Trend Watch: Wilderness Travel
If it feels like everyone you know is suddenly planning a trip to a national park, remote mountain lodge, or city you’d never have pegged as a travel destination two years ago—you’re not imagining it.
With so much of the world feeling uncertain, Americans are betting on their own backyard. In the first few months of 2026, according to Fora booking data, travelers have shown massive interest in adventure and nature travel, with Alaska up 170% year-over-year and the Mountain West and National Parks corridor (Utah, Wyoming, Montana) up more than 100% each. Puerto Rico has emerged as the go-to Caribbean escape, and a number of second cities—namely Bentonville, Tulsa, Omaha, and Baltimore—have become legit leisure destinations.
Here's a closer look at what the data is telling us.
Alaska
Inside the wilderness boom
Alaska is up more than 170% year over year, while Montana and Wyoming are both more than doubling. Idaho and South Dakota are right there too. The Mountain West and national park corridor isn't just a vibe—it’s where a huge portion of bookings are landing, and it’s growing at nearly twice the pace of the overall travel market.
It’s also worth noting that travelers aren’t necessarily roughing it. Instead, they’re gravitating toward safari-like hotels and dude ranches that deliver both comfort and stunning scenery, and they don’t mind paying a bit more to find that balance.
The Canadian Rockies: Beloved resorts as gateways to rugged nature
Image courtesy of Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
If you’ve been eyeing Alberta, trust the pull. The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is the most-booked property across every region we track, perhaps owing to its enviable location. (It sits inside a national park with a glacier-fed turquoise lake practically at its front door.) Its sister property, Fairmont Banff Springs, isn't far behind in booking volume. These properties sell out early, especially summer and fall, and for good reason.
From there, Jasper National Park offers a quieter, more expansive version of the same Rocky Mountain magic, with Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge as the go-to lodging. On British Columbia’s Pacific coast, you’ll find the beloved Wickaninnish Inn in remote, rainforest-flanked Tofino. A seaplane ride away, Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge feels even more removed amid the old-growth forest of Clayoquot Sound.
Montana: The U.S. wilderness leader
Image courtesy of One&Only Moonlight Basin
Montana is outpacing nearly every other U.S. state right now, and at the city level, Big Sky is up more than 215% year over year. That’s not a fluke. One&Only Moonlight Basin and Montage Big Sky have quietly become two of the best mountain properties in the country on the strength of their food, service, and spas—not to mention their majestic setting in the shadow of Lone Mountain.
But the allure goes beyond one specific destination or resort. Sage Lodge sits on the Yellowstone River near the park’s northern entrance, while Ranch at Rock Creek, The Resort at Paws Up, and Triple Creek Ranch offer the kind of all-inclusive experiences where you show up, put your phone down, and don’t check your email for the entire week. Glacier National Park is increasingly in the mix too, with Under Canvas Glacier and the historic Glacier Park Lodge drawing more bookings each season.
Wyoming and Alaska: Two different flavors of remote
Image courtesy of Caldera House
Wyoming’s story centers on Jackson Hole. The Four Seasons Resort and Caldera House in Teton Village are consistently among the most in-demand properties in the region, and the broader collection of hotels in town (Hotel Terra, The Cloudveil) gives travelers solid options at different price points. The deeper gems are inside the parks themselves—Jenny Lake Lodge in Grand Teton is one of the most intimate properties in the American West, and the in-park lodges at Yellowstone (Canyon Lodge, Lake Yellowstone Hotel) give you an experience no day trip can replicate.
Alaska is the most dramatic growth story in the data—up more than 170% year over year. The Denali area is the gravitational center, and the Alaska Railroad is genuinely one of the world’s great scenic rail journeys. If the Last Frontier has been on your list, the data suggests you’re not alone, which means booking windows are getting shorter.
