There’s Room At The Inn If You Book Your National Park Lodge Now

12.01.2024 - 07:41 / forbes.com / National Park

Are you, like 300 million Americans and international visitors, thinking about visiting the US National Parks this year? Do you like to plan your summer vacation several months ahead?

One of the largest operators of National Park hospitality, the Xanterra Travel Collection, just announced that “for the first time in ages, there are rooms, cabins and even campgrounds available in the spring, summer and even into the fall of 2024 in these fabled national parks.”

Similarly, Lisa Cesaro , Senior Director of Marketing at Aramark Destinations, said, “We operate at numerous national park lodges throughout the country. Summer dates are typically in high demand, but it is different for each park as Big Bend National Park’s peak season is in the winter. We do have openings for 2024 for those that still want to plan a park vacation for the year. I always recommend people be flexible with dates especially for more highly visited parks such as Yosemite National Park.”

For those planning to visit America’s beautiful (and popular) National Parks, this is a great time to get a jumpstart on reservations at the lodges in the park.

If pitching a tent is not for you, getting reservations at lodges in U.S. National Parks is a great way to go. While most (but not all) parks have lodgings in nearby towns, often these accommodations are a long drive away.

Getting reservations at a National Park lodge puts you right where the action is. At night you can look up from the parking lot or your balcony at a million stars. In the morning you can wake up with the sun, with the beauty of the park all around you.

The lodges and other operations in a park are typically run by a single concessionaire that has bid with the federal government for the privilege of a long-term contract.

Xanterra and Aramark are two of the largest concessionaires in US National Parks and elsewhere. Xanterra is a private company. Aramark trades as ARMK on the NYSE.

In October, our planned trip to Israel was postponed because of the Hamas attack on 10/7. We scrambled to put together an alternative trip. Although we had to keep switching dates, we were fortunate to end up getting two nights at Zion Lodge (Xanterra) and another two at the lodge at Mesa Verde, (Aramark).

Zion is famous for its beauty and the chance to walk in the Virgin River. Mesa Verde, at an altitude of 5-7,500 feet, is known for its cliff dwellings, with some of the best-preserved Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites in the United States.

Zion had 5 million visitors in 2022, almost eight times as many Mesa Verde’s 635,000. But Zion is closer to population centers, and it (and its famed Zion Lodge) is open year-round. We scrambled to get reservations at Mesa Verde Lodge while we were on the