West Yellowstone or Gardiner for Lodging
 

Can anyone tell me which if it is better to stay in West Yellowstone or Gardiner and whcih is more convenient or shorter distance to the main attractions in Yellowstone. My wife and I are planning an early September trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons. I have read that it is better to stay inside the park, but we do not like rustic accomodations. We are looking for a hotel with clean rooms and television, and also indoor pool and hot tub. I don't mind driving 30-45 minutes to get into the park. Thanks.

Compared with Gardiner, I think you will find a little more activity in West Yellowstone, perhaps a few more stores and shops. Of course some may prefer the smallness of Gardiner.

Also, if your primary interests are the geyser basins and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, all are easy to reach from West Yellowstone. The drive into the park along the Madison River is fairly flat and passes through wildlife habitat. At Madison Junction you can turn north to the Norris Geyser Basin and the connecting road that goes directly to the Yellowstone River. Or, you can turn south to the mud pots and the Upper Geyser Basin where you will find Old Faithful, Grand, Castle, Riverside, and Daisey Geysers. You also pass the turnoff to the Firehole Canyon and a little closer to Old Faithful you pass the loop road that leads to the Great Fountain geyser, which too is splendid to watch.

I will say this much: the commercial accommodations outside of the park are usually better than anything in the park itself. I finally got totally fed up with Xanterra last summer when we were at the Old Faithful Inn. For well over $100 a night we had a bandbox sized room that was uncomfortable as it could be. I left after one sleepless night and went to a motel in West Yellowstone that was much nicer but a little expensive, but that is American business. If you can get a good price, then sell for a good price. At least the towns offer some degree of competition rather than being allowed to operate in a protected environment where fleecing the public is fair game and perfectly legal because it is endorsed by the US government.
(I would like to have Xanterra's profits for one month in my bank account. I would be filthy rich.)

Our room last summer had a shower so small that I could not turn around without knocking down the shower curtain. I am not huge, either -- 6 feet 185 pounds. The shower rod was tension mounted, and the spring was so weak that the rod fell and conked me on the head.

When I checked out I told the desk employee what happened. She was concerned, but after I demonstrated that I was lucid enough to legally sign the charge receipt, she was relieved.
I guess I should have mentioned law suit. But I was too anxious to get out of there.

We stayed in both towns last September, and West Yellowstone has a wider and better selection of hotels.

I think West Yellowstone is the better base for sightseeing.

Utahtea

Bob brown :reading your post on the requirements to enter the US from Canada and reading your post here,I can see why you have trouble at the border,
Are you always a negatine person?

To armand,

I didn't read the border crossing post by bob_brown, but I've always found him to be a very imformative poster. Maybe you should click on his name and read some of his other post before making assumptions.

Utahtea

Thanks to all for the recommendation! I will choose West Yellowstone for a base. I will be posting again for itenerary advice.

Just to acknowledge what others have said about W.Y., we used it as a base for the park in 2002 and it worked out very well--and we did so for the same reasons you mentioned. We came in from the east entrance, and took the road past Old Faithful and some other sites on the way in. That left room to venture in other directions for a couple of other days. I believe we stayed at the Holiday Inn, had a larger sized room with a whirlpool tub (which we needed drastically that evening after it snowed 7" that day in JUNE!). There are a few shops in town, an IMAX, and if you go, a few restaurants as well (recommend Bullwinkles). Also, if you venture away a few miles as if leaving town, some other hotels and restaurants. Check out the Yellowstone park map and plan ahead as to which direction you will come in, and after basing in W.Y., which directions you will head to in other days.

We stayed north of Yellowstone in a great place called Chico Hot Springs in Pray, MT. I highly recommend it - quaint, but 4-5 star restaurant, pools filled w/ water from the hot springs. Probably too far if you were traveling in and out of the park each day, but we stayed at Old Faithful and Lake Yellowstone Lodge and accomodations were fine. The park is big so consider if you really want to travel in and out. Have fun!

I agree that West Yellowstone is a better choice than Gardiner. We enjoyed the shops in West Yellowstone and places to eat. There was an especially good place for breakfast, but can't remember the name. My daughter is an animal lover and really enjoyed our visit to the Wolf and Grizzly Discovery Center. I would suggest taking the drive to Gardiner from the north entrance of the park. We thought it was a beautiful drive and wonder how they manage to keep this road open all winter.
I agree with the person who complained about the lodges in the national parks. I have not been impressed with any of the places we have stayed. Maybe the more expensive lodges are better, but I don't want to pay the high price the nicer lodges charge. We have always stayed at cabins or in motel type rooms. They are usually small and not very nicely furnished, although I have found them to be clean. We nearly froze in the cabin we stayed at Lake Yellowstone in mid September 2002. The heat barely worked. I also hate not having a TV in my room. While I am not much of a TV watcher, I enjoy watching the news in the evening and morning. If not for the convenience of being inside the park I would never stay at a National Park lodge again, but having said that, we have rooms booked at Yosemite later this year. I was pursuaded by those who said the drive from outside the park was too long.

Armand, mind if I resent that comment?
All I did was drive up and hand the guy my passport. He then started asking all the questions. Then, in response to his questions about an American driving a Canadian car, I handed him my rental contract.

He then asked more questions and starting lecturing me about car insurance.

What would you have done?

I could only sit there and tried to answer his questions. What else could I do?

What would you do?

Tell me this: if a passport is not sufficient evidence of citizenship, and a rental contract in my name is not sufficient evidence that I did not steal the car, what do I need?

As for the incident in the Calgary airport, I was down on one knee taking the pull cord off of my suitcase before loading it on the x-ray machine. I had spoken to no one, and I had cleared immigration control with a pleasant "Good morning." Then the customs guy who was out on the floor came over and threatened me for removing the pull cord from my suitcase. Again, I ask you, how would you react?

You like being pushed around? People who defend themselves are negative?
Give me your plan of action, please.
Perhaps you have the magic formula.

I might add, I never have had any kind of problem with Canadian officials in many, many crossings. I think that should tell you something.

So are you saying I am negative to one set of officials but not to another?
Nope, I think it is the nature of the beast. I sure as heck was not negative coming into Canada, or coming back to Canada prior to flying home!

Nor did I start having problems with American officials until after 9/11.
That, too, should tell you something.
Also, I never have had a problem anywhere in Europe, nor at the Philadelphia airport, in several entries.
Passports were sufficient evidence of citizenship in Europe. Why not when crossing the border from Canada into the USA??

Your answer please, and to my email address please. I don't care to prolong this discussion on Fodors because it is not pertinant.