Yellowstone National Park Lodges Offer Classic National Park Accommodations and Experiences in Summer and Winter
As the world’s first national park, Yellowstone has fascinated visitors for decades, and generations have ventured through its five year to enjoy its thermal features, wildlife, architecture, wilderness and more.
When visiting Yellowstone, it is imperative that you get out the map and plan your route, because the park is huge – 2.2 million acres, in fact. Driving across the park can take several hours because of the sheer distances involved as well as the possibility of wildlife sightings creating the occasional “bear jam.”
Yellowstone has two distinct seasons. The summer season begins in late April as the roads are cleared of snow. Facilities open on a staggered schedule and then close in September and October. The two winter lodges open just before Christmas and close again in early March.
Except for the road from Gardiner, Mont. to Cooke City, Mont. via Mammoth Hot Springs, transportation within the park in winter is limited to snowmobiles and enclosed heated snowcoaches. Snowcoach transportation is available daily to a variety of park locations.
Reservations and complete details about packages, accommodations, restaurants and activities in Yellowstone can be found by calling (1) 307-344-7311 or toll-free 866-GEYSERLAND (866-439-7375).
Through its Yellowstone National Park Lodges operations, Xanterra Parks & Resorts operates nine lodging facilities inside the park along with restaurants, activities and gift shops.
Hotels and Lodges
The Old Faithful Inn, built in 1903-1904, was constructed of local logs and stone and is the largest log structure in the world. The towering lobby rises 76½ feet with a massive stone fireplace and a hand-crafted clock made of copper, wood and wrought iron serving as focal points. The Inn was designed by Robert Reamer and was one of the most influential buildings in national park architecture. With 327 rooms, this property is open from early May until mid-October and features a full-service restaurant, lounge, snack bar, gift shop and daily tours.
The Lake Yellowstone Hotel and Cabins first opened in 1891 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The hotel has almost completed the first phase of a renovation with significant structural work along with enhancements to the lobby, dining room, bar, and guest suites. The remaining rooms will be renovated after this season. The 296 guest rooms include those in the main hotel, 36 rooms in an adjacent building and more than 100 Frontier cabins. The Lake Hotel is open from mid-May until the end of September.
Canyon Lodge and Cabins features the most accommodations in Yellowstone with more than 500 rooms/cabins. Located on the east side of the park near the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, Canyon Lodge is open from the end of May through late September and features two lodge units – Dunraven Lodge and Cascade Lodge, recently renovated Western cabins , smaller Frontier cabins, full-service restaurant, cafeteria, deli and gift store.
Grant Village was built in 1984 and named after Ulysses S. Grant, president when Yellowstone became the world’s first national park in 1872. Grant Village features modern motel-type accommodations near the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake. Grant Village is open late May through late September and features a full-service restaurant, a lakeside restaurant with a casual menu, lounge and gift store. Grant Village has 300 rooms spread out among six individual lodge buildings.
Lake Lodge Cabins features a main lodge with a large porch offering a spectacular rocking chair view of Yellowstone Lake. The main lodge is constructed of logs and is the focal point of this classic and comfortable building. The main lodge features a cafeteria, lounge and gift store. Located behind the lodge are 186 cabins with private baths are available in recently renovated Western and Frontier styles as well as the basic, Pioneer cabins. Lake Lodge is open from early June through the end of September.
Old Faithful Lodge and Cabins offers great geyser views right from the lobby. Its 97 cabins are open mid-May through the end of September and are available with or without private baths. The lodge features a cafeteria, gift store and snack/bake shop.
Old Faithful Snow Lodge is the park’s newest full-service hotel and features 100 lodge rooms and 34 cabins. This modern lodge features many national park design accents, was dedicated in 1999 and is one of two park lodges open both summer and winter. The Snow Lodge features a full-service restaurant, lounge, fast food operation and gift store.
Roosevelt Lodge Cabins, built in 1920 near Yellowstone’s Tower Falls area, is located near a campsite once used by President Theodore Roosevelt. The Roughrider cabins have are quaint though basic, heated by wood-burning stoves and without private bathrooms. Showers and rest room facilities are located throughout the cabin area. The Frontier cabins have electric heat and private baths. Roosevelt is open early June through early September. The main lodge building features a restaurant, gift store and rocking chairs on the expansive front porch.
The Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Cabins, named for the nearby springs, is also open both winter and summer. The hotel, as it stands today was built in 1936, while retaining a wing of guest rooms originally built in 1911, and features its signature Map Room containing a large wooden map of the United States constructed of 15 different woods from nine countries. The hotel features rooms with private bathrooms, rooms with shared bathrooms, suites, hot tub cabins, Frontier cabins, two room Family cabins and Budget cabins. It also has a full-service restaurant, lounge, gift store and fast food grill.
Activities
Xanterra offers a wide variety of activities in both the summer and winter.
Popular summer activities include Stagecoach Adventures at Roosevelt Lodge; horseback trail rides leaving Mammoth Hot Springs, Canyon Village and Roosevelt Lodge; Old West Cookouts at Roosevelt Lodge; Yellowstone Lake Scenicruises, guided fishing trips, outboard and rowboat rentals at the Bridge Bay Marina; Yellowstone Lake Sunset Tour departing from Lake Village; Picture-Perfect Photo Safaris at Old Faithful and Lake Villages; Touring Motorcoach and Historic Yellow Bus Excursions and Lamar Valley Wildlife Excursions.
Snowcoach Tours
Wintertime is an excellent time to experience Yellowstone, and the two lodges open during the winter season – Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Old Faithful Snow Lodge – serve as a perfect home base for activities such as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, interpretive touring by mini-bus and snowcoach and snowmobiling. Snowcoaches – a mix of vehicles using tracks and skis – provide a warm passage to Yellowstone’s innermost secrets, while guides reveal the various chapters of the park’s winter story.
Xanterra offers a variety of guided snowmobile tours, ski drops, and equipment rentals such as cross-country skis and snowshoes, Ice skates are available at both winter lodges for use on their rinks.
Vacation packages, themed around popular activities like hiking, skiing, wildlife watching and history are offered during the summer and winter seasons.