Summer is the season for visiting America's famed national parks, but as temperatures start to cool down, so do visitor numbers and the prices at some of the country's most popular nature resort destinations. Although many of the more northern parks shut down in the early fall, others remain open and invite visitors all year round.
Glacier National Park and Waterton-Lakes National Park straddle two countries (the U.S. and Canada) and two states (Montana and Alberta) with one thing in common - stunning scenery. For a very limited time, Glacier Park Inc. (tel. 406/892-2525; www.glacierparkinc.com), which operates the Parks' historic accommodation properties is offering a "Spring into Fall" special with spring season room rates at Glacier Park Lodge and Prince of Wales Hotel for fall 2006 reservations. For the dates of September 5 to 17 at Prince of Wales Hotel (Canada) and September 5 to 30, 2006 at Glacier Park Lodge (U.S.), you receive the spring season room rate. This is a website only promotion and you must mention promotion code "BEARGRASS" to receive the special rate. Please refer to the Glacier Park Lodge & Prince of Wales Hotel lodging pages to view their spring season rates. Rates at the Glacier Park Lodge start from $129 per room for a value lodge room and go up to $179 per night for a suite, a saving of between $11 and $120 per night over regular fall prices. At the Prince of Wales, a value mountainside room is priced at $179, $20 for a value lakeside room or a mountainside room, $219 for a lakeside and $599 for a suite, representing savings of between $86 and $200 per night. Rates do not include applicable taxes or park entrance fees.
Tenaya Lodge (tel.888/514-2167; www.tenayalodge.com) at Yosemite National Park is currently offering an Internet special with rooms available from $159 per night for midweek stays during the months of September and October, 2006. The 244-room luxurious property is set on 35 acres bordering the Sierra National Forest and is two miles from the south entrance of Yosemite National Park. The next package is not technically during the fall Â? actually it is coming up very soon, but I thought it worthy of inclusion especially for star gazers. Shooting stars are really meteors - streaks of light firmed by interplanetary rocks crashing and burning above the earth. The Perseid meteor shower is one of the year's most anticipated celestial events, and Yosemite offers a ringside seat this month. The Perseid Meteor Shower Package is available on Friday, August 11 and Saturday, August 12, 2006. The package includes two nights' deluxe hotel accommodations, late night viewing with an astronomer at Yosemite National Park's 7,200 foot Glacier Point amphitheater vista (including round-trip transportation), warm beverages and light snacks and a souvenir tote bag containing a pocket sky guide and a signature Tenaya Lodge fleece blanket. The 2006 Perseid Package is priced at $728 for two nights, for two people.
The Crater Lake Lodge (tel. 541/830.8700; www.craterlakelodges.com) is a historic 1920's property located right on the edge of Oregon's Crater Lake National Park, a pristine blue lake and island formed within the crater of a former volcano. The property offers 71 rooms priced from $129 per night per room on the ground floor, $168 for standard lakeside rooms and $248 for a loft suite that sleeps six. The lodge is open until mid-October and the lake offers over 90 miles of hiking trails, excellent bicycle routes, fishing and even scuba diving.
Grand Canyon Lodges (tel. 928/638-2525; www.grandcanyonlodges.com) are the only in-park accommodation facilities in the Grand Canyon, featuring properties on both the North and South Rims. The South Rim of the Canyon is open all year and you can explore the Grand Canyon from the inside out through a "Learning and Lodging Adventure" educational program this fall. This package must be booked for a Friday or Sunday night arrival and includes two nights' accommodations at Yavapai Lodge West, situated at the eastern end of Grand Canyon Village, two days of guided hiking and touring, breakfast and a boxed lunch each day, one dinner and gift shop coupons. Rates for this package, considered peak season until October 31, 2006 are $389 for a single, $608 for two adults and $186 for each child. Mention the code "GCFI" when booking by phone and keep in mind that this package cannot be booked online.
Planning to visit several National Parks in the next year? The best way to save money and actually help National Parks fund major conservation projects is to buy a $50 National Parks Pass (www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm). The Pass is valid for a year's entrance to all 379 US National Parks (valid for one full year from first use in a National Park) including vehicle and entrance fees for the whole family. Seniors 62 and over can buy a "Golden Age Passport" for National Parks which costs just $10 and is valid for life. When the senior travels with friends or family in a private car, everyone in the car gets free entry. The Golden Age Passport also gives a 50 percent discount on camping, swimming, parking and tours. The Golden Age Passport must be purchased in person at a federal area where entrance fees are charged, or at regional offices of the National Park Service.
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