Lodging at Yellowstone National Park

My wife and I have made a number of trips to Yellowstone National Park, but the one we enjoyed the most (and one we would enjoy repeating) was the visit we made in 2004. The main difference between that trip and the others we had made was that we stayed in the park itself rather than finding a motel outside and driving in each day. The company through whom online reservations for lodging can be made is Xanterra Parks and Resorts.

Some Important Tips about Staying in the Park. First, plan ahead! I just checked the website for the places my wife and I stayed and they're basically filled up through September. Then some of them are closed for the season. Second, be ready for a wide range of prices among the different lodges or cabins. The cabins and lodges vary in amenities and the prices reflect that. Third, be sure you know what you're getting. Some of the cabins, for example, do not have bathrooms; you have to go to a common bathroom. Fourth, plan your lodging to correlate with the section of the park you'll be exploring on a certain day. If you're exploring the northwest quadrant of the park, try to get lodging in that area and check in the night before you explore the area. That way, when you get up, you're already where you want to be. Fifth, most of the rooms or cabins do not have telephones, although, in today's age of cell phones, this is not a big problem. Sixth, try toavoid the busy times in the park. If you don't have to worry about getting children back to start school in the fall, late August or early September may be the best times to schedule a vacation in Yellowstone.

The Places We Stayed. My wife and I stayed in four different places in Yellowstone Park over a period of five days.

Our first stop was the Old Faithful Inn which celebrated its 100th birthday in 2004 and is located in the west central/south central quadrant of the Park. According to an informational brochure about the Inn, the architect who designed the building, Robert C. Reamer, intended to have a structure that "would appear to have grown out of its surroundings." His style, copied in other national parks, has become known as "rustic architecture" or "parkitecture."

While there are 327 guest rooms in the Inn, many of them do not have their own bathrooms. Our bathroom was located down the hall from our room. Our room, by the way, had a view of Old Faithful, the famous geyser for which the Inn is named. In 2004, we paid $78.00 (plus tax) for our night's stay in a fairly plain, yet adequate room without a phone.

Our next stop was a cabin in the Lake Lodge Cabin complex. The cabins are located on the north shore of Yellowstone Lake. The cost was $59.00 (plus tax) for the night in what was called a Pioneer Cabin. The Pioneer Cabins were built during the mid 1920s to the late 1930s, so you should expect them to be a little rustic. My wife and I found our cabin to be comfortable and functional, and the indoor bathroom was a plus. There was no phone.

Our third stop was a Frontier Cabin in the Canyon Lodge and Cabin complex. The cost for one night was $82.00 (plus tax). The Canyon Lodge complex is located near the famous Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The Frontier Cabins were built in the 1950s and have private bathrooms and no phones.

Our fourth stop was the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Cabins complex. The complex was completed in the 1930s and is located in the northwest section of the park near beautiful Mammoth Hot Springs. We were in the Budget Cabins which did not have private bathrooms, but cost $64.00 (plus tax) per night. The room had two double beds, but no telephone.

A Note About Xanterra and Lodging. Xanterra's services are not restricted to Yellowstone National Park nor to the locations where my wife and I stayed at Yellowstone. There are several other lodges in Yellowstone that we did not use. They are listed on the Xanterra website. Xanterra also oversees lodging at areas such as Bryce Canyon National Park, the Grand Canyon, and Zion National Park. See the Xanterra website for a full listing.

While this article is about the lodging in Yellowstone, the main point of staying in Yellowstone is the park itself. It is almost impossible to describe the sights, sounds, and even the smells of Yellowstone. Being in Yellowstone is an experience you will never forget. Staying in Yellowstone lodging will enhance the experience.

Source for information about Yellowstone National Park lodging:
www.xanterra.com