National Park Hotels
Beyond the norm
General information about the National Park Hotels
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 briefly noted here. Unfortunately, hotels are always very expensive, and you usually have to book them months in advance to get a room at all. These hotels are always booked up very quickly, partly because they are often the only accommodation available.
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. If you would like to stay at the Old Faithful Inn, it is recommended to make reservations a year in advance, as room contingents for the following year are released on May 1 and are usually booked up within a few days. As one might expect, the prices are quite high, with all rooms costing several hundred dollars per night. Based on the rooms alone, it is certainly not worth the price. Here, one is paying for the location and the unique accommodation.
Breakfast: No breakfast included in the room rate. But there is a restaurant where breakfast is offered.
Our rating: When we first visited Upper Geyser Basin in 1994, we decided that we would stay at the Old Faithful Inn one day. Of course, we had no idea that it would take 21 years for this plan to come to fruition. In June 2015, the time had finally come. We even managed to get one of the few rooms with a private bathroom. Our expectations of a stay here were also fully met. We loved staying in this beautiful old wooden house and enjoying an evening by the fireplace. It's also exactly as it's described in all the travel guides – once the crowds of day tourists have boarded their buses and moved on, the hotel becomes quiet, cozy, and comfortable. We enjoyed our stay here so much that we even repeated it in 2017. If you would like to stay in the historic Old Faithful, you should book a room in the Old House. Otherwise, you will stay in the annexes that were built later. Even if you don't stay here, we can only recommend that everyone take a look at the hotel. It's 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 room itself is getting old a bit. The bathroom is relatively old, but everything is very clean. The restaurant is ok, but nothing more. If you just look at 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 sits on the rim of Crater Lake, a good 300 meters above the lake. Because there is usually a lot of snowfall here (an average of 13 meters per winter), special demands were placed on the construction. The location and accessibility also made construction very difficult and time-consuming. The lodge has belonged to the National Park Service since 1967. It has been listed in 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, due to fierce protests, it was preserved and extensively restored and modernized in several stages. In 1995, it was restored to its former glory. The renovation cost $15 million. Anyone wishing to visit the lodge today should book their room well in advance. The season here is short, so 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 58 meters below sea level in the middle of Death Valley National Park. On July 10, 1913, the highest air temperature ever recorded on Earth was measured here at 56.7°C. There is quite a bit of infrastructure around the ranch. In addition to the motel, there is a restaurant, the national park's visitor center, a borax museum, and even a golf course. The motel is standard motel fare. It has everything you need. It was clean and functional.
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 very much enjoyed our stay here. The ranch is also well located and centrally situated for activities 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: Cabin with space for two people. It has a double bed with mattress, a table and 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 terrace and a picnic bench with a barbecue area. Each cabin also has its own bearlocker, in which all food and cosmetics have to be stored. As we hadn't been camping for a very long time, this was a bit of an experiment, especially to see what it was like without a bathroom and shower in the room. Ok, compared to the tent, this was a lot more comfortable, although the mattress was almost non-existent and the bed was very, very hard. This is certainly up to personal preference, but ultimately the lack of a toilet was not a big problem, just like the communal showers. Both were very clean and well-kept throughout the campsite. The cabins were very cozy and homely. We liked it very much and would spend a few nights here again at any time.
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 directly on South Fork at the bottom of Kings Canyon National Park. The lodge is a two-story wooden building that offers 18 rooms, a small restaurant, and a shop. The rooms are not particularly luxurious or new, but they offer all the amenities you need. Everything is also clean and tidy.
Breakfast: No breakfast included in the room rate. But there is a restaurant where breakfast is offered.
Our rating: We particularly liked the peace and quiet here, in the sense of no crowds. Unfortunately, our room was at the back and directly above the power generator. As this was running all night, it was quite loud. That wasn't great. But apart from that, we really enjoyed our stay here. The rooms could do with some renovation, but everything was clean and ok. So we were able to live with it very well. We would stay here again, but would definitely reserve a room facing the parking lot. Those who don't like solitude so much and prefer to have more infrastructure around them may 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.
