The 250th anniversary of the United States is a perfect time to rediscover America’s national parks. From the granite cliffs of Yosemite to the misty valleys of the Great Smoky Mountains, national parks embody the country’s physical grandeur and egalitarian spirit. Yellowstone, the world’s first national park, wasn’t reserved as a playground for the elite but as a natural wonder open to all.

These extraordinary landscapes have inspired generations of artists, writers and travelers — including us. Here, we’ve rounded up 18 of our favorite hotels near the parks, so you can access the splendor of these national treasures from some of America’s most luxurious resorts. These lodges, wellness retreats and ranches provide privileged access to some of the country’s most spectacular scenery while offering world-class dining and restorative spas. Whether perched beside alpine lakes, hidden in the desert or surrounded by ancient forests, these hotels make exploring America’s national parks more memorable (and certainly more comfortable) than ever.

Yosemite

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984, the nearly 1,200-square-mile Yosemite National Park spans the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in California. It’s renowned for its dramatic waterfalls, giant sequoia trees, granite cliffs and deep valleys. The scenery here inspired John Muir to write, “No temple made with human hands can compare with Yosemite.” Near the park’s southern entrance, Château du Sureau is a Provençal-style manor with 10 guest quarters on a knoll above the small town of Oakhurst. There is also a two-bedroom villa with a private gated entrance and Jacuzzi. A gourmet restaurant serves sophisticated Mediterranean-inspired dishes and is backed by an excellent wine cellar stocked with both French and regional bottlings. Cooking classes, photography lessons and guided hikes in Yosemite can be arranged.

Denali

Alaska’s Denali National Park & Preserve offers some of the most breathtaking vistas in North America, with vast glaciers, dramatic peaks and extraordinary wildlife spread across almost 9,500 square miles of wilderness. The park’s immense scale and isolation make it one of the continent’s most unforgettable destinations. Perched on a nunatak within the Don Sheldon Amphitheater amid the Ruth Glacier, the five-room Sheldon Chalet offers a unique all-inclusive experience in Alaska. Before this property opened, the people who stayed overnight in this part of Denali were largely climbers enduring harsh conditions. Today, guests can take a short helicopter ride to this remote accommodation, which features striking mountain views, gourmet meals and glass-walled cedar saunas. . Activities include backcountry skiing, moonlit glacier treks, climbing and night-sky aurora viewing.

Saguaro

Just outside Tucson, Saguaro National Park preserves the iconic Sonoran Desert landscape, where towering cacti, rugged mountains and scenic hiking paths showcase the beauty of southern Arizona. In the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Canyon Ranch counts among America’s premier wellness resorts, with 174 rooms, an expansive spa and an enormous range of fitness and nutrition programs. Nearby, adults-only Miraval Arizona offers a more meditative retreat, with 146 casita-style suites and extensive hiking and biking trails. Our Travel Office can arrange sunset tours to the park, when the desert glows with shifting shades of gold and crimson.

Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree National Park is celebrated for its surreal desert terrain, sculptural rock formations and starry night skies. The park’s unique beauty and peaceful atmosphere has long drawn artists and hikers alike. Located under an hour from the park entrance in Rancho Mirage, Sensei Porcupine Creek occupies the former estate of Larry Ellison and encourages guests to “move, nourish and rest” through wellness programs, hiking trails and dining at Sensei by Nobu. The 230-acre resort includes 22 guest accommodations and golf and tennis facilities. In the nearby town of Palm Springs, The Willows recaptures the casually elegant ambience of the city’s 1930s heyday. Housed within two Italianate mansions, the charming inn offers 17 individually decorated rooms, mountain views and a gracious sense of tranquility.

Haleakalā

Famed for its immense volcanic crater, striking sunrises and otherworldly landscapes, Haleakalā National Park is the jewel of Maui, Hawaii. An hour and a half from the park, Hotel Wailea is a peaceful adults-only hideaway with just 72 suites perched 300 feet above the sea amid 15 acres of tropical gardens. Guests can dine on seasonal island cuisine, relax beside the pool or, of course, arrange excursions to the national park, where trails traverse lava fields and rare tropical ecosystems, revealing some of Hawaii’s most dramatic scenery.

Yellowstone

With more than 3,500 square miles of geysers, waterfalls, canyons and wildlife habitats, Yellowstone National Park is one of America’s greatest natural treasures. Eighteen miles from Yellowstone’s west entrance, Firehole Ranch sits on 640 acres in Montana and accommodates a small number of guests in 11 cozy Western cabins. Meals feature locally sourced, gourmet Western cuisine, and live bluegrass music accompanies a convivial weekly barbecue. Fly-fishing, hiking and wildlife-spotting in the park are the main diversions. Farther afield in Montana’s Spanish Peaks mountains, the 139-key Montage Big Sky offers a more contemporary alpine retreat with ski-in/ski-out access, refined dining, an 11,000-square-foot spa and sweeping mountain views.

Great Smoky Mountains

One of our favorite parks east of the Rockies, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is beloved for its mist-wreathed peaks, scenic drives and remarkable biodiversity. Bordering the park, the 68-room Blackberry Farm in Tennessee is a celebrated country estate known for its traditional elegance, exceptional “Foothills Cuisine” and gracious hospitality. Guests enjoy luxurious spa treatments, fly-fishing and horseback riding across the 4,200-acre property. Nearby, Blackberry Mountain offers a more contemporary, wellness-focused experience, with mountaintop dining and 43 stylish cottages, treehouses, cabins and multibedroom homes. Activities range from aerial yoga and pottery making to hiking, biking or rafting trips in the park. The 18-room Swag, in North Carolina’s High Country, is set on a 5,000-foot ridge overlooking the park. The rustic resort has a library, a convivial cocktail bar, a hot tub and sauna, a gym and a broad porch offering glorious mountain views.

Zion

In southwest Utah, Zion National Park is one of the country’s most scenic, with towering sandstone cliffs and narrow slot canyons. Exploring the park by bicycle or along quieter trails offers particularly rewarding perspectives on its grandeur. Close to Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam, Amangiri stands amid 900 acres of dramatic desert landscape under two hours from the park. The resort’s minimalist concrete architecture blends seamlessly into the surrounding canyon country, while 34 suites open onto expansive views and private terraces. A striking swimming pool wraps around a natural rock escarpment, and the immense spa offers restorative treatments and personalized wellness programs.

Grand Teton

Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park offers magnificent hiking, alpine lakes and abundant wildlife beneath some of the country’s most dramatic mountain peaks. Inside the park, Jenny Lake Lodge provides 37 rustic-elegant log cabins surrounded by pine trees and views of the Tetons. On a slope above Jackson, Wyoming, Amangani combines low-profile sandstone architecture with 40 expansive suites and multibedroom homes, a dramatic heated pool and sweeping mountain vistas. In downtown Jackson itself, the rebuilt Rusty Parrot Lodge and Spa offers a more intimate experience, with Old West-inspired interiors, an excellent restaurant and easy access to wildlife safaris, fly-fishing and seasonal adventures throughout Grand Teton and Yellowstone. And in Teton Village, the exclusive Caldera House has just eight two- and four-bedroom apartments. Only hotel guests and club members have access to the chic Member’s Lounge, with its full bar and fire-pit-studded terrace, and the Alpine Club’s ski valet and storage facilities.

Pinnacles

The least-visited on this list, Pinnacles National Park is a secret of California’s central coast. It offers excellent hiking amid dramatic volcanic rock formations and talus caves. Just over an hour away in nearby Carmel Valley, Bernardus Lodge & Spa stands amid the oak-covered foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains. Seventy-three villas and bungalows house elegant accommodations with fireplaces, lavish baths and private patios or balconies. Lucia Restaurant serves refined California country cuisine using ingredients from the property’s gardens, while the estate winery, spa and heated lap pool encourage guests to slow down and savor the tranquil landscape.