America’s premium nature attractions keep pulling in visitors, but until recently, most of the accommodation options were not too grand. These chic inns offer everything from soaking tubs to telescopes for stargazing.
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America’s national parks experienced their busiest year ever in 2024 with tens of millions of visitors seeking a slice of nature at sites from Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula to the Great Smoky Mountains.
Though the U.S. park system is facing budget cuts, its popularity isn’t slowing down.
And thanks to a spate of luxury boutique hotels opening near these storied landscapes, Americans can now bond with nature more poshly.
“National parks offer accessible, restorative travel experiences, but for years, visitors had to choose between some version of camping, select service hotels or inconsistent independent properties,” said Mike Weiss, co-founder and co-CEO of Trailborn and Castle Peak Holdings based in New York.
He and his co-founder, Ben Weinberg, are among those updating the idea of “camping out” by launching boutique hotels near national parks.
While demand for legendary lodges, such as the Ahwahnee in Yosemite, the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone and the cliff’s-edge El Tovar Hotel at the Grand Canyon hasn’t dwindled, boutique hotels draw guests with serene spas and fine-dining restaurants that offer spectacular views.
Among their non-rustic features: soaking tubs, fancy high-count bed linens and telescopes for stargazing. Here, the new hot tickets where swooning over Mother Nature doesn’t mean roughing it.
Don’t let the name fool you: Wyoming’s most famous park is a 2.5-hour drive away.
But at this adults-only lodge that opened last summer, waking up in your roomy suite includes perks like views of the Grand Tetons and Snake River Valley.
Should the scenery become too overwhelmingly majestic, focus instead on the house granola or a huckleberry and peach smoothie, options on the breakfast menu.
Situated right outside the billionaire bustle of Jackson Hole, the retreat houses a tranquil spa, where guests can book 10 minutes in the Himalayan Salt Treatment Room ($60) to wind down after a day spent with Old Faithful at Yellowstone National Park.
Others watch the sunset from the patio with a glass of William Knuttel “Atlas Peak” Cabernet from Napa Valley, Calif. From US$1,199 a night.
Set in Williams, Ariz., arguably the Route 66-iest town in America, this newly opened outpost dispenses with road-trip kitsch to offer 96 colorful rooms beside the celebrated ravine.
Consider a curated hike, lounge by the pool or schedule a laser-guided constellation tour for a group of up to 10.
A Southwest-inspired steakhouse and on-site saloon (named Miss Kitty’s after Amanda Blake’s character in “Gunsmoke”) are nods at the area’s rootin’, tootin’ heritage, while extras like bocce ball courts and a scavenger hunt board for children provide entertainment before, or after, visiting the main attraction. From US $123 a night.
For California travelers exploring Yosemite’s granite domes and sequoia groves, this gaggle of pet-friendly cottages and villas in the town of Groveland, Calif., makes a good base camp.
Guests can kick back in spacious indoor-outdoor living spaces, play cowgirl on a trail ride or try mountain cuisine (like bone-in wild boar) at on-site restaurant YOVA .
Opened in the spring of 2024, the welcoming spot has a heated saltwater pool and hot tubs.
Its proximity to the northwest entrance station of Yosemite is a plus too. From US $525 a night.
Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes might not be the best-known national park, but this luxury resort in the San Luis Valley (a certified Dark Sky region) is attracting travelers with its inventive design and focus on astronomy.
The rooms—transparent geodesic domes—cater to those who want to marvel at the Milky Way by night and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains by day.
Amenities include private Jacuzzis, heated floors and, of course, high-end telescopes. Situated 3.5 hours from Denver. From US $700 a night.
Nestled between Utah’s iconic national parks—Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef and Zion—this adventure-focused retreat sits within a landscape no one would call dull. Choose between vintage Airstreams, cozy casitas and 4-person cabins.
When you’ve had your fill of nature, spend an evening at the drive-in movie theater, cannonball into the pool, or order patty melts and soft serve at its Americana food truck.
For a more secluded experience, deluxe cabins come with private bathrooms and fire pits. The cozier lodging options feature shared bathhouses with shower stalls. Tiny cabins start at US $169 a night, deluxe cabins, US$259; Airstreams, US$175.
Bar Harbor’s newest boutique hotel is two blocks from the sandbar to Bar Island, a part of Maine’s Acadia National Park. Situated downtown on Cottage Street, with its nearby shops and restaurants, the Pathmaker’s 46 rooms have Americana-style furnishings and smart TVs.
Dining is easy too: The mid-century-furnished restaurant serves up a complimentary breakfast, which includes Belgian waffles or spicy frittatas. From US$139 to US $329 a night, depending on the season.
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The actress, who felt a ‘spiritual calling’ to the Harrison, N.Y., property, is asking $4.99 million for the home.
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Two years ago, fed up with the long drive to the Hamptons, the actress and daytime talk-show host Drew Barrymore started looking for a weekend home in Westchester County.
When she saw a circa-1700s mansion for sale, Barrymore said, she felt a karmic connection to the Harrison, N.Y., property.
“I walked in, and I was, like, ‘I know my family’s been here. I know that I have to work on this house. I know that I’m supposed to be doing this,’” said Barrymore, 51 years old, who lives primarily in Manhattan with her two daughters. “It was like a strange, spiritual calling.”
It turned out she actually did have a connection to the area: Her great-aunt, the late actress Ethel Barrymore, had a home in nearby Mamaroneck, where an enclave known as Barrymore Lane is widely believed to be named for the family.
Barrymore bought the roughly 12-acre estate for $4.4 million, according to property records. She did an extensive renovation; she has a deep interest in interior design and has considered pursuing it professionally. “Between Pinterest, thrifting and a can of paint, there’s nothing you can’t do,” Barrymore said with a laugh.
But roughly two years later, the actress is listing the property for $4.99 million. The renovation took longer than expected, she said, and the family’s lives have changed in the interim.
The estate includes a roughly 5,600-square-foot, five-bedroom main house, a pool and a poolhouse with an additional bedroom, according to Kori Sassower of Compass.
Barrymore said she previously owned a home in Sagaponack, N.Y., but the distance from the city and the weekend traffic to the Hamptons became untenable as her children’s schedules filled up with social and sporting activities.
Harrison, by contrast, offered accessibility and charm. The property, located roughly an hour from Manhattan, is a short drive from picturesque Rye and Bronxville, while nearby Bedford has drawn celebrities. The median sales price for a home in Harrison is around $1.1 million, according to Redfin.
The property’s expansive acreage gave Barrymore a sense of being close to nature. “It’s really like being in your own personal park,” she said. “There are tons of deer. There are pheasants, there are ducks, there are rabbits.”
When she purchased the home, Barrymore said, she thought it would need only a cosmetic renovation. Instead, it turned into a “complete internal gut,” with much of the plumbing, heating and air conditioning replaced, she said.
Barrymore also revamped the ground floor to open up the kitchen, which felt dark and boxed in. “It took a year of engineering to figure out how to accomplish it,” she said.
Barrymore declined to comment on the exact costs of the renovation, but compared herself to actress Shelley Long’s character in the 1986 film “The Money Pit.”
Some of the rooms have maximalist patterned wallpaper, elaborate art walls and heavy, old-fashioned draperies. Others are minimalist. “Every little corner gets scrutinised for what it could be,” she said. “If I see a closet, it’s probably not a closet, it’s going to become some secret hideout for my kid, or I’m going to take the door off and turn it into a sculptural piece.”
In the home’s living room, Barrymore said she cycled through multiple paint colours, including pink and green.
“I painted it all green because I was dying for greenery. And then the summer came, and I was, like, ‘Oh, God, everything is green!’”
She spent time at the property even while it was under construction. When they didn’t have a kitchen, the family cooked dinner on a grill outside and drank boxed water, she said.
When workers were redoing the pipes, Barrymore couldn’t shower. “I lived in the house in the most primitive of scenarios,” she said. “It’s some of my favourite times and memories.”
When Barrymore celebrated her birthday at the property in February, she and two friends decided to grill for old time’s sake, even though the kitchen was fully functional.
“There we were in zero-degree weather with parkas, hoodies, gloves and face masks. But we were, like, ‘We gotta do it. It’s the tradition.”
Barrymore, who grew up in Los Angeles, stars in films like “Never Been Kissed,” “Riding in Cars With Boys” and “Charlie’s Angels.” Her eponymous daytime talk show launched in September 2020.
Sassower is listing the property with her colleague Brian K. Lewis in New York City.
