Is NationalParkReservations.com Legit? Read This Before You Book!

You’re not alone. Thousands of travelers each year find themselves on this third-party booking site while planning their adventures to America’s iconic national parks. With a name that sounds official and a professional-looking interface, it’s easy to assume that NationalParkReservations.com is affiliated with the National Park Service. But is it really?

The short answer is no, it’s not. It is just another third-party booking site with a special kind of twist that you don’t find with other platforms.

If you’re planning a trip to a National Park and considering using NationalParkReservations.com, please read this article before booking. In this article, we’ll dive deep into what NationalParkReservations.com is, how it works, and most importantly if it’s a trustworthy site to book your national park lodging and activities. We’ll also explore real user reviews, common complaints, and provide tips to help you avoid frustration (and unnecessary fees). If you’re planning a national park trip and considering using this site, read on to find out everything you need to know before you click “book now.”

What Is NationalParkReservations.com, And How Did You End Up There?

NationalParkReservations.com is a privately owned, third-party travel booking website that helps users make lodging and activity reservations near U.S. national parks. The site operates by aggregating listings of hotels, motels, lodges, and guided tours located in or around national parks and offering booking services for a non-refundable fee.

Odds are that you stumbled upon NationalParkReservations.com while searching for National Park Lodging. You likely searched for “Yellowstone Hotels,” “Yosemite National Park Lodging,” or your pick of park and a synonym for hotel or lodging. The site was either at the top of the search results or appeared as a sponsored ad, as seen below.

At first glance, the name and design of the website might give the impression that it is officially affiliated with the park lodges, but this is not the case. The website uses earthy tones, scenic park imagery, and formal fonts that closely mimic the aesthetic of official National Park Service websites. The domain name itself strongly implies an affiliation with the NPS. This design choice contributes to the confusion for many first-time users.

The only real sign that this isn’t an official booking site is the small red text that reads “This booking form is a reservation request. It should not be used to check availability.” I’ve marked with an orange box and arrows.

If you somehow ended up on the homepage of NationalParkReservations.com and are paying attention, there is a small scroll box in the middle of the page with the following statement:

National Park Reservations is a reservation service providing lodging and activity reservations. National Park Reservations is not an authorized concessionaire of any National Park nor are we in any way affiliated with the National Park Service or the concessionaire’s running the park hotels. For this service, National Park Reservations charges a ten percent non-refundable reservation fee based on the total dollar amount of reservations made.

This statement makes it clear that National Park Reservations is an independent site, and it charges an additional fee to book your National Park hotels, but you only see this message on the home page. Otherwise, it’s hidden in their terms and conditions.

Is NationalParkReservations.com Legit or a Scam?

I’d love to call NationalParkReservations.com a scam. I really would, but they can actually secure you a hotel reservation pending hotel availability. In my opinion, it’s more of a shady business whose process, terms, and conditions are there for people to find and read while being just obscure enough that normal people fail to read the fine print.

I find this very deceptive. The majority of users aren’t arriving on their home page, so the first place they will find out about the 10% booking fee is in the fine print of a “booking page.” I’ve highlighted it in yellow so you can easily pick the statements out.

For this reservation request, this means another $49 in costs that aren’t included in the price shown. So the cost of this booking would actually be $533.36. This would make the cost $266.68 per night. I compared the dates on Broken Spur Inn’s website and Booking.com. Broken Spur Inn’s average nightly rate was $215.18 a night, and Booking.com was $221.44 a night.

So right away, you are saving money by booking with Booking.com or the direct booking website, even without factoring in the 10% reservation fee on NationalParkReservations.com. I can’t say this is the case for every hotel listed on NationalParkReservations.com, but I checked about a dozen, and you are at a minimum saving the 10% non-refundable reservation fee by booking elsewhere.

I did notice that some lodges don’t show prices on some dates, so you are handing over your credit card information to book a room without knowing the cost. That would make me really uncomfortable.

Now let’s talk about the other big elephant in the room. NationalParkReservations.com is a reservation REQUEST site. They do not show the real-time availability of hotels on their website. I’ll give them that there is some red text below their “Book Lodge” button that you are simply putting in a request from them, but the website layout and terminology used send mixed signals and is a little on the confusing side. The entire process feels just like any other booking website where you’d make a hotel reservation.

The real difference is that with NationalParkReservations.com, you are putting in a request. Once they have your request, one of their agents will attempt to make a reservation at the requested hotel for the requested date. If they can make the reservations, they will charge you the 10% fee and secure your room.

Based on Anna Smit‘s experiences at the front desk of one of the Yosemite Lodges, I’m not alone in thinking the process is confusing. According to Anna, “I had so, so many people try to check in with an email from them that was a ‘confirmation of a request’ and then those people were SOL [sh*t out of luck] because we were booked.“

Overall, I don’t think NationalParkReservations.com is a scam, but at the same time, in my opinion, they are not exactly legit either. Scummy is probaly the best word for them, in my opinion. They do what they say they will, pending availability, but they charge a hefty fee that other websites don’t, and while they meet the legal disclosure requirements for their fee, they try to obscure that fact in small print terms and conditions.

Who Owns NationalParkReservations.com?

That’s a great question. The about page is devoid of any personal information other than that they are a member of the “National Park Promotion Council and an accredited IATA agency.”

The National Park Promotion Council doesn’t seem to exist (anymore?). The only records I can find of this organization is a listing on the International Coalition of Tourism Partners, and the website link is dead. So this organization probaly existed at one point but fizzled out, and no one has noticed/updated the NationalParkReservations.com website.

The only other information I can find is that the website was first registered in March 2000, and the privacy policy has a different phone number than their reservation line. That phone number has a 406 area code, so they are likely based in or were based in Montana.

Common Complaints About NationalParkReservations.com

There are plenty of threads with complaints about NationalParkReservations.com. I’m sure you checked out a few even before visiting this website and reading this article. I reviewed and read over 600 comments in at least 20 different Reddit posts, TripAdvisor discussions, reviews at PissedConsumer.com, and Better Business Bureau complaints.

Many of the complaints surrounding NationalParkReservations.com stem from the issues discussed previously. Here are the most common issues raised by users in these forums:

• Hidden Service Fees: Many users report not realizing there was a 10% non-refundable service fee until after submitting payment.
• Confusion Over Affiliation: The website’s name and design lead some to believe it is an official NPS site, which it is not.
• Lack of Real-Time Availability: Some users are confused and don’t realize that their confirmation of a booking request is not an actual reservation.
• Poor Customer Service: Complaints about slow or unhelpful responses from the customer service team are frequent.

Tips to Avoid Getting Ripped Off

If you do decide to use NationalParkReservations.com, follow these tips to protect yourself:

1. Read the Fine Print: Make sure you understand the service fee and cancellation policies.
2. Verify Affiliation: Remember this is not an official NPS site. Don’t assume your booking is through the National Park Service.
3. Call to Confirm: After booking, contact the hotel or lodge directly to ensure your reservation is in their system.
4. Compare Prices: Check other platforms (e.g., Booking.com, Expedia, the official park websites) to ensure you’re getting a good deal.
5. Use a Credit Card: In case you need to dispute the charge later.
6. Book Early Through Official Sources: If possible, use Recreation.gov or park concessionaires for your booking.

Better Alternatives to NationalParkReservations.com

You should always try to book your in-park lodging directly with the park concessionaire. These companies have contracts with NPS to run park-owned lodges in national parks. That said, there are a few privately owned and operated hotels within the National Parks, such as the lodges in Denali, The Ranch at Death Valley, and several others throughout the park system. For the concessionaires, scroll to the bottom of the website, and there should be a badge with the NPS Arrowhead and the words Authorized Concessioner.

Here are some of the more popular parks and the concessionaire’s direct booking website.

• Yosemite National Park – Aramark operates most park hotels, and you can book directly at travelyosemite.com. There are a couple of independently owned vacation rentals within the park as well.
• Yellowstone National Park – Xanterra Travel Collection operates most park hotels, and you can book directly at yellowstonenationalparklodges.com.
• Grand Teton National Park – Grand Teton Lodge Company operates most park hotels, and you can book them directly at gtlc.com.
• Glacier National Park – Pursuit operates the park hotels, and you can book directly at glacierparkcollection.com.
• Grand Canyon National Park – Xanterra Travel Collection operates most park hotels, and you can book them directly at grandcanyonlodges.com.
• Olympic National Park – Aramark operates most park hotels, and you can book them directly at olympicnationalparks.com. Kalaloch Lodge is operated by Delaware North and can be booked at thekalalochlodge.com.
• Zion National Park – POWDR operates the park hotel, and you can book it directly at zionlodge.com.
• Bryce Canyon National Park – Aramark operates the park hotel, and you can book directly at visitbrycecanyon.com.

For hotels outside the park, you should use a well-known booking site such as Booking.com or Hotels.com, or search for the hotels to book directly.

FAQs About NationalParkReservations.com

Is NationalParkReservations.com affiliated with NPS?

No, it’s not. It’s a private company with no government ties. Like this site, it is a completely separate entity from the National Park Service and the National Park Lodges.

Can I get a refund?

You may be able to get a refund on your hotel reservations, but their 10% fee is non-refundable.

Why is it ranked high on Google?

Because they are paying for ads on common National Park search terms such as “Yosemite Hotels” or Yellowstone Hotel” and they have good search optimization (SEO). Good SEO doesn’t always mean the most trustworthy website.

Are the prices fair?

Usually marked up 10–20% over the direct booking website price.

Final Thoughts on NationalParkReservations.com

While NationalParkReservations.com is not an outright scam, it is a third-party service that comes with caveats. You are better off using official channels or well-known booking platforms to ensure transparency, accurate reservations, and better customer support. Always research before you book, and when in doubt, go straight to the source.