Donna

Just got a great airfare to Salt Lake. Thinking of traveling to Yellowstone. Which lodging recommended for couple with teenage son in room? How many days? Thanks for your help!

Toots

Try www.xanterra.com for lodging in Yellowstone. We stayed 3 nights @ The Old Faithful Inn this past August in a high range room with our 10 yr.old son. The room had a private bath, two double beds, dresser and table with chairs. The lodge was bustling with activity but the room was far enough away for peace and quite. I believe any room @ Old Faithful should be booked well in advance of your trip. If you like geysers and hiking plan on at least 3 nights, maybe 4.
Good luck!

brookwood

Donna, availability in Yellowstone for June, July and August is already severely limited. Just when were you going? So I am not sure recommendations will help. You will take what you can get.

I would call because the telephone peope know the cancellations right away whereas the web site seems to update slowly.

A two room unit at Old Faithful Inn is about $160 a night. These are not listed on line. Which is another reason to call. Western Cabins are about $115 a night, if you can find one.
Lesser cabins are, in my evaluation, wretched. Rooms at the Lake Hotel run 170 or so for a premium room to $115 for an ordinary room. I would not want to be one of 3 people in an ordinary room.

How long? Well, that is a good question. I have seen children there whose interest had been cultivated by their parents and they were fascinated with the geologic process that is still unfolding at Yellowstone.

And then there was the prototypical dumb blonde teenager who asked "Can't we go now? Why do we have to look at this stupid geyser? I'm bored."

From my own experiences, after I had taken a physical geology class in college, I really got the geyser bug.
That was when I learned how rare and how unusual they are. Just why do you have a geyser that erupts as opposed to a hot spring that just bubbles? And what makes the water boil in the first place? And why is that canyon yellow and red?
And why mud pots and paint pots?
If the answers interest you, then ranger guided hikes, self guided hikes, self interpreation can cause you to linger for days.

I can tell you what I would allow, after a dozen visits: 5 - 6 days.

For the geyser basins, hot springs, hot pools, bubbling pots, etc. around the Upper Geyser Basin, the Black Sand Basin, and the Norris Geyser Basin, probably 2 or 3 full days. (beware the sun, it does not only blister, it roasts and cooks and damages.)

Then I would want a day for the Canyon and Hayden Valley and the Lake itself.

And then 1 day, at least, for other related activities, like trying to see wolves in the northeast section of the park.

The ranger hikes are fun and the entertainment features are good, like the cook out and some of the other excusions.

I think it comes down to a key question: How interested are all of you in understanding the geology of a phenomenal area? The more you understand the more intriguing it becomes.

What keeps me coming back? The wonder of it all. There is only one Yellowstone.

Donna

We are going in July -peak season I think. Called Xanterra and could not get a room at the old faithful inn, so settled on a room at Grant Village - it was either that or Canyon Lodge and I thought the lake would appeal more to my 17 year old son. We also want to see Geysers and Grant Village is near several. Is Grant Village OK? I will keep trying for Old Faithful Inn for a cancellation. We have decided on 3 days in the park. And I assume dinner reservations should be made every night in advance?

cd

Donna
Canyon Lodge is really good. Not the cabins, but the Lodge. We stayed there for two days. We stayed in the one that was built in 1998 and the rooms are large,airy and close to Canyon hiking/walking/Artist Point, etc. We were not in Grants Village so I don't have first hand experience but my daughter stayed there and she said it was just OK. We also stayed at the Old Faithful Inn and enjoyed those accomodations! Location, location, location! Regarding reservations for dinner, yes, make them. You can always cancel if your plans change. There were many people there trying to be seated who did not have reservations and could not get in.

brookwood

Donna. At least you are in the park.
Keep trying; there will be cancellations. Perhaps you can luck into one or more.

I have two observations here.
What is your son going to do at the lake? People don't swim in it, that is for sure, at least not for long, because the water temperature is about 45 - 50 degrees. Does he fish?
You can rent a boat and paddle about for a while.

Grant Village itself is the most out of character place I can think of. Ugly as sin and totally unblended into the environment. The rooms are also small.
It is a cheap motel beclouding a lovely lake.

I think Canyon would have been a nicer place. But you will not be there much in the room anyhow.

And Grant Village is not near any geysers that erupt often. They bubble and steam, but only occasionally do they erupt. The geysers that put on a somewhat preditable show are: Grand, Great Fountain, Castle, Riverside, Daisey, Old Faithful, and (my favorite) Lone Star. Others erupt when least expected it seems.

Donna

Based on the good feedback, I made some changes. I still have the first night at Grant Village (because of the location near the South Entrance and closer to the Old Faithful area) but changed the last two nights to Canyon Lodge. I will keep trying to get Old Faithful Inn, but at least we may be able to cover different areas of the park without unnecessary back and forth driving.

cd

Donna
I am willing to bet if you keep trying you will eventually get that first night at either Old Faithful Inn or the Snow Lodge which is right behind Old Faithful Inn and a good facility. I also suggest that you take a cd player and CD's as there are no TV's or music in the rooms.

Donna

Just an update: Of my 3 days in Yellowstone I now have Grant Village first night, Snow Lodge second night, and Canyon Lodge 3rd night. I have decided to leave Canyon Lodge in place so we can do different areas of the park without backtracking too much. I am going to keep trying to change the first night, but either way I am very pleased to be in the park. Any advise on the food? We have decided to picnic during the day so we can get in some hiking, but dinner is up for grabs.

cd

Donna
The night you spend at Canyon would be a good time to do the "cookout" that leaves from Roosevelt Lodge as it is not far away and Canyons food was not that good. If interested you can make reservations now. You leave from Roosevelt Lodge by way of horseback or covered wagon. The cowboy food and entertainment was good. We really enjoyed the evening! You can also make reservations now for Old Faithful Inn dining. Our meals there were very good. We also had reservations at Lake Yellowstone Hotel and enjoyed our dinners there. We took bagels,peanut butter and fruit with us to have for breakfast each morning. Another piece of fruit for lunch and that was it until dinner. Not only was it economical, we wasted no time during the day. Have fun!

brookwood

Sounds like you are progressing with a good plan. You will survive Grant Village; I just happen not to like it for a variety of reasons. But the rooms have beds and heat and windows just like real rooms.

The other accommodations are overpriced as well for what you get.

A night at Canyon will be fun. The falls and the canyon itself are beautiful. If you do the cookout/stage coach event from there, be sure to have along some rain gear if there is any rumbling in the distance. My son and his family went and had to endure a downpour.

They are rare, but in Yellowstone, anything can happen in the summer from thunder storms to hail to brilliant, burning sun.

I would like to warn you that there is no shade in the geyser basins because the trees cannot grow there easily.
The altitude is about 7,500 feet, which means there is less atmosphere to filter out the burning rays of the sun. Moreover, that volcanic soil is light in color so it reflects the rays like sand at the beach.

The air may seem cool, but the UVA and UVB rays of the sun can burn badly in short order.

There is only one drawback to your plan.
If you fall in love with the geysers like I have, you might not want to leave. A good trip for me is 3 days visiting geysers, 1 day poking around the paint pots, hot pools, and mud pots and one day at the Canyon with a ceremonial drive by the lake.

And if you are in Hayden Valley, and the bison want to cross the road, don't do what one idiot I saw tried to do. He got out of his car and waved his arms, jumped up and down and yelled to make them go faster. The problem is several dozen of them, big ones, were coming right at him. With cars stopped up and down the road, they had limited places to pass between the cars. One of the places was where this deluded fellow was standing. He got out of the way without being seriously hurt, but one big bull brushed him enough to get his attention.
His remark was "They ought to keep those things penned up."

Deliver me!

Donna

Brookwood - I live for people like that, I can't stop laughing! We were driving from San Francisco up the coast one time and saw a sign "cow crossing." I thought that was kind of strange until we went around a bend and sure enough, there stood a cow in the middle of the road. Since it was his "turf" and the view was nice, we waited for it to ramble off. Made my day. As long as no one gets hurt, tourist watching may be the best part of the trip CD- The cookout sounds fun, I will check into it. And thanks for the info on the weather, my husband only burns so we will take extra precautions.

dixon

Some body where I live put up a sign in that said Sasquatch Crossing.
the local cops have great lack of knowledge and no sense of humor. It lasted about a day, probably less.

The best one of one other type was a sign for a dairy in colorado on the east side of the Sangre de Cristo range.

We drove by the place and saw a cow lying on the very top of a huge composte pile of manure. The sign said Tough Teat Dairy. We have the picture to this day. I guess we should send it to Janet Jackson.

JeannieR

we're going to yellowstone this July. I have my reservations for rooms I want, but can't seem to get the right phone number for dinner reservations at Old Faithful and Lake Yellowstone Hotel.....I tried the numbers off the Xantera site....but no luck.......

Are you sure you can make reservations now?

We are also staying in the Grand CAnyon. I did get through to El Tovar....and they told me I couldn't make reservations for dinner until a month before (since we weren't staying there, we're in the bright angel cabins)

thanks, Jeannie

Donna

I got reservations already for the dining rooms at Grant Village and Old Faithful Inn. You call the same number as room reservations: 307-344-7311 and tell them you want to make dinner reservations. And we have decided to go on the cookout - my teenager is a little dubious, thinks it make be too hokey, but I told him that would be part of the fun!