National Park Hotels
Beyond the norm
Sleeping in the middle of a national park is really great for several reasons. On the one hand, you are in the middle of the breathtaking nature and on the other hand, you often save really long journeys, because the more remote a national park is, the less infrastructure you will find. In addition, you have a completely different impression of a place when the day tourists have left and peace returns. We can only recommend it to everyone to stay in a national park hotel.
However, two things should be noted briefly. The hotels are unfortunately often very expensive and you should book them months in advance to get a room at all. These hotels are always booked up very quickly because they often offer the only accommodation.
The order of the hotels on this page is random and therefore does not represent any valuation.
Old Faithful Inn - Yellowstone National Park
3200 Old Faithful Inn Road, Yellowstone National Park, WY 8519
HOMEPAGE
Description: The centerpiece of the Upper Geyser Basin is the Old Faithful Inn. The hotel, which stands next to the park's most famous geyser, Old Faithful, was built in 1904 and has been a registered National Historic Landmark since 1987. The building is partly made of stone and mainly of wood and is still one of the largest existing wooden buildings in the USA. To keep it that way for a long time, for example, all open fires are prohibited in the building. Not even birthday candles may be lit. In 1988, the hotel was severely threatened by the Great Yellowstone Fire, but it was saved. After several additions and a major renovation in 2004, the hotel can now accommodate over 340 people.
Who would like to have a room in the Old Faithful Inn, should know this at least a year in advance. Because always on May first the room contingents for the following year are released and these are then usually booked up within a few days.
As you can imagine, the prices are very high. For all rooms several hundred dollars per night are called. Purely from the rooms it is certainly not worth it. Here you pay for the location and the special house.
Breakfast: No breakfast included in the room rate. But there is a restaurant where breakfast is offered.
Our rating: When we were at Upper Geyser Basin for the first time in 1994, we planned to spend the night at Old Faithful Inn sometime. Of course we could not suspect at that time, that the project had to wait 21 years until the realization.
In 2015, in June, the time had come. We could even get hold of one of the few rooms with private bathroom. Our expectations of a stay here were also fully met. It was great to stay in this beautiful old wooden house and enjoy an evening by the fireplace. Besides, it's just like all the guidebooks say - once the masses of day tourists have gotten back on their busses and moved on, the hotel becomes quiet, homey and cozy. We liked our stay here so much that we even repeated it again in 2017.
Those who would like to spend the night in the historic Old Faithful should book rooms in the Old House. Otherwise you stay in the annexes, which were built later. These rooms are therefore newer and more modern.
Even if you don't stay here, we can strongly recommend everyone to take a look at the hotel. It is just great.
Our visits: Two nights in June 2015 and four nights in June 2017
Paradise Inn - Mount Rainier National Park
Paradise Inn, Paradise, WA 98368
HOMEPAGE
Description: After the demand for overnight stays around Mount Rainier increased more and more, the construction of a hotel was started in 1916. Already in 1917, the hotel was opened with 37 rooms. The design of the woodwork and furniture in the public areas was created by the German carpenter Hans Frahnke and has remained almost unchanged throughout time. After the hotel was expanded over the years, it now has more than 100 rooms.
Breakfast: No breakfast included in the room rate. But there is a restaurant where breakfast is offered.
Our rating: Paradise Inn has charm and charisma. The location alone is priceless. The cozy lobby with sofas, the piano player, etc. provide a homey setting for a nice stay.
The rooms themselves are a bit outdated. The bathroom is relatively old, but everything is very clean. The restaurant is ok, but nothing more. If you only consider the location and the atmosphere, this is just great. However, when it comes to comfort and food, you have to make a few deductions. If you consider the really sporty price, everyone must decide for themselves whether it is worth it.
Our visits: Two nights each in June 2011 and June 2015.
Crater Lake Lodge - Crater Lake National Park
565 Rim Dr, Crater Lake National Park, Oregon 97604
HOMEPAGE
Description: The lodge was built in 1915. It is perched on the rim of Crater Lake, a good 980ft above the lake. Because there is usually a lot of snow here (an average of 43ft/winter), special demands were placed on the construction. Also because of the location and accessibility, the construction was very difficult and lengthy.
The lodge has been owned by the National Park Service since 1967. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1981. In the 1980s, the lodge, which had become very dilapidated over the years, was to be demolished. However, as there were strong protests against this, it was preserved, restored and modernized in several steps. In 1995 it shone again in new splendor. The renovation cost 15 million dollars.
If you want to visit the lodge today, you should book your room well in advance. The season here is short and so the rooms are booked up very quickly.
Breakfast: No breakfast included in the room rate. But there is a restaurant where breakfast is offered.
Our rating: We spent one night at Crater Lake Lodge in June 2015. The stay was very comfortable and pleasant. The hotel exudes a rustic charm, but has all the amenities you could want. The best feature, however, is the terrace. Here you can enjoy a drink while watching the sunset over the lake. What a great experience. Even though the overnight stay here is very pricey, we would stay here again at any time. A hotel with atmosphere.
Our visit: One night in June 2015
Furnace Creek Ranch - Death Valley National Park
CA-190, Death Valley National Park, CA 92328
HOMEPAGE
Description: The ranch was originally founded in 1883 by the Coleman Borax Company. It is located 58m below sea level and in the middle of Death Valley National Park. Here, on July 10. 1913, the highest air temperature ever measured on earth was 134.06°F.
Around the ranch there is some infrastructure. Besides the motel there is a restaurant, the visitor center of the national park, a borax museum and even a golf course.
The ranch consists of several buildings. The rooms are of the normal motel standard. There is everything you need. It was clean and functional. Here the location of the accommodation is definitely the highlight.
Breakfast: No breakfast included in the room rate. But there is a restaurant where breakfast is offered.
Our rating: We spent two nights at Furnance Creek Ranch in May 2013. It was exciting to stay overnight in the middle of a desert and experience the heat especially at night. Such temperatures are familiar to us at home at most from the height of summer. Nevertheless, you could stand it quite well, because the desert makes it very dry and thus not as unpleasant as you might expect.
We liked the stay here very much. The ranch is very well located for things to do in Death Valley. We would definitely stay here again.
Our visit: Two nights in May 2013.
Manzanita Camping Cabins - Lassen Volcanic National Park
39489 CA-44, Shingletown, CA 96088
HOMEPAGE
Description: The camping cabins are located at the campground at Manzanita Lake, just past the north entrance of Lassen Volcanic National Park. There are three different cabins, which offer space for 2-8 people
We had a one room cabin with space for two people. There is a double bed with mattress, a table with two chairs, a gas-powered lamp and heater and a small shelf with storage space. Outside there is another table with two chairs on the porch and a fire place with a picnic bench. In addition, each cabin has its own bearlocker, where all food and cosmetics must go.
Breakfast: No breakfast included in the cabin rate. But there is a camper store where breakfast is offered.
Our rating: Since we have not been camping for a very long time, this was somewhat of a small experiment, especially how it is to cope without a bathroom in the cabin. Ok compared to the tent, this was already a lot more comfortable, although the mattress was almost non-existent and therefore the bed was very very hard.
In the end, the lack of a bathroom was not a big problem just like the communal showers. Both were very clean and tidy throughout the campsite.
For European tourists, there is perhaps only one small disadvantage, because you have to bring your complete camping equipment, such as bedding and food. With today's limited suitcase sizes and weight on the plane, this can already bring a small packing problem, unless you buy all things locally new.
The cabins were very cozy and homey. We liked it very much and would spend a few nights here again anytime.
Our visit: Three nights in September 2019
Cedar Grove Lodge - Kings Canyon National Park
86724 CA-180, Kings Canyon National Park, CA 93633
HOMEPAGE
Description: Cedar Grove Lodge is located right on the South Fork at the very bottom of Kings Canyon National Park.
The lodge is a two-story wooden building that offers 18 rooms, a small restaurant and a store.
The rooms are not particularly luxurious or new, but they offer all the amenities you need. In addition, everything is clean and tidy.
Breakfast: No breakfast included in the room rate. But there is a restaurant where breakfast is offered.
Our rating: We spent two nights at Cedar Grove Lodge in September 2019. We liked here especially the quiet, in the sense of no crowds, very well. Unfortunately, our room was located to the rear and directly above the power generator. Since this ran all night, it was quite loud. That was not so great.
But other than that, we liked our stay here. The rooms could use a renovation, but everything was clean and ok. We would stay here again, but would definitely reserve a room facing the parking lot.
If you don't like the solitude and would rather have more infrastructure around you, you might be better off at Grand Grove Village.
Our visit: Two nights in September 2019.
Chisos Mountain Lodge - Big Bend National Park
1 Basin Rural Station, Big Bend National Park, TX 79834
HOMEPAGE
Description: The Chisos Mountains Lodge is located in the middle of the Chisos Mountains and is the only place to stay (outside of campgrounds) in Big Bend National Park. Precisely because of this limited choice, you should look for a room very early. Especially in spring everything is booked up months in advance. There is also a restaurant near by, which was quite OK. Wi-Fi is available in the area of the visitor center and the restaurant.
Breakfast: No breakfast included in the room rate. But there is a restaurant where breakfast is offered.
Our rating: We stayed here at the Mountain Lodge in early March 2018. I had booked the rooms 8 months in advance. Our room was fine. The bathroom was very small, but basically everything you needed was there and it was clean. The highlight was the balcony from which we would have liked to see a bear. Unfortunately, however, no bear showed up.
Our visit: Three nights in March 2018.
