YELLOWSTONE LODGES GEAR UP FOR SUMMER SEASON; NINE LODGES OFFER A VARIETY OF ROOM STYLES, BUDGET OPTIONS
Yellowstone concessioner Xanterra Parks & Resorts is getting ready to open its nine park lodges featuring more than 2,000 rooms for the summer season.
The lodges are located in six areas throughout the park and open and close on a staggered schedule that reflects seasonal weather patterns, visitor travel patterns and traditional wildlife activity. The first to open is the newest full-service lodge in the park – Old Faithful Snow Lodge – on Friday, April 29, and the last lodge to open is the more rustic Roosevelt Lodge on Friday, June 10. Located in the northern part of the park, Roosevelt Lodge has the shortest season in the park and closes on Monday, Sept. 5. Old Faithful Snow Lodge has the longest season and closes on Sunday, Oct. 23.
Restaurants, campgrounds and activities such as the popular Roosevelt Old West Dinner Cookout also operate on a staggered schedule.
Xanterra operates a variety of tours and activities including motorcoach tours, Historic Yellow Bus tours, lake cruises, interpretive horseback rides, guided fishing, stagecoach adventures and more. Guests will find several activity choices located near or departing from each of the lodges. For example, the full-day, extremely popular Circle of Fire tour, picks up passengers from Old Faithful Inn, Canyon Village, Grant Village, Lake Yellowstone as well as the West Thumb area. Interpretive horseback rides are available at corrals near Mammoth Hotel, Canyon Lodge and Roosevelt Lodge. And Yellowstone Lake Scenicruises departing from the Bridge Bay Marina are convenient for guests staying at Lake Yellowstone Hotel & Cabins, Lake Lodge Cabins, Bridge Bay Campground and Fishing Bridge RV Park. For complete activity information visit https://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/plan-your-trip-198.html. Visitors planning vacations can also purchase a Yellowstone Adventure Planner through Xanterra’s online gift shop. Planners include maps, brochures and a DVD that provides information and tips for experiencing Yellowstone.
Old Faithful Snow Lodge & Cabins
April 29 – Oct. 23. Rates range from $96 to $205 per night.
Completed in 1999, heavy timber construction, exterior log columns and cedar shingle roof were part of the design that is destined to make the Snow Lodge a significant example of classic “parkitecture.” The interior features include furnishings, fixtures and appointments that carry creative wildlife and park themes. Accommodations include lodge rooms, western cabins and frontier cabins. The lodge features a full-service dining room, fast-food “Geyser Grill,” gift store, bicycle rentals and cross-country ski rentals and ice skating in winter.
Old Faithful Inn
May 6 – Oct. 9. Rates range from $96 to $499 per night.
Arguably the most famous lodging facility in a national park, the Old Faithful Inn is the also the most requested lodge in Yellowstone. The lodge is constructed of local lodgepole pine and stone and is located adjacent to Old Faithful geyser. The original part of the Inn, known as the “Old House,” features a limited number of rooms with private baths and mostly rooms with shared baths. The East and West Wings feature standard rooms, premium rooms, semi-suites and suites. A full-service restaurant, deli, lounge, gift store and interpretive tours are available at the Inn.
Old Faithful Lodge Cabins
May 13 – Sept. 25. Rates range from $67 to $110 per night.
This historic cabin facility is located near Old Faithful Inn and Old Faithful geyser and features a one-story main lodge built in the 1920s featuring massive logs and stone pillars. The main lodge features a bakery, cafeteria-style food court, gift store and registration desk serving nearby cabins. The Old Faithful Lodge offers basic cabins with private baths and shared baths.
Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel & Cabins
May 13 – Oct. 13. Rates range from $81 to $449 per night.
The Mammoth Hot Springs area is home to the majority of park operations. Today in the shadow of the steaming limestone terraces sits the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. One of two lodging facilities open in both summer and winter, the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel offers hotel rooms with private baths, hotel rooms with shared baths and cabins with and without private baths. The hotel also features a full-service dining room, quick-service restaurant and an award-winning gift store dedicated to informing visitors how minimize their environmental impact and how climate change is affecting national parks.
Lake Yellowstone Hotel & Cabins
May 20 – Sept. 25. Rates range from $130 to $549.
Celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, this elegant hotel was built in 1981, expanded in the early part of the 20th century and restored to its original appearance in 1990. The Lake Yellowstone Hotel sits on the shore of Yellowstone Lake and is listed on the Register of Historic Places. The “Lake Hotel” features views of Yellowstone Lake through its sun room windows and provides an elegant atmosphere complete with a string quartet playing summer evenings in the lobby and a sophisticated menu featuring sustainable cuisine in the dining room.
Grant Village
May 27 – Oct. 2. Rate is $152 per night.
The Grant Village lodging complex includes six two-story buildings each containing 50 rooms. Also located in the area are a lounge, gift store, full-service restaurant with lake views and a lake side restaurant specializing in pub-style fare. The village is situated on the southwestern shore of Yellowstone Lake, approximately 20 miles from Old Faithful, and is the nearest location to Grand Teton National Park.
Canyon Lodge & Cabins
June 3 – Sept. 25. Rates range from $96 to $179 per night.
The Canyon Lodge & Cabins complex is located near the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River and features lodge rooms and multiplex cabin-style units. The balance of the lodging is made up of units called Western Cabins and Frontier Cabins. Built in the 1950s and 1960s, these cabins are arranged in loops. All hotel and cabin rooms have private baths. The Western Cabins were recently renovated. The main lodge building features a reception desk, gift store, picnic/deli shop, full-service restaurant and cafeteria.
Lake Lodge Cabins
June 10 – Oct. 2. Rates range from $69 to $179 per night.
The Lake Lodge building is a large log structure featuring a registration desk, lounge, cafeteria, gift store and inviting lobby and large porch with views of Lake Yellowstone and the mountains beyond. A series of cabins – some recently renovated – offer overnight accommodations.
Roosevelt Lodge Cabins
June 10 – Sept. 5. Rates range from $65 to $110 per night.
Named for Yellowstone enthusiast Theodore Roosevelt, this rustic log lodge and cabin facility was built in an area of the park that was one of his favorites. The main lodge building features a full-service restaurant, gift store and registration desk servicing nearby cabins.
Campgrounds
Xanterra also operates five of the park’s campgrounds including Fishing Bridge RV Park, Bridge Bay Campground, Canyon Campground, Madison Campground and Grant Campground. The National Park Service operates the park’s other six campgrounds.
To make reservations and for more information about accommodations, restaurants and activities in Yellowstone visit www.YellowstoneNationalParkLodges.com or call toll-free (1) 866-GEYSERLAND (1-866-439-7375) or (1) 307-344-7311.