The Magnificent Lodges of the National Parks

Published by The Editor at April 24, 2013

It’s National Parks week and we love a reason to celebrate the greatness of our National Park System. We’ve already highlighted some of the greatest places to see jaw dropping views, wide open skies, waterfalls, glaciers, acres of forest and rock formations (visit our 5: America’s National Parks Here).

The only way to make a visit to one of our 58 parks even better is to stay at one of the great American National Park Lodges. Each one of them, created to match and enhance the majesty of their environments, most of them built with local materials. Staying in one of these great Lodges is can make you feel like you’re actually re-living a moment of history. Can’t afford to stay there? Make sure you stop in and look around anyway.

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1. The Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite National Park

Tucked in between Half Dome and El Capitan in the Yosemite Valley, the Ahwahnee Hotel is the most luxurious in the National Park System. Built in 1927, the hotel was designed to take full advantage of the natural surroundings, with high ceilings and towering windows to bring the stunning views to the Ahwahnee’s lobby and main dining room. Bonus: Its Native American inspired interior design provided the inspiration for most of the interiors of Stanley Kubrick’s Overlook Hotel in “The Shining.” It’s not a direct copy but if you visit you will definitely feel like you’re in the movie.

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2. The Inn at Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park

If you really want to feel like you’ve stepped back in time, stay at the Inn at Old Faithful in Yellowstone, and request to stay in the Old House. Few experiences can recreate the feeling of walking into the four story grand lobby. The fireplace is 85 feet and has four separate hearths going in each direction. Look up and you’ll see four stories of soaring timber beams. In fact, the grand lobby is so extraordinary that its not possible to capture its grandeur in a photograph. Many of the Old House guest rooms still feature claw foot bathtubs, basin sinks, and some original furnishings. And if all of that is’nt enough, you can step out onto the wood deck several times each day to witness the glory of Old Faithful Geyser without even leaving the hotel. Built in 1904, it remains the largest log hotel in the world.

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3. El Tovar, Grand Canyon National Park

Opened in 1905, the El Tovar was specifically designed to ensure that its presence did not interfere with the canyon views. Everything from the colors chosen, to the materials used, to the architectural style all help to make the lodge appear to be a part of the canyon itself. The limestone used to build the El Tovar was all gathered locally, and the pine brought in from Oregon. Although it is rustic in appearance, it is built for luxury and comfort and has the feeling of an intimate hunting lodge. Theodore Roosevelt, Albert Einstein and Zane Grey have stayed at the lodge as well as many other celebrities. Bonus: The El Tovar was used in the movie “Vacation.”

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4. LeConte Lodge, Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Not for beginners. One of the most unique lodging options in the entire National Park system, LeConte lodge is perched high up in the Smokey Mountains and is only accessible via difficult hiking paths ranging from 5.5 miles to 8 miles. That’s right– no roads. But it’s well worth the trip, if for no other reason than just knowing you’re spending the night in a National Park lodge that has to be earned. Spend the night on top of the Smokies in a hand hewn log cabin with kerosene lighting, propane heat, wash basins and family style dining. The views are extraordinary, and plan to get up in time for sunrise. You won’t want to miss it. If you’re thinking of hitching a ride with the supply vehicles, forget it– Llamas are used to bring linens, groceries and other supplies up to LeConte.

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5. The Lodges of Glacier National Park

It was impossible to decide which one of Glacier National Park’s many lodges to highlight. The Lake McDonald Lodge (opened in 1914) is a cozy fishing lodge, the Granite Park Chalets offer incredible backcountry views and are only accessible by trail, the Glacier Park Lodge (1912) is magnificent, and the swiss-chalet-styled Many Glacier Hotel (opened in 1914) is a stunner located on a glacial lake. Why choose? Stay for the week and spend one night in each before traveling across the border to Waterton Park and hotel #6.

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6. The Prince of Wales Hotel, Waterton International Park

Located in Canada’s Waterton Park, the Prince of Wales Hotel is also a part of Glacier National Park since the two parks became connected in 1932. The Prince of Wales opened in 1927. The immense timbers that support the Lodge were around 500 to 800 years old when they were cut. There are a total of 60 timbers and all retain their bark. It’s hard to decide which is more beautiful– the view of the Prince of Wales Hotel, or the view from the Prince of Wales hotel because both are breathtaking.

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7. Crater Lake Lodge, Crater Lake National Park

Built in 1915, Crater Lake Lodge sits inside a great caldera created by a volcano. With only 71 rooms its more intimate than some of the other grand lodges of the national park, but it is no less majestic. Worth the trip to sit on the stone veranda on one of the chairs and take in the views of the deep blue volcanic lake. Most of the original lodge’s unimpressive structure has been rebuilt, making this one of the less historically ‘authentic’ historic lodges, but the inspiring view remains the same.

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8. Honorable Mention: Oregon Caves Chateau

The keywords here are RUSTIC and AUTHENTIC. Opened in 1984 the Oregon Caves Chateau was built right into a marble canyon. The hotel was designed and built by locals using the natural contours of the canyon and go below ground. The feeling that is both deeply historic and local. Most of the hotel remains in its original condition, including the furnishings and a beautiful original 1930’s coffee shop with original maple countertops. The most unique feature of the Lodge– that its built into the ground, is hard to see in the photographs, but you can see it in the drawing.

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9. Honorable Mention: The Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood

If you visited the Ahwahnee to see the interiors that were the basis for Kubrick’s “The Shining” you’ll definitely want to add The Timberline Lodge to your plans. The Timberline was used as the model for the exterior of The Overlook Hotel. Built on the South Side of Mt. Hood, it’s not an official National Park Lodge but it gets honorable mention status. Built in the 30’s and opened by President Roosevelt in 1937, the lodge was built with local timber and stone, entirely by hand as a part of the WPA Works project.