America’s national parks have lost several park lodges during our 55 years of travel.
Demolition of Giant Forest Lodge in Sequoia National Park commenced the year following our 1996 stay. Bluffs Lodge and Rocky Knob Cabins closed in 2010 and 2011, respectively, when the Blue Ridge Parkway was unable to attract private companies interested in their management.
Flamingo Lodge in Everglades National Park was destroyed by two major hurricanes in 2005. Dozens of damaged and destroyed cabins at Yosemite National Park were taken out of Yosemite Valley following a major 1997 flood. Ten cabins were removed from Olympic National Park’s Kalaloch Lodge in 2024 due to Pacific Ocean storms undermining the coastal bluffs.
None of these losses proved as heartbreaking for us as the July 12 wildfire destruction of Grand Canyon National Park's Grand Canyon Lodge. Initial information was sketchy and offered hope only a portion of the lodge had been damaged. Our worst fear was realized when additional details were released.
To say we were saddened by the loss is an understatement. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon has long been one of our favorite places to visit, and Grand Canyon Lodge one of our favorite places to stay.
The historic building and majority of guest cabins burned in July weren’t the first lodging facility on the North Rim to be lost to fire. The original Grand Canyon Lodge, designed by noted architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, opened in 1928. Underwood, working for Utah Parks Company, a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad, had earlier designed lodges at Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Cedar Breaks.
Unfortunately, this lodge on the North Rim burned down four years following completion, the result of a kitchen fire. It was replaced in 1937 by the lodge just lost to the July wildfire.
Our first stay at Grand Canyon Lodge occurred during the early summer of 1996 as part of a 10-week, 11,000-mile driving tour of America’s national parks to gather information for a national park lodging guide. Over the years we returned to the North Rim and Grand Canyon Lodge on six occasions.
What a wonderful place it was and, hopefully, will be again. The North Rim attracts far fewer visitors than the more commercialized South Rim. This lack of crowds in an environment of tall pine trees, moderate summer temperatures and near total absence of vehicle traffic in the lodging area made for a relaxed and pleasurable national park experience.
The opportunity to enjoy meals in Grand Canyon Lodge’s magnificent dining room that overlooked the canyon was a highlight of a stay.
National parks occasionally reward visitors with experiences so special they seem almost spiritual. At the North Rim we arose in the early mornings and walked to the veranda of Grand Canyon Lodge. Sitting in silence sipping coffee we watched the sunrise create a changing canyon panorama of golden hues.
These were magical early mornings in a time and place when everything in our own world seemed right. In fact, it was. If only it could have lasted longer.
David and Kay Scott are authors of “Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges” (Globe Pequot). The Scotts live in Valdosta, Georgia. Visit them at blog.valdosta.edu/dlscott
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