Lodging

As David and Kay Scott set out on their trip to visit national park lodges to update their guidebook, they come upon a rarity at Gulf Islands National Seashore -- a campground with hot and cold running water and electricity...run by the National Park Service.

Bluffs Lodge, one of four lodging facilities along the Blue Ridge Parkway, will be closed for the 2011 season.

You'd be hard-pressed to stay in a national park lodge in the fall without some spectacular vistas. Still, there are some places that seem slightly better situated to capture the display of foliage. Contributing writers David and Kay Scott share their thoughts on some of the best lodges to call home during the fall.

Four decades after it went into service, the Mammoth Cave Hotel is showing its age, both in appearance and function. As a result, Mammoth Cave National Park officials want to start talking about how the hotel can best be renovated to improve visitor services.

December can be an intriguing month in Olympic National Park. Crowds are non-existent, stormy seas can kick up incredible waves that explode against sea stacks, while in the high country deep snows can accumulate. And through December 30 you can catch a break on lodging at either Kalaloch or Lake Quinault lodges.

For more than a few of us, visiting many of our national parks can only be done vicariously -- most often while we're firmly seated in our most comfortable armchair, at that. So many far off places -- whether you're in Florida wondering about Denali or Glacier Bay national parks in Alaska, or in Alaska wondering about the Everglades or maybe Biscayne national parks in Florida -- can only be visited through words, videos, or audio.

Got time for a mid-winter break? Over 60? Then the folks at Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch in Death Valley National Park have a slight break on lodging to offer you.

If your schedule is flexible, you might want to take a look at these lodging deals at Yosemite, Olympic, and Mesa Verde national parks.