Lodging rates at the Old Faithful Inn were uncapped by the National Park Service/Patrick Cone file

There are, across the National Park System, rising lodging rates that likely block a wide segment of Americans from experiencing a night or two in the some of the system's most iconic lodges and cabins. Places like Lake Hotel and the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone, El Tovar at the Grand Canyon, the Ahwahnee in Yosemite, Cavallo Point at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Jenny Lake Lodge in Grand Teton, the Many Glacier Hotel in Glacier.

These are places where nightly rates can quickly climb past $400, with some approaching and surpassing $1,000 a night, depending on the season and occasion. And with the National Park Service's willingness to allow concessionaires to charge whatever the market will bear for some accommodations, rates will only go higher.

But where do you — can you? — strike a balance between a company's right to make a profit and the right of Americans to visit the national parks their tax dollars help support?

That question surfaces in the wake of a story from WyoFile, a nonprofit news organization in Wyoming, that looked at the cost of spending a night in one of the historic lodges in Yellowstone National Park. In roughly half the lodging rooms in the park, at the Old Faithful Inn, Lake Hotel, and Canyon Village, the Park Service lets concessionaire charge whatever they can get. That approach has led to dizzying nightly rates that have climbed above $400 a night — a 55 percent increase in just the past five years — at the historic Old Faithful Inn, according to WyoFile.

"Sadly the average American will be priced out of our national parks," wrote one Traveler follower on Facebook after reading the Wyofile story.

The practice to let concessionaires charge whatever they like for some lodgings dates at least to 2017, when it surfaced at Yellowstone as part of an unannounced five-year pilot project.

Are Parks To Be Profit Centers?

Do national parks exist to be profit centers for global corporations, or to benefit the American public, as the engraving on the Roosevelt Arch at Yellowstone's North Entrance proclaims? Can there been a reasonable middle ground? After all, the historic hotels are not inexpensive to maintain. And in the case of Yellowstone's lodges, there are additional costs for housing concession employees in the wilderness, as it were.

On top of that, rates for rooms in gateway towns to the parks can be just as breathtaking. Three nights in a 480-square-foot cabin for four in West Yellowstone, Montana, next July will run you $1,041.24. Some hotel rooms in town also average more than $300/night during that time period. Similar rates exist in Tusayan, Arizona, the gateway to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, while rates in Mariposa, California, near the west entrance to Yosemite National Park, can get quite lofty, from $139 to more than $750 a night.

At National Park Service headquarters in Washington, D.C., spokesperson Kathy Kupper said that "[Yellowstone's] commercial services staff works closely with its lodging partner to establish rates for a range of lodging opportunities from campsites to luxury hotel experiences. We believe the parks should be available to all. Campsites can be had for $20, and cabins and hotel rooms can be reserved for under $200, ranging up to over $600 for iconic lodges such as the Old Faithful Inn and the Lake Hotel. 

"Operating lodging in Yellowstone presents unique challenges to the concessioner," she added. "Over 825 buildings are assigned to the concessioner, and they are fully responsible for their upkeep. Many of the properties are historic, some of which are National Historic Landmarks. These buildings can be very complex and expensive to maintain to the standards expected by the National Park Service. Most operate seasonally and are shut and winterized for half the year, limiting the time window in which the concessioner can earn revenues sufficient to maintain the facilities."

When Xanterra Travel Collection back in 2013 landed a 20-year contract for managing Yellowstone's nine lodging facilities, food service, retail, and tours, it agreed to make an unusually large investment of nearly $135 million in facilities improvements, especially in the Canyon area where a considerable amount of the existing lodging was in sorry shape and needed to be replaced, noted David and Kay Scott, the Traveler's lodging experts. The contract also required Xanterra to construct housing at Lake and Old Faithful for concessionaire employees. The Mammoth Hotel has also undergone some major changes under the contract.

A four-year-long rehabilitation of the Mammoth Hotel in Yellowstone, completed in 2018, cost about $30 million, funded by the National Park Service/NPS file

While concession contracts are typically limited to 10 years, the Yellowstone contract required such a large investment that the term was extended to 20 years. The contract also requires Xanterra to pay 4.5 percent franchise fee and a 6 percent annual contribution to the maintenance and reserve account. 

There are somewhat less expensive lodges in Yellowstone and the other parks, but many still are close to or above $300 per night. For instance, in Yellowstone a season-ending 2023 stay at Grant Village on the shore of Yellowstone Lake cost $230/night, but a Mammoth Hotel room during the upcoming winter could run as high as $369, and one at Old Faithful Snow Lodge $357. A rustic cabin at Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park can quickly approach $300 a night. The Rising Sun Motor Inn and Cabins at Glacier lists 2024 rates above $230 per night...if you can get one. (A recent Internet check found nearly all nights in Glacier for next summer sold out.) A standard room in the Yosemite Valley Lodge in Yosemite next summer is $297, before taxes.

At Grand Canyon National Park, a room next year at Thunderbird Lodge, Kachina Lodge, or Maswick Lodge runs more than $300 a night, and as much as $400 in the case of Thunderbird Lodge. A winter night at the new Flamingo Lodge in Everglades National Park can approach $400, depending on the size of your party. Many Glacier Hotel rooms in Glacier National Park can run more than $650 a night, while the Jenny Lake Lodge rates start at $1,000/night and rise from there, although they do include breakfast, a five-course dinner, and trail rides.

Also contributing to the rate rise is legislation Congress passed in 1998 that addressed concession rates. Under that law, Congress said "the reasonableness and appropriateness of rates and charges shall be determined primarily by comparison with those rates and charges for facilities, goods, and services of comparable character under similar conditions" in nearby communities.

"Average rates paid by [Yellowstone] visitors in 2022 were lower inside the park than comparable properties in surrounding communities," said Kupper back in Washington. "For example, the average rate paid at the Lake Hotel in 2022 was $324, while the rate paid for a comparable room outside the park was $441. 

"The park’s surrounding communities have become more expensive in recent years. This can be illustrated by the increase in the government (GSA) rates," she continued. "Between 2018 and 2023, the GSA rate (which is normally well below the market rate) for West Yellowstone increased 77.7 percent from 157 to 279; for Teton County, Wyoming, GSA rates increased 86.8 percent from $205 to $383; Park County, Wyoming, rates increased 64 percent from $172 to $282; and Park County, Montana, rates increased 200 percent from $93 to $279. Over the same time, rates inside the park grew more slowly, with some properties increasing 20-30 percent."

But is it reasonable to allow concessionaires to charge whatever the market will bear on some national park lodgings, which are owned by the public? Kupper did not have a list of all parks where such practices are allowed, but said it's up to an individual park's superintendent "and includes multiple factors, such as the type of lodging and rooms and local market competitiveness."

In the prospectous just issued for a lodging concessionaire at Zion National Park, future rates for the cabins next to the lodge can be based on what the market will bear.

A room at the Thunderbird Lodge on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, where some rooms have views of the canyon, could cost you $400/night next summer/NPS file

The Public Has Noticed

The pricing for park lodging hasn't gone unnoticed among the park-going public.

"With little amenities and poor upkeep at these lodges, and the number of visitors to the parks, I find it hard to believe that major profits are not being made," Gregory Hay told the Traveler. "One can easily stay at a 4-star hotel for less than the cost of a single night within the lodges at our national parks. My wife and I have been visiting our parks every year for more then 40 years and we have stayed in most of the historic lodges. Just trying to obtain a reservation is getting even more difficult no matter what the concessioners are charging."

Linda Hamilton said that, "[N]ational park lodges should not be profit-makers for concessionaires. Better than that, concessionaires should pay staff well, adequately train and provide proper staffing levels, and collaborate with public lands staff to give visitors a rewarding and insightful experience. Providing a safe and clean lodging experience should not be out of reach for an average traveling solo or family group. Concessionaires can do better (some do pretty well) across the continent. USA's national parks are our landmark experiences for citizens and visitors. They need to be maintained as naturally and respectfully and affordably as possible."

"I, too, am deeply concerned that many national park lodging rates are so high at a time we are trying to make parks accessible to all," said Ray Murray. "No easy answer, as operational costs increase. We need to offer a range of overnight stay experiences including more affordable ones. Also need to keep entrance fees reasonable. Parks are boosting entrance fees to help support park operations due to inadequate operating funding."

Rooms at the Many Glacier Hotel in Glacier National Park for next summer currently are priced as high as $654/night/Rebecca Latson file

Teresa Reese said lodging rates aren't the only factor that discourage folks from staying in national parks.

"A big problem with access to park lodging is how competitive it is to even get a spot. A visitor has to book a year ahead to get a room, if you are lucky," she said in an email. "I recently tried to book for Glacier National Park by logging in at the time rooms were opened to be reserved a year ahead of time and the rooms were gone in minutes. I was not successful in getting a room. I suspect that tour companies grab blocks of rooms for their tours. My point is that there are reasons more than just cost that keep people from staying in the parks. Access is also one of them. Despite the high cost, the rooms are always booked well in advance. It would be hard to argue that rates are too high when the lodges stay full to capacity with people willing to pay the prices."

Are There Solutions?

Jane Martin, whose father was the civil engineer project manager for the Mission 66 projects in Glacier and Yellowstone from 1957 to about 1965, said for the park system to thrive visitors need to be able to create meaningful connections with them.

"Only those making a lot of money can afford to visit the parks and spend the night there at this point," she wrote in an email. "This does not fulfill the reason for the creation of the national parks. Judging from the multiple 'stupid tourist' photos/videos emerging this year or harassed bison, and elk and moose, the Park Service needs to instead implement a system that protects the parks and educates the public."

Among her suggestions:

• National Park Service makes a deal with the concessionaires that they must provide affordable lodging for people of all incomes or the Park Service will not renew their contracts and will find concessionaires who will provide that. In return the concessionaires receive some profit advantage TBD (less “rent” back to the Park Service) etc. 
• The parks hire enough new employees to provide a guided tour “drive” through the park. Tours would be established for specific lengths of time and locations. There could be multiple tours running a day from each entrance … meaning that groups of say 25 cars at a time would leave Mammoth Hot Springs and drive to Canyon Village the 1st night with stops along the way. They would then leave early and drive through the Hayden Valley stopping to view wildlife and spend the night at Lake Yellowstone Lodge. Other tours would start at West Yellowstone, and go to Old Faithful, then on to X, Y, Z.  It would require a lot of coordination and thought but the Park Service could manage it. 
• The Park Service would start each tour with a mandatory presentation about the park and areas they are going to visit. The Park Service begins to educate the public and protect the parks in the process. You could sign up for a tour in advance and know what the costs would be for lodging, and the costs would be based on income. The “tour” quality would be high. No more bison euthanized because some tourist helped a baby bison up a hill. 
• A special “reserve” fund would be established to help those in need financially to be able to afford the visit. 

Dean Reeder, who was the Park Service's chief of sustainable tourism before retiring, suggests for starters that Park Service Director Chuck Sams "create an ad-hoc group of tourism leaders and hospitality executives to suggest a list of current lodging units fitting the 'Premium' label. Next, I would choose from that list more than one in the major parks to be removed from concession contracts (as they come up for renewal) that could form a demonstration project with at least a five-year life.

"For operating funds, the fixed costs should be borne by a specific ten-year congressional line item. The variable costs would be borne by major donors."

Of course, another option would be to build more lodging in the parks, though unless it's price-controlled rates likely would soar, too, in light of the public's demand to visit the prize jewels of the park system.

About the only other solution at the present for park visitors is to travel during the off-season when rates are lower, get on concessionaires' email lists so you can see when special rates are available, pitch your tent, or avoid the parks.