Insiders Guide The Complete Guide To The National Park Lodges

by David L. Scott, Kay W. Scott

This book is an insider''s guide to finding the best lodges throughout the country and securing a reservation well in advance to beat the crowds. The authors, national park experts, tell readers how to leave behind the hassles and headaches and make trip planning painless. Having visited nearly every national park area and lodge in the country, they share their sage advice on how to choose a lodge that will best suit an individual''s taste and needs.

Every single lodge accommodation run by the National Park Service is featured, ranging from luxurious inns to rustic cabins. Each entry includes firsthand information about the property; room rates; reservation phone numbers; exact location within the park; availability of food or meals; transportation details; facilities; activities; and detailed maps.

Genres: Travel, Reference

246 pages, Paperback

First published December 7, 1997

About the author

David Logan Scott was born and raised in Rushville, IN. He graduated from Purdue University, Florida State University, and earned a PhD in economics from the University of Arkansas. He has authored over two dozen books about investing and personal finance including Wall Street Words and the American Heritage Dictionary of Business Terms, both for Houghton Mifflin. He has also co-authored several travel books with his wife Kay W. Scott.

Reviews

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re planning a vacation to any of America’s national parks, and hoping to stay in a national park lodge, you’ll want to take a look at this book. It’s truly a treasure trove of great information on each of the lodging options available at the parks. Contents are arranged by state and include a short profile of the park before getting into lodging specifics. Details provided include: reservations, wheelchair accessibility, rates, location, season, food, facilities, and activities. A few pictures of the options help to give a real sense of place.

I appreciate how detailed this guide is; there is information on the types of accommodation available at each national park as well as the conditions. Suggestions are often made as to the best rooms if you’re seeking privacy, a scenic view, or a location convenient to dining facilities and so forth. The authors are also kind enough to mention a few observations that may impact your visit negatively such as lots of steps/no elevator or strong winds that hinder balcony use. They are precise enough to even tell exactly how many additional steps are between floors or whether that cabin has any outlets beyond the single electric light so readers are able to make a good decision that fits with their wants and needs.

The authors have done a remarkable job of detailing each national park lodge both overall as a destination and distinctly for individual accommodations. Taking a quick peek beforehand at the section covering your national park lodging choice will provide you with some wonderful tips to make your stay all that you want it to be.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful, but information is outdated at this point

[Zsa Zsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent detail and description of lodges at National Parks. These lodges are not Holiday Inn— they are more or less rural. That’s why it is important to know what you will or will not find in these places. The authors give good detail as to accommodations, views, and accessibility. There are one- page maps included in the book. All lodges in the eastern part of the country are located on Skyline Drive or the Blue Ridge Parkway (NC or VA). All other locations are in the Midwest or Western part of the country, plus Alaska and some territories. If you are planning a trip, it will be necessary to do an internet search and make arrangements ahead of time. The book was written in 2028, and it is likely that prices have increased. Excellent reading!

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I LOVE national parks! And I love national park lodges almost as much. I picked this up from the library while making plans for the summer. In addition to the places I'm considering traveling to this year I've been reading up on lodges across the country, dreaming about where to travel in the future.

The lodges are listed by park, allowing the reader to choose among a park's options. Some of the information is useful but about half of each listing seems to be taken up with describing the rooms in extensive detail, down to which rooms to request in each lodge. Each listing has just one accompanying photo showing the exterior of the lodge. Less time spent describing how many beds are in each room and actual pictures of the interiors of the lodges would be be a much better use of the pages. I'm glad I got this from the library; I frequently buy travel guides that I find interesting. While this one has some useful information, I wouldn't call it interesting.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed this book thinking it would be nice to know more of what was available for lodging within the parks. One of my favorite vacation trips had included staying within Grand Canyon National Park and I am thinking of possibly doing something similar. I mostly concentrated on location in Western United States, specifically those in CA, WA, OR, and NV, but did browse most of the book. Found it very helpful and detailed, plus things like reservation numbers and pet policies. Since it was published in 2017 the prices will, of course, have changed but still gave you an idea of least expensive to most expensive. Free ebook from the library.