David and Kay Scott
Would you enjoy waking up early and walking out the back porch so you can watch the sun rise over the Grand Canyon? How about strolling down the lane in front of your hotel to a spot where French fur trappers once portaged their canoes? Or maybe wake up late one night to look out the window and see Mount Rainier shine under the light of a full moon? You can enjoy all these and more when staying in America’s national park lodges. We know, because we have been enjoying experiences such as these for thirty-five years.
We have devoted four summer to staying in as many national park lodges as possible during a three-month jaunt. The last trip consisted of a 92-day, 11,000-mile drive through 30 states. We visited twenty-five national park areas and stayed in forty-five national park lodges. The lodges are located in some of the country’s best-known parks including Yosemite, Sequoia, Mount Rainier, Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Shenandoah. We also stayed in lodges located in national park areas that are not so well known including Canyon de Chelly, Oregon Caves, and Buffalo National River. All of the parks are special and each lodge is different.
First, a short primer on national park lodges. Most national park lodges are owned by the U.S. government and operated by private concessionaires under lease agreements with the National Park Service. Yellowstone National Park has nine lodges, all owned by the government but operated by Xanterra Parks and Resorts, a privately owned firm. While the National Park Service does not operate these lodges, it does approve prices, dates of operation, and other important aspects of the operations. A limited number of lodging facilities including Death Valley’s Furnace Creek Inn are privately owned and operated. As lodge operations have become more complex several major concessionaires have come to dominate the business. Xanterra, Forever Resorts, and Aramark are major players and each operates lodging facilities in several national parks. A portion of the revenues these firms collect from room rents, restaurant tabs, and gift shop sales are turned over to the National Park Service.
National park lodging facilities include a dude ranch, a bed and breakfast, a series of cabins that float on a lake, and an elegant hotel in the middle of a desert. Some are expensive, some are rustic, and some are in very isolated locations. We thought it might be fun to create a few categories and lodge descriptions that may help you decide where you should spend your next vacation.
CLASSIC – Some lodges are exactly what you envision as being in a national park. If these three park lodges don’t come to mind, they should. All were built by the railroads.
Old Faithful Inn (Yellowstone NP – Wyoming) is America’s best-known national park lodge. The inn doesn’t directly face Old Faithful, but arriving guests are likely to discover the famous geyser is the first thing they see as they drive up to the front door to unload luggage. The large lobby, with log beams and a vaulted ceiling that soars 77 feet above the first floor, has multiple overhanging balconies. Oddly shaped logs are used as decoration and for support of the railings and log beams. A huge clock ticks away on the front of a massive, four-sided stone fireplace that highlights the lobby. Rooms are offered in the original central part of the hotel (the "Old House") and in two newer wings. (307) 344-7311.
Glacier Park Lodge (Glacier NP – Montana) was constructed in 1912 and 1913 by the Great Northern Railway. Freight and passenger trains continue to operate a short distance from the hotel. The massive three-story lobby with 40-inch-diameter fir and cedar pillars consumes most of the first floor. The lobby is absolutely breathtaking and a wonderful place to spend an evening. The impressive hotel entry is connected to the nearby railway station by a wide corridor of beautiful wild flowers. The hotel has a nine-hole golf course and a nine-hole pitch and putt. It also has a swimming pool and a day spa. (406) 892-2525.
El Tovar (Grand Canyon NP – Arizona) was constructed in 1905 by the Santa Fe Railroad. The hotel sits on the rim of the canyon and offers a two-story lobby with log beams and a large stone fireplace. A nice mezzanine with an overlook of the lobby has stuffed chairs, a piano, and a fireplace. Several verandas and a large covered front porch have chairs for relaxing after a morning breakfast or evening walk along the canyon rim. The El Tovar went through an extensive renovation in 2005 and the rooms are quite nice. This is the place to stay when visiting the Grand Canyon. (888) 297-2757.MOST UNUSUAL – You won’t encounter anything that looks like Seattle’s Space Needle, but some lodging facilities aren’t what you might expect to find in a national park. Here are three unusual lodges.
Ross Lake Resort (North Cascades Complex NP – Washington) is a series of floating cabins, bunkhouses, and support buildings along the shoreline of 22-mile-long Ross Lake. The buildings are constructed on wooden docks attached to huge cedar logs that float on the water and are attached to the shore. Guests must either hike two miles to a boat pick-up point across from the resort or utilize scheduled transportation by ferry/flatbed truck/speedboat to reach the resort. Each cabin has kitchen facilities and guests must bring all of their own food. Walk out the front door of your cabin and view some of the most beautiful mountain scenery in America. (206) 386-4437.
Triangle X Dude Ranch (Grand Teton NP – Wyoming) is the only operating dude ranch in a national park. The ranch has all of the buildings you would expect in a working ranch, as well as twenty freestanding log or wood-frame cabins that provide overnight accommodations. Reservations are for a full week with three meals a day and daily horseback riding (except Sunday) included in the price of a room. Each guest is assigned his or her own horse for the week’s stay. Children age five to twelve eat in a separate dining room from teenagers and adults and their activities are especially designed for their age group. Triangle X Ranch has served as home to four generations of the same family. (307) 733-2183.
Kettle Falls Hotel (Voyageurs NP – Minnesota) is a historic two-story frame hotel that reputedly was constructed with money from famous madam Nellie Bly. The hotel once served as a relatively luxurious refuge for lumberjacks and construction workers for the Kettle Falls Dam. The hotel also includes three newer nearby wooden villas. All twelve hotel rooms are on the second floor and furnished with antiques. Rooms share three centrally located community bathrooms. The hotel has a large screened veranda, where guests can sit and drink coffee or have a meal. The hotel is accessible only by boat. (888) 534-6835.
MOST ELEGANT – Several national park lodges offer the chance to be pampered in a natural setting.
Furnace Creek Inn (Death Valley NP – California) offers elegant accommodations in the middle of one of the country’s most inhospitable environments. Built of stone and adobe in the early 1920s, the AAA-rated four-diamond inn sits on a hill behind an oasis of green grass and palm trees where it overlooks a desolate but starkly beautiful desert that encompasses the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. The inn offers a spring-fed swimming pool, lighted tennis courts, an exercise room, a sauna, and a nearby eighteen-hole golf course that is below sea level. Because of the location, Furnace Creek Inn could easily have been included in the list of most unusual national park hotels. We spent a fourth of July here when the temperature was 125. (800) 236-7916.
The Ahwahnee (Yosemite NP – California) is a first-class hotel in what is probably America’s most beautiful valley. The Great Lounge, with its 24-foot-high vaulted beamed ceiling and floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows, and two giant stone fireplaces, is a jewel. The spectacular dining room, with its 34-foot vaulted beamed ceiling, and floor-to-ceiling windows is one of the most beautiful you will find anywhere. The Ahwaheee offers rooms in the main hotel and in several nearby secluded cottages. The park and the hotel are open all year. Choose the fall, winter, or spring and miss Yosemite Valley’s big summer crowds. (559) 252-4848.
Lake Yellowstone Hotel (Yellowstone NP – Wyoming) is a historic hotel that captures the ambiance of an earlier period. An extensive renovation was completed in 1991 that returned the historic hotel to its 1920s appearance. The hotel faces Lake Yellowstone in a less crowded section of the park. It includes a wonderful lobby and sunroom where people gather after supper to read, play cards, and listen to music. Lake Yellowstone Hotel (also called Lake Hotel) is our favorite place to stay in Yellowstone National Park. (888) 297-2757.
MOST SPECTACULAR SETTING – Most national park lodges are in attractive settings. Some of the lodges are in outstanding settings. Here are three of the best.
Crater Lake Lodge (Crater Lake NP – Oregon) sits on the rim of what many experienced travelers consider the most beautiful lake in America. This deep lake resulted from a collapsed volcano. The four-story stone-and-wood building was originally completed in 1915 and reopened in 1995 after a six-year renovation during which the lodge was taken apart and put back together. The Great Hall with a massive stone fireplace is the highlight of the lodge. Here is a comfortable place to read a book, play a board game, visit with other guests, or just relax and watch the fire. Make dinner reservations early because the dining room is cozy but small. (541) 830-8700.
Many Glacier Lodge (Glacier NP – Montana) is a five-story Swiss-themed wooden lodge with numerous gables and balconies situated on the edge of Swiftcurrent Lake. The main floor is highlighted by an outstanding three-story lobby with log beams, interior balconies, and a huge conical metal fireplace suspended from the roof. Many guest rooms in both the main hotel and the annex offer an outstanding view of Swiftcurrent Lake and the surrounding mountains. An inviting restaurant at one end of the building has a large stone fireplace and big windows that allow diners to view Swiftcurrent Lake.
North Cascades Stehekin Lodge (North Cascades NP Complex – Washington) comprises seven wooden buildings on the east bank near the north terminus of Lake Chelan. The scenery here is absolutely magnificent and the four-hour boat ride from the town of Chelan to the lodge is half the pleasure of staying here. A faster boat and seaplane service are also available. Some units have kitchens but bring your own food because supplies in Stehekin are very limited. Shuttle service is available from the lodge to Shehekin Valley Ranch, which proves an alternative for dining. Bicycles, kayaks, and canoes are available for rent. (509) 682-4494.
MOST RESTFUL – Most, but not all national park lodges offer a restful environment. Old Faithful Inn doesn’t qualify except during the early morning before the sightseers arrive. Other lodges are particularly restful. The following list certainly isn’t exhaustive, but here are three places where we took it easy.
Lake Crescent Lodge (Olympic NP – Washington) consists of a 1916 era main lodge building surrounded by several types of cabins and motel units. Chairs along the bank of beautiful Lake Crescent are perfect for reading and relaxing. Canoes are available for rent. The main lodge includes an inviting lobby area with a giant stone fireplace, an attractive sunroom, and a recently remodeled restaurant. This is one of our favorite places to stay and the food is excellent. Our choice of room would be one of the Roosevelt Fireplace Cottages but there are only four and these fill early. (360) 928-3211.
Bluffs Lodge (Blue Ridge Parkway – North Carolina) consists of two two-story buildings on a grassy hillside overlooking a meadow. With only twenty-four rooms (actually twenty-three because the manager stayed in one) Bluffs has a friendly atmosphere where guests enjoy spending time visiting while relaxing on the balcony outside their rooms. One of the best experiences of staying here is having a meal in the nearby old-fashioned coffee shop that still offers counter service. Both the interior and exterior of the coffee shop are virtually identical to when it opened in June 1949. The server who waited on us during our 2005 visit had worked in the coffee shop for fifty-five years. (828) 271-4779.
Big Meadows Lodge (Shenandoah NP – Virginia) consists of a historic main lodge building and cabins, plus six one- and two-story lodge buildings. The main lodge houses an attractive dining room and greatroom, both of which offer excellent views of the Shenandoah Valley. Equally good views are available from a large stone porch that runs across the backside of the main lodge. Big Meadows is especially appealing during the fall when the morning air is crisp and trees present their parade of brilliant colors. The greatroom is a perfect place to enjoy a good book, play a board game, or just sit and enjoy the scenery. (540) 999-0000.
