Looking for a lodge room? Try national parks in autumn

If the first family’s recent trip to Yellowstone National Park had you dreaming of geysers and bison, now is the time to act. Fall is one of the best seasons to snag reservations at popular national park hotels, including Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Snow Lodge, which is often sold out during the rest of the year.

Other parks with lodges that have vacancy signs include Grand Canyon in Arizona; Crater Lake in Oregon; Bryce Canyon and Zion in Utah; and Death Valley in California.

“Fall is an exceptional season to enjoy the parks, based on lower demand, moderate temperatures, changing colors and active wildlife,” said Dave Hartvigsen, vice president of sales and marketing for Xanterra Parks & Resorts, which operates lodges in several parks.

“In Yellowstone, the animals are active and particularly fun to watch, and it is one of the best times of the year to hike the Grand Canyon. Zion, Bryce Canyon and Crater Lake national parks are also starting to cool down,” Hartvigsen said.

Contact: Xanterra Parks & Resorts, (303) 600-3400. To book lodges at other national parks, go through the National Park Service’s website to link to the official concessionaire; which varies by location. Click on “Find a Park” to locate your park on a map or a drop-down menu. Then on the park’s home page, click on “Fees & Reservations,” then links such as “Staying Overnight” or “Lodging.” (The exact labels vary by the park.)

— Rosemary McClure, Special to the Los Angeles Times

Photo: Autumn brings striking colors to the foliage around the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park. Credit: Xanterra Parks & Resorts

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This entry was posted on Saturday, September 12, 2009 at 2:10 pm by Rosemary McClure and is filed under Arizona, California, Fall, Family & Kids, Montana, National Parks, News, Tips & Advice, Rocky Mountain States, Winter, Wyoming. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.