The Best Hotels to Book Near Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Just outside Great Basin National Park, Hidden Canyon is one for lovers of wilderness. Surrounded by 375 acres (152ha) of juniper, pinyon pine and desert sage brush, your only neighbors here are animals – mule deer, wild turkeys and golden eagles. You’ll want to get out and explore, of course, but when it’s time to retire, you’ll find a heated outdoor pool, a fantastic family games room, and a central courtyard and patio with an outdoor barbecue.

Stargazer Inn does as its name promises, giving you a private patio outside your room from which to admire the constellations glittering across Great Basin’s jet-black skies. What’s more, you won’t need to set the alarm early after staying up late, as the entrance to the national park is just six minutes’ drive away. After a day of adventure, return to a hearty charcuterie board and a glass of craft beer at on-site restaurant Kerouac’s.

Can’t decide between camping, RV life or the simple comforts of a motel? This cute, family-run business keeps your options open. Just six miles (10km) from the park entrance, there are tent pitches beneath shady elm trees, RV hook-ups and classic motel rooms with coffee-makers, TVs and microwaves. For everything else, head into the main lodge building, where you’ll find bath and shower facilities, a coin laundry and games of pool, shuffleboard and darts.

This historic six-story hotel and gambling hall was founded during the prohibition era. Today, Hotel Nevada features modern rooms and suites, a full-service bar, and an assortment of slot machines. Home to the only 24-hour full-service restaurant in town, the on-site venue serves breakfast, lunch and dinner specials. There’s also a 24-hour open bar with an ever-changing selection of craft beers.

Golfers will love the Ramada, as it’s located within putting distance of the 18-hole White Pine course. Rooms are fuss-free and traditional, with wood furniture and a brown-beige color scheme. But you haven’t come out here for the decor. Much more interesting is the nearby Ely Renaissance Village museum, where a cluster of restored 1900s houses present what life would have looked like in the Ely of yesteryear.

The Rustic Inn Motel is a family-friendly venue not far from the Nevada Northern Railway Museum and the East Ely Railroad Depot Museum. Rooms are warm and welcoming, if on the simple side, with springy queen beds and jazzy quilts. A private garden area with picnic benches and lounger chairs makes for a great spot to shoot the breeze with a beer or two after a long day’s hiking.

Right in the heart of Ely, this low-key motel comes with high-scoring views of both the Schell Creek and Egan mountain ranges. Rooms are unambiguously old-school, with flock wallpaper, frilly quilts, and gold-framed landscape prints above the bedheads. A complimentary continental breakfast, free parking, and coin-operated laundry make the room rates exceptionally wallet-friendly.