We are a family with kids ages 15, 13 and 10 and are planning a vacation to Yellowstone and Grand Teton for summer 2001. Looking for suggestions on where to stay. Must have bathroom and CLEAN lodgings. Would like something nice, we're not campers. What are the differences between Jackson Lake Lodge and Signal Mountain Lodge?

You can't go wrong with either place. I might give a slight nod to Signal Mountain--better views, and probably less expensive. Either way, you're going to be in one of the great places in this country!

My vote is also for Signal Mountain (book very early and request a unit on the lake). My kids loved it. Jackson Lake Lodge has more amenities, but it's a hike down to the lake. We liked the Canyon Lodge in Yellowstone. It's centrally located and has a nice cafeteria. It also has laundry facilities.

Kathy-Definitely go with Signal Mountain Lodge! My kids (ages 15 and 17) loved it this past summer. We stayed at one of the family suites(kitchenette/livingroom with pullout sofa and bedroom with two queen beds-bathroom is split with the tub and toilet in one area and sink and mirror in other room-very important with teenagers?). The view(as I have said in past postings)is probably one of the closest to "heaven" you will ever have. The mountains are right on the lake so you see them from every angle from your rooms and deck. My husband and I sat on deck while kids swam(a little cold in June) and the whole family enjoyed renting boats at the marina about 500 yards from your rooms.There is a restaurant/bar in main lodge,general store and campground down on the other side of the property. It is centrally located so you can go to the damn and flyfish,go back to Jakson Lodge for a meal(we felt it was too touristy and convention oriented) or even drive down to Teton Village for dinner at the Mangy Moose or Jackson.Anyway,if you thinkthat you would like to go there-BOOK NOW! They already have people booked for next year when we were there in June and they said alot of people come back every year. Our unit was about $179.00 and even my husband(Mr Cheap)begged the front desk for any cancellations so that we could stay longer.Trust me-we have recommended it to several families since we went(only one got in for two days on a cancellation) but all said that after seeing it RIGHT on the water,they only wished that they could have gotten in. Email if you need any other info-your kids will love it! Debbie

We stayed at the Jackson Lake Lodge last summer with our kids and were not impressed. Room is very small and main lodge could use a face lift. We did not check out any other places as we were so busy enjoying the scenery. Don't waste your money. Also, we found the place to be run by college students on break and not a professional staff as you might expect. Tours were the same - run by kids and not pros. We were also disappointed by the food at Jenny Lake Lodge which we had heard so much about. Seemed like Costco reheats! Nothing fancy there.