Although each of America’s 58 national parks—and many of its national monuments—serve up cheap backcountry adventures and camping, sometimes you crave easier access. Thanks to budget-minded lodges planted inside a handful of national parks, options do exist. If you’re passing through without a tent and can’t help but stay another day, check out these cool, historical, and cushier-than-backcountry sites, where you’ll still be close to the action. –Melissa Gaskill
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Bright Angel Lodge and Cabins sits just a few feet from the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. Designed in 1935 by noted architect Mary E. J. Colter, this rustic lodge—a National Historic Landmark—has a family-style restaurant and, during summer, an ice-cream fountain. Temperatures can soar outside, but you’ll stay comfy in a lodge room with a shared bath for $79. www.nps.gov/grca
Things to do: Take a three-hour mule ride to Abyss Overlook. The lodge serves as check-in for the twice-daily rides. Hike the Kaibab Trail to Oohaah Point (1.8 miles round-trip with a 600-foot drop) or to Cedar Ridge (3 miles round-trip with a 1,140-foot drop). Bring water! Gaze at the stars. Regular ranger-guided full-moon and star walks run all summer and the annual Star Party (June 5–12) brings slide shows and telescope viewings to Yavapai Point. See ancestral Pueblo villages at Tusayan Museum, art exhibits at Kolb Studio, and canyon views at the Mary Colter Watchtower. Sign up for a photography class with the Grand Canyon Field Institute.
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
The bunks in Colter Bay Cabins are mounted on log walls and surrounded by canvas ones. Potbellied stoves keep you warm at night—summer temps regularly drop into the 40s—and there are outdoor grills, covered picnic tables, and central group restrooms. $50 per night; sleeps four. www.nps.gov/grte
Things to do: Carry a copy of A Climber’s Guide to the Teton Range (Mountaineers Books, 1996), to one of hundreds of traditional or sport routes in this climbers’ haven. Check in at the Jenny Lake Ranger Station for beta. Spy antelope along the aptly-named Antelope Flats Road and on Timbered Island southeast of Jenny Lake. Float 10 miles of the Snake River, keeping a sharp eye out for nesting bald eagles, as well as beaver, moose, and elk. Windsurf or kayak on Jackson Lake and hike the nearby Hermitage Point Trail which climbs 980 feet over 4.4 miles from the marina to the point.
Big South Fork National River and Rec Area, Tennessee
Charit Creek Lodge is accessible only by foot (or via horseback or mountain bike) on trails ranging from one to 11 miles in length. Rustic rooms are equipped with kerosene lamps, beds, and linens and sleep 12, so multiple parties sometimes share a space. The $68 nightly rate includes meals. If you stay longer than one night, the kitchen will even pack your lunch for the trail. www.nps.gov/biso
Things to do: Hike 0.4 miles to Gentleman’s Swimming Hole on the Clear Fork River for a refreshing dip. Continue on the 2.1-mile Meeting of the Waters Loop. Paddle the Cumberland River or one of its tributaries, which offer up to class IV rapids. Explore the heavens. Throw a blanket down in a field near the lodge. Lack of light pollution means you’ll see some 2,000 stars with your naked eye—even more with binoculars. Mountain bike 7.7 miles on Collier Ridge Loop; expect log crossings, steep climbs, and drops. Drop a line in the Big South Fork for largemouth and smallmouth bass. A Tennessee fishing license is required.
