Would love info regarding the best places to stay in or around Yellowstone. It seems that the lodging is either old and outdated or as in West Yellowstone, too commercialized. We only have two days and want to make the best of it. Thanks!!

First of all, I would say you need to stay in the park. You will waste a lot of time getting in and out if you stay outside--especially with only two days.

If you don't want old, there is a new lodge next to the Old Faithful Inn called the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. It is only a couple of years old and VERY nice.

MAKE RESERVATIONS NOW

Dennis - We went last fall, and we stayed in the park. We had 2 days @ the Old Faithful Inn, 3 days @ Signal Mtn. Lodge (Grand Teton Nat'l Park) and 2 days @ Lake Yellowstone Hotel. If I only had 2 days, I'd base at Old Faithful, but I love old historic hotels. We had a hotel room in one of the 'newer' wings, private bath, double bed, and we were more than comfortable. Depending on what you want to see, it can be a good base for exploring. I liked the Old Faithful geyser area, but wouldn't miss the Canyon area hikes. One of my favorite things to do, though, was unwind in the lobby of the Old Faithful Inn with a cocktail after dinner. You can sit by the giant fireplace, or up on the second floor balcony overlooking the lobby, and its just a wonderful way to soak up the atmosphere and rest after a long day of hiking. You should try to book early if you want to stay in the park, and get reservations for dinner. Hope this helps - Amy

If you only have two days, I would definitely stay in the park so that you can see the most you can. We went last July and stayed at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge (the new lodge right next to the Old Faithful Inn). It was very nice and we loved the location. We could go out the door in the evenings and wander the paths through all the geysers. It was fun, too, to walk over to the Old Faithful Inn for a tour (which you must do if you don't stay there), and also for lunch. If you don't want an old lodge, I would highly recommend the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. Let me know if I can be of more help. You'll love Yellowstone!

I couldn't agree more with Amy about unwinding in the lobby of the Old Faithful Inn. We stayed there for three nights this past summer and loved it. The Inn is a very special place and each night we settled into the lobby or out on the balcony and enjoyed having a drink, playing board games with our kids and talking to other vacationers.

My concern about lodging in the park was the same as yours. We stayed at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge since it was new. Agree with the others that you need to stay in the park.

Make your reservations now is great advice - might even be too late. I reserved cabins for the days I wanted earlier this month and I got the last ones available for my dates

Last May we stayed in one of the Old Faithful Snow Lodge Cabins. They are ok, except the bathrooms are small.
Some of the refurbished rooms in Old Faithful Inn are fine. Good beds and the bathrooms are large. The Old Faithful Snow Lodge is new as said, and it is nice. But I find all of these places overpriced for what you get. The demand for them is tremendous, so the management can charge whatever the Park Service will let them charge.

We also stayed at the Fairfield Inn in West Yellowstone. The room was very nice and I enjoyed staying there.

I do feel that if you are a first time visitor, staying in the park is attractive. I can remember walking out of my cabin at midnight to go and wait for some of the big geysers to erupt by the light of a full moon. I would not have done that had I been outside of the park.

Grand Geyser by the light of a full moon was indeed spectacular. But Riverside Geyser, nestled in the trees as it is, is also pretty to watch. The scene becomes almost magical if you have a few forest creatures around, like a great horned owl hoo hooing in the trees and coyotes howling in the distance.

Bob,

What a wonderul picture you paint. That alone is good reason to stay in the park. You just get the whole experience.

West Yellowstone is a nice enough little town but you aren't missing much by not staying there.

We love unwinding at the Yellowstone Hotel sunroom also, listening to the string quartet with a drink before dinner. Even if you are only staying two days I would try to get to the eastern part of the park for the wildlife and the canyon area.

Thanks everybody! We've chosen a Queen Frontside (lake view) room at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel @ $134 a night. Nothing suitable was available at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. Definitely will pay a visit to the Old Faithful Inn for a drink.

Thanks again!!