Best National Park Lodges: 15 Historic Places to Stay Inside the Parks

The best national park lodges are Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone, El Tovar at the Grand Canyon, The Ahwahnee in Yosemite, Many Glacier Hotel in Glacier, Paradise Inn at Mount Rainier and Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton. Most of them open bookings about 13 months ahead and sell out for summer within days. The secret to getting a room is checking for cancellations, often, especially in the last 30 days before your trip. Expect to pay $200 to $600 or more a night for old rooms with thin walls and unforgettable locations.

Most of the great park lodges were built in the early 1900s, when railroads wanted to lure wealthy travelers west. Architects created a style later called “parkitecture”: massive log beams, stone fireplaces, local materials and buildings designed to look like they belonged in the landscape. A century later, staying in one is a kind of time travel, and nothing else in American travel quite compares. You will not get luxury in the modern sense. You will get a lobby with a four-story fireplace, a porch facing a geyser or a canyon, and the chance to step outside at sunrise before the day visitors arrive.

• 13 monthsTypical booking window
• $200–$600+Common nightly range in summer
• 1904Old Faithful Inn opened
• CancellationsYour best chance at a room

Our top 15 at a glance

Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone

If you stay in only one park lodge, make it this one. Designed by Robert Reamer and opened in 1904, Old Faithful Inn has one of the most spectacular lobbies in America: a seven-story atrium of lodgepole pine logs, twisted branch railings and a massive stone fireplace. It is often called one of the largest log structures in the world. Old Faithful geyser erupts a short walk from the front door, and you can watch it from the second-floor deck with a drink in hand.

Rooms vary hugely. The original “Old House” rooms are rustic, small and often share bathrooms down the hall. The newer wings have private baths. Either way, the location is the point. Walk out at night when the crowds are gone and the geyser basin steams under the stars. Our Yellowstone itinerary explains how to split your nights.

El Tovar, Grand Canyon

El Tovar opened in 1905 just feet from the South Rim. It mixes a Swiss chalet with a Norwegian villa, with dark wood interiors and moose heads on the walls. Its dining room is one of the best restaurants in any national park, and you should book dinner even if you sleep elsewhere. A few rooms and suites have canyon views. Sunrise is a two-minute walk away. Nearby rim lodges, including Bright Angel Lodge, designed by Mary Colter, are simpler and cheaper. Our South Rim guide covers the area.

The Ahwahnee, Yosemite

Opened in 1927 in Yosemite Valley, The Ahwahnee is the grandest of the park lodges, with a great lounge, Native American design motifs and a dining room with 34-foot ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows facing the granite walls. It was briefly renamed the Majestic Yosemite Hotel from 2016 to 2019 during a trademark dispute; the original name is back. It’s the most expensive park lodge, often $600 or more a night in summer. If that’s too much, have a drink in the bar or brunch in the dining room. Our guide to the best time to visit Yosemite helps plan your dates.

Many Glacier Hotel and Lake McDonald Lodge, Glacier

Many Glacier Hotel, built in 1915 by the Great Northern Railway in a Swiss chalet style, sits on the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake with mountains rising straight behind it. It is the best base for the park’s best hiking. Lake McDonald Lodge, from 1914, on the west side, feels like a hunting lodge, with a huge fireplace and animal trophies. Both are open only in summer. Our Glacier guide has more.

Paradise Inn, Mount Rainier

Built in 1916 from Alaska yellow cedar logs, Paradise Inn sits at about 5,400 feet in the subalpine meadows of Mount Rainier. Its lobby has huge timber beams and a piano reportedly played by President Harry Truman. Rooms are small and simple. Step outside and you’re at the start of the Skyline Trail, among wildflowers in late summer. See our Mount Rainier guide.

Jackson Lake Lodge, Grand Teton

A 1955 modernist lodge, not a log cabin, with 60-foot windows in the lobby facing Jackson Lake and Mount Moran. Moose often wander the willow flats below. It’s a lovely place for a drink at sunset. Jenny Lake Lodge, nearby, is a smaller, upscale cabin resort. Our Grand Teton guide covers the area.

The Lodge at Bryce Canyon and Zion Lodge

The Lodge at Bryce Canyon, designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood and opened in 1925, is a short walk from the rim, so you can be at Sunrise Point at dawn without driving. Zion Lodge is the only lodging inside Zion Canyon, rebuilt after a 1966 fire. Staying there means you can walk to trails before the first shuttles arrive. See our Zion guide and Bryce Canyon guide.

LeConte Lodge and Phantom Ranch: earn your bed

Two lodges can only be reached on foot or by animal. LeConte Lodge sits near the summit of Mount LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains, at about 6,400 feet. The shortest trail is about 5.5 miles each way with a big climb. There are no roads; supplies arrive by llama. You sleep in rustic cabins with kerosene lamps and eat family-style dinners. Reservations open by lottery, and demand is enormous. Phantom Ranch, at the bottom of the Grand Canyon beside Bright Angel Creek, was designed by Mary Colter. You hike or ride a mule down a mile of elevation. Beds and meals are assigned by lottery about 15 months ahead. Both are once-in-a-lifetime stays. Both also require real fitness, so train before you go.

Crater Lake Lodge

Crater Lake Lodge, opened in 1915 on the rim of Crater Lake in Oregon, overlooks the deepest lake in the United States, about 1,943 feet deep, filling the caldera of a collapsed volcano. The lake’s blue is so intense it looks unreal. The lodge was nearly torn down in the 1980s because of structural problems, then rebuilt and reopened in 1995 with its original character. The Great Hall has a huge stone fireplace and rocking chairs facing the lake. Open only from late spring to early fall, when snow allows; the area gets more than 40 feet of snow in an average winter.

Olympic’s lodges: lake, forest and ocean

Lake Crescent Lodge sits on the shore of a deep, clear glacial lake surrounded by old-growth forest. President Franklin Roosevelt stayed here in 1937, shortly before he signed the bill creating Olympic National Park the following year. Kalaloch Lodge stands on a bluff above the Pacific, with cabins looking out over driftwood-covered beaches and sunsets. Both are rustic and both book early. Our Olympic guide covers the park.

Volcano House, Hawaii

Volcano House, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, sits on the rim of Kīlauea’s summit caldera. Its history as a place for visitors goes back to the 1800s, and the current building dates from 1941. When Kīlauea is erupting, guests can sometimes see the glow from the lava lake at night. Eruptions come and go, so check the park’s volcano updates when planning.

How to actually get a room

Most park lodges are run by private concessioners under contract with the National Park Service. Each sets its own booking rules, but many open rooms about 13 months ahead, either on a specific date or on a rolling basis. Here is how to improve your odds:

• Book the day the window opens. Note the exact date and time, and be online.
• Be flexible. Weekdays and shoulder seasons are easier.
• Check for cancellations constantly. Plans change, and rooms reappear, especially 30 days out and the week before, when cancellation deadlines pass.
• Call. Phone agents sometimes see rooms online systems don’t.
• Book a refundable gateway hotel as a backup. Cancel it if a lodge room opens.
• Consider one night only. A single lodge night is easier to find and gives you the experience.

What to expect

Historic park lodges are charming and imperfect. Expect small rooms, thin walls, older plumbing and sometimes shared bathrooms. Many don’t have air conditioning, televisions or reliable Wi-Fi. Some don’t have elevators. Prices are high because demand is huge, not because of luxury. You are paying for the location and the history. If you know that going in, you will love it. Bring earplugs for thin walls, a small fan for warm summer nights in rooms without air conditioning, and a headlamp for late walks to shared bathrooms. Download maps and entertainment before you arrive. The lack of screens is part of the charm. Most guests spend evenings on the porch anyway.

Eating at park lodges

Even if you don’t stay, the lodge dining rooms are worth a visit. El Tovar, The Ahwahnee, the Old Faithful Inn and Lake McDonald Lodge serve memorable meals in historic rooms. Book dinner reservations ahead in summer. Lodge bars are great places to sit by a fire after a day on the trail.

Lodge, campground or gateway town?

A park lodge gives you location, history and convenience: no driving to sunrise, and evenings in the park after the crowds leave. A campground gives you the same location for $25 to $50 a night if you have the gear. Our camping for beginners guide helps. A gateway town hotel is usually cheaper and more comfortable, with more food options, at the cost of driving in each day and fighting for parking. Many travelers mix them: one or two nights in a lodge for the experience, the rest in a gateway town.

What it costs

Prices vary widely. A basic room or cabin can cost $150 to $300 a night. Historic rooms with private baths often cost $300 to $450. The top lodges, like The Ahwahnee, can exceed $600. Prices rise in peak summer and fall in shoulder seasons. Some lodges charge extra for park-view rooms. Meals in lodge dining rooms are typically pricier than in gateway towns.

Frequently asked questions

Your next steps

1. Pick one lodge from the table and note its booking window.
2. Set a reminder for the day reservations open.
3. Book a refundable backup hotel nearby.
4. Check for cancellations weekly, then daily in the final month.