Where have you found the best meal in the National Park System?/Rebecca Latson file
Where in the National Park System have you had your best meal?
That can be a tough question to answer. So many restaurants, chefs seemingly always on the move, seasonal help not always that helpful. Those and other reasons can lead to a wide variety of meals in the parks. I’ve had wonderful meals at the Yosemite Lodge in Yosemite National Park, the Far View Lodge in Mesa Verde National Park, at Lake Hotel in Yellowstone National Park, and at the Lake Crescent Lodge in Olympic National Park. I’ve also had unimpressive meals at Far View Lodge, Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone, at Big Meadows Lodge in Shenandoah National Park, and at Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park.
And maybe that reflects the greatest problem park restaurants have: inconsistency. And yet, I’ve also encountered some incredible efforts by restaurant staff to provide a satisfying meal under trying conditions. There was the time at Crater Lake Lodge in Crater Lake National Park when the power went out and greatly limited the menu items that could be prepared for dinner. The staff at Grant Village in Yellowstone did a good job during the height of the covid pandemic to deliver satisfying meals in to-go boxes. And I’ve never forgotten the dinner at Tuolumne Meadows Lodge in Yosemite when I was told they were out of lamb chops but could substitute lamb tenderloin.
Where have you encountered your best meal in the National Park System? It can be breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And have any restaurants in your park travels been reliably consistent?
