Winter Is Coming

A national park road trip is an American summertime tradition. But summer’s almost gone. These wonderful hotels, not far from park entrances, will help you visit before it’s too late.

America’s national parks receive the vast majority of their visitors during the summer. But summer’s nearing its end. Our warm dreams of long, easy nights are soon to be bulldozed by the administration of textbooks and tests and the looming chill of winter. For some in the United States, summer is already a distant memory — the wall already erected between the season’s carefree days and back-to-school’s rigid reality check.

For others, though, there’s still time. In his documentary about U.S. national parks, Ken Burns called them “America’s Best Idea.” President Teddy Roosevelt, one of the people most responsible for their existence, agreed, saying:

“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”

That about sums it up. Here are some excellent hotels near United States national parks. Get there while you can.
 

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

Camden Harbour Inn

Camden, ME, USA

A 19th-century mansion with a view of Camden, Maine’s picturesque harbor might sound like a recipe for a trip back in time. But the Camden Harbour Inn is owned not by the descendants of its original owners, but a pair of Dutchmen who’ve adopted Camden as their second home — and adapted this beautiful old house, 70 miles south of Acadia National Park, to its new use as a very modern boutique-style bed and breakfast.

SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK

The Inn at Little Washington

Washington, VA, USA

In sleepy Washington, Virginia, there’s a small country inn (remarkable enough in its own right) with a restaurant to rival any in America. As a hotel, the Inn at Little Washington is splendid, but its Patrick O’Connell’s award-winning restaurant that inspires culinary pilgrimages. Other pilgrimages that stop here include those to Shenandoah National Park, only a dozen miles away.

MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK

Hotel Genevieve

Louisville, KY, USA

Hotel Genevieve, in Louisville’s lively East Market neighborhood, brings unpretentious boutique charm to this uniquely French-influenced riverside city. It’s a new build, but one designed to fit in among downtown Louisville’s finest examples of French-inspired architecture. It allows for some urban exploration before a day trip to Mammoth Cave National Park, an hour and change to the south.

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK

Historic Rocky Waters Inn

Gatlinburg, TN, USA

There are few more relaxing sounds than that of gently flowing water, and at this adults-only inn dating back to 1935, all 36 bedrooms come with balconies overlooking the Little Pigeon River; book one of the rooms with a fireplace and a good night’s sleep is assured. Also adding to the hotel’s considerable charm is its location a short walk from downtown Gatlinburg and its position as a gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

HOT SPRINGS NATIONAL PARK

The Hornibrook Mansion – Empress of Little Rock

Little Rock, AR, USA

An exquisitely-appointed late Victorian mansion, the Empress of Little Rock is a truly memorable boutique bed and breakfast. Originally the Hornibrook Mansion, this architectural statement rendered in Gothic Queen Anne style was the dwelling of one of Little Rock’s most successful late 19th-century saloon keepers. It’s opulent, it’s octagonal, and it puts you under an hour from Hot Springs National Park.

DRY TORTUGAS NATIONAL PARK

Lighthouse Hotel

Key West, FL, USA

Standing right next door to the famous lighthouse in question is the Lighthouse Hotel, a loose association of 19th-century buildings spanning half a city block, right across the street from the Hemingway residence. Its rambling grounds include a swimming pool and gardens surrounding an old banyan tree. From here, you can walk to the ferry that will take you to the islands that make up Dry Tortugas National Park.

SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK

Canyon Ranch Tucson

Tucson, AZ, USA

To say that Canyon Ranch Tucson is an all-inclusive spa and wellness resort is a bit like saying the Beatles were a rock band from Liverpool — it’s certainly accurate, but it leaves out both of their central roles in defining their genres, as well as the significance of their continued influence on the form. There’s no better basecamp for popping in to nearby Saguaro National Park, east or west.

ARCHES & CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARKS

Lionsback Resort

Moab, UT, USA

Lionsback Resort is a collection of two- and three-bedroom luxury casitas, all featuring decks and patios complete with hot tubs. Fire pits and grills are available, and each one comes with a full indoor kitchen. The design is sustainable, and the lighting is Dark Sky compliant — this town is famous for some of the best stargazing in the country, and for being the entrance to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.

BRYCE CANYON & CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARKS

Ofland Escalante

Escalante, UT, USA

With 22 acres of land and a collection of compact cabins and Airstream trailers, Ofland Escalante is pitched at outdoor-oriented travelers visiting Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, a significant site for geology and paleontology in the spectacular landscape of southern Utah. But this area is also rife with national parks, including two that Ofland is sandwiched between, Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon.

ZION NATIONAL PARK

Open Sky Zion

Virgin, UT, USA

There are plenty of glamping options near Zion National Park, but none as luxurious as Open Sky Zion, featuring safari-style canvas tents crafted in South Africa, an upscale restaurant, and 80 acres of wilderness to explore. Located near the park’s far west border, the resort is accessible via a long dirt road, its camps dwarfed by a spectacular landscape of red rocky cliffs, canyons, and plateaus.

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK

The Bungalows by Homestead Modern

Joshua Tree, California

Situated on the grounds of the Joshua Tree Retreat Center (and mere miles from the park), the Bungalows at Retreat by Homestead Modern are a series of impressively restored midcentury buildings by Harold Zook. And while the 14 rooms, studios, and suites share three structures, each one feels like a freestanding mid-century home, complete with full-length windows that stretch from the concrete floors to the post-and-beam ceilings.

CHANNEL ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK

Hotel El Roblar

Ojai, CA, USA

After originally opening in 1919, Ojai’s longest-standing hotel, El Roblar, has been restored to its former glory and reopened as a 50-room boutique bolthole. The sensitive restoration has thankfully retained the property’s Spanish Revival architecture, including the Mission-style entry archway and the lobby’s stone fireplace. Drive just 15 miles to Ventura to catch a boat for Channel Islands National Park.

OLYMPIC, NORTH CASCADES & MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARKS

1 Hotel Seattle

Seattle, WA, USA

Upon its advent the 1 Hotels brand quickly established what feels like a whole new category: the sustainable luxury hotel. In typical 1 Hotels style, their Seattle outpost has as much nature inside as out, with a two-story green wall in the lobby and living plants in the rooms and suites. Since you’re in Seattle, you have no fewer than three extraordinary national parks to choose: Olympic, North Cascades, and Mouth Rainier.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

One&Only Moonlight Basin

Big Sky, MT, USA

There are closer hotels to the entrances of Yellowstone National Park, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find many that are more luxurious than One&Only Moonlight Basin. The resort features serious modern-luxe architecture by the Northwest’s own Olson Kundig, and while its situation is more secluded than the typical slopeside ski hotel, it’s directly connected to Big Sky Mountain’s lift system via a private gondola.

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK

Rusty Parrot Lodge and Spa

Jackson, WY, USA

The Rusty Parrot is a longtime Jackson Hole institution, and in its newest incarnation it’s the sort of unpretentiously upscale luxury boutique hotel that the destination demands. It’s still family-owned and -operated, and the service is as personal as ever. But the interiors now blend Rocky Mountain ruggedness with crisp contemporary style, and a location near the entrance to Grand Teton National Park.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

Urban Cowboy Denver

Denver, CO, USA

You might expect a bit more Western kitsch from a hotel called Urban Cowboy Denver, but this is Capitol Hill, one of the hippest neighborhoods in town. And the building is no barn, but a beautifully preserved 1886 Victorian mansion whose historical details only accentuate the hotel’s maximalist, retro-inspired interior design. For your fix of Rocky Mountain ruggedness, the national park entrance is just a quick drive away.

BADLANDS & WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARKS

Under Canvas Mount Rushmore

Keystone, SD, USA

Sure, the luxury tented camp at Under Canvas Mount Rushmore has views across the valley to the iconic monument from which it takes its name, a one-of-a-kind sight if ever there were one. But you’re also easy day trips from Badlands and Wind Cave National Parks, and even closer to the Black Hills National Forest and the nearby Custer State Park.

KATMAI & LAKE CLARK NATIONAL PARKS

Stillpoint Lodge

Halibut Cove, AK, USA

Like many destinations on the Alaskan coast, the fishing village–art colony town of Halibut Cove, on the Kenai Peninsula, can only be reached by air or by sea. Stillpoint Lodge is upscale lodge living, its cabins constructed from local Alaskan timber. It’s still no easy task getting to Lake Clark and Katmai National Parks from here, but it’s hard to get much closer.

HALEAKALĀ NATIONAL PARK

Hana Maui Resort

Maui, Hawaii

Hana Maui Resort goes less for architectural amazement and more for another kind of wonder: the 21st-century human who can detach from their favorite devices and cast off their reliance on modern conveniences. Located on this desolate eastern tip of Maui, the resort’s open-air cottages are appealingly rustic, providing an appropriate home base for exploring the volcanic features at nearby Haleakalā National Park.