If you’re planning a trip to Great Basin National Park, pack some water and snacks for the road.
There isn’t a Starbucks, a McDonald’s, or even many gas stations along the miles and miles of two-lane roads cutting through the desert. But as the sagebrush-blanketed landscape gives way to pine-covered peaks, a tiny town pops up along State Route 487.
This is Baker, home to 30-some residents. Two of them trained at the now-closed California Culinary Academy.
Twin sisters Cheri Phillips and Tabitha Degnan operate Sugar, Salt & Malt Restaurant. The unassuming eatery sits on the outskirts of the park, giving visitors and locals alike a gourmet experience in the middle of a literal food desert.
“You walk in the door, and you hear the nice music, and you sit down and get waited on, and you have good food,” Ms. Degnan says. “The dining experience from end to end is so much more than just handing someone a hamburger.”
It’s a far cry from a bagged lunch or s’mores around a campfire, but as national park popularity grows, so do related businesses. That includes restaurants creating culinary scenes in hard-to-reach locales. Ms. Degnan and Ms. Phillips saw an opportunity in 2020, when they purchased a restaurant building in Baker and rebranded it as their own. Today, it comes complete with cafe lights strung above an outdoor patio, a bar and dining area inside, and a coffee shop in an adjoining sunroom.
They represent a small slice of the 312 million park visitors across the United States, who, in 2022, spent an estimated $23.9 billion in so-called gateway regions bordering the natural wonders. Nearly 20% of that spending went to restaurants, trailing only lodging, which accounted for about 38%.
Whether park visitors are clamoring for fine dining, adventurous eats, or comfort food is an open-ended question. But it’s likely that a meal out is on their itinerary. Cassidy Jones, senior visitation program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, says more visitors want “structure and predictability” to their trip, meaning they’re supportive of efforts such as park entry reservations, which manage access and congestion.
A structured trip as opposed to a wandering visit may lend itself to a day packed full of activities in and around the park itself.
“I know that I’m getting in at this time, and then these are the other things that I have booked, and this is how my itinerary is going to go,” Ms. Jones says, referring to the thought process.
And for some, that to-do list may include a pre- or post-hike meal.
Melissa Strong owns two eateries in Estes Park, Colorado, outside the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. The Bird’s Nest, a grab-and-go cafe, offers “picnic backpacks” filled with vegetables, meats, cheese, and bread for parkgoers as they embark on their outdoor adventures. Bird & Jim, billed as “modern mountain dining,” sits across the street and serves menu items such as smoked pheasant chowder, lamb bolognese, and a “carnivore” entree featuring elk striploin, miso beef short ribs, and game sausage.
Ms. Strong says Bird & Jim’s sales have doubled since the restaurant opened in 2017, a feat she attributes to offering the food and atmosphere visitors and locals are seeking.
“Come on in, in your hiking boots and your hiking clothes and dirty,” she says. “Celebrate what you just did.”