The U.S. National Parks<\/a> are for all to enjoy. From hiking and wildlife viewing to exploring their rich history and culture, these protected landscapes offer a welcome refuge from everyday life. In some of the oldest parks, travelers will find historic lodges that extend the experience. From Yellowstone\u2019s Old Faithful Inn to Olympic National Forest\u2019s Lake Quinault Lodge, guests gather to relax and share stories of the day\u2019s adventures.<\/p>\n Lean on modern conveniences and rich in historic details, each lodge draws on its environment to extend the national park experience. Many of the lodges feel as if they are growing from their surroundings, with local products used for much of the construction. Guests can sit and savor the details, such as tree trunk columns or branch balustrades.<\/p>\n Architects worked in tandem with skilled craftspeople to create a one-of-a-kind lodge. Many interior furnishings and fixtures were fabricated on site, including door hardware and light fixtures.<\/p>\n For the interior finishes, interior designers drew inspiration for the area\u2019s color palette. Many of the furniture pieces were manufactured by Old Hickory Furniture Company in Indiana.<\/p>\n Robert Reamer (left) and foreman Mr. George at the Canyon Hotel under construction in Yellowstone National Park, October 1910. Photo: Wikimedia<\/p><\/div>\n In 1872, Yellowstone National Park<\/a> became the world\u2019s first national park, protecting its geothermal features, vast wilderness, and abundant wildlife for future generations.<\/p>\n Its first tourists overnighted in canvas tents after traveling by stagecoach on a Grand Tour of the park. Followed by several nondescript hotels that either burned or were demolished due to poor construction, built fast to accommodate the growing trend of national park holidays.<\/p>\n Robert Reamer, a young and self-taught architect, created a new architectural style as he designed the Old Faithful Inn<\/a>. With whimsical details and constructed of rough-hewn logs, the interior includes a towering space rising seven stories. His new style defined the National Park Service design aesthetic known as Parkitecture.<\/a><\/p>\n Old Faithful Inn, Geyser Basin View. Photo: Xanterra Travel Collection<\/p><\/div>\n Weathering winter after winter, and near destruction from wildlife, Old Faithful Inn<\/a> is more than a lodge. It defines the spirit of America.<\/p>\n Built of local forest products, Robert Reamer dreamed up the idea of bringing the forest indoors. He took the humble, rough-hewn log and created a soaring space that mimics a cathedral, anchored by a Rhyolite-stone fireplace. Old Faithful Inn both inspires and comforts its guests. First-time guests enter the space, and their eyes are drawn to the crow\u2019s nest at the ceiling, amazed that the historic landmark is constructed of logs.<\/p>\n During the day, the main level feels like Grand Central of Yellowstone, with travelers coming and going. After the day settles, Old Faithful Inn returns to its guests, who are enjoying dinner in its dining room or listening to nightly live music from one of its balconies, in a warm, cozy space.<\/p>\n Old Faithful Inn flung open its doors on June 1, 1904. It has welcomed guests every season since and is the most sought-after lodge in the park.<\/p>\n A rainbow over Old Faithful Geyser. Photo: Catherine Parker<\/p><\/div>\n If you can\u2019t secure a room, walk through its lobby. Better yet, take its free daily tour. The second floor offers a coffee and cocktail bar. You can grab a drink and head to the second-floor balcony and watch Old Faithful Geyser erupt.<\/p>\n Lake Yellowstone Hotel: Photo: Xanterra Travel Collection<\/p><\/div>\n Opened in 1891, the Lake Yellowstone Hotel<\/a> remains the oldest hotel in the National Park Service. Its yellow clapboard exterior, paired with 50-foot white Ionic columns, represents the prevailing architectural style of lodging at the turn of the 20th century, before Reamer\u2019s Parkitecture. However, he is also credited with this hotel, since he renovated it during his tenure in the park.<\/p>\n When Reamer took over the Lake Hotel project (then called the Lake Hotel), it was nondescript. In an effort to attract Victorian tourists from the East Coast, he transformed it into a more refined Colonial Revival style property. The Lake Yellowstone Hotel added a solarium overlooking the lake in the 1920s.<\/p>\n Today, it offers guests the most refined experience in Yellowstone National Park. With an elegant white-tablecloth dining room, this property appeals to couples, with king-bed configurations in the main buildings.<\/p>\n Hopi House, Grand Canyon National Park. Photo: Deposit Photos<\/p><\/div>\n The National Park Service granted other entities the right to lease land and build infrastructure for tourism. One such concessionaire was the Fred Harvey Company, along with the Santa Fe Railroad. Known for its smartly clad Harvey Girls, they efficiently served the West at rail depots. However, one woman shaped its aesthetic more than a thousand girls in high-collared, black-and-white uniforms.<\/p>\n After studying at the California School of Design, Mary Colter<\/a> was among the few female architects of the time. From 1904 to 1949, she designed many of the notable buildings on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, a major destination for the train.<\/p>\n Her first commission was the Hopi House<\/a>, a curio shop that mimicked the traditional architecture of the area\u2019s historic inhabitants. Drawing on her childhood introduction to Native American crafts, she became an ardent student of the Southwest\u2019s traditional arts and crafts.<\/p>\n Bright Angel Lodge. Photo: Xanterra Travel Collection<\/p><\/div>\n Opened in 1935, the Bright Angel Lodge<\/a> used log construction, abode, and local limestone. Named after the famed trail, the Bright Angel, that leads into the canyon. It was designed as a less formal alternative to the more refined El Tovar along the rim.<\/p>\n Entering through hand-carved and brightly painted doors, guests meander through the space. One of the highlights is the 10-foot-tall geological fireplace, built to mimic the canyon walls with river cobbles at the bottom and the youngest stone strata near the ceiling.<\/p>\n The Bright Angel features cabins spread across its property, painted in NPS Brown with pops of Kelly Green and Turquoise accents. She also incorporated several original cabins, like the Buckey O\u2019Neill Cabin, a former Roosevelt Roughrider.<\/p>\n Phantom Ranch at the Bottom of the Grand Canyon. Photo: Xanterra Travel Collections<\/p><\/div>\n Built in 1922, the Phantom Ranch<\/a> is located at the bottom of the canyon, named after the nearby Phantom Creek. Colter designed this property, using river rock found on site as a foundation. Then the mule train hauled the remaining building materials to the site, including the Oregon pine.<\/p>\n In the National Park Rustic style, the cabins are painted in NPS brown and sage green, each outfitted with a picnic table and a bench out front. The area is still serviced by a mule train.<\/p>\n It takes about five hours to reach the lodge on the mule train or by hiking a canyon trail. Lodging and meals are provided, and rooms are awarded on a lottery system 14 months in advance.<\/p>\n The Jewel of the Continent, this Northern Montana national park is covered in snow most of the year. With the NPS Parkitecture Style as the preferred aesthetic, its lodges were designed as chalet-inspired structures, using local materials such as abundant lumber.<\/p>\n Many Glacier Hotel overlooks Swiftcurrent Lake with Swiss Chalet details. Photo: Catherine Parker<\/p><\/div>\n Built by the Great Northern Railway in 1914 and 1915 in the Swiss Chalet Style, the Many Glacier Hotel<\/a> is the largest property in the park and is set on Swiftcurrent Lake and at the base of Mount Grinnell. On the exterior, guests will find Swiss motifs, like the jigsawed patterns on its white trim against its NPS brown exterior.<\/p>\n The five-story building incorporates Parkitecture elements on the interior, such as rough-hewn logs used as columns to mimic a forest. The open fireplace was meant to remind guests of a campfire, central in the lobby.<\/p>\n Lake Mcdonald Lodge in West Glacier. Photo: Deposit Photos<\/p><\/div>\n Another Glacier lodge in the classic Swiss chalet style, Lake McDonald Lodge<\/a> is along the shore of Lake McDonald. Built in 1913, the three-story lodge building features a stone exterior on the first floor, followed by timber-clad exteriors on the remaining floors.<\/p>\n The interior features include a three-story lobby, supported by unpeeled cedar logs. Its historic furnishings, lobby piano, and wall-mounted hunting trophies are all original and add to the hunting lodge feel.<\/p>\n Across the Puget Sound on Washington\u2019s Olympic Peninsula, Olympic National Park<\/a> is home to several different ecosystems. From tide-pooled, speckled beaches to hot spring soaking pools, snow-capped mountains, and verdant temperate rainforests, visitors can explore a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<\/p>\n Robert Reamer is most known for Old Faithful Inn. However, he completed several projects in the Pacific Northwest, especially Seattle, where he lived in his later life.<\/p>\n Designed by Robert Reamer, the Lake Quinault Lodge overlooks a lake in Olympic National Forest. Photo: Catherine Parker<\/p><\/div>\n Constructed in 1926, Reamer designed Lake Quinault Lodge<\/a> in a V-shape, giving guests views of the lake beyond the sloping lawn. Clad in cedar shakes, with original divided-light windows and evergreen shutters, the Lodge blends with the towering centuries-old spruce trees that surround it.<\/p>\n Its totem-pole motif rain gauge looks over the lawn and lake beyond. Where guests, young and old, enjoy games or head for water sports. Inside, the lobby\u2019s fireplace begs for a book and a glass of wine.<\/p>\n Lake Quinault is open year-round, just outside the southern boundary of Olympic National Park.<\/p>\n Much like the early days of tourism in the national parks, the park is the destination. The lodge extends the experience in some of the most remote corners of the U.S.<\/p>\n Modern conveniences are lean; Wi-Fi is spotty, and air conditioning is rarely needed (or included). TVs weren\u2019t in the rooms at the beginning and are still missing.<\/p>\n However, the dining rooms boast menus featuring locally sourced ingredients, showcasing the region’s flavors. Guests are encouraged to enjoy the outdoors, and many lodges offer tours and activities, some of which are complimentary.<\/p>\n The National Park lodges are the first rooms to sell out in the area. Often, cancellations are a viable option for those traveling during peak periods. Another option is visiting during the shoulder season. Reservations typically open 13 months in advance.<\/p>\n A welcome refuge of history, wildlife, and timeless lodges<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17262,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[216,217],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spring-summer-2026","category-spring-summer-2026-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17251"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17466,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17251\/revisions\/17466"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Reamer_at_Canyon_Hotel-750.jpg\")
<\/a>Robert Reamer in Yellowstone National Park<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Old-Faithful-Inn-Geyser-Basin-View.Xanterra-Travel-Collection-750.jpg\")
<\/a>Old Faithful Inn<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Old-Faithful-Geyser-Rainbow-750.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ynp24-lake-yellowstone-hotel-from-lake-750.jpg\")
<\/a>Lake Yellowstone Hotel<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Depositphotos_Hopi-House-750.jpg\")
<\/a>Mary Colter in Grand Canyon National Park<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/gcsr-bright-angel-lodge-exterior-dusk-750.-Xanterra-Travel-Collection.jpg\")
<\/a>Bright Angel Lodge along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/gcsr-phantom-cabin-750.jpg\")
<\/a>Phantom Ranch at the Bottom of the Grand Canyon<\/h3>\n
Glacier National Park and America\u2019s Switzerland<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Many-Glacier-Lodge-750.jpg\")
<\/a>Many Glacier Hotel<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Depositphotos_lake-mcdonald-lodge-750.jpg\")
<\/a>Lake McDonald Lodge<\/h3>\n
Olympic National Park and Forest and Robert Reamer<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Lake-Quinault-750.jpg\")
<\/a>Lake Quinault Lodge in Olympic National Forest<\/h3>\n
Details on National Park Lodge Visits<\/h3>\n
Catherine Parker is an award-winning journalist and founder of\u00a0CarfulOfKids.com<\/a><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"