curiosa & explorando

Why travelers are no longer choosing between comfort and the views.

Let’s be so honest: when you think about visiting a national park, the first thing that comes to mind is the staying situation. Whether you’re camping on your tent, booking a lodge months in advance, or pulling up on your RV, we always end up trading the insane views for comfort, or vice-versa.

But that equation is definitely changing.

Across the U.S., a new category of travel is taking shape. One that is designed not to compete with nature, but to frame it.

This change goes back to 2020. When the catastrophic pandemic forced the world to stop, national parks became both refuge and escape. While isolation was extremely necessary, for some people it didn’t mean staying inside their own homes.

And that momentum did not fade when the world adjusted to the new normal; it actually accelerated.

By 2024, according to the Observer, the National Park Service recorded record-breaking visitation, alongside an 11.7% increase in overnight lodge stays compared to the year before.

So people didn’t stop traveling. But they were not just looking for any place to stay. They kept traveling, but looking for the same experience they once had abroad. In other words: nature, but elevated. And the industry noticed.

Needless to say, glamping is booming. Now, the North American marketing is projected to grow up to $2.6 billion by 2033, according to the Grand View Research. Travelers are now willing to pay an average of $250 per night for elevated, immersive outdoors stays.

So what changed?

When you realize that five-star service alone isn’t enough anymore, then the only right answer is: the change in what luxury means. Travelers are now, not only chasing those comfortable threads, but also the feeling of connection, quiet and space.

Developers have responded by building just outside park boundaries. You can wake up near Yosemite or Grand Teton now with a proper bed, a hot shower, and a view that still wild.

Some properties are taking it even further, investing heavily in the experience itself.

The Amangani Resort, for example, located in Jackson Hole near the Grand Teton National Park, is currently closed for major renovation. The reopening is expected for this winter, just in time for one of the busiest season of the region.

In the end, luxury isn’t just about better bed and hot showers. It’s about a being somewhere that makes you pause. It’s comfort and awe, convenience and wildness. But more importantly, a place you can remember. Wilderness hasn’t changed, but how we sleep next to it has.