National Park Lodges
Glacier Bay Lodge in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, is a great jumping-off point for humpback whale-watching tours, salmon and halibut fishing expeditions, and sea kayaking trips amidst icebergs. You might even see bear or moose along the shoreline. The 56-room lodge sits in a forest of Sitka spruce on the shores of Bartlett Cove and has a fireplace, giant wood beams and cathedral ceilings. Guest rooms with private baths are separate from the main lodge and accessible by boardwalks. Rates range from $199 to $224. The lodge is a short drive from the tiny community of Gustavus, which has air connections from Juneau, Haines and Skagway.
Lake Crescent Lodge sits on the shore of the brilliant blue-green Lake Crescent, which was carved by glaciers in the last ice age. The historic lodge and cabins are nestled in a forest of giant fir and hemlock, and all rooms have either lake or mountain views. Rates are $108 to $242. The dining room overlooks the lake and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The lodge is a great base of operations to explore Olympic National Park in Washington, which offers hiking, backpacking and beachcombing. Vacationers can have a great time just hanging out at the lake, too. The water’s a bit chilly, but brave souls can go swimming. You can also rent a rowboat, hike on a nearby trail or enjoy catch-and-release fishing for Beardsley trout.
Zion Lodge was built in the 1920s, destroyed by fire in 1966 and rebuilt the same year. In 1990, the exterior was restored to its original classic appearance. The lodge, inside Zion National Park in Utah, has historic cabins with two double beds, full bath, gas-log fireplace and private porch. Motel rooms are also available. The lodge’s Red Rock Grill was recently renovated and boasts spectacular views. Rates are $170.35 to $186.35.
Sit in one of 20 rocking chairs on the veranda near the great hall at Crater Lake Lodge in Crater Lake National Park, Oregon and contemplate the scene before you. The brilliant blue lake is all that’s left after the 12,000-foot Mount Mazama volcano exploded violently around 5677 B.C. The stone and wood lodge sits serenely on the caldera; half the lodge’s 71 rooms face the lake. All guest rooms have a private bathroom, and they range from $158 to $284. Stay here and catch a boat ride across one of the deepest lakes in the world, or if you’re in good hiking shape, walk the 12 miles around the caldera.
Drakesbad Guest Ranch within Lassen Volcanic National Park, Calif., has 19 lodge rooms, cabins and bungalows. The resort, built from pine and converted from a family ranch in 1900, marks the halfway point on the Pacific Crest Trail. Hardy hikers can reach Devil’s Kitchen, Boiling Spring Lake and the Terminal Geyser and return to the lodge within a half day. The resort also has a swimming pool with heated water from a nearby hot spring, spa services, and horses that take riders to Devil’s Kitchen, Terminal Geyser, Corral Meadows, Horseshoe Lake, 5 Lakes Loop and the Sifford Lakes. The rate is $140 to $201 per person/daily including three meals a day.
Furnace Creek Resort in Death Valley National Park, Calif., has two hotels: the 66-room Inn at Furnace Creek (open from October to May) and the 224-room, family-oriented Ranch at Furnace Creek (open all year). The resort has an 18-hole golf course, four restaurants, a saloon, cocktail lounge, retail outlets, spring-fed swimming pools, tennis courts, horseback riding, horse-drawn carriage rides, children's playground and massage therapy. Rates for Ranch at Furnace Creek are $138 to $188 from June to September.
Skyland Resort in Shenandoah National Park, Va., celebrates the park's 75th anniversary this year with discounted packages. The resort sits at 3,680 feet, the highest point on Skyline Drive, giving it unparalleled views of the Shenandoah Valley. It has 179 rooms, including rustic cabins, rooms and suites. The dining room has regional cuisine and nightly entertainment. Rates are $109 to $267. Guided horseback rides depart daily from the Skyland stables. Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia has more than 500 miles of trails, including 101 miles of the Appalachian Trail.
Evergreen Lodge, just outside the western border of Yosemite National Park, Calif., celebrates its 90th anniversary this year with package deals, special menus and historically themed activities. Ninety furnished cedar cabins are nestled in old-growth forest and include cabins for couples as well as one- and two-bedroom family cabins. The lodge has a restaurant, historic tavern, general store, recreation hall, indoor-outdoor fireplace, massage cabana and kids play areas. A guided recreation program includes half- and full-day trips within the park. Room rates for the cabins range from $95 to $350.
Glacier Park Lodge in the small town of East Glacier Park within Glacier National Park, Montana, was built by the Great Northern Railway. Today it’s possible to ride Amtrak's Empire Builder directly to East Glacier Park from Seattle, Spokane, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Milwaukee or Chicago. The 161-room lodge, built from giant Douglas fir timbers, has soaring ceilings, several restaurants, bus tours, an outdoor swimming pool, a nine-hole golf course, a nine-hole pitch and putt course, and a day spa. Rates are $140 for a value-lodge room to $449 for the Glacier Golf House.
Jenny Lake Lodge is near three glacial lakes within Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. This eco-lodge offers 37 luxury cabins from single rooms to suites, complete with handmade quilts and down comforters. Single and duplex cabins are $620; suites, which are individual log cabins, are $800 to $885. Rates include breakfast, five-course dinner, horseback rides and bicycle rentals.
Bryce Canyon Lodge in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, perches on the rim of a giant natural amphitheater that was created by erosion. The lodge has 114 rooms, including lodge suites, motel rooms and historic lodgepole pine cabins, some with cathedral ceilings and gas fireplaces. Prices range from $130 to $179. An on-site restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The lodge is only a few feet from hiking trails that will take you past strange orange, pink and purple rock spires called hoodoos. At Bryce Canyon, hoodoos range in size from that of an average human to heights exceeding a 10-story building.
Travelers usually associate “national park lodge” with enormous wooden timbers, but Far View Lodge in Mesa Verde National Park, Colo., has a stucco exterior in keeping with Southwestern style architecture. At 8,250 feet above sea level, the 150-room lodge has its own restaurant and spectacular views into four states: Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Rates are $114 to $152. The lodge has half-day ranger-guided tours into the park, the largest archaeological preserve in North America. Take a tour and learn about the ancient Pueblo Indians who built more than 4,400 sites, including 600 cliff dwellings, before suddenly vanishing from the land in the 13th century.
Yellowstone National Park, which straddles Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, boasts nine lodges. Old Faithful Snow Lodge in Wyoming, the newest one, was completed in 1999. It features exterior log columns and a cedar shingle roof. Accommodations include lodge rooms and cabins that range from $96 to $206.
The historic Old Faithful Inn, a rustic-style lodge with log and wood shingle exterior, is the most popular lodge within Yellowstone National Park. The original part of the inn includes a large lobby with a huge stone fireplace. Rooms range from $96 (Old House room with shared bath) to $499 (suite). The lodge’s appeal is obvious: You can see the Old Faithful Geyser from the front lawn.
The historic Roosevelt Lodge within Yellowstone National Park was named for President Theodore Roosevelt, who loved to visit this area. The Wyoming lodge has a corral that offers horseback trail rides, stagecoach adventures and an Old West dinner cookout. Roughrider cabins are $65 and frontier cabins are $110. Roosevelt Lodge is near Tower Fall, a 132-foot waterfall, and a large, accessible petrified tree.
Phantom Ranch is at the bottom of Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz. You’ll have to work to get here; it’s only accessible by hiking, taking a mule or rafting the Colorado River. The lodge and cabins are built from local wood and stone. Phantom Ranch Canteen offers meals, but they must be ordered in advance of your descent. Accommodations include cabins, two male dormitories and two female dormitories. Prices are $43 per person. Buyer beware: Accommodations are often sold out a year in advance.
Bright Angel Lodge in Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz., is a Registered National Historic Landmark on the south rim of the canyon. It’s the place to go if you want a dazzling view of the canyon from your room or to check in for mule rides to the bottom of the canyon. Accommodations consist of lodge rooms and cabins. Prices range from $81 to $340.
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