Adventure Basecamps in the Southwest

Canyons Lodge

Kanab, UT

A western log-cabin lodge under the red cliffs on Highway 89, where evenings bring live music on the deck and a fire pit under the stars, and mornings bring muffins still warm from the oven and parfaits made that day. Cruiser bikes wait by the office for the flat ride into town.

Quail Park Lodge

Kanab, UT

A 1963 frame renovated into mid-century rooms with a crayon-colored palette and weekly happy hours hosted by the owner. A gateway to five national parks run by someone who genuinely likes guests.

Stargazer Inn

Baker, NV

The closest bed to Great Basin National Park, in a Nevada town so small and so dark the Milky Way casts a shadow. Seven owner-run rooms wrapped around a general store and a seasonal cafe.

The Wesley

Page, AZ

Page's oldest road lodge, reworked with a calm modern desert hand into the town's first boutique stay, rooms opening to exterior walkways around a courtyard pool. Named for the one armed explorer who first ran these canyons, it puts Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, and Lake Powell minutes from your door.

Americana Motor Hotel

Flagstaff, AZ

A 1962 Route 66 frame renovated around dark sky stargazing, with telescopes on property, a pool, and fire pits. The Easy Rider production crew camped here in 1969, and the road outside hasn't changed much since.

El Pueblo Lodge

Taos, NM

An adobe compound where every room opens to a patio or terrace, with Casita Kings featuring kiva wood-burning fireplaces. Afternoon cookies, a pool, and a hot tub included.

Marathon Motel

Marathon, TX

A property-built Skypark with a resident astronomer and some of the darkest skies in Texas. The main event here happens after dark.

Moab Rustic Inn

Moab, UT

Every room has a full-size refrigerator, microwave, and coffee maker, which matters when you're splitting time between two national parks with no concessions inside. Heated pool, BBQ, and parking at every door.

Parry Lodge

Kanab, UT

The 1931 lodge that made Kanab Little Hollywood, where the rooms still carry the names of the stars who slept in them and the barn out back still screens the Westerns they came to shoot. Mornings bring a full hot spread and rose gardens on the way to the pool John Wayne helped pay for.

Purple Sage Motel

Panguitch, UT

Red rock canyon country visible from every window in a husband-and-wife operation that takes its name from Zane Grey's most celebrated novel. The name does the landscape justice.

Sands Motel of Boulder City

Boulder City, NV

A 1951 family-run motor court in the quiet desert town the Hoover Dam built, redone in a warm mid-century modern style where you still park right at your door. Pull in off the noise of Las Vegas and find tree-lined streets, white lights in the branches, and an easy night's sleep.

Zion Park Motel

Springdale, UT

Covered outdoor sitting areas with canyon wall views and a shuttle stop directly across the street since 1972. A clean vintage property where the canyon is close enough that it sets the agenda.