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I’ve been steeped in national park lodging lore for decades — both as a customer and professionally as a park ranger (now retired.)

The founders of the National Park Service (NPS) understood the need to build spectacular lodging. It not only had to have an appearance that matches the breathtaking surroundings of the park, but it also had to be warmly welcoming since visitors that traveled a long way wanted more than just a place to sleep — they wanted a place to revive and renew.

Each of these lodges look like they belong right where they are. You wouldn’t pick one up and move it to another park. They’re at home with their environments — except maybe one.

But, let’s take a look and you’ll see what I mean.

My first visit to Yellowstone was when I was about 7 years old, camping with my parents. I remember geysers, the smell of them and their thermal features, bears, the kids we camped next to, and one humongous log building.

Where else but Yellowstone would you expect to find the largest log structure in the world? The first national park deserves a majestic lodge, and that’s what it got. Six stories tall, you’ve never seen anything else like it, because there is nothing else like it. It’s really, really big.

Old Faithful Inn opened in 1904. And, although it had electric lights — rather than flaunting the technology — the designers went with lights that looked like candles.

Just because the Inn was designed to be rustic 100 years ago doesn’t mean your stay today is going to seem like you’re roughing it. The Inn has been continually improved over the years, with a major update in 2004 to meet current building codes.

It’s a comfortable and elegant stay, just a short walk from its namesake, the Old Faithful geyser.

The north rim of the Grand Canyon has something over the south rim — elevation.

At over 8,000 feet, it’s much cooler in the summer, closed in the winter, and attracts only about a tenth as many visitors as the south rim.

The cooler air means that the north rim is much more forested than the south. That’s what gives the Grand Canyon Lodge on the north rim its characteristic design. Not only does it use plenty of natural stone, but it’s designed to be at home with the surrounding forest.

The Lodge takes full advantage of its location on the rim, with large windows and spectacular views. The dining room views are amazing, whether it be of the canyon as the sun sets, or an evening thunderstorm.

Since the lodge is not open during the winter, there was no need for a large central building. Instead, lodge rooms are in scattered cabins just a few steps away. It makes for quiet, privacy, and an experience that’s different than staying in a grand hotel.

The lodge is the work of architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, known for his rustic design of national park lodges at Zion, Cedar Breaks, Bryce Canyon, and the Ahwanee at Yosemite.

We’ll be hearing a lot more about his work down the list a lot more.

There are hotels designed to appear rustic — with a recognized style of architecture called National Park Service Rustic. Then, there are hotels that are actually rustic. LeConte Lodge is the latter.

You have to hike into it, and it’s not a bad hike (5–8 miles depending on your route), but a hike nonetheless.

Originally built with a tarpaper roof and clay floor, what LeConte Lodge lacks in architectural refinement, it makes up for in authenticity. And, what it lacks in capacity, it doesn’t make up at all. Only 60 guests are allowed at a time. Sorry.

It has seven one-room cabins with double bunk beds. They feature all the amenities, such as propane heaters, kerosene lamps, wash basins (enjoy a sponge bath), and rocking chairs on the porch.

Larger parties may choose the three lodges with multiple rooms, if you’re lucky enough to get a reservation. The dining room is for guests only. Sack lunches are available for hikers.

If the LeConte name sounds familiar, here’s the story: Joseph LeConte was a founding member of the Sierra Club. You’ll find the LeConte Memorial Lodge in Yosemite Valley, and Mount LeConte nearby. There’s also Mount LeConte in the Smokies, the namesake of this lodge.

And of course, there’s a bit of controversy as to whether it’s named after Joseph, or his older brother, John, because it’s a park, and that’s often how park place names go.

The first time I phoned the Chief Ranger at Mount Rainier, the woman who answered the phone said, “I’m sorry, but he’s gone to Paradise.”

I was a bit taken back, but she seemed sort of nonchalant about it, so I came to the conclusion that there was an actual place in the park called “Paradise.”

And that’s where the Paradise Inn is.

It’s located at 5,400 feet on Mount Rainier, way up north in Washington, so it gets a lot of snow. It’s the take-off point for climbs to the summit. So, architecturally, it’s one big snow-shedding roof with plenty of other snow-shedding roofs on top of it.

That’s how it has survived since its opening in 1917, with some log buttresses, along with significant repair and seismic retrofitting over the years. It’s as rustic as you’d expect, with an extra dose of comfortable rustic warmth from the fireplaces.

Its comfy, well-maintained rooms are a perfect place to experience the high country. But fair warning: There is no phone service, TV, or Wi-Fi — as primitive as can be (for those under 35).

I mentioned we’d get back to Gilbert Stanley Underwood, and here we are, at his most acclaimed park service hotel, the Ahwanee.

It has everything you’d expect from an Underwood design: rustic-ness, if that’s even a word; a magnificent dining room (be stylish and do brunch); areas to gather inside, like the Grand Lounge, and outside on the lawns; amazing views, everywhere; and the Grand Lounge fireplaces — my favorite in any of the national parks. It’s absolutely awesome on winter evenings.

There are rooms in the main hotel (it’s a bit of a high-rise, with an elevator of course), and in other outbuildings.

Some folks arriving for the first time feel a bit of deja-vu. These people may have seen the film The Shining. The distinctive interior design of the Ahwahnee was the basis for the film’s setting at the Overlook Hotel — not something the management wants you to remember.

Charles Whittlesey, principal architect of the railroad that brought tourists to the western parks, designed the El Tovar as a cross between a Swiss chalet and Norwegian villa. Yet, it’s placed in a high-desert pinyon-juniper forest in northern Arizona.

This might be the lodge on the list that looks, in places, a tad out of place. Let’s call it “distinctive” and run with that, because history, and our readers, have judged the El Tovar as one of the all-time renowned national park lodges, visited by the world’s most renowned personalities, from Albert Einstein to Paul McCartney.

The view from the dining room is less spectacular than its counterpart lodge on the North Rim, but the food is on another level. And of course, just looking at the magnificent El Tovar is pleasant enough. The hotel is right at the rim, so if you want panoramic views, they are steps away.

The same as the previously mentioned Ahwahnee, El Tovar encourages a dress code for dinner, part of preserving its legacy as an outpost of refinement in the wild of the great outdoors.

While a Swiss chalet may not look quite at home at the Grand Canyon (I’m looking at you, El Tovar), it’s a perfect look for the Many Glacier Hotel in Montana.

The hotel is a line of chalets along the lakeshore of Swiftcurrent Lake. It’s at the base of Mount Grinnell and was built in 1914. It’s not too fancy (plenty of Swiss shields and a large fireplace for décor), but it’s quite functional and lets you focus your attention on the amazing area that surrounds the hotel.

With the hotel at its heart, the Many Glacier area is a hub of activity, including horseback riding, boat tours, kayak and canoe rentals, and places to hike, including the Grinnell Glacier.

The dining area isn’t as magnificent as many of the hotels on this list, and the menu isn’t as swanky. But it fits the area. If you’ve been out hiking, paddling, or riding and have worked up an appetite, it’s a fine place to sit down for dinner.

If this list has you fascinated about the wild history of NPS lodges, consider taking the ranger-guided tour of the Many Glacier Hotel. It covers most of what has been covered here (history, personalities, evolution, and restoration) but in much greater detail.

Yet another Gilbert Stanley Underwood creation, like others, the Zion National Park Lodge has a central lodge and a surrounding group of cabins with stone fireplaces and porches. There’s also some hotel rooms.

Unlike Underwood’s other designs, it was built rather understated — intentionally — so as to not overwhelm those that still resided in the canyon when the lodge was created.

There’s a dining room, the Red Rock Grill, that’s the only place I’ve seen a Navajo taco on the menu in a national park. You need to try one.

Movie fans will recall seeing a bit of the Zion Lodge in The Eiger Sanction with Clint Eastwood. Some serious fans look for the areas in which his character trained, and are disappointed to find out that the pool shown in the film has been filled in.

The Zion National Park Lodge set the style for additional structures and development in and adjacent to the park that were needed to meet its stunning growth in visitation.

You may have noticed that the Grand Canyon has three lodges on this list. Two of them are massive, spectacular structures designed by leading architects of their day.

Then, there is the Bright Angel Lodge — a historic hotel for the rest of us.

The Bright Angel Lodge fits in perfectly with its surroundings. It’s made of stone and logs, and landscaped with sage in juniper. It’s not too tall, not too ornate, and at peace with itself.

The lodge itself dates back to the 1930s, but it features one room that was built in 1890. 

Bucky O’Neill was a lawman, judge, gambler, and politician in Arizona. He helped bring the railroad to the Grand Canyon, and built a cabin there, before his death in battle as one of Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders in Cuba. He was not one of the leading architects of his day, but if you’re looking to stay in a memorable cabin built by an extremely colorful character, this is it.

The rest of the rooms at the lodge are a hodgepodge of cabins, some with shared bathrooms, and other lodge rooms. There is no grand dining room, but there are several restaurants from which to choose. I asked some friends at the Grand Canyon to pick, and they chose the Arizona Steakhouse for its canyon views.

Crater Lake is a challenging place to build and operate a lodge.

The park gets an incredible amount of snow, almost over 40 feet a year. Physically, the winters are brutal. And fiscally, the long winters limit the open season from later in May to mid-October, making the high-maintenance lodge anything but a get-rich-quick proposition.

If that sounds challenging, keep in mind that the lodge opened in 1915, when everything about operations was much more difficult.

But one important fact keeps Crater Lake Lodge going: The views of the lake and surrounding peaks are awe-inspiring. Different rooms have different lake views and the best views don’t come with a substantial premium — those views are outside on the patio.

Although the lodge is right above the lake and offers breathtaking views, the crater walls around Crater Lake are steep, so there’s no hiking down to the lake from the lodge. The only trail down, the Cleetwood Trail, is on the other side of the lake.

After decades of difficult winters, Crater Lake Lodge, like many on this list, has been renewed and renovated. After a visit, you’ll feel the same.

Unlike many lodges on this list, Lake Crescent Lodge didn’t begin as a national park lodge. Olympic National Park didn’t even exist when the Singer family opened Singer’s Lake Crescent Tavern in 1915. The tavern was built to serve travelers when roads first accessed this part of Washington.

Ferries carried travelers across the lake on a route around the peninsula, and the tavern served travelers hotel rooms, cottages, and cabins.

Times have changed and the ferries are gone. Now, highways circle the peninsula. Most of the area is now protected as a national park, and the tavern is now Lake Crescent Lodge.

What hasn’t changed is the lodge itself. It’s a picture-perfect lakeside lodge with a boat dock, and a beach, with comfortable chairs to enjoy the tranquil views. The water is ever-so clear. You can explore the lake by renting a kayak, canoe, or paddleboard — in season of course.

Inside, the lodge is invitingly warm. Rooms have been added and modernized over the years. You can still stay in rooms inspired by history, in cabins with fireplaces, and in more modern accommodations.

By now, you should see a theme: Most of your favorite national park lodges were built in the early 20th century, have a rustic design, use natural materials from the local environment, and have been refurbished. Despite many having little or no Wi-Fi connectivity, they’re much adored and beloved.

Finally, here’s a little known fact about Gilbert Stanley Underwood’s constructions to impress the rangers you meet at these parks: His lodges built for the Union Pacific were insulated with sawdust and almost all of them burned down. The Cedar Breaks Lodge was never rebuilt. The one at the North Rim was rebuilt well. The Zion Lodge was rebuilt in a hurry with prefabricated units, requiring a remodeling in 1990 to restore its original rustic look.

As a note of personal pride — having overseen the structural firefighting department at Bryce Canyon — Underwood’s Bryce Canyon Lodge is the only one of his four creations still standing in its original state. It has undergone major retrofitting for fire protection and safety, and the fire crew trains frequently to protect it.

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Greg Jackson has been writing professionally since graduating from one of the top journalism schools in the U.S. in 1981. He also worked as a park ranger for the National Park Service for over 25 years, and was the ultimate frequent flier as a Federal Air Marshal. He writes about travel, parks, and news involving National Park Service rangers.