{"id":14481,"date":"2025-08-20T12:06:52","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T12:06:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/08\/20\/luxury-tourism-is-transforming-travel-to-americas-national-parks\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T12:06:52","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T12:06:52","slug":"luxury-tourism-is-transforming-travel-to-americas-national-parks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/08\/20\/luxury-tourism-is-transforming-travel-to-americas-national-parks\/","title":{"rendered":"Luxury Tourism Is Transforming Travel to America\u2019s National Parks"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Travel to America\u2019s national parks is more luxurious than ever. Courtesy of EXP Journeys\/Braulio Romero<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hovering in a helicopter over the summit of Tower Butte, a sacred 5,287-foot red sandstone formation located on Navajo Nation land in Northern Arizona, I do a double take. Just below us, a decadent brunch table is piled with banana bread French toast, poached eggs and salmon, while chef Shon Foster<\/a> of Sego Restaurant<\/a> in Kanab, Utah, fries elk sausages on a stove. A Din\u00e9 flutist plays nearby. It\u2019s all been arranged by EXP Journeys<\/a>, an experiential travel outfitter that works with the Navajo Nation to gain unprecedented access to the site.<\/p>\n

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From Yellowstone to Acadia, few countries offer epic landscapes, wildlife and cultural history<\/a> with the same diversity and scale as America. One thing that isn\u2019t as enticing: Driving a run-down camper van across the Southwest<\/a> while you desperately try to navigate on spotty GPS, pitch a tent, and cook baked beans over an open flame.<\/p>\n

Perhaps that\u2019s why so many Americans\u2014myself included\u2014tend to skip our own backyard in favor of destinations like Zambia and Rwanda that, though remote, have developed a five-star-plus hospitality infrastructure rivaling that of cosmopolitan hotels in New York or Paris. (I\u2019ll take my campfire with Michelin-level dining and wine cellars, thank you very much.) Safari used to entail dangerous bush planes and roughing it in tents; now it often means sunning by the pool under the watchful gaze of an elephant. Today, it\u2019s so easy to connect to Africa\u2019s otherworldly lunar deserts and baobab-filled savannas that some people go on safari regularly\u2014I\u2019ve been at least 20 times.<\/p>\n

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The author, Alexandra Owens, and guide Maxie Johnson on a recent trip to Bryce Canyon. Courtesy of EXP Journeys\/Braulio Romero<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But as I learned firsthand, even the most particular of safari enthusiasts can be swayed into visiting America\u2019s national parks when it\u2019s done properly\u2014and lavishly. Inspired by the African tourism model of pristine wilderness meets unexpected luxury, savvy tour companies and brands are luring travelers who aren\u2019t traditionally interested in exploring Yosemite\u2019s sequoias or Bryce Canyon\u2019s hoodoos. EXP Journeys<\/a>, for example, curates private, bespoke itineraries featuring once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Think dinner with one of the last Navajo Code Talkers and dinosaur bone digs with celebrated paleontologists.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole point for us is to connect people with nature,\u201d Kevin Jackson, CEO and founder of EXP Journeys, tells Observer. \u201cPeople go back to Africa year after year because of the feeling it gives them; that\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to accomplish. We want to share our national parks and natural resources with people in a comfortable but authentic way.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Hiking on the Blacktail Deer Plateau in Yellowstone National Park. Courtesy NPS\/Neal Herbert<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Start of the National Park Craze<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s a concept that clearly resonates with a lot of people. The National Park Service experienced a record-breaking number<\/a> of visitors in 2024,\u00a0as well as an 11.7 percent increase in overnight stays at lodges from 2023. Like so many trends these days, this particular tourism boom was triggered by Covid-19. When indoor activities and international travel were limited, people flocked to the great outdoors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe first started seeing inquiries coming in from people who had traveled to Africa with A&K,\u201d says David Linde, managing director of Abercrombie & Kent\u2019<\/a>s USA and Canada DMC, a company that launched on the Mother Continent. \u201cThat trend is now becoming the norm. [The pandemic] really changed a lot of people\u2019s perspective on life and what\u2019s important to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rising demand has exposed a conspicuous gap in the market that operators like EXP Journeys and A&K are rushing to meet. For the uninitiated, the American West\u2014where many of the most popular national parks are found\u2014remains an organizational nightmare, lacking enough five-star accommodations, experienced guides and airstrips for those who don\u2019t want to drive long distances. (Spoiler alert: The United States is really big.) This problem has only been compounded since the National Park Service lost 24 percent<\/a> of its staff due to recent budget cuts from the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

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EXP Journeys\u2019 mobile camp brings high-end safari framework to the American West. Courtesy of EXP Journeys\/Braulio Romero<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Taming the Wild<\/h3>\n

Africa may seem wild, but don\u2019t let the elephants and lions fool you\u2014many of its most in-demand destinations, like the Okavango Delta, Serengeti and Kruger, have finely-tuned tourism operations that run like clockwork.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot of people see value in hiring a company like A&K to manage all the logistics for them,\u201d says Linde. \u201cWe use the same degree of careful precision that our colleagues in Africa do.\u201d A&K\u2019s Tailormade Journey National Parks by Air<\/a> seamlessly shuttles guests from Yosemite to the Grand Canyon to Jackson Hole via chartered plane, while EXP Journeys offers a chauffeur\u2014by helicopter, naturally\u2014to some of their more remote campsites.<\/p>\n

Truth be told, calling them \u201ccamps\u201d is a bit like referring to Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc<\/a> as \u201cjust a hotel in France.\u201d For an average of $2,000 per person per day, guests can expect cozy king-size beds, hot showers, en-suite bathrooms, private chefs, a full bar and most importantly, complete and total privacy. (Singita Explore<\/a>, a similar concept in Tanzania that invites the well-to-do to \u201crough it in great style,\u201d costs $3,098 per person per night during the high season.) Each time someone books a mobile camping experience with EXP Journeys, a newly-certified B Corp, the entire site is built and torn down exclusively for their group, leaving nothing but footprints behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want you to feel like you\u2019re in the absolute middle of nowhere\u2014that this is all for you,\u201d says Jackson. \u201cThat is very, very hard to find here in the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A mobile camp tent from EXP Journeys. Courtesy of EXP Journeys\/Braulio Romero<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For those who eschew sleeping outdoors, a spate of upscale properties have recently or will soon be opening near parks across the country, including multiple Under Canvas<\/a> locations, One&Only Moonlight Basin<\/a> in Big Sky, Hotel Reset<\/a> in Joshua Tree and A&K Sanctuary\u2019<\/a>s first retreat in the United States, which will be located in Moab by Arches and Canyonlands. Like the brand\u2019s African properties, the accommodations will feature a central lodge with standalone suites, as well as access to a curated program of cultural experiences, expert-led activities and geological interpretations.<\/p>\n

Beyond logistics, more outfitters are beginning to understand\u2014and respect\u2014the crucial role guides play in outdoor adventure, from possessing encyclopedic levels of field knowledge to managing vendors. A true American safari camp, EXP Journeys remains committed to the art of guiding, opening its own training school eight years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Africa, guiding is a revered career,\u201d says Jackson, who has worked as a guide in the western U.S. himself. \u201cHistorically in the U.S., it\u2019s been seen as a hobby or a day job. Our mission is to change that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Bull bison graze along an ephemeral pool in Yellowstone\u2019s Lamar Valley. NPS \/ Jacob W. Frank<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Where to Go<\/h3>\n

As for the most popular national parks right now? Montana and Wyoming are having a moment, says Angela Malek, a North America, Oceans and Islands travel specialist at Scott Dunn<\/a>. \u201cMixing Teton and Yellowstone works really well if you\u2019re staying within Jackson Hole. We\u2019re starting to see more properties in Montana, as well\u2014before, you had to be booked at least six months in advance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alaska has always appealed to cruisers and intrepid travelers. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of the final frontier,\u201d says Jessica Matthews, an Abercrombie & Kent<\/a> travel consultant manager and Conde Nast Traveler top travel specialist for national parks. \u201cIt feels so foreign and far away.\u201d Jackson\u2019s team has started to see an uptick in luxury travel. \u201cThey\u2019re building lodges that are more suitable for families. You can go by yacht or stay at places like Sheldon Chalet<\/a> and Tordrillo Mountain Lodge.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

Utah, with access to many national parks like Bryce Canyon, Zion and the Grand Canyon in one trip, remains a best-seller. \u201cA lot of our clients like to blend high-end properties with roughing it a little bit,\u201d says Malek.<\/p>\n

After all, there\u2019s no way to cap off a camping trip like a stay at Amangiri<\/a>\u2014or its newer cousin, Camp Sarika<\/a>, a contemporary interpretation of the classic safari lodge. Whether you\u2019re ready to sleep under the stars at the country\u2019s most glamorous camps or prefer to listen to the midnight howls of coyotes from a fully enclosed room, there\u2019s never been a better time to experience the wild of America\u2019s own backyard.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"How<\/p><\/div>\n