Yellowstone's Great Lodges

OLD FAITHFUL INN

There is a sense of frenzy at Yellowstone National Park. Each year three million visitors, high on the anticipation of encountering bison, bear, elk, moose, coyote and wolves, visit America’s first national park. The wildlife roam 2.2 million acres of mountainous, deeply gorged, fire-scarred, geyser-studded landscape interspersed with gentle meadows and meandering rivers.The lodge options are varied, in different parts of the park, and each stunning in its own way. Old Faithful Inn (1904) is almost as well known as the geyser it is named after. Designed by Robert Reamer, whose touch is seen throughout the park, it is a National Historic Landmark and not to be missed stop to the Upper Geyser Basin.
With rooms in the "old house," two annexes, and cabins there are plenty of options. For those who seek authenticity, go for the "old house" where some rooms share a shower/bathroom with others; there are sinks in each room. (Think college dorm but old.) These rooms are also the cheapest at the Inn. Both annexes have been beautifully remodeled with new bathrooms, furniture, etc.. There are also cabins, but I'd stay in the Inn. Remember, these historic lodges are not about your guest room. When built, travelers of the era wanted to gather in grand public spaces and dining rooms not hide away in their rooms with spa baths.
The great hall is one of those awe-inspriing places that captivates you as soon as you step through the big red doors. Tiny windows catch the light and it dances about the great hall making sunspots on the hardwood floor. Look up: it's like being in a wooden circus tent! Much of the original furniture is intact, and the gnarled lodgepole pine details posts and beams make this such a treasure. The fire is usually burning, the gigantic clock ticking and activity abounds. Old Faithful Inn was nearly lost in the catastrophic fires of 1988, but the park has come back in all of it glory, and Old Faithful Inn remains what many see as the first and finest great lodge in a national park.

MY  TIPS FOR OLD FAITHFUL INN:

• Check in and make sure your dinner reservation is set. (It's best to book these when you make your room reservation.) 
• If you haven't seen Old Faithful do its thing yet, climb the stairway to the upper mezzanine and head for the terrace over the porte cochere. This is THE best vantage point from which to watch the fun.
• Get up early, go get a cup of coffee at the mezzanine espresso bar, take it out over the terrace and watch Old Faithful blow in near solitude. (You can't see this too many times.)
• Do not miss the docent tour of the Inn.
• Bring ear plugs and a flashlight, particularly if you are staying in the "old house."
• The Inn is closed in the winter, Old Faithful Snow Lodge is open year round. If you're not interested in staying at a historic lodge, Snow Lodge (right next door) is a good alternative.
• Read more about the history and architecture of Old Faithful Inn in Great Lodges of the National Parks (2002 edition). A bonus: fabulous color photography and historic black and white images, too.

 LAKE YELLOWSTONE HOTEL                                                                              

Lake Hotel is as elegant as Old Faithful Inn is rustic. Funny thing is, Robert Reamer is responsible for both done within a few years of each other. Reamer began transforming the original, plain-Jane 1889 hotel beginning in 1903 changing the exterior from bland to beautiful. And while there is a frenzy of activity at Old Faithful, Lake Hotel emotes a sort of calm. Instead of the hourly blast of a geyser, there is the lapping waters along the shore of Yellowstone Lake, the largest high elevation lake in North America. This could be my favorite lodge location within the park. We were there in June (after Grand Teton National Park), and the wildlife sightings were amazing including a grey wolf and a black bear with her cubs. People are so intent on seeing wildlife, that the rangers call the traffic jams, bear jams.
Back to the hotel: the interior was remodeled in the 1980s and plans are afoot for another go over. The guest rooms are a bit tired, but the dining room and huge solarium (a pianist plays each evening) are lovely and sparkling clean. Reamer also changed most of the interior to match the Colonial Revival exterior, but an Arts & Crafts-inspired fireplace and seating area on the first floor feature matte glazed Batchelder tiles and Leimert furniture.
 It's easy to get a bit lost finding your room, since there were various additions and airy lounges suddenly appear where the building was expanded. There are charming cottages behind the hotel, and I would try to nab one.

MY TIPS FOR LAKE HOTEL:

• As with Old Faithful, make your dinner reservations when you make your room reservations. Try the cafeteria at Lake Lodge down the road for a change of pace.
• Ask for a lake view room or stay in one of the darling cottages.
• There's a small snack room: note the original wicker furniture.
• Take a tour in one of the White Motor Company Yellowstone buses.
• Go out on the lake via tour or boat rental.
• This is a great base to see the east central section of the park. Fishing bridge and Yellowstone River and the Lower Fall of the Grand Canyon are close by.

OTHER LODGE OPTIONS I HAVE TRIED:

Lake Lodge and Cabins is a fantastic rustic lodge (also designed by Reamer) down the road from Lake Hotel. You get the best lake view from their dining room. The great hall is inviting and a typically rustic, wild western affair. There are historic Pioneer cabins and newer Western cabins. Room configuration varies from doubles, triples and quads. I like the restored (only some) Pioneer cabins. These are a good value.
Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Cabins compound is five miles from the north Gardiner entrance to the park. This is where the original Army Post was and many of those buildings still stand. The four-story hotel is an odd configuration, but the rooms are spacious and comfortable although the hallways are very dark. The dining room and snack bar are in a separate building. The geology around the hotel is amazing (as are the old fort buildings), but a stay here is for folks who are spending a good amount of time at the park. I have not stayed at the cabins.

The two exterior photos are copyright by Fred Pflughoft and published in Great Lodges of the National Parks (2002).

TRAVEL PACKAGES:

I love to plan my own trips, but many people don't have the time or interest. That means you are in luck. Xanterra Parks & Resorts has put together a bunch of packages that take the trip planning out of the pleasure of seeing America's first national park. Check out my YELLOWSTONE TRAVEL PACKAGE POST.