Anybody stayed at Old Faithful Inn lately? Trying to book for Sept 2012. Not sure I'm willing to pay for geyser view (read where they don't provide good view). I saw an older post that recommended the east side rooms in the east wing. What is the real difference in east vs west vs geyser view.

We did not have geyser view, but must admit, that would be great while getting ready in the mornings and right before bedtime. However, there is a large patio on the second floor and we would take a bottle of wine and sit and talk and view Old Faithful. There is a bar there where you can buy it right before you go ourside, but we always just took our own. The patio has benches and tables. We always took a table for four and sat in the shade.

There are two different areas--the "Old House' is the central and original inn. The rooms have a sink but no toilet or shower. You have to go to a central bathroom. The rooms are more rustic and cheaper. The other section are the wings of Old Faithful Inn and they have their own bathrooms.

My two suggestions from our experience is to absolutely NOT stay on the ground floor unless you just have to. Old Faithful Inn is the most visited attraction in Yellowstone and people tend to forget people are actually staying there. There will be large crowds who are loud in the halls, even late at night. I came back to my room from the shower (2nd level) and couldn't get to my room because a tour group of about 30 people were blocking the hall in front of my door.

My other suggestion is to not stay on the west side during warm months. I'm not sure about the wings but the Old House (central) section) is not air conditioned and it really gets hot in the room in the afternoon on the west side.

A neat thing to do is to go out really late (after dark) to watch Old Faithful, especially if you have a good moon. You'll practically have the place to yourself (there are hundreds there during the day).

cd: Do you know if all the geyser view rooms actually have a view?

Connie: Do you know if all the geyser view rooms actually have a view?

I'm sorry--I don't.

Hello DebinTN

We've stayed at the Old Faithful Inn a couple years ago in mid-September. Our "eastside front facing" room was on the ground floor, and it was very quiet. Looking out the window, we had a perfect view of the geyser area (never saw the eruption from the room as we preferred being outside). Some of the rooms on this front facing side were pretty obscured by trees.

If you're interested in dining in their dining hall, make sure to secure a reservation as soon as you get your room settled.

Happy travels!

On what I believe is the second floor, there's a lovely large outside deck with a great view of the geyser area as well. Nice for mornings or evenings, quiet and away from the crowds. Lots of chairs for relaxation.

My husband and I are planning a trip to Yellowstone this September. I have not made any reservations yet because I don't know where to begin. Could someone give me information on how large Yellowstone is, and could we stay in one location and drive? Or should we stay at a couple of locations? We will have six days in Yellowstone.

We loved the OFI. Stayed in the historic wing on the second floor. Negative thing was we were near the staircase and that was a little noisy. My wife wasn't crazy about not having a bathroom.

Spend an entire day geyser gazing near OFI. Old Faith is great, but we liked Castle and Riverside even more.

Deb, sorry, do not personally know of the geyser room views.

I did want to commit on the above poster that suggested you make reservations in the Dining Room of Old Faithful...I agree. Breakfast was really good.

That is an interesting Hotel name

The geyser view rooms have views of Old Faithful. Hence the name.

I stayed in one for the first time several years ago. I was in a ground floor room and at the time there was Trex decking creating a boardwalk. It was the only thing between me and the geyser. I'm a very heavy sleeper and I found myself awake in the middle of the night. It took me a few seconds to realize it was the geyser! We were there in October on the last weekend the inn was open for the season. The room was beautifully appointed with private bath and those fun little bear soaps

I was back there last year (actually exactly a year ago). We were in a second floor room. Our party of four had two rooms and there were direct views of OF from the windows. I was amazed how much the pine trees in between had grown. Our room had a good view but there were some pine trees in between the window and the geyser. The adjacent room had a completely clear view of the geyser. The rooms can get hot in the summer (no A/C) and they have fans in the rooms. Therefore, the windows were open but the geyser didn't wake me up this time.

We took a free tour of the inn and we saw the old rooms without bathrooms. I loved the geyser view rooms we stayed in (with bathroom). They are very different in decor and size.

We stayed in two sections of the park as it is so large.

Last year, we stayed in a room with a view of the geyser but I'll have to look for the room number, it's burried in a box somewhere. It was a worthwhile experience, going to sleep and waking up to OF spewing. There are no crowds. Very few, if any, people by dawn and dusk and to simply watch and hear that geyser from our room was a neat experience. Yes, there was a tree outside our window but it did not detract from the experience and the geyser was easily seen and heard. I'll look for that room number and post back. Our room was small but comfortable; the bathroom was squeeky clean, roomy and very nicely appointed.

So I found the trip folder but the receipt showing which room we were in is not in there. Ah, moving. The confirmation sheet, after room type, reads "Premium Frontside East Wing". Reservation was made 1 year in advance. Good luck and happy trip planning!

Although not with a view of the geyser, We enjoyed the Old Faithful Lodge Cabins. Good price, moderately secluded from the bustle of the Inn.

big, are those the cabins directly in front of OF Inn, kinda off to the side? What do they look like inside?

Photogirl: We were there several years ago, and since my husband hates changing hotels, we stayed in one place in West Yellowstone for the entire week. It did require daily backtracking but the route took us past a bald eagle nest, tons of elk and buffalo, and river otters so we didn't mind too much.

AnnMarie: Thanks. That's very helpful.