Sperry Chalet 
Glacier Park, Montana
Sperry Chalet was built in 1913 by James J. and son Louis Hill of the Great Northern Railway, the prime developer of Glacier National Park. Listed as an Historic Landmark, these rustic buildings, built of native rock, have survived their rugged environment relatively unchanged for over 90 years. Opened in 1914 the main buildings consist of a two story hotel building and a kitchen/dining room building. Except for modernized kitchen facilities and the new restroom facility, an effort has been made to keep both the interiors and exteriors of the chalets much as they were built. Meals are informal, table d'hote; dinner is served from 6 to 7 p.m., breakfast served from 7 to 8:30 a.m. A trail lunch is provided or a chalet ala-carte lunch. Ala carte service is available to all in the dining room from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Breakfast and dinner are available separately with advance notice. Website

 

Granite Park Chalet 
Glacier National Park, Montana
This 1914 stone hut is reachable only by hiking trail or horseback ride. The 7.4-mi trek is well worth the effort, because you will see Heaven's Peak and Logan Pass and may see a grizzly bear or two. Pack in your own food and bedding (there's optional linen service for a fee). The innkeeper will help you organize in the kitchen, find a good hiking trail, and watch for wildlife.  Website 
 

 

Skoki Lodge 
Banff National Park, Alberta Canada
Skoki Lodge is situated in a beautiful high alpine region in Banff National Park. The eleven kilometer trail to the Skoki Valley makes this lodge an ideal destination for hikers and skiers of all levels. From the lodge one can access breathtaking mountain ridges and alpine lakes, or explore five different adjoining valleys. During the summer months the beautiful alpine flowers are an experience in themselves.How long does it take to hike/cross country ski/snow shoe to Skoki Lodge?  Depending on your ability, 3 – 5 hours. Website

Bearpaw Meadow Camp
Sequoia National Park  CA
Bearpaw Meadow Camp is located on the High Sierra Trail 11 miles (17.6 km) east of Giant Forest. This simple tent hotel is the only concession facility located in the backcountry of Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. It offers accommodations, meals and limited supplies from mid-June through Labor Day. There is a small camping area for backpackers not staying at the tent hotel. Backpackers should note that the piped water there will no longer be treated or filtered due to the difficulty of maintaining this remote system to meet mandatory state standards for drinking water. The piped water will be labeled "nonpotable," and backpackers should be prepared to treat it themselves.

    Most of the guests find the 11.3 mile walk and 1400' elevation gain quite tiring, especially the last 1.2 miles up from Buck Creek.  You should take the trail seriously even though it is considered moderate.  Walking time to Bearpaw varies from five to ten hours.   The average time is 8 hours. Website

Twin Falls Chalet
Alberta, Canada
This hike begins with dramatic flare.opposite the raging Takakkaw Falls that plunge 380 m into the Yoho River . Viewpoints along the way - Laughing Falls , Trolltinder Mountain and Mount Gordon , and ultimately, the Twin Falls themselves - maintain the impressiveness of the Yoho Valley.

    The first half of the hike is relatively flat, with one major hill (your reward is another flat section along the valley bottom). Along the way, the trail shifts from being open and scenic to narrow and forested. The final push to the Twin Falls Chalet is a steady climb beyond the campground. Note: the chalet is an old Canadian Pacific Railway building (1923); snacks and lodging for small groups (with reservations) are available. Website.

The High Sierra Camps 
Yosemite CA
The High Sierra Camps system in Yosemite is an opportunity to experience the remote backcountry in relative comfort of tent cabins with wood floors, beds and small woodstoves, fresh home-cooked meals, and hot showers.

    The High Sierra Camps form a circle spaced roughly 6 to 8 miles apart, a comfortable days hike from one to the next.  You can do the whole circuit, see some mind-boggling scenery, fish, hang-out and take pictures in about 10 days.  You will undoubtedly want to stay a while at Vogelsang (hiking) or Glen Aulin (fishing). Website

Phantom Ranch 
Grand Canyon Arizona
Phantom Ranch is a comfortable oasis nestled at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. It is tucked in beside Bright Angel Creek on the north side of the Colorado River and is the only lodging facility below the Canyon rim. The Ranch can only be reached by mule, by foot, or by rafting the Colorado River and is a popular stop-over point for hikers and mule riders traveling to the bottom of the Canyon via the famous Bright Angel or Kaibab trails. Open year-round. 

    The ranch was designed by architect Mary E. J. Colter and completed in 1922. The rustic cabins and main lodge are built of wood and native stone and do not intrude on the natural beauty and solitude of the setting. Overnight accommodations at Phantom Ranch consist of dormitory spaces and cabins. Cabins and dormitories are heated and utilize evaporative cooling during the summer months. Website

LeConte Lodge
Great Smoky Mountain National Park, TN
At 6,593 feet elevation, Mount LeConte is one of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's highest peaks. When the movement to establish a national park in the Smokies was in full sway, a tent camp was erected where LeConte Lodge now stands to entertain visiting dignitaries from Washington. Although LeConte Lodge is now under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, it predates the creation of the park in 1930. Jack Huff, a Gatlinburg mountaineer and founder of the rustic lodge, began building the retreat in 1926. Eight years later, Jack and Pauline Huff were married at a sunrise service at LeConte's now-famous Myrtle Point, the traditional place to watch spectacular performances of daybreak. Jack, Pauline and their family continued to operate the lodge until 1960. It is presently operated under the auspices of Stokely Hospitality Enterprises, supervised by General Managers Tim and Lisa Line.
     Overnight guests at LeConte Lodge are very special people. The only way to reach the facility is by taking hiking trails up and back. There are five trails to the lodge, the shortest and steepest being Alum Cave Trail at 5 1/2 miles, which a hiker in good condition can do in approximately four hours. None of these trails can be considered a stroll and you occasionally encounter ice and snow as late as May or as early as October. The other trails are Rainbow Falls and Trillium Gap, each 6.5 miles, a hike of about five hours; Bullhead at 7.2 miles and about five hours; and Boulevard, 8 miles and about 5 1/2 hours. Parking is available at the start of each trail.  Website

 

Len Foote Hike Inn 
Near the start of the Applachian Trail Georgia
The Inn is accessible only by foot over a moderate 5 mile trail which originates at the top of the falls. Check in at the Park Visitors Center to get vital information and directions for your walk to the Hike Inn. You must check in at the Visitors Center before 2:00 PM or you will not be permitted to hike. The hike takes from 2 to 4 hours, so be sure to start early enough to arrive well before the facilities tour and dinner (5:00 PM & 6:00 PM every night).  You only need to bring your personal items, including layered clothing, hiking boots, extra socks, rain gear, toiletries, water (for the trail), sunscreen, insect repellent, first aid kit and flashlight. Dinner and breakfast are served family style. Educational and entertaining programs are conducted in the Sunrise Room after dinner most evenings. Programs consist of everything from worm composting to storytelling. Website

Charit Creek Lodge 
Tennessee
Charit Creek Lodge, located deep in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, is only accessible by horseback, foot or mountain bike. Well-maintained hiking and horse trails lead you through interesting and beautiful places on your way to the lodge.

Located where Charit Creek and Station Camp Creek meet, the lodge rests in a beautiful pasture framed by magnificent bluffs. This valley has given shelter to travelers in the Big South Fork since the Indian hunting camps. A white hunter, Jonathan Blevins, built the first cabin here in 1817. His log structure still stands as part of the lodge.

Operated as a youth hostel from 1987 until mid 1989, management of the Charit Creek property was awarded to the operators of LeConte Lodge, a renowned wilderness accommodation in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The proprietors, Stokely Hospitality Enterprises, under the management of Tim and Lisa Line, have transformed the hostel into a full-service accommodation, while preserving its rustic integrity. Website