Places to Stay Yellowstone
 

My wife and I are planning our first trip to Yellowstone sometime in August or September. It's a special trip and I'd like the accomodations to be a nice as possible. We need some recommendations on the best places to stay. Have any been recently updated or renovated? Is it practical to stay in Cody or Jackson and visit the park from there?

Thanks,

If you can, stay in the park. Check www.nps.gov and click on yellowstone. If there are no rooms available, take the number and call every day, they get cancellations all the time. The ride in is too long to do if you can avoid it.

Somewhere in the park if at all possible. If not, West Yellowstone as next choice or Livingston both would, I think be better than either Cody or Jackson.

Probably the nicest place to stay in the area is Jenny Lake Lodge. Very, very nice accommodations and excellent restaurant (eat there at least once even if you don't stay, especially if it's a special occasion). JLL is actually in the Grand Teton NP, but we did day trips into Yellowstone and found it to be very easy.

In Yellowstone itself we liked Jackson Lake Lodge, but not as upscale as Jenny Lake.

Agree to keep calling if you find things full. Note -Yellowstone had an ALL TIME record number of visitors in June, so I'd call asap. The parks are very popular this summer.

Would also agree with West Yellowstone as a back up over Cody or Jackson - just a little too far for day trips IMO.

yellowstone has distinct areas ,each with accomodations-& since this is a special occasion you should do some reading up to determine if you want a single or multiple base and what's avaiable before asking others for their recommendations. having said that, the lake area has a nice hotel and adjacent decent motel accomodations that are less xpensive; avoid the tourists at old faithful by staying across the parking lot at the old faithful snow lodge done up in art deco decor and make a dinner reservation at the old faithful inn. Grand Teton is a solid 2 hour drive from the hotel area in yellowstone, jackson lake lodge is nnice but the adjacent motel accomdations are decent and you can walk to the hotel, use its dining facilities, and observe the moose from the deck at sunrise and sunset.

Do check out the road closings for later this summer as that may influence your choice of places to stay.

Well, alandshirley you expected to get different opinions, right? :-) First of all, Jackson Lake Lodge is very nice, we have stayed there, but it is in The Teton's and a far drive into Yellowstone.

My favorite place to stay in Yellowstone was Old Faithful Inn. It is not plush but quaint. The room was small but just a hop, skip and a jump to the outside deck on the second floor where we pulled up a table, bought a bottle of wine, and watched Old Faithful shoot into the air. It is also a short walk to get a closer look but this deck is great even at night! The Inn has boardwalks all around it to other gysers for hiking. The Snow Lodge mentioned above is next door and would be my second choice. The advice of calling for cancellations is a good one. That's how we got our room.

My favorite spots in the park are Old Faithful and Lake Lodge.
Both are quaint and have wonderful settings and dining available. We also enjoyed the rough rider cabins at Roosevelt, but they do not have a bathroom; you have to go out to a communal bathroom.
Good luck with your plans.
I just got back from Glacier...love our national parks system!!!!

Yes, Jackson Lake Lodge is in the Tetons. My mistake. Was typing faster than I was thinking/remembering. It's about 20-30 min to YNP entrance, which we didn't think was very far but you can decide whether you think it is.

We just returned from Yellowstone and GTNP's. Both wonderful! We stayed at Lake Hotel, Old Faithful Inn, and Roosevelt Cabins (we had one with a bathroom and we really like it) while at Yellowstone. Our favorite was Old Faithful Inn, least was Lake. It is really nice to be able to stay right in the park. Have a great time...I'm envious.

Love2RV, is the Lake Hotel the Yellowstone Lake Hotel - the big yellow one with views? We are planning a trip for next summer, and I'm trying to decide on lodging. We like to hike and take our time, not just drive through, so I'm trying to decide how many nights to stay and where. I'm thinking 1 night at Yellowstone Lake, nights 2-4 at Roosevelt Lodge, and the last 2 nights down in the Old Faithful area at the Snow Lodge. Do you think thats adequate? I'm wondering if I could cut 1 night and still have enough time to do everything we would like??

Jodie

We just returned from a 2 week trip to the western National Parks (you could see my TR if you wanted) and stayed 4 nights in Yellowstone, booked in mid-December '08. We stayed 2 nights in the Canyon Village area in a "cabin" that was --adequate, with its own toilet and shower. I loved the area, near the River and falls and such, but the room was--shall we say, Spartan--but, again, adequate. We stayed 2 nights in the Old Faithful Lodge Cabins. We had #113 and we had a straight-shot view of Old Faithful! It was great. The room (a "cabin") was a bit spiffier and a teeny bit roomier than the one at Canyon Village. We were just a few steps from the great porch at the Lodge (NOT the Inn--which is a just a bit away and we ate there a couple times).

Our favorites are Dunraven Lodge at Canyon, Snow Lodge near Old Faithful Inn, and of course, the Old Faithful Lodge itself is great for the historic value and experience, but I'd prefer the old rooms over the newer section - just for the experience.

Note of clarification: There aren't any rooms in Old Faithful Lodge; there are rooms in Old Faithful Inn. There are "cabin" facilities next to the Lodge (that's where we stayed).

travelpoor: We spent one night at Lake (yes, the big yellow one), 3 nights at Roosevelt, and 2 nights at Old Faithful Inn. Never enough time in Yellowstone! But I do think the locations were superb while staying there. It's a big park with low mph and animals in the roads, so I think it helps to move around a bit as opposed to staying in one place.

Love2RV: Did you do the Beartooth Highway? I'm trying to decide how to fit this in. I suppose it would be best to do an out and back day trip from Roosevelt - although I might need to add another night there. My guidebook suggests doing it as a loop, leaving the park in the NE corner (near Lamar Valley) and then re-entering at the eastern entrance. I think I need to research further. Any suggestions?