midway altitude (4000-5000 feet) to allow your body to adjust. Arriving a day early and staying in Reno works! Drink lots of water and rest. Read up on how to prepare and what you should bring to support your body. Some people experience dehydration, headaches, fatigue, and/or nausea if they jump to high elevation too quickly. You'll want to be well rested and feeling good physically for the start of our retreat.
If you're driving and need any input on which route to take, feel free to ask me. Same recommendation applies: stay Sunday night at a midway altitude (at least 4000-5000 feet) to allow your body to adjust.
We will be staying at Kennedy Meadows during the last week of the summer season, just before deer hunting season starts. They will start hauling horses down from the mountain on Thursday. All of our horse related photography and riding will happen on Tuesday and Wednesday. This is a pack station, so mule trains are sometimes coming in and going out. We'll inquire about these types of activities for the purpose of setting up to photograph anything of interest. There's no way to pre plan any of that, so we'll just look for opportunities once we are there.
Copyright ©2026 Essence Captured and Lori Sortino. All rights reserved.