Scattered across 29 states and two territories, the 63 U.S. national parks were created to showcase and preserve the country’s natural beauty, including its most striking geological features and unique ecosystems. From the longest cave system in the world in Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave National Park to the tallest peak in North America in Alaska’s Denali National Park, our national park system brims with superlative-worthy awe.
However, because so many U.S. national parks are remote, finding standout lodgings nearby that aren’t campsites isn’t always easy. But a growing number of retreats across the country are offering accommodations with the creature comforts of an upscale or luxury hotel and specialized programming that maximizes their proximity to America’s favorite natural wonders. As part of Afar’s Hotels We Love series, we’ve highlighted our top 10 hotels located near national parks that will suit any kind of traveler.
Amangani
A jaw-dropping view of the Tetons greets guests at the Amangani resort in Jackson, Wyoming.
Courtesy of Aman
- Location: Jackson, Wyoming (near Grand Teton National Park)
- Why we love it: A chic retreat in the foothills overlooking the Snake River Valley
- From: $800
- Book now
Jackson Hole Airport is the only commercial airport within a national park: Fly into it and get an aerial view of the towering Tetons, the youngest range in the Rocky Mountains. A 20-minute drive from the airport (and thus a 20-minute drive from the national park), sitting in the foothills overlooking the Snake River Valley, Amangani is a year-round resort blending western design—think cowhide chairs, sandstone and redwood architecture—plus high ceilings, large windows, and Aman’s signature austere aesthetic.
With 40 suites, each with a balcony or terrace, and three homes, the resort offers sweeping views from the valley floor to the mountain peaks. It’s possible to spot elk and bears emerging from hibernation while you enjoy the 115-foot heated outdoor pool or view autumn leaves from a guided forest horseback ride.
AutoCamp Yosemite
Autocamp Yosemite gracefully combines the beauty of camping with all the luxuries and amenities of boutique accommodations.
Courtesy of Autocamp Yosemite
- Location: Midpines, California (near Yosemite National Park)
- Why we love it: Robust programming and a secluded location near an iconic national park
- From: $204
- Book now
Yosemite National Park almost needs no introduction. John Muir, Clare Marie Hodges, Mary Winslow, Ansel Adams, and Alex Honnold, to name a few, largely covered that. But for the uninitiated, 3 of the 10 highest waterfalls in the world are located in Yosemite. Canopies of conifers, valley wildflowers, and the February firefall have made the park’s 748,000 acres a year-round destination.
Located 40 minutes west of the Arch Rock entrance to Yosemite National Park in a woodsy, private setting, AutoCamp Yosemite appeals to a wide range of travelers. From 15 tents (sans bathrooms), 81 Airstreams, and 5 basecamps (a combination of tent and trailer), it’s possible to choose your own high-thread-count adventure. Don’t forget the two pine cabins, with a sitting room, private outdoor firepit, grill, and dining space. Designs are simple and sleek.
Nature therapy, a type of guided forest bathing, a children-focused forest touch and explore school, and forest meditation on Mondays are among the amenities within the full-bodied programming at the 36-acre AutoCamp Yosemite. Daily public shuttles provide direct access to the park, while the hotel outfits each suite with basic cookware and utensils if you want to make your own meals.
Blackberry Mountain
Warm yourself by the wood-burning stove as you take in the view from Blackberry Mountain’s tree houses.
Courtesy of Blackberry Mountain
- Location: Walland, Tennessee (near Great Smoky Mountains National Park)
- Why we love it: Private hiking trails, chic interiors, and standout Appalachia-inspired cuisine
- From: $1,895, three-night minimum
- Loyalty program: Always Be Expected (Relais & Châteaux)
- Book now
Occupying land in both North Carolina and Tennessee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is America’s most visited national park according to the National Park Service. It’s easy to see why: It’s filled with ridges upon ridges of forest, a famous firefly viewing lottery (yearly in June), and 1,900 black bears that call the park home. A 20-minute drive away and equally as scenic are the 5,200 acres of private land that Blackberry Mountain stewards; 2,800 of those acres are dedicated to conservation. The 23 large cottages, 14 tree houses, 6 traditional-style cabins and multi-bedroom homes are named after local vegetation. Every room has its own golf cart, which allows guests to traverse the vast property with ease.
Open all year, the all-inclusive property has 36 miles of private hiking trails and three on-site restaurants, including one built around a 1950s lookout tower, all featuring seasonal and Appalachia-inspired cuisine. Equally worth a visit is Blackberry Mountain’s sister property down the road, Blackberry Farm, a working farm that’s now a 68-room estate.
Crater Lake Lodge
Evergreen trees surround Crater Lake.
Photo by Anthony Secker
- Location: Crater Lake, Oregon (inside Crater Lake National Park)
- Why we love it: The only hotel located within Crater Lake National Park
- From: $250
- Book now
Occasionally exclusivity bests everything. Crater Lake Lodge is the only hotel within the confines of Crater Lake National Park, the sole national park in the Beaver State. Opened in 1915 and renovated in 1995, Crater Lake Lodge is thoroughly rustic. It’s easy to forgo the lack of televisions, telephones, and Wi-Fi when uninterrupted views of the deepest lake in the United States are right outside the windows.
Open from May to October and set along the rim of a volcanic caldera—the structure that results from an erupting volcano—Crater Lake Lodge’s 71 guest rooms are spread across four floors. Request a lake view room and take advantage of the many rocking chairs spread throughout the multiple outdoor viewing areas. From the Crater Lake ferry tour to the trolley tour, there are several ways to view the park from both lake and land. Book well in advance for the best chance at scoring a room at this popular retreat.
The Gage Hotel
The Gage Hotel in West Marathon, Texas
Courtesy of the Gage Hotel
- Location: West Marathon, Texas (near Big Bend National Park)
- Why we love it: Remote retreat with plenty of creature comforts
- From: $185
- Book now
Big Bend National Park includes the entire Chisos mountain range and much of the Chihuahuan Desert; there are limestone cliffs sculpted by the Rio Grande and secret hot springs. Most visitors enter the park through the Persimmon Gap on the north side. Big Bend is also one of the rare national parks that welcomes dogs.
A 40-minute drive to the north, in the western Texas town of Marathon, is the Gage Hotel. Commissioned in 1926 by rancher Alfred S. Gage and built by Henry Trost, who designed several other hotels in the region, the Gage offers 47 guest rooms, including casitas and Los Portales, 20 pueblo-style rooms surrounding a courtyard. The rooms feature antique Mexican double doors, exposed wood ceiling beams, and Saltillo tile floors. On property, 12 Gage Restaurant serves locally sourced wild game with herbs grown on site while the White Buffalo Bar specializes in tequilas—impressive given its remote location (the nearest airport is 160 miles away).
Graduate by Hilton Columbia
The Graduate Columbia offers Southern hospitality at its finest.
Photo by David Mitchell
- Location: Columbia, South Carolina (near Congaree National Park)
- Why we love it: Colorful digs near the old-growth forests of Congaree National Park
- Loyalty program: Hilton Honors
- From: $171
- Book now
“Wilderness is closer than you think,” or so goes the Congaree National Park tagline. Less than a half-hour drive from downtown Columbia, South Carolina, the 20,000-acre Congaree is the largest intact expanse of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the Southeast. Giant hardwoods, towering pines, and the floodplain forest can be explored via canoe or kayak. The park also offers excellent birding and fishing opportunities.
The Graduate Columbia, which has 119 guest rooms, is literally across the street from the University of South Carolina. From the wallpaper to the sofas, the Gamecock-inspired headboards to the curtains, it’s a textural feast for the eyes. The Graduate offers Southern hospitality and has an on-site restaurant, the Trophy Room; it serves American comfort food like fried chicken and meatloaf as well as fun cocktails like Shrub A Dub Dub, a mule-inspired drink with dashes of mezcal and blackberries.
Salt Cottages
Salt Cottages in Bar Harbor is steeped in classic coastal Maine decor.
Photo by Miriam Babin
- Location: Bar Harbor, Maine (near Acadia National Park)
- Why we love it: Inviting rooms and cottages with on-site activities, only a two-minute drive from Acadia National Park
- From: $600
- Book now
The first national park east of the Mississippi River, Acadia National Park, aka the “crown jewel of the North Atlantic Coast,” spans 47,000 acres and is a mosaic of rocky beaches and woodlands with 125 miles of hiking trails and carriage roads for travelers to explore. It’s also possible to bike, snowshoe, cross-country ski, or even travel by horse-drawn carriage.
A two-minute drive from the park entrance, the 40 maritime-inspired accommodations at Salt Cottages include 30 stand-alone cottages ranging from studios to two bedrooms, plus 10 boutique motor lodge rooms. Playing on the coastal Maine theme, Salt Cottages leans heavily into nautical decor—white picket fences, striped oars, and antique ocean paintings. When you’re not hiking or catching glimpses of peregrine falcons at Acadia National Park, you can play lawn games like bocce, badminton, and frisbee golf or deal a game of poker or blackjack with one of the decks of Acadia NP–themed playing cards available for guests to use on property.
Trailborn Rocky Mountains
Trailborn Rocky Mountains in Colorado
Courtesy of Trailborn Rocky Mountains
- Location: Estes Park, Colorado (near) Rocky Mountain National Park
- Why we love it: A new hospitality brand that equips travelers well for explorations of the park
- From: $225
- Book now
A new hospitality brand, Trailborn debuted in December 2023 with Trailborn Rocky Mountains, a thoughtfully refurbished 1950s motor lodge in Estes Park. Situated at the eastern entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, Trailborn Rocky Mountains features 86 hotel rooms across two properties: 40 at Trailborn Rocky Mountains, and 46 at Trailborn Rocky Mountains Outpost.
From cork flooring to retro Tivoli radios, this lodge-meets-boutique hotel blends thoughtful design with pragmatic hospitality touches. (There’s a digital field guide and small coolers in guest rooms, which makes packing a picnic a breeze.) Its sustainability efforts include a “Keep Extraordinary” program: It donates a portion of proceeds from each booking to the Rocky Mountain Conservancy, which runs conservation projects in the national park.
There’s an in-room camping experience for kids and whiskey tastings for adults. A night sky pack-rafting trip, via ferrata, and summer pig roasts are a few of the highlights in Trailborn’s robust programming schedule.
Ulum Moab, Utah
A sister brand of Under Canvas, Ulum Moab takes glamping luxury to the next level.
Photo by Bailey Made
- Location: Moab, Utah (near Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park)
- Why we love it: Glamping at its best beneath star-studded skies
- From: $599
- Book now
Only half an hour away from Canyonlands is Arches National Park, which has more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches and 77,000 acres of red rock desert landscape peppered with giant balanced columns, colossal fins, and towering pinnacles. In 2019, the International Dark-Sky Association designated Arches an International Dark Sky Park, a place recognized for its quality night skies.
Ulum Moab, which opened in March 2023 and is the luxurious sister brand of Under Canvas, is half a mile from Looking Glass Arch. Ulum’s 50 tent suites each features a bedroom with king-size bed, a lounge area with a queen-size sofa bed, a private 70-square-foot deck, and an en suite bathroom with a rain shower. Communal activities like guided morning yoga, on-site hiking, live acoustic music, and evening s’mores (with artisanal chocolates) provide socializing opportunities. There’s a full-service alfresco restaurant with options like short rib tacos and bison burgers, as well as an espresso and smoothie bar, both focusing on sustainable, seasonal ingredients. Ulum Moab is available for bookings March through October.
Under Canvas Glacier
A guest room at Under Canvas Glacier National Park in Montana
Courtesy of Under Canvas Glacier
- Location: Coram, Montana (near Glacier National Park)
- Why we love it: Safari-style canvas tents near Glacier’s west entrance
- Loyalty Program: World of Hyatt
- From: $198
- Book now
Following the publication of A.B. Guthrie Jr.’s novel The Big Sky in 1947 (plus the 1952 movie adaptation as well as the 1962 promotional campaign sponsored by the state), Montana adopted the moniker “Big Sky Country.” To fully immerse, it makes sense to sleep under said big sky with as few intercessors as possible.
Enter Under Canvas Glacier. Seven miles from the west entrance of Glacier National Park, canvas safari tents set amid confers and complete with viewing windows or private decks allow nature enthusiasts every opportunity to look up. Eight different lodging options spread across 59 tents means there’s plenty of flexibility for families, couples, and solo travelers alike.
There’s complimentary morning yoga and evening s’mores as well as furnishings by West Elm. On-site experience coordinators can assist in navigating the 700 miles of trails within Glacier National Park, or help you book fly fishing and whitewater rafting excursions. Wi-Fi isn’t available throughout the property, which is open June through September. However, exciting news for Hyatt loyalists: Under Canvas has joined the World of Hyatt Program under the canopy of Mr. and Mrs. Smith luxury hotels.
