11 State Parks To Visit and Where To Stay

Live your Jimmy Buffett fantasy from a private, two-bedroom cabin in fabled Bahia Honda State Park. The Florida Keys beach that’s been ranked best in the world has four elevated cabins with kitchens and full air conditioning, though you’re free to let the warm breeze blow through if weather permits. These are true beach bum digs, so don’t expect any new millennium decor or stainless steel appliances, but the blocky tiled floors will feel familiar to anyone whose cool aunt had a beach house on a quiet stretch of American coast. Spend your days fishing the tropical waters of Florida Bay, then return home and cook your catch as you listen to the water lap up on shore. Mornings can be just as delightful: head out your front door, coffee in hand, dip your toes in the ocean and walk the white powdery sand.

A wise man once said, “Way down yonder by the Chattahoochee, it gets hotter than a hoochie coochie.” But that heat is a lot more tolerable when you can retreat to a fully air conditioned, two-bedroom modern house after you’re done forest bathing in Georgian nature. Chattahoochee Bend State Park has cabins with all the trappings of a remote wilderness retreat — screened-in porches with rocking chairs, firepits, brilliant sunsets — but throws in mod cons like dishwashers and satellite TV. They’re delightfully comfortable spaces with trimmed ceilings and massive kitchens ideal for preparing satisfying family meals.

If you’re into adobe architecture but Santa Fe feels a little expensive, consider the Davis Mountains State Park in far west Texas. The brush-speckled desertscape spreads out from the white adobe cabins of Indian Lodge, a 39-room, full-service hotel steeped in Southwestern luxury. With no Wi-Fi in the rooms, you’ll get a more off-grid experience here  as well as instant access to the park’s hiking and biking trails. Finish the day with a dip in the hotel’s outdoor swimming pool as you watch the surrounding brown hills turning a brilliant shade of red.

Let love lift you up where you belong as you live your own An Officer and a Gentleman story at the fort where the movie was filmed. Fort Worden State Park on Washginton’s beautiful Olympic Peninsula lets you stay in fully refurbished homes once occupied by the base’s officers and non-commissioned officers. The regal homes along Officers Row are Victorian manors with long front porches and views over Puget Sound. If you want something a little smaller than the four- and six-bedroom officer homes, reserve something in the Courtside Collection. These old NCO quarters are as elegantly appointed as they might have been during Fort Worden’s heyday with high-back red velvet chairs and wood furniture, and close to all of the trails and water adventures.

Planning a romantic escape to Niagara Falls? Plan to spend a night inside a decommissioned lighthouse at Golden Hill State Park, about halfway between the falls and Rochester. The Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse quarters were home to the lighthouse keeper and his family from 1875 to 1957, and have a full kitchen with light blue cupboards, a living room and a fireplace for cold nights. All of the furniture at least looks antique, and there’s just one TV, an almost miniature box set that sits on the corner of the bedroom dresser. For warmer evenings, take your evening meal al fresco and throw some steaks on the outdoor grill, enjoying dinner with a sunset view over Lake Ontario.

This eco-friendly lodge inside Alabama’s Gulf State Park isn’t just a spacious place to set up along the beach. It’s one of the best beachfront accommodations in the state, an airy, modern waterfront hotel that creates a quiet escape from Gulf Shores’ sometimes-hectic scene. The Lodge has a gourmet restaurant where you can savor your meal on the patio with soft gulf breezes. And rooms are done up in light woods and white decor to give the feel of your own private beach house. From the Lodge, you can grab a bike and head back into the park’s more than 28 miles of bike trails, giving you appreciation for the abundant nature of southern Alabama.

Mount Tamalpais State Park, this Marin County gem just north of San Francisco, is filled with golden hills and green trees and is a hugely popular day-trip destination for Bay Area residents. Just as popular are the iconic Steep Ravine Cabins, which sit on a jagged hillside overlooking the Bay. What the cabins lack in amenities — there’s no electricity or running water — they more than make up for in Steinbeck-inspired California beauty. The remote locale gives you a sense of how breathtaking the state was before millions of people lived there. And the spare, wood-paneled cabins make you feel like you have the state all to yourself.

If you ignore the doors and air conditioners, you might be able to pass these cabins built by the Civilian Conservation Corps as native stone dwellings. They look like they were built into the cliffside of Palo Duro Canyon, constructed from surrounding rocks, so they camouflage seamlessly into the canyon rim. The views over the park would be enough to make them sought-after state park accommodations, but add in modern amenities like AC, electricity, Southwestern-inspired decor and a small refrigerator, and they’re the kind of cabin you never want to leave.

Yes, technically Seneca is a state forest and not a state park. However, unless you were planning on doing some commercial logging during vacation, that’s an inconsequential distinction. You’ll understand why they call West Virginia “almost heaven” when you sleep atop one of the park’s 65-foot fire lookout towers. They’re rustic, offering a couple of cots and not much else. But in the fall, the colors take over the mountains around you and will make you forget about the lack of amenities. The site books up nearly a year in advance, so if your fall of 2025 is free, you may want to reserve now.

Among the red rocks that beckon climbers from across the globe, you’ll find a lush valley of Wyoming wilderness. This is Sinks Canyon State Park, a big-time destination for rock climbers, but an equally gorgeous setting for those who prefer their thrills on the ground. The park has four yurts strategically placed on a small rise in the canyon floor to maximize the red rock beauty and views of the valley and town of Lander below. Staying in the winter might sound a bit chilly, but if the sun is shining the experience is a true winter wonder.

The Tikchik Narrows Lodge is set on a remote peninsula on Bristol Bay in 1.6-million-acre Wood-Tikchik State Park, the largest state park in the United States. The fishing lodge is a destination unto itself, reachable only by private float plane charter and sleeping only 22 guests at a time. Once inside the park, you’ll feel the grandeur of Alaska, where everything from the sky to the salmon seems larger than anything in the lower 48. If you’re not an experienced angler, the lodge has you covered: guides are equipped to help everyone from expert fisherman to complete beginners.