Two historic West Coast park lodges stay open into winter, and each one is built around a fireplace

Most national park lodges lock the doors for winter and leave the fireplaces cold. Two of the West Coast’s most famous ones don’t, and if you want a storm outside and a fire inside, they’re the ones to book.

Lake Crescent Lodge in Washington and the Ahwahnee in California are very different buildings. What they share is a big, old, fire-lit lobby that makes a gray day feel like the whole point of the trip.

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Lake Crescent Lodge, Washington

This one dates to 1915 and sits on the shore of Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park. The lobby is antique-furnished and anchored by a stone fireplace, which is exactly where you want to be when the Olympic Peninsula’s rain shows up.

The lodge’s 2026 season runs from April 17, 2026 to January 1, 2027, so you can still get a New Year’s stay in. That’s a real window, but it is a window, so this is the one to book soon rather than eventually.

If you want to stay on the Olympic coast past the new year, Kalaloch Lodge is listed as open year round. For the lake itself, our guide to Lake Crescent covers what to do around the shoreline.

The Ahwahnee, California

Finished in 1927, the Ahwahnee sits at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley. Its grand lounge is known for tall fireplaces, and it’s open year round, which is rare for a place this historic.

A quick naming note, because you’ll see both on the internet. The hotel was called the Majestic Yosemite Hotel for a few years, and the Ahwahnee name was restored in 2019.

Winter in the Valley has its own appeal: fewer crowds, and the roads into the Valley are often clear for most of the season. Always check current road and chain conditions with the park before you drive, since mountain weather doesn’t follow a schedule.

If the Ahwahnee’s rates make you wince, Yosemite Valley Lodge is also open year round, and it puts you in the same part of the park.

Which fire should you pick?

Here’s my vote: Lake Crescent Lodge for a moody, cozy, rain-on-the-window kind of weekend, and the Ahwahnee for a bigger, grander, once-a-year splurge. Neither will feel like a chain hotel, and that’s the whole reason to go.

Trip tips: grab a rental car to get out here, or book a room before the good ones are gone.

So which are you: rain on the window, or a Valley wrapped in winter light? Tell us where your fireplace-and-blanket weekend would go.

Rules and fees change, so always confirm current requirements before you go.