My brother stayed at Legion last summer with his kids, then 12 and 9. They loved swimming in the lake there.

We stayed in one of the cabins at Sylvan Lake a few years back. We enjoyed it. But, with kids the ages of yours, I think I'd go with Legion.

Thanks caph52!! Have you gone horseback riding at Blue Bell?? Or do you have any other recs for the area?

No horseback riding. But we enjoyed the Safari jeep tour. However, it gets mixed reviews here.

My big rec for you would be the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs:

www.mammothsite.com

It's excellent!

We stayed at a Game Lodge cabin a few years ago and loved it, except for being right on the road through the park,which got traffic starting very early (like 5 am). Without having stayed at either Sylvan or Legion, I'd recommend Legion over Sylvan for the convenience. It's a much longer drive inside the park to Sylvan and might not be one you'd like to do after dark. Friends (without children) stayed at Legion last year and enjoyed it.

Legion Lake gets my vote. I didn't much care for the Game Lodge, it just seemed a little too Motel 6 for me. Sylvan Lake would be a very close 2nd to Legion Lake for me. Do spend a day at Sylvan lake, the lodge is beautiful but I think most of the lodge rooms are pretty small.

We used to go to Custer a lot when we were kids to visit the relatives, so I never stayed in any of the lodges, but we loved going to Sylvan for the day. The lake is beautiful and I remember the dining room with its large windows on the lake as being something special.
My brother and I last visited with our own kids many years ago and went back to Sylvan. The trailhead for the hike up to Harney Peak, the highest peak east of the Rockies, is there and your family might enjoy this hike. At the top is the old stone fire lookout station which is now closed (but was used when I was a kid). Our kids ranged from 4 - 7 when we did this hike, so your kids should be a good age for it. We also did the horseback trail ride at Blue Bell with the kids and they all enjoyed it as well.

Hooray - I booked a sleeping cabin at Legion. I am also going to make a res for Horseback riding at Blue Bell and the dig at Mammoth Hot Springs.
Thanks!!