Haven't been on board for awhile. Can someone recomend a nice budget friendly place to stay in JH this July? We will be traveling with our two kids, age's 5 and 7. Stuff to do? We want to go to yellowstone for sure....maybe mt. rushmore. Will be driving from Kansas City. Thanks!

How much or how little is "budget friendly"?

We had a very enjoyable stay at the Sassy Moose Bed & Breakfast (sassymoose.com) two years ago. Just a bit outside of town, so not quite as pricey. Nice room and good grub.

We did the Yellowstone-Jackson Hole vacation in 2008 and soon found that there is not much 'budget friendly' lodging in that area during peak season.
Anything in the park is VERY expensive so we stayed on the fringes and drove in daily. Jackson Hole is pretty a good drive to the northern loop, so we split our lodging between JH and north Yellowstone.
As mentioned above, the Sassy Moose was a nice fit for us to do the southern loop. For the northern loop, we stayed just outside the northeast entrance in Cooke City at the All Seasons Cabin (http://www.vrbo.com/80162) that is $245/night. Comparatively speaking, great deal with a full kitchen that is stocked with basic staples and cookware. By cooking a few meals in, we offset some of the cost. Hot tub with great view and 3Br/2Ba. We will no doubt stay here WHEN we go back to that area.
I shopped things really hard and these were the best options I could find for cost/value/location.

Are you looking for a place like this? http://www.jacksonholefourwinds.com/

We stayed in the Cowboy Village Resort in Jackson with our children. It was reasonably priced, and was fairly roomy.

With two younger children, I wouldn't try to visit Yellowstone from Jackson. Speed limits within the park are 35-40 mph, and you can get caught in bear jams. If at all possible, I would try to stay inside the park. Although rooms may be booked, you can check back for cancellations. Otherwise, Cooke City and West Yellowstone are good locations to try.

I must confess I'm the tightwad of the family! My wife says anything nice is going to run $250 per night, I'm ok with that for 4 nights. My wife wants to know if anybody has stayed at "The Lexington" thanks everybody!!

The sassy moose looks good! Any drawbacks about it??

Just booked two nights at the sassy moose at the end of july......guess we will stay in town the next two nights.

Staying at snowking late June and had some questions about it. Is it nice, how far to Yellowstone?

I can't figure out where to stay the next 3-4 nights.....should we drive up to Montanna?

<The sassy moose looks good! Any drawbacks about it?>

Almost half of TripAdvisor ratings are "poor" (7%) and "terrible" (39%):
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...n_Wyoming.html

I read most of those and many people were unhappy because they canceled and couldn''t get their money back....I think it will be fine for us rednecks!

If you are going to Yellowstone, definitely head up to that area rather than trying to visit from Jackson. You might get lucky and get a cancellation for a room inside the park (most convenient). We have stayed in cabins at Roosevelt Lodge - very rustic (we are also rednecks) - separate buildings for bathrooms and showers. We've taken the stagecoach/horseback cookout from the stables at Roosevelt Lodge - a very popular family activity. If you're interested, it would be best to book ahead.

Otherwise, West Yellowstone and Gardiner are probably your best bets. Cooke City is also an option, but it is a little further from the park. Your children will love seeing all of the animals in Yellowstone. Best not to plan on hurrying through. One tip - pack a cooler with food, water and snacks. Best to get much of them in Jackson or somewhere outside the park. Stores in the park are far apart and have limited selections. Eating at park concessions is fine, but time-consuming. We've had some lovely picnic meals in the Lamar Valley - right along a creek.

Jackson is south of Yellowstone. It is interesting, and the mountains you'll drive over and past are gorgeous!

Near Yellowstone, check out Yellowstone Expeditions B&B, in Livingston, Montana. VERY nice people, nice small place, not more than 40 miles from north side of YNP. Rates a lot less than what you are seeing -- like maybe $125/night, I think. We stayed there a couple of years ago. You will want to stay in or around YNP at least 3 days, I think. Much to see there!

I remember a Comfort Inn in West Yellowstone, but there are places in the park, too. By the way, I was awake all night at that Comfort Inn! Apparently, it is at 6500 feet elevation and, though I did not know it before then, I am apparently sensitive to altitude! That may not mean anything to you, but be aware.

Mt. Rushmore is in South Dakota, way across the state, of course, as you can tell from your maps. We drove there, too, and there were a lot of motels there whose rates no doubt jumped in summer. (We were there just after Memorial Day and rates were bargains!) We later also stayed in Spearfish, SDAK in a nice B&B, too.

We just spent a night at the Motel 6 in Jackson. The room is small, but it worked fine for the three of us (two adults and a 14yo who is taller than both of us).

Do keep checking to see if any of the places in Yellowstone have rooms available. We spent one night each in the Old Faithful Lodge cabins, the Mammoth Hot Springs cabins, and in a Pioneer cabin at Canyon Village. All three were roomy enough and comfortable.

Lee Ann

Retired Vermonter,
Could you share the name of the B&B in Spearfish?? We too are doing a similar trip - Black Hills - Cody - YNP - and Jackson.
thanks for letting me add to this thread.

Just booked rooms at Canyon Lodge and Grant Village.....hope they are nice!

If Canyon has its computer problems straightened out, you'll be fine. It took us a while to get checked in there. As I said earlier, though, our cabin was fine.

Lee Ann

I feel like since we are that close to montanna, we need to go there just to cross that state off our "Been There" list.....Would it be worth driving up to Bozeman for a night or is that a little far?