Hi Fodorites,

I'm putting together a family trip to Yellowstone. Our first ever that will be non-camping! Mom and Dad are getting on and this time around we'll stay in either cabins or lodges. We'll probably stay 5 nights in Yellowstone this time around. A southern and northern location is what I'm considering.

I know even at this point, we'll be late for Aug 2008 lodges. Cabins will probably be fine for us, as we are not luxury seekers.

So, I have very limited time to do this. What are the cabins like in Yellowstone? I've often stayed at the GTNP Coulter Bay cabins and something similar would be fine for our needs.

Any advice? Thanks so much!

We stayed in the cabins at Lake Yellowstone Lodge and they were very nice, as was the Lodge. The setting was great and the restaurant was quite good.

The lodges may be marginally better in some locations, much better or the same! I've stayed in old faithful inn but my room didn't have a bathroom, the ambiance of the inn was stellar however....

cabins are basic bathroom, shower (never had one that had a bath) bed table chair (and that would be a wooden chair) you don't "hang out" in the cabins you sleep there. which is really the case in the lodges as well. the public areas of the lodges is where you hang out and there are places around all of the complexes for cabin folks to do that.

I was recently at the lake cabins. they were fine. it's location location location! I did not find the lake location as convenient the canyon area or old faithful area.

i spent a lot of time in the lamar valley i would have preferred canyon or roosevelt but choices were limited and i did plan a kayak trip that made the lake a good location that day. roosevelt was closing for the season so i ended up in gardiner.

We stayed at Canyon in Cascade Lodge and at Signal Mountain in one of the country cabins (not the rustic ones). We were happy with both and they were similar as far as comfort, cleanliness, etc. Not sure what Coulter Bay is like, so I can't compare. Cascade does not have elevators, but the stairs are not bad to climb. (and we only did it once a day) Although Canyon is a busy area, we found the lodge area (the two are right next to each other) to be very quiet. Location, location, location. We stayed there 6 nights and found it easily accessible to each area of the park (north and south included). We made our reservations in late February for late August so I would try now and see what is available. There have been mixed reviews on the cabins.

Thanks for the info everyone! I remember reading comments regarding the differences between accomodations, so that's why I'm asking. Please keep it coming! I

Wed stayed at the cabins at Old Faithful. Wew had one cabin with bath, one without. They werre fine, in a nice somewhat secluded area near the lodge. If you have a cabin without bath, there is a nice toilet facility and showers are available within the lodge. Price was very good.

We have stayed in the Colter Bay cabins at GTNP and the Lake cabins and Roosevelt Lodge frontier cabins at Yellowstone. Of those, the Colter Bay cabins are the nicest. The Yellowstone cabins are very basic but fine. In general, I prefer staying at Old Faithful Inn and the Lake Hotel, because they are so unusual and have so much history. Having said that, the Roosevelt area is my favorite area of the park (quiet and lots of wildlife), and so I would gladly stay in a cabin there.

Digby dog,

Thanks for the comparision. That's what I was hoping for. We may try for the lodges. Sisters are picking dates now.

Hi Dayle,
We've stayed in Old Faithful Inn (the "Old House" original part) with no bath, just sink. It was almost surreal to look out our dormer window and see geysers. Not "THE" geyser but the smaller ones nearby. Not something normally seen lol And to sit outside the room late at night on the shared balcony overlooking the HUGE fireplace was very cozy.

Also of note, guests have access to a private porch off the 2nd floor, where you can watch Old Faithful at any hour of the day. Especially nice in the early AM with coffee.

We stayed at the Canyon Lodge - Dunraven (there are two lodges) most recently and if we couldn't get back in the Old Faithful Inn, would stay there again. Much newer and sparkling with lodgepool furniture, yet rustic as its in the middle of the canyon area.

We've also stayed in the canyon cabins twice, and while we could do it again, they're really getting old and shabby. If your parents aren't into camping i would definitely aim for a lodge.

Hope you have the best time.

Thanks Ellen!

We'll have to see what's available when the dates get set. Mom and Dad always took us camping as children all around the western US and to all the Natl Parks.

Now, they're pushing 80 and the camping days are over. This will be a different experience for them, but they haven't been to Yellowstone in 30 years!

Dayle -- Are all the grown kids and their families going? What a special trip!

Dayle

Have you read Mike Leonard's book The Ride of Our Lives yet?

Thanks for your interest. Right now it looks like Mom & Dad, their 3 girls and the 2 youngest grandsons (cousins who are best buddies, isn't that nice?). The older grandchildren are in college and working for the summer!

Haven't heard of this book. I'll check it out.

Hi Dayle, your comments were so helpful when we were planning our trip back in late June/July when we did Yellowstone, Jackson, Salt Lake City, Moab and Manitou Springs.

We stayed in a rustic cabin at Roosevelt and although it was very spartan the cabin was very clean. If you could get one with a bathroom (as probably your parents would prefer to have one) this would be great. We booked almost a year ahead but were unable to get a bathoom. However when we arrived we spoke to a couple who had phoned just a couple of days earlier and managed to get one!!

We saw such a lot of wildlife in the Roosevelt area and it seemed so much quieter than other areas.

We then moved on to Old Faithful Lodge. The cabin here did have a shower/toilet (can't remember if we had a bath. It was literally one minute's walk to Old Faithful itself. We unpacked, had a little nap and as we walked out of our cabin OF had just started to blow! It was such a fabulous sensation.

Hope you manage to get your accommodtion sorted.

Our family went to Yellowstone and GTNP this August. It was fabulous. In Yellowstone we stayed one night at Old Faithful and three at Canyon, which was the right balance. Old Faithful was enough of a zoo that after one night we were ready to get out of there. AT OF, we stayed in a Snow Lodge Western Cabin (near the Snow Lodge but apart)--nothing to look at on the outside but clean, modern, and completely comfortable on the inside. Even though I loved the Old Faithful Inn architecture (and we spent time hanging out in it and soaking up the atmosphere), I was happy we could get away from the hordes to our room. The Snow Lodge is also lovely--a new take on the NP lodge aesthetic. At Canyon we stayed in the Cascade Lodge, also clean and modern. And it is apart from the hustle and bustle of Canyon Village. I didn't go in the cabins, but they look pretty tired. Canyon is a great central area from which to explore both ends of the park without having to uproot yourself. We had a great day doing the northern loop up to Roosevelt and Norris Geyser Basin and another staying around the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. If an elevator is important, ask for whichever of the two lodges (Dunraven or Cascade) has one (one does but I can't remember which). Or request the first floor.

Good luck. If you have half as much fun as our family did, you're in for a treat.

Mille Grazie Fodorites!

Your comment are just what I was looking for. This will help once the sisters finally get together and decide when to go!!

we drove from chicago to yellowstone this past august and had a fabulous time! we started out by staying at the roosevelt lodge cabins. we thought they were a bit too "rustic" for us and we also didn't really care for the location. we then switched to the lake lodge cabins (they were ok) then stayed at the old faithful inn. we thought the old faithful inn was the best - as far as location and the hotel itself.

Dayle,
Have you made reservations yet for YNP? We've been kicking around the idea of going back in fall '08 as well. Yellowstone really got to us. Cannot wait to get back there.

We loved our hottub cabin at Mammoth but mostly for the private outdoor tub ($180/night). The cabins are dated, but we kinda like that. They have a lot of character. But the location was unbeatable - rutting elk everywhere!

In OFI, we spent 2 nights in the Snow Lodge ($160/night - only option available). The room was really nice but unbelievably hot! Otherwise, no complaints and again, the location made it perfect.

Our cheap ($60/night) Pioneer cabin in Canyon was pretty spartan but just fine. Listening to the howling wolves and bugling elk was unforgetable.

The Canyon area was the most crowded, had the worst food options, and was the least interesting to us. Although the location is very central to everything. In Aug, you'll have the option of Roosevelt; in Sept, we didn't. And the Lamar area was a favorite.

We liked moving a few times to have easier access to the north & south sides of the park. I wish I was planning a Yellowstone trip!