Where to Stay in Yellowstone: In-Park Lodges (Old Faithful & Canyon) vs West Yellowstone & Gardiner

Because Yellowstone is larger than the territory of Puerto Rico and has a 45 mph speed limit, where you sleep determines whether you spend your holiday watching geysers and wolves, or staring at a steering wheel for four hours a day. Use one of the two strategies below.

Strategy 1 (Top Choice): Stay Inside the Park & Split Your Nights (Book at yellowstonenationalparklodges.com)

All 9 official hotels and cabin complexes inside the park are managed by Xanterra (yellowstonenationalparklodges.com). Reservations open 13 months in advance on the 5th of each month; if your dates look full, check the portal several times a day within 30 days of your trip, because cancellations appear frequently. For a 3- or 4-night trip, split your stay between two hubs:

• Nights 1 & 2, Old Faithful Area (Southwest Hub for Geysers): book at the historic 1904 Old Faithful Inn, modern year-round Old Faithful Snow Lodge & Cabins, or simpler Old Faithful Lodge Cabins (check current availability on the official portal).
• Nights 3 & 4, Canyon Lodge & Cabins or Mammoth Hot Springs (Central & Northern Hub): Canyon Lodge & Cabins is the largest hotel complex in the park (500+ modern LEED-certified lodge rooms and cabins) at the centre of the Figure-8, 5 minutes from Artist Point, 15 minutes from Hayden Valley, and 45 minutes from Lamar Valley. Also consider historic 1891 Lake Yellowstone Hotel or Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel & Cabins.

Strategy 2 (Outside-the-Park Combo): Split Between 'West Yellowstone, MT' & 'Gardiner, MT'

If in-park lodges are sold out or you prefer hotels with air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, pools and 30 restaurants (in-park lodges have no televisions, no air-conditioning and limited Wi-Fi), avoid booking all four nights in a single town two hours away. Stay right at the gates:

1. West Yellowstone, Montana (West Gate, Days 1 & 2): 20 minutes from Madison Junction, 35 minutes from Grand Prismatic and 45 minutes from Old Faithful, and home to the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center.
2. Gardiner, Montana (North Gate, Day 3): 10 minutes from Mammoth Hot Springs and 45 minutes from dawn wildlife in Lamar Valley. Entering from the East? Stay in Cody, Wyoming, home to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.