On this page
- Why does the drive from Old Faithful to the canyon decide where you sleep?
- Which nine lodges are inside the park, and when do they open?
- How do you book a Yellowstone lodge?
- Which booking system runs each campground, from Madison to Slough Creek?
- Which gateway town, from Gardiner to Cody, suits you?
- Is Jackson, Wyoming, a good base for the South Entrance?
- Where can you stay in Yellowstone in winter?
- FAQ
Where to stay in Yellowstone comes down to one trade, between being close and finding a room.
The nine lodges inside the park put you next to the geysers and the wildlife valleys. They book out a year ahead. The gateway towns at the five entrances have far more rooms but add an hour or more to each day. For most first visits, the best plan is two bases. One sits near the geyser basins in the west, and one in the north or east for the canyon and Lamar Valley.
The dates below are from the Park Service and from Yellowstone National Park Lodges, the company that runs the park's hotels. We read them on 26 October 2026. They give no room prices, because neither source publishes them. Town distances come from each town's own visitor office.
Why does the drive from Old Faithful to the canyon decide where you sleep?
Yellowstone covers nearly 3,500 square miles, so around 50 miles of road separate Old Faithful from the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, by the Park Service's figure. The Park Service's own junction times put that drive at about 95 to 105 minutes without a stop for a single bison.
A base in the wrong corner can therefore cost two or three hours a day in the car. West Yellowstone is close to Old Faithful but far from Lamar Valley. Gardiner is close to Mammoth and Lamar but more than two hours from Old Faithful, adding up the Park Service's times. Splitting the stay removes most of that driving.
Which nine lodges are inside the park, and when do they open?
All nine lodges inside the park, from the Old Faithful Inn to Roosevelt Lodge Cabins, are booked through Yellowstone National Park Lodges, online or on 307-344-7311. The 2027 dates, published by the company and subject to change, show how short the season is for most of them.
| Lodge | Area | 2027 season |
|---|---|---|
| Old Faithful Inn | Old Faithful | 30 April to 11 October |
| Old Faithful Lodge Cabins | Old Faithful | 7 May to 3 October |
| Old Faithful Snow Lodge | Old Faithful | 23 April to 31 October, and in winter |
| Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel | Mammoth | 23 April 2027 to 6 March 2028 |
| Canyon Lodge | Canyon Village | 14 May to 31 October |
| Lake Yellowstone Hotel | Yellowstone Lake | 14 May to 10 October |
| Lake Lodge Cabins | Yellowstone Lake | 10 June to 3 October |
| Grant Village | Yellowstone Lake | 28 May to 10 October |
| Roosevelt Lodge Cabins | Tower-Roosevelt | 4 June to 6 September |
The portico of the Lake Yellowstone Hotel, on the shore of Yellowstone Lake.
The Park Service says park lodging fills quickly and advises booking as early as possible. Mammoth's ordinary cabins close from mid-October to early March. In winter only its hot tub cabins and the hotel rooms stay on sale.
How do you book a Yellowstone lodge?
A Yellowstone lodge can be booked up to 13 months ahead. On the 5th of every month, the park's concessioner opens the whole of the same month in the following year. Online booking opens at midnight Mountain Time and phone booking at 7 a.m.
So July 2027 went on sale on 5 July 2026. By late October 2026 rooms were bookable through the end of October 2027. The deposit is the first night's rate. A stay that starts in the last bookable month may run up to four nights into the next one. The extra nights stay in the same lodge and room type.
Which booking system runs each campground, from Madison to Slough Creek?
Yellowstone's 11 campgrounds split between two booking systems. From the 2027 season, all of them that take reservations go through Recreation.gov. The park's concessioner says its five, the larger ones, move there for summer 2027, opening about six months ahead. The Park Service's own six book exactly six months before the night.
| Campground | Sites | 2026 nightly fee |
|---|---|---|
| Madison | 276 | $38 plus taxes |
| Canyon | 272 | $45 plus taxes |
| Grant Village | 429 | $45 plus taxes |
| Bridge Bay | 431 | $38 plus taxes |
| Fishing Bridge RV Park | 310 | $94 plus taxes |
| Mammoth | 82 | $25 |
| Indian Creek, Lewis Lake, Slough Creek, Tower Fall | 16 to 84 each | $20 |
Mammoth is the only campground open all year. Pebble Creek has stayed closed since the 2022 floods. The 2027 dates published so far run from Madison, opening on 7 May, to Grant Village, opening on 18 June.
Which gateway town, from Gardiner to Cody, suits you?
Yellowstone's gateway towns each sit outside one entrance, so the right town follows the part of the park you plan to see most.
| Town | Entrance | Distance, from local visitor offices |
|---|---|---|
| West Yellowstone, Montana | West | A block from the gate; Old Faithful about 32 miles |
| Gardiner, Montana | North | At the gate; Mammoth 5 miles, Old Faithful 56 |
| Cooke City and Silver Gate, Montana | Northeast | 4 miles to the gate, for Lamar Valley |
| Cody, Wyoming | East | 52 miles to the gate |
| Jackson, Wyoming | South | 57 miles to the gate, through Grand Teton |
| Island Park, Idaho | West | About 30 miles to the gate |
West Yellowstone is the busiest entrance and the easiest base for the geyser basins. Gardiner is the one town where the road into the park stays open all winter. Cooke City is the quietest choice and the closest to the wolves of Lamar Valley. Once the Beartooth Highway closes in October, the only road to it by car runs through the park from Gardiner.
Is Jackson, Wyoming, a good base for the South Entrance?
Jackson is a good base for Grand Teton but a long one for Yellowstone. It sits 57 miles from the South Entrance and farther still from Old Faithful. It works for a trip that starts or ends in Grand Teton National Park. Plan a night at Grant Village, Old Faithful or in West Yellowstone after crossing into the park.
Bozeman's airport has direct flights on nine major airlines. The town is 89.3 miles from West Yellowstone and 78.1 from Gardiner, according to its visitor office. It is a place to land and pick up a car rather than a base for the park.
Where can you stay in Yellowstone in winter?
In winter Yellowstone has only two places to stay inside the park: Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Old Faithful Snow Lodge. From 1 November most roads close to cars. The interior then opens only to snowcoach and snowmobile tours from 15 December.
Mammoth is on the road from Gardiner, which stays open all year, so visitors can reach it by car. Old Faithful Snow Lodge, open from 16 December 2026 to early March 2027, needs over-snow transport in both directions. Its operator runs a snowcoach from Mammoth, booked separately for each way. The gateway towns, Gardiner included, stay open all year.
The hub guide to Yellowstone National Park covers the entrances and the fees. The guide to the best time to visit Yellowstone shows which months the lodges are open for.