6 unbelievable homes near national parks

Springdale, Utah

Ten minutes from Zion National Park, this three-bedroom contemporary lodge is surrounded by red-rock mountains. The furnished house features an open great room with 10-foot-high glass pocket sliders, stained-concrete floors, and striated-stone fireplace surround; European-style chef's kitchen; butler's pantry; two primary suites; and a garage with a workbench and dog wash.

The landscaped lot has a big front porch, a patio with a flat-screen TV, a firepit, and an outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven. $2,685,000. Kristi Staker, Summit Sotheby's International Realty, (435) 632-4858.

Front Royal, Virginia

Three Ponds, a circa-1875 estate, abuts Shenandoah National Park. The four-bedroom farmhouse, restored, expanded, and furnished with an eye for authenticity, has wood-clad interiors, five stone fireplaces, a freestanding woodstove, and a wraparound porch with river and mountain views.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The 106-acre property has four refurbished cabins, the original smokehouse, root cellar, and chicken coop, three ponds, a stream, trails, and wildlife; D.C. is 90 minutes' commute. $3,480,000. Laura Farrell, TTR Sotheby's International Realty, (540) 395-1680.

Akron, Ohio

This five-bedroom home stands on 4.76 private acres in the Bath Nature Preserve, 10 minutes' drive from Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The 1993 Tudor features a vaulted great room with exposed trusses, floor-to-ceiling windows, and limestone fireplace; a gourmet kitchen with double quartz islands; and a primary suite with limestone fireplace and granite soaking tub.

Outside are a balcony, screened stone porch, patio, organic-shaped pool, spa, lawns, and old-growth trees. $2,490,000. Nick Zawitz, The Agency Cleveland Northcoast, (440) 567-7068.

Mount Desert, Maine

Shutters on the Sound, a five-bedroom year-round cottage on Mount Desert Island, is walking distance from Acadia National Park. The 1947 shingle-style house has drawn weddings and photo shoots with its knotty-pine paneling; warm wood floors, beams, staircase, built-ins, and doors; living room with fireplace; and mountain and water views.

The 2.1-acre lot, adjoining conservation land, has an outdoor fireplace, a pond, and access to Somes Sound. $4,950,000. Scott McFarland, LandVest/Christie's International Real Estate, (207) 266-4538.

Columbia Falls, Montana

About 15 minutes' drive from town amenities, this 2024 four-bedroom is also 25 minutes from Glacier National Park. The furnished house, which can sleep 17, has an open living room featuring a gas fireplace with slatted-wood surround, two kitchens, two laundries, spa-style baths with heated floors, a huge cedar deck, and a finished walk-out lower level.

Outside are yards, trees, a patio, a hot tub, a firepit, and a tiny house. $1,995,000. Alice Brotnov, Engel & Völkers Western Frontier–Kalispell, (406) 229-0120.

Volcano, Hawaii

This tiny home on wheels sits on verdant land five minutes from the Big Island's Volcanoes National Park. Built in 2020, the efficiency house includes full-size appliances, smart features, ohia and monkeypod wood accents, a complete kitchen, a queen-size bed loft, and a jetted tub with a rainfall showerhead.

The 0.46-acre lot has a separate Trex deck topped by a studio space, rainbow eucalyptus and lemon trees, an outdoor shower, and solar, water, and generator for off-the-grid living. $252,500. Lisa Heaviside, Hawai'i Life, (808) 987-3791.

This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.