Yellowstone Hotels and Lodges: Stay Inside the Park or Nearby?

By Victoria Boissonade · Data: National Park Service · ← Complete guide Yellowstone

If you remember only one thing, book early. Yellowstone's lodges fill up months before peak season, and hotels in the gateway towns follow the same pattern. Our default advice is to choose a lodge inside the park if you still can. Otherwise, stay in Gardiner, which has year-round access through the North Entrance, or in West Yellowstone, the gateway town with the widest range of lodging.

Park lodges and gateway towns (13)

All LodgesGateway towns

• Lodge Old Faithful Inn Upper Geyser Basin · May-Oct Directions ↗
• Lodge Old Faithful Lodge Cabins Upper Geyser Basin · May-Sep Directions ↗
• Lodge Lake Yellowstone Hotel Lake Village · May-Oct Directions ↗
• Lodge Lake Lodge Cabins Lake Village · Jun-Sep Directions ↗
• Lodge Roosevelt Lodge Cabins Tower-Roosevelt · Jun-Sep Directions ↗
• Lodge Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel Mammoth Hot Springs · May-Oct Directions ↗
• Gateway town West Yellowstone entrance West Entrance · hotels, supermarket, gas station Directions ↗
• Gateway town Gardiner entrance North Entrance · hotels, supermarket, gas station Directions ↗
• Gateway town Livingston entrance North Entrance · hotels, supermarket, gas station Directions ↗
• Gateway town Cooke City entrance Northeast Entrance · hotels, gas station, restaurants Directions ↗
• Gateway town Cody entrance East Entrance · hotels, supermarket, gas station Directions ↗
• Gateway town Dubois entrance South Entrance · hotels, supermarket, gas station Directions ↗
• Gateway town Jackson entrance South Entrance · hotels, supermarket, gas station Directions ↗

Show interactive map Base map © OpenStreetMap · © CARTO

Inside the Park or Outside?

Staying inside the park puts you close to the geysers and saves you from battling traffic every morning. Staying in a gateway town costs less and gives you more last-minute flexibility. Our guide to choosing where to stay in Yellowstone compares the options in detail and lays out the criteria to help you decide.

Yellowstone Lodges: Stay in the Heart of the Park

Yellowstone has nine properties managed by Xanterra Parks & Resorts, the NPS's official concessioner. You can book all of them through the park lodges' dedicated website. They open at different times between May and October. Only Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel offer overnight stays in winter.

Here's the practical catch. Reservations for the summer season open in May of the previous year. If you're planning a July trip, start looking twelve months before you arrive, not six.

Old Faithful Inn

This is the park's iconic lodge, built in 1903 and 1904 from lodgepole pine logs and designated a National Historic Landmark. The central lobby, with its eight-story stone fireplace, sets the tone. This is a long way from a roadside motel. Geyser-side rooms let you watch Old Faithful erupt without leaving the building. Forest-side rooms are quieter and often less expensive. Expect to pay between $150 and $500 per night, depending on the room type and time of year. It's the ultimate Yellowstone experience. If you can't find availability there, Old Faithful Snow Lodge next door offers more contemporary comfort.

Lake Yellowstone Hotel

Opened in 1891, this is one of the oldest hotels in the U.S. national park system. Its white Colonial Revival facade facing Yellowstone Lake creates a striking contrast with the surrounding forests. The restaurant, sunroom, and subdued atmosphere make it the park's grand-hotel option. It's ideal if you want to explore the southeast section, less than an hour from Hayden Valley, the best area for wildlife viewing. See our Yellowstone wildlife guide for more. It's also close to the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River.

The Park's Other Lodges

• Canyon Lodge & Cabins: the park's largest complex, completely renovated between 2016 and 2019, 1,640 feet from the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Comfortable, but without historic character.
• Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel: the only hotel option in the northern section, open for part of the winter. Convenient for reaching Lamar Valley.
• Roosevelt Lodge Cabins: rustic cabins in Lamar Valley with a Wild West ranch atmosphere. The park's lowest price point, at around $100 per night. No air conditioning, and bathrooms are sometimes shared, so tell your travel companions before booking.
• Grant Village Lodge: on the southwestern shore of Yellowstone Lake, convenient if you're entering or leaving through the South Entrance.
• Old Faithful Lodge Cabins and Lake Lodge Cabins: budget-friendly simple cabins, some without private bathrooms.

Where to Stay Around Yellowstone: Gateway Towns

Yellowstone has five entrances, and four gateway towns cover most hotel needs.

West Yellowstone, Montana

The gateway town with the widest range of lodging, directly beside the West Entrance, which is open to vehicles from about the third week of April through early November. Around 50 hotels and motels serve a town of 1,500 people. You'll find national chains, independent B&Bs, and every price range. It's an ideal base if you're arriving from Idaho or the western United States.

Gardiner, Montana

As the only year-round entrance, the North Entrance on U.S. Route 89 makes Gardiner the gateway town for the determined traveler. This is where you'll find visitors who come in the off-season or want guaranteed access even when snow is possible. The atmosphere is more local and less touristy than West Yellowstone, and prices are slightly lower. The 1903 Roosevelt Arch, a stone arch engraved with a quote from Teddy Roosevelt, welcomes you at the park entrance.

Cody, Wyoming

About 53 miles from the East Entrance via U.S. Routes 14/16/20, Cody is the logical choice if you're arriving from Denver or the eastern United States. Founded in the late 19th century by Buffalo Bill, it offers a wide range of hotels, decent restaurants, and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West if bad weather keeps you in town. The East Entrance is one of the most spectacular, with canyon scenery and a lake, but it's far from the geysers. Plan on a first day of driving and gradual exploration.

Jackson, Wyoming

To the south, Jackson is the upscale gateway to the Yellowstone-Grand Teton circuit. Jackson Hole Airport is the closest option for international travelers. Allow about 62 miles to the park's South Entrance via Grand Teton. The drive deserves half a day on its own. Hotels here average more than elsewhere, but the quality is higher and the selection is broad.

How Many Nights Should You Plan?

Plan on at least three nights. Our Yellowstone itinerary guide lays out combinations based on your travel style and entry point.

If you're staying inside the park, splitting your nights between two lodges in different areas, such as Old Faithful Inn and then Canyon Lodge, saves you from driving two hours round-trip every morning. The distances within the park always surprise first-time visitors.

When to Book and What to Budget

For the park lodges, the rule is simple. Book in May of the previous year for July and August, without exception. Gateway-town hotels give you a little more leeway, but not much. Reasonably priced rooms sell out before March for peak season.

Typical nightly budget for two people:

• Basic cabins inside the park, including Roosevelt and Old Faithful Lodge: $90-$130
• Standard lodges, including Grant Village and Canyon: $150-$280
• Old Faithful Inn or Lake Yellowstone Hotel, with a view: $300-$500
• Mid-range gateway-town hotel in the off-season: $80-$150
• Mid-range gateway-town hotel during peak season: $180-$300

For monthly price changes and the best windows for balancing budget and weather, our Yellowstone season-by-season calendar has the details.

Our Recommendation Based on Your Travel Style

Total immersion: book Old Faithful Inn or Lake Yellowstone Hotel in May for the following year. Stay at least two nights inside the park, ideally in two different areas.

Families with kids: base yourself in West Yellowstone or Gardiner and enter the park each morning. You can choose your days based on the weather and everyone's mood without being stuck two hours from a lodge. Our Yellowstone family guide will help you plan your stops.

Tight budget: choose Roosevelt Lodge cabins or Old Faithful Lodge Cabins inside the park, or a motel in West Yellowstone. Book well ahead. There is no such thing as a cheap room that's still available at the last minute in Yellowstone in July.

Off-season, November through April: Gardiner is your only gateway town with guaranteed access. Inside the park, only Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Old Faithful Snow Lodge operate in winter, with cross-country skiing and snowshoeing available.

Frequently Asked Questions