First opening as the Cascade Lodge in 1925, near the end of the era of grand tourist lodges built in association with Western dude or resort ranches, the operation rebranded as Cascade Cottages after a 1935 fire destroyed the main lodge. In the 1930s, many tourists preferred to stay at less ostentatious cottage courts that catered specifically to automobile travelers and property owner Anna May Derby transformed the business to remain viable as the industry evolved. 

Acquired by L. V. and Hazel Davis in the early 1940s and expanded between ca. 1946 and 1960, Cascade Cottages welcomed summer tourists until 2016. At the time of its closure, it was the longest-running privately-owned tourist facility within Rocky Mountain National Park, owned and managed by three generations of the Davis family throughout much of its history.