Visiting a National Park, but Don’t Want to Rough It? Book a Room at One of These Dreamy Hotels

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 awe-inspiring scenery.

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, as well as 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 15 hotels near national parks that will suit any kind of traveler.

AutoCamp Yosemite

Courtesy of Autocamp Yosemite

Yosemite National Park is home to Yosemite Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in the USA. Canopies of conifers and seasonal wildflowers help make the park’s 748,000 acres a year-round draw. In February, when conditions align, the park’s famed “Firefall” phenomenon draws crowds as Horsetail Fall appears to glow at sunset.

A 40-minute drive west of the park’s Arch Rock entrance in a woodsy, private setting, AutoCamp Yosemite appeals to a wide range of travelers. The 36-acre property includes 15 canvas tents (without bathrooms), 81 Airstreams, and five Basecamps (a hybrid of tent and trailer), allowing guests to tailor the level of comfort. Two pine cabins add a sitting room, private outdoor firepit, grill, and dining area. Each unit is outfitted with basic cookware and utensils for self-
catering.

Programming includes guided forest bathing, a children’s forest exploration program, and weekly meditation sessions. —Alexandra Cheney

Blackberry Mountain

Courtesy of Blackberry Mountain

Straddling North Carolina and Tennessee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the United States, 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 an estimated 1,900 black bears.

A 20-minute drive away, Blackberry Mountain offers a more private experience. The resort stewards 5,200 acres, with 2,800 set aside for conservation. The 23 large cottages, 14 tree houses, 6 cabins, and a handful of multi-bedroom homes are named after local flora. Every room has its own golf cart, which allows guests to traverse the vast property with ease.

Open year-round, the all-inclusive property has 36 miles of private hiking trails and three restaurants, including one set around a 1950s lookout tower, all emphasizing seasonal, Appalachian-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. —Alexandra Cheney

Camp Sarika at Amangiri

Courtesy of Camp Sarika

Set in a secluded canyon beside Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, Camp Sarika is the tented extension of Amangiri, offering a more immersive—and firmly top of the market—way to experience the desert landscape. The 10 standalone pavilions—ranging from one to two bedrooms—are fully enclosed and generously scaled, with plunge pools, firepits, and terraces oriented toward the surrounding mesas and rock formations. Given the limited inventory and high demand, reservations typically need to be secured well in advance.

Guided explorations range from via ferrata climbs and hikes to slot canyon visits on Navajo land, alongside cultural programming like storytelling, hoop dancing, and craft workshops led by local practitioners. Back on property, a large spa, open-air dining, and thoughtful turndown touches reinforce the sense of place.

Related: Aman’s Camp Sarika in Utah Is Surrounded by 5 National Parks, Beloved by Celebs, and Tricky to Get Into

Château du Sureau

Courtesy of Château du Sureau

About 20 minutes from Yosemite’s south entrance, Château du Sureau is a 10-room property modeled after a 19th-century French château, set on landscaped grounds threaded with paths through ferns, daffodils, and tulips. Rooms are individually designed, inspired by flowers and herbs from the South of France, with canopy beds, fireplaces, soaking tubs, and private terraces or balconies; guests are welcomed with Gugelhupf (a bready bundt cake made with yeast and including raisins and almonds) and a bottle of organic red wine from the owner’s Coquelicot Estate Vineyard in California.

The hotel’s Elderberry House restaurant is known for its multicourse tasting menus and deep wine list. The hotel can arrange picnic lunches and private Yosemite tours, while a small spa and a pool offer places to unwind between outings.

Related: This Beloved Hotel Near Yosemite Is Now an Exciting Dining Destination

C Lazy U Ranch

Courtesy of C Lazy U Ranch

Open since 1919, C Lazy U Ranch is one of the country’s longest-running luxury dude ranches, spread across 8,500 acres in the Rockies within easy reach of Rocky Mountain National Park. Accommodations are set in a series of cabins rather than in a central lodge, making the property more private and spacious for guests; interiors lean classic western, with wood-burning fireplaces, log walls, and porches that open onto meadows and mountains.

The ranch is best known for its horseback program: It has more than 200 horses, and guests can take daily rides tailored to their experience level. Beyond horseback riding, activities include fly-fishing, hiking, and mountain biking in warmer months and snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in winter. Opened in the summer of 2025, the adults-only spa Lazy U Hideaway has hot tubs, cold plunges, and a glass-walled sauna overlooking the Continental Divide.

Related: Why This 100-Year-Old Ranch in Colorado Is One of America’s Most Coveted Stays

Crater Lake Lodge

Photo by Anthony Secker

Occasionally exclusivity outweighs everything else. Crater Lake Lodge is the only hotel within Crater Lake National Park, the state’s sole national park. Opened in 1915 and renovated in 1995, Crater the lodge is intentionally rustic. The absence of televisions, telephones, and Wi-Fi is offset by uninterrupted views of Crater Lake just beyond the windows.

Open May through October, the lodge sits 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 settle into one of the many rocking chairs along the outdoor viewing areas, and plan well ahead—rooms at this popular retreat book out quickly.—Alexandra Cheney

The Gage Hotel

Courtesy of the Gage Hotel

Big Bend National Park encompasses the entire Chisos mountain range and a vast stretch of the Chihuahuan Desert, with limestone cliffs carved by the Rio Grande and hidden hot springs. Most visitors enter via Persimmon Gap on the park’s north side.

About 40 minutes north, in the small West Texas town of Marathon, Gage Hotel offers a historic base. Commissioned in 1926 by rancher Alfred S. Gage and designed by Henry Trost, the property has 47 guest rooms, including freestanding casitas and Los Portales, a cluster of 20 pueblo-style rooms arranged around a courtyard. Interiors feature antique Mexican double doors, exposed wood beams, and Saltillo tile floors.

The on-site 12 Gage Restaurant serves locally sourced wild game with herbs grown on-site, while the White Buffalo Bar offers a deep tequila selection—striking given the isolation (the nearest airport is roughly 160 miles away).—Alexandra Cheney

Graduate by Hilton Columbia

Photo by David Mitchell

Less than a half-hour drive from downtown Columbia, South Carolina, the 26,000-acre Congaree National Park 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 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, and cocktails like Shrub A Dub Dub, a mule-inspired drink with dashes of mezcal and blackberries.—Alexandra Cheney

Kenai Fjords Wilderness Lodge

Courtesy of Kenai Fjords Wilderness Lodge

Getting to Kenai Fjords Wilderness Lodge requires a boat ride from Seward, passing jagged peaks and, often, marine wildlife before arriving at a sheltered cove inside the park. Cabins line the shoreline, spaced for privacy—simple but comfortable, with wood interiors, large windows, and decks facing the bay.

The main lodge is where everything comes together, with naturalist talks on the patio, a firelit lounge, and meals focused on Alaskan ingredients. Days are build around the landscape, from guided kayaking along the coast to hikes, fishing, and wildlife spotting, with the stay typically ending on an eight-hour Northwestern Fjord cruise past glaciers and abundant marine life.

Menizei

Courtesy of Menizei

Menizei is an adults-only retreat set in coastal forest above the Salish Sea near Washington’s Olympic National Park, a landscape of old-growth forests, secluded tide pools, and driftwood-strewn beaches. Three private basecamps have blackout sleep tents with separate bathhouses—each with its own sauna.

Experiences include forest walks, tide pooling, stargazing, and optional add-ons like massages or fireside dining. With a maximum of six guests at any given time, the property feels like an ultra-private retreat, making advance booking essential during its April-to-October season.—Jennifer Flowers

Related: To Understand Hotel Luxury, Look at the Bathroom

Rusty Parrot Lodge and Spa

Courtesy of Rusty Parrot Lodge and Spa

Fresh off a full rebuild after a 2019 fire, the Rusty Parrot Lodge and Spa set out to restore the feel of the original while refining the details. Now with 40 guest rooms, it still feels small and familiar—more like returning to a house than checking into a hotel—only a few blocks from Jackson’s Town Square and within easy reach of Grand Teton National Park (about 15 minutes away by car) and Yellowstone National Park (roughly a 1.5-hour drive).

Rooms are comfortable and well considered, with fireplaces, soaking tubs, and enough space to settle in after a day in the parks. At turndown, guests receive a short cowboy poem alongside house-made chocolates. Elsewhere, the western influence is more pronounced, with a strong collection of western art and a lending library of cowboy buckles (ranging from vintage trophy ski buckles to pieces tied to long-gone local businesses) that guests can borrow and wear around town. The on-site Wild Sage restaurant has a farm-to-table philosophy, with menus that shift almost daily based on what’s available; there’s also a small spa. A knowledgeable team help map out scenic drives, hikes, and activities for both parks.

Salt Cottages

Photo by Miriam Babin

Maine’s Acadia National Park spans 47,000 acres and is a mosaic of rocky beaches and woodlands with 158 miles of hiking trails and 45 miles of 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.—Alexandra Cheney

Trailborn Rocky Mountains

Courtesy of Trailborn Rocky Mountains

Trailborn Rocky Mountains is a renovated midcentury motor lodge in Estes Park. Set at the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, it includes two neighboring properties—40 rooms at the main lodge and 45 at the Outpost—and is part of Marriott Bonvoy’s Outdoor Collection, where you can earn points without losing the independent feel.

From cork flooring to retro Tivoli radios, the lodge-meets-boutique hotel blends thoughtful design with pragmatic hospitality touches. A digital field guide and in-room coolers make impromptu picnics easy, while the “Keep Extraordinary” program directs a portion of each stay to the Rocky Mountain Conservancy, which supports conservation work in the park.

Highlights of Trailborn’s robust programming include an in-room camping experience for kids, whiskey tastings for adults, a night sky pack-rafting trip, via ferrata, and summer pig roasts.—Alexandra Cheney

Ulum Moab, Utah

Photo by Bailey Made

Only a 30-minute drive 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 more luxurious sister brand of Under Canvas, is half a mile from Looking Glass Arch. Each of Ulum’s 50 tent suites 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.

Related: Utah’s New Under Canvas Retreat Takes Glamping to a New Level

Under Canvas Glacier

Courtesy of Under Canvas Glacier

Under Canvas Glacier sits seven miles from the west entrance of Montana’s Glacier National Park, with 59 canvas tents with furnishings by West Elm, set among conifers; each tent has viewing windows or private decks oriented to the landscape. Eight accommodation types offer flexibility across groups, from couples to families.

Amenities include morning yoga and evening s’mores, while on-site coordinators can arrange access to the park’s 700 miles of trails or excursions like fly-fishing and whitewater rafting. The property is open June through September and largely off-grid (no Wi-Fi), although it is now bookable through the World of Hyatt via Mr. & Mrs. Smith.—Alexandra Cheney

This story originally published in 2024. It was updated with new information in April 2026.