Yellowstone Lodging
 

Any recommendations on lodging in Yellowstone? Going in August 2007 and looking for some opinions on (recommended from personal experience) lodging.

Am going to 2 weeks. Can't wait. I will share with you that we picked some places because of their location. We are staying in YNP then going to GTNP and back to YNP. We wanted to end up in the northern part of the park. People say that you can drive all around the park, but I don't want to spend too much time in the car. It's very busy in the summer. Old Faithful Inn got good reviews as well as the Yellowstone Hotel. Do a search for those 2 and you'll see.

We stayed in the cabins at the Canyon. The rooms were nice enough, surprising large - there were 2 double beds and sofa. We were easily able to drive everywhere we wanted to go. The only issue was that the short cut to Roosevelt was closed so we had to take the long way - but we managed to do everything we wanted to do on that day (boiling pot; horseback ride to dinner at Mammouth; see coyotes on way back to Canyon). I was happy not to have to pack and move.

I think Canyon is a good location. Many of the cabins have been repaired and seem ok.

After that, I like the Western Cabins associated with the Old Faithful Snow Lodge for location near the geysers. I don't like their position however on black scree which is not very pretty.

The cabins are decent enough, with little bathrooms for some reason.
At least two or three people would have some room and you can park at the door.

The top cabins, called Western Cabins, go fast. So be prepared to make your reservations as soon as you know your dates. If you really want to be there, you may need to make a reservation, and switch it later, if need be.

I do not like Mammoth because it is the lowest part of the park and can be very hot in July and August.

The Rough Rider cabins at Roosevelt might be the stuff of family stories, but I do not find them comfortable.

Western Cabins around the Lake area are also ok. The Frontier cabins in the park may also be acceptable to some.
They are a little less nice than the Western Cabins, which are not all that great compared to a Fairfield Inn motel room.

My main problem with Yellowstone is the relatively poor quality food in the cafeterias. The dining rooms at Lake and Old Faithful Inn usually book up for the choice times. You can usually eat there, but it might well be 9:00 - 9:30 pm before you can get a table.

We have stayed nearly everywhere in the park and my top 3 chices are: Old Faithful Inn, Lake Hotel and the rustic cabins at Roosevelt. All of the park accomodations are spotlessly clean in my experience. We have stayed in cabins at many locations and they were all fine. The pleasing energy of the tourists in the Old Faithful lobby and a nightcap on the upper balcony waiting for the geyser to erupt are great memories.

We stayed at the Lake Hotel and liked it alot. The dining room is pretty good too--lovely setting.

We just got back yesterday. Stayed two nights in the Snow Lodge (lodge room, not cabin). It was very nice and roomy. Location can't be beat.

Stayed one night in a cabin at Mammoth with a bathroom. There wasn't enough room for the four of us and our luggage, so we had to leave some suitcases in the car. Didn't really matter though since we were only there long enough to sleep. We spent a night in the Mammoth lodge three years ago that was a little better. If you want to stay in this area, you might want to stay in Gardiner instead. It's only 10 minutes away.

We stayed at Cascade Lodge in the Canyon area last summer and loved it. The lodges (Cascade and Dunraven) are fairly new compared to the cabins, though they are all part of the same facilities. Our room was simple and clean, and I really liked the central location of the lodge. We ate at the restaurant and had a very good dinner. I originally wanted to book at the Old Faithful Inn, but it was closed for renovation during our stay. In the end, I was very pleased with the way everything turned out and would not hesitate to stay here again.

we stayed in 2002 at the Old Faithful Lodge Cabins. They were fine. We had two cabins, one with a bathroom and one without. Obviously, we all used the one bathroom that we had in our cabin, but I did see the ones that those without a private bath had to use and they seemed well maintained.

We have been to Yellowstone 8 times and have stayed at all the different accommadations. It really just depends upon how much you want to pay and what you are looking for in a room. If you don't mind using a shower house with bathrooms then stay in the cabins at Old Faithful, Mammoth or Roosevelt.
In my experiences all of the accommadations and shower rooms are extemely clean.
The thing to keep in mind is that you need to plan your trip and stay at different parts of the park. WE always start at Old FAithful since we come up from the Tetons. We stay here and see all that this part of the park has to offer. Then we head to Mammoth Hot Springs. I love to stay in their cabins even though they don't have bathrooms just sinks. They have little porches and we love to sit out there and watch the ground squirrels. We did encounter a coyote that came to feast on the ground squirrels. We love to soak in the Hot Pots ( I think they call it something else) Where the hot water from the springs meets the river. If you ask around people will be able to tell you where this is since it is not on any of the maps. It is on the way to Gardiner,MT.
We have stayed both in the rough rider cabins and other cabins at Roosevelt. Rough riders you really need to be able to light those logs in the pot belly stoves. WE couldn't seem to get them to stay lit. Although we did wake up to huge elk right outside our cabins.
I love the Canyan area and would recommend any accommodations there as well as in the Lake area.
Each area has its own beauty and things to see and do. All so very different!
But the only way to properly see the park is to move around to the different areas.
Hope this is helpful!