I want to travel to Yellowstone the last week in July, but have not made lodging arangements. The lodges inside the park appear to be booked that week. Any ideas on places to stay near by?

Try around Jackson Hole. It's about an hour from the park, but it's very close to Grand Teton, which I think is prettier than Yellowstone in some ways. There are plenty of places to stay there and lots to do in town.

West Yellowstone has quite a number of hotels, restaurants, and souvenir shops. Hotels like Best Western, Holiday Inn, and many others are in a good location, right outside the west entrance to Yellowstone. We've stayed at the Holiday Inn and enjoyed it very much.

Good luck.
Happy travels!

Keep calling, there are always cancellations.

Book something outside the park, but keep calling for cancellations on a park lodge. I love the Old Faithful Inn.

Another option would be to get a cabin rental in Island Park, Idaho. You'd be about 20 minutes or so outside the west gate, but if you are traveling with a group or family it would be a great alternative to hotel rooms.

We stayed in a condo at Big Sky, MT, which is about a 45 minute drive from West Yellowstone. We were there in early September 2003, and the weather was delightful. We had flown into Bozeman, MT, one Saturday, stayed Sunday through Saturday at Big Sky, and had time to really enjoy both Yellowstone and Grand Teton NPs. The other people who have posted had great recommendations as far as West Yellowstone, MT, and Island Park, ID. Those places are much closer to the west entrance of the NP than is Big Sky. However, don't rule out Big Sky if you don't mind a bit of a drive. The highway from Big Sky down to West Yellowstone is sparsely traveled and leads you through part of the NP. We enjoyed the peaceful drive on the days we went into Yellowstone NP. Just another idea. Hope this helps! (When we went to Grand Teton NP, we drove down one day, stayed overnight in Jackson, WY, and then drove back the second day. The distances for a one-day trip are too much, in my opinion.)