West Yellowstone lodging question... (Sheridan, Cody: hotels, camping, live)

[Kristynwy]

Well my parents are going to come out this summer and visit... They are driving from Oregon and have never been through Yellowstone, the Tetons and Northern Wyoming... So we are going to take them there and then through the Bighorns to Sheridan...

My dad has been on a motorcycle trip through all of southern Wyoming though...

anyways... I am trying to plan things for them.... and of course the hotels ect in the park are booked up... which I expected when my husband made the trip a few years back before we moved to Sheridan, we planned about a year in advance...

anyways... I am thinking about booking a place in West Yellowstone, MT

Does anyone recommend a place to stay???? nothing special... just clean place to sleep and shower...

Thanks a bunch

Ps. I was looking at the Historic Madison Hotel... It was pretty reasonable.. just not sure what it's like...

[jdavid93225]

From what I saw of West Yellowstone, it looks somewhat pricey, but I didn't look into it very much. When I was there last year, I didn't have any reservations, and everything was booked up. I did find a nice room at the Ashton Inn in Ashton, Idaho, which was only about 30 to 45 minutes away as I recall. It was a lot cheaper than the places I checked in West Yellowstone, but as I said, I didn't do very much looking around when I was there. On the other side of the park (out the Northeast route), I stayed at a Best Western in Red Lodge, Montana that was pretty nice, and I would certainly stay there again if I were in need of a place to stay in the area.

[Kristynwy]

thanks Jdavid.... those are the two problems I am having, price and being booked up...

I was looking at Gardiner & Red lodge also, but that is too out of the way, cause I only have a day and a half to show them Yellowstone, so I was trying to stay close to the park...

There are still some availabilities in some places though...

[ElkHunter]

Kristy,

Check out Cooke City and that area. It's in Montana but the only way to get there is from Wyoming.

[Kristynwy]

Originally Posted by ElkHunter

Kristy,

Check out Cooke City and that area. It's in Montana but the only way to get there is from Wyoming.

Thanks a bunch Elkhunter, I was aiming for another small town in that area... so that helps me a bunch I will look up there and see what I can find

[ElkHunter]

The other thought is to aim for someplace like Cody or Powel. Go in one gate, tour the park and out the other gate. You would think that Cody and Powel would have something. Either one would put you less then 30 minutes from entering the park.

Also, remember that the park doesn't contain it all. There are really trees and mountains and elk and moose on the outside. hahaha Doesn't all start when you hit the gate.

[Kristynwy]

Originally Posted by ElkHunter

The other thought is to aim for someplace like Cody or Powel. Go in one gate, tour the park and out the other gate. You would think that Cody and Powel would have something. Either one would put you less then 30 minutes from entering the park.

Also, remember that the park doesn't contain it all. There are really trees and mountains and elk and moose on the outside. hahaha Doesn't all start when you hit the gate.

I thought about that Cody...

My parents want to drive through the Tetons, and Meet us at Old Faithful early in the morning... I would have all day to take them through the park, and the east entrance towards Cody we would see the next morning as well as Cody and then take them through the big horns towards Sheridan the rest of that day...

They wanted to spend the bulk of the time in the Sheridan,Buffalo area, seeing where we live ect, so only a day and a half in Yellowstone... lol

But because they are coming from the West and us from the East that is why I was thinking stoping in West Yellowstone or Gardiner... Gardiner is further up north though...

I guess I need to start making a more clear intenerary of what spots we are stopping to help me figure out where we be the best area to stop for the night...

[emeraldsky]

Big Sky, Montana may be too out of the way for you (it's about 50 miles from West Yellowstone going north I think). It's where we staid when we couldn't find anything in West Yellowstone. We were glad we found this place though. The Best Western my husband thinks it was. (There's a picture in the picture thread.) It was under $100 and not at all crowded. In fact, there were many rooms not taken. Delicious breakfast in the morning, big buffet. Friendly service. Quiet and comfortable. Something to keep in mind if you can't find anything...

Have a really great time with your family.

[Kristynwy]

Thanks Emeraldsky,
That is really good to know Things are already booking up so fast...

I will keep that as an option if we don't get a reservation... thanks again

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by Kristynwy

thanks Jdavid.... those are the two problems I am having, price and being booked up...

I was looking at Gardiner & Red lodge also, but that is too out of the way, cause I only have a day and a half to show them Yellowstone, so I was trying to stay close to the park...

There are still some availabilities in some places though...

One of the reasons I like Red Lodge is that it's at the other end of the Beartooth Highway from Yellowstone. This is one of the prettiest places I've ever seen, and is well worth the trip. Charles Kurault even called it one of the ten most beautiful drives in the United States. The scenery along that road is gorgeous, and well worth the trip if you can make it there.

Have you given any thought to camping? I don't know if that is anything your parents would enjoy, but there are some campsites along the Beartooth Highway if that is something that interests you. There are 13 National Forest Campsites in the area according to one website I viewed. Here's a link with campground info in case you're interested:
USDA Forest Service, Shoshone National Forest - Recreation Activities