Top 10 national park lodges

Crater Lake Lodge
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Famous for its intensely blue water, Crater Lake is one of the deepest and most pristine lakes in North America. Hovering near the edge of its steep rim (the lake was formed in a collapsed volcano 7,000 years ago), Crater Lake Lodge is the park’s only actual lakeside hotel and, thanks to a major overhaul in the 1990s, also its most comfortable. The lodge originally opened in 1915, and despite the remodel, it retains the feel of days gone by, down to the rustic rocking chairs on the veranda overlooking the lake and the families who claim them for remarkable stargazing after dark. With no modern distractions at the lodge, diversions center around the lake, where there is hiking, biking, boating, or fishing for rainbow trout and kokanee salmon. From mid-October to early summer, roads to the park are covered in snow, which makes for a short tourist season (the lodge opens in late May). Consequently, early reservations are essential—especially for the precious few rooms with water views. From $138/night; craterlakelodges.com

Jenny Lake Lodge
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

For those who prefer equal parts rusticity and refinement, there’s no better choice than the classic Jenny Lake Lodge in northwest Wyoming. Grand Teton, as well as Yellowstone Park to the north, get slammed with visitors in the summer, but quiet Jenny Lake offers a respite. Bordering a bucolic wildflower meadow, the lodge’s 37 cabins have handmade quilts, dark-wood floors, and stunning views of the serrated Tetons towering above. Nightly five-course dinners (jackets suggested) evoke the park’s Rockefeller roots (the famous philanthropist played a major role in its creation); the lack of tech gadgets is in keeping with the sylvan setting. Conceived as a dude ranch for easterners in the 1920s, the lodge has since hosted Rockefeller offspring, Princess Grace of Monaco and her family, and an exceptionally loyal clientele who return year after year. The loyalty factor, combined with the limited number of cabins, means that early reservations are a must. Breakfast, dinner, bicycling, and horseback riding are included in the price. Other activities range from fly-fishing and float trips on the Snake River to golf and tennis at the Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club. From $550/night; gtlc.com/lodgejen.aspx

El Tovar
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

The first guests arrived at El Tovar in 1905; a few years ago, it received a
$4.6 million renovation for its 100th birthday, including a major sprucing up of guestrooms (the most upscale in the park). In between, the sweeping, multi-tiered structure has hosted no fewer than eight U.S. presidents, from Teddy Roosevelt to Bill Clinton. Built during a period of architectural mash-up, the hotel has been described as a cross between Swiss chalet and Norwegian villa, with the interior of a hunting lodge (taxidermy included). Situated just 100 yards from the canyon’s south rim, the view all but steals the show. It can be appreciated from many angles—on the lounge porch during cocktail hour; in the dining room over buckwheat pancakes drizzled with prickly pear syrup; sitting on the private deck of one of three suites with prize views, which consistently sell out more than a year in advance. From $166/night; grandcanyonlodges.com

Cavallo Point
Golden Gate National Parks, California

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This national park is not one piece of land but a composite of sites in the Bay Area, including spots in San Francisco. In the 1990s, the park acquired Fort Baker, a historic army outpost a mile from Sausalito in Marin County, and recently transformed it into Cavallo Point, the Lodge at Golden Gate. Opening this summer, accommodations in both the new and restored buildings are hardly barracklike—the park wisely partnered with the folks behind Post Ranch Inn at Big Sur, and the results are stunning. On top of spa services and yoga, guests can take photography classes, train for a triathlon, or channel their inner Alice Waters through a culinary program that includes olive oil tastings and day trips to wineries in the Napa and Sonoma valleys. From $225/night; cavallopoint.com

Paradise Inn
Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington

The last eruption of Mt. Rainier, the 14,410-foot peak an hour drive southeast of Seattle, occurred 150 years ago, and though scientists predict there may eventually be another, the park is safe now for visitors. Its top lodge is the historic Paradise Inn, built in 1917 from hand-carved Alaskan cedar logs.

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Closed the past two years for a renovation, the lodge reopened in May. Besides a few new rooms and a fresh menu at the café, the changes are largely structural. Rooms are still spare and small, but you’ll want to spend your time outdoors anyway enjoying the wildflowers, miles of secluded hiking trails, and spectacular mountain views. Rooms without private bathrooms from $99/night; rooms with private bathrooms from $149/night; rainier.guestservices.com

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