The Oldest Hotel Inside a US National Park Is Closing Indefinitely

The Wawona Hotel sits near the park’s southern entrance, along the first wagon trail into the park. The first building was constructed in 1856, when it was called “Clark’s Station.” In 1875, it was sold to a proprietor who renamed it “Wawona,” thought to be similar to an Indigenous American word for “big trees,” as it sits near the park’s largest giant sequoia grove. The building that stands today, painted white in a Victorian style with a massive wrap-around porch, was built in 1879. Several addition have been made since then, though the hotel’s furnishings and decor are still in the style of the late 1800s.

The Wawona Hotel, circa 1880-1890. Photo: Library of Congress/Public Domain

The Wawona Hotel is currently managed by “Yosemite Hospitality,” a sub-brand of Aramark Hospitality, which has contracts with several national parks to run concessions like lodging and dining. Various reports on Yosemite facilities have documented the aging hotel’s structural failures and concerns, and in 2023, a visitor was injured when she fell from a balcony after leaning against a railing that gave way. As first reported by San Francisco-based SFGate, the park had notified Yosemite Hospitality of “extensive deterioration and rot of railings” at the Wawona Hotel in 2022 and 2023, noting that the company had exhibited “inaction to address hazards occurred throughout the year” and “required multiple follow-ups from Service staff to ensure compliance.”

Per the Wawona Hotel’s booking page, “There is no estimated reopening date for the hotel. All guests impacted have been cancelled and refunded directly.”

Visitors who are keen to explore historic hotels throughout the park service still have plenty of options. Busy Yosemite National Park‘s next oldest hotel is the Ahwahnee Hotel, built in 1926. It’s one of many hotels built in a style known as “Parkitecture,” using natural and local materials like stone and lodgepole pines. Many national parks constructed hotels like the Ahwahnee in the early 20th century when tourism to the national parks was gaining popularity, spurred by the expansion of the railroad and the burgeoning conservation movement. The creation of these grand lodges was often a collaboration between private enterprises, like railroad companies, and the National Park Service, which sought to accommodate an increasing number of visitors while preserving the natural beauty of the parks.

 

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Many more historic hotels were built inside national parks during the Great Depression as a way for the federal government to create jobs for Americans. These were often managed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC, a New Deal program responsible for building many infrastructure and recreation projects throughout the US.

The hotels still open today retain much of their original charm and character, and while most have high-end, modern amenities, some still offer rooms with shared bathrooms and historic, oversized fireplaces. The history and grandeur of historic hotels within National Park Service generally make them some of the most expensive in each park, especially as they’re often in prime locations where hoteliers would never be allowed to build today.

A Yellow Bus waiting for passengers outside of the Lake Yellowstone Hotel. Photo: National Park Service/Public Domain

The Lake Yellowstone Hotel: The Lake Yellowstone Hotel, built in 1891, is the oldest operating hotel in Yellowstone National Park and was originally designed in a simple, clapboard style. In 1903, architect Robert Reamer, known for his work on the Old Faithful Inn (built in 1904) redesigned the hotel in the Colonial Revival style, giving it its iconic stately appearance with white columns and a grand portico.

El Tovar Hotel: El Tovar Hotel opened in 1905 on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and was built by the Santa Fe Railway to cater to affluent travelers arriving by train. Unlike the log-heavy buildings of parks further west, El Tovar was built in a blend of Swiss chalet and Mission Revival styles. It became a symbol of luxury in the early 1900s and, like the Wawona Hotel, is now a National Historic Landmark.

Crater Lake Lodge: Crater Lake Lodge in Oregon’s Crater Lake National Park was completed in 1915 and designed to provide well-to-do visitors with with upscale accommodations overlooking the lake. There were significant construction challenges due to its remote location, but it still stands today, looking much the same as it did more than 100 years ago (though it underwent an extensive restoration in the 1990s).

Many Glacier Hotel in Glacier National Park. Photo: WellyWelly/Shutterstock

Many Glacier Hotel: Many Glacier Hotel was built in 1915 by the Great Northern Railway to accommodate guests arriving to the park by train. It was designed in a Swiss chalet-style, similar to Europe’s alpine resorts, to capitalize on the park’s rugged, high-elevation landscapes that reminded visitors of the Alps. It’s on the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake and is a popular spot for boat tours and kayak rentals, even for guests who aren’t staying at the historic hotel.

Old Faithful Inn: Old Faithful Inn, just steps from Yellowstone National Park’s iconic Old Faithful geyser, was completed in 1904. It’s one of the largest log structures in the world, and while it’s been reinforced over the years, nearly all the materials are still the originals. Its iconic lobby, with towering logs, a massive stone fireplace, and a historic bar, has made it a beloved landmark and a symbol of the park’s early tourism era. It offers free tours several times a day for all park guests, as well as some “affordable” rooms with shared bathrooms, as were offered in the hotel’s early days. In the first half of the 20th century, it operated for only four months per year, as winter weather made the park inaccessible for most visitors come October.