One of the Western cabins at Bryce Canyon National Park/Kurt Repanshek file
I've stayed in national park lodging from Cape Lookout National Seashore on North Carolina's Outer Banks to Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska. While some of those stays were very memorable, others were easily forgettable.
There have been nights in extremely basic lodgings (the cabins on Great Island at Cape Lookout, the cabins at Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park, and the tent camps at Yosemite National Park), and a few in extremely sumptuous lodgings (Lake Hotel in Yellowstone National Park). And there have been nights spent in my own tent and lean-tos on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail that surpassed some of the park lodgings in overall experience.
There have been nightly rates that took my breath away, and accommodations that made me wonder why they were going for nearly $300 a night.
There are many lodges I haven't spent a night in, including such high-end places like The Ahwanee at Yosemite, the El Tovar at Grand Canyon National Park, or Jenny Lake Lodge at Grand Teton. With that understood, here are my top five lodgings:
1. Lake Hotel, Yellowstone. This gorgeous, Colonial Revival structure on the north shore of Yellowstone Lake is elegant. Its accommodations are extremely comforting after a long day in the park, and if you snag a lakeside room the views are beautiful. The Sun Room off the dining room is a great place to relax with your favorite beverage while a string quartet plays. The history is rich, as the hotel was built in 1891 and today lays claim to being the oldest existing hotel still standing in the park system. It's not cheap, with rooms in September ranging from $359 to $1,000.
2. Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone. Sit in a rocking chair on one of the interior balconies of the inn after sundown amid the log railings with their crooked branch supports with a view of the crackling fire in the massive, four-side fireplace down below, and you know you have one of the best perches in the National Park System. The rooms aren't necessary something to write home about, but the entire experience — the magnificent log structure, rooms with views of the Upper Geyser Basin's waterworks, the history tied to the world's first national park — is superb. Rates are variable, from low $200s to over $1,000 a night.
3. Zion Lodge Cabins, Zion National Park. Located on the floor of Zion Canyon across from the lodge, these log cabins are charming, with hardwood floors, small stone-lined gas-log fireplaces in a corner, and queen or double beds. They're not as spaced out as one might like, but they're cozy. Rates in the mid-$200s and up, depending on the season.
4. The Inn at Death Valley National Park. Long known as the Furnace Creek Inn, this lodging rivals Lake Hotel. Its stone and adobe construction and Mission-style architecture are something you won't quickly forget. With a landscape of palm trees you can explore via stone pathways and a pool to relax in before, or after, dinner, this serves as an elegant (albeit expensive) base camp for exploring the park. Rates quickly go from about $300 to over $400 a night.
5. The Lodge At Bryce Canyon, Western Cabins, Bryce Canyon National Park. A late-September, early-October stay in one of these cabins is a great way to close out a tour of the national parks in Utah. Gas fireplaces take the chill off the night, peaked ceilings held up by Ponderosa logs take you back a century, and the very short walk to the edge of the colorful rock amphitheater can make you feel like you own the park. Low $300s/night.
All of the above carry a definite sense of place, unlike some park lodgings that are nothing more than roadside motels. My list also is West-centric, mainly because there aren't many park lodgings in the East or Midwest, and those I've stayed in didn't greatly impress.
How about you? What are your favorite accommodations in the National Park System? Can we build a definite list of the best places to stay?
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Comments
When we journeyed to Yellowstone in 2018, we were fortunate to get a three-night reservation at Lake Hotel, lake-side view. What a lovely hotel, stunning views, beautiful boardwalk, great restaurant, computer room. The room seemed tight, so we rearranged the table and chairs so we could gaze at the lake. (We returned the pieces to their position before departing.) I'd stay again at Lake Hotel in a heartbeat, Yellowstone Lake was stunning.
We didn't stay at the Lake Hotel, but did stay in the Lake Lodge cabins maybe 40 years ago. Again - way past the statute of limitations but we crowded way too many people in there with sleeping bags. The lodge building was nice and had several movie nights.
I wish we could have stayed there longer, but my family had one night at the Old Faithful cabins. That was very cheap, but the reason for just one night was that it was the only night I could get five months before our trip. Nothing fancy, but at least there was a sink and running water in the room even though we had to use communal bathrooms. Nothing quite like answering the call of nature at 2AM and having to put on some minimal clothes and worry about being bitten by mosquitos. A lot of the communal bathrooms were quite nice and renovated recently with clearly modern fixtures and structures. When there were cabins with their own bathrooms, they were often really old where the toilet looked like it was older than me.
Getting reservations was interesting. I asked my manager at work for time and he wouldn't commit to letting me go. I'd saw preferred dates/locations in Yellowstone available, but when he gave me the green light a few days later my preferred times/locations were unavilable.
Another thing is that one doesn't necessarily have to stay at a national park lodge in order to experience and appreciate it. I've certainly entered some of these building and even had lunch or dinner. I don't think I've ever been to one east of the Rockies. On my visit to Everglades NP, Flamingo Lodge was still fenced off and I suppose never reopened but has been replaced by a new lodge.
I've dined at several national park lodge dining rooms, including Roosevelt Lodge (with mason jar drinking glasses) in Yellowstone, The Ahwahnee (breakfast and lunch), The Mountain Room at Yosemite Lodge, Wuksachi Lodge at Sequoia, Paradise Inn at Mt Rainier, Zion Lodge, Bryce Canyon Lodge. Or even more casual like the Pioneer Grill at Jackson Lake Lodge (Grand Teton) or just inexpensive hot dogs at Volcano House. But I heard Ortega took over and everything cost more.
But sometimes we just went in for a visit to places like Old Faithful Inn, El Tovar, etc. I did eat at Jackson Lake Lodge in 2006, but I grabbed my computer when I found out that they had free Wi-Fi internet. Possibly the the slowest internet I've ever used since it had limited overall bandwisth and there must have been dozens of others sharing the resource.
Bearpaw Meadow High Sierra Cmp was wonderful, and sadly I say that in retrospect as the last season was 2018, for the heavy winter of 2019 damaged some buildings, Covid close it down from 2020-22, and the winter of record destroyed the remainder of the the 6 tent cabin platforms along with the dining hall/kitchen. It was so intimate with a total of 12 guests, with a killer view of the Great Western Divide and stellar dayhike possibilities.
Wish I hadnt seen it last month looking all wrecked, oh the memories though.
Delaware North is the concessionaire for Sequoia NP, so i'm thinking nothing ever gets done in rebuilding it.
How so? As far as I know, NPS is resonsible for building repair/construction and last I saw was that the A-frame visitor center was slated for rebuilding. Are you thinking that because you feel NPS has a negative view of Delaware North or because Delaware North wouldn't be interested in contributing?
Bearpaw Meadow High Sierra Camp was always the concessionaire's responsibility, NPS had nothing to do with it.
Wonder if DNC trademarked the name, wouldn't surprise me the least.