Jackson Lake Lodge

Jackson Lake Lodge is the great hall of Grand Teton National Park, and its trick is one enormous window. Built in the 1950s on a bluff above Jackson Lake, the lodge has a lobby with floor-to-ceiling glass that frames the Teton Range across the Willow Flats, where moose, elk and waterbirds often feed. Many visitors come to the lodge just to sit in the lobby with a drink, and staying overnight lets you do that at dawn and dusk when the mountains glow. The grounds hold a main lodge with rooms and suites, separate cabin-style buildings, restaurants and a lounge, a gift shop and a heated outdoor pool with the same mountain view. The location is central for the northern part of the park, close to Oxbow Bend, Signal Mountain, Colter Bay and the road north to Yellowstone's South Entrance, so it works as a base for both parks. It is a seasonal, in-park lodge operated by the park concession, usually open from late spring to early autumn, so confirm the dates when you book and reserve well ahead for summer. Rooms are comfortable rather than lavish, and the draw is the setting and the sense of staying in a landmark of mid-century park architecture.

The lobby is the reason to book. Few hotels in the United States have a view that makes guests fall silent: a wall of glass opens on the Willow Flats, a marshy meadow where moose often browse at first light, with Mount Moran and the central Tetons rising abruptly behind. In the evening the peaks turn pink and gold, and the room fills with people who are not talking. Photographers and wildlife watchers can set up on the terrace with a coffee and let the animals come to them.

Choosing a room. Options range from rooms in the main lodge to cabin-style accommodation spread across the grounds, with some rooms facing the mountains and others the surrounding forest. The best views are naturally in demand, so request them early. Amenities include dining on site, a lounge, a heated outdoor pool overlooking the Tetons and quick access to hiking trails and a lakeside boat ramp nearby. Expect comfortable but unfussy furnishings, in keeping with the park setting.

Practicalities. Because it is a national-park concession property, the lodge operates seasonally and sells out early for the peak months, so reserve ahead and check for cancellations. It is a good base for the northern Tetons, with Oxbow Bend, Schwabacher Landing and Mormon Row all within a day's circuit, and it is also a logical overnight between Jackson and Yellowstone. Dawn wildlife drives start almost at the door. Fit: first-time Teton visitors, wildlife and landscape photographers, couples, families and travelers linking Grand Teton and Yellowstone.