Should I change YNP onsite hotels

Hi,

We are in YNP July 4 to July 8. Arriving from Jackson. I have booked the first two nights at Mammoth thinking it would be a good base for touring the northern loop or western side of the Park, then the second two nights at Grant Village for the Southern or eastern side of the park. However, with the road construction, I am thinking it might be best to do Old Faithful Inn the first night, then Mammoth the second, then GV the next two. But that means checking in and checking out one extra time and leaving our stuff in our rental while touring.

What do others think?

thanks,

Deb

Should I change YNP onsite hotels

You may not be able to make all the changes you want in any event. We never worried about leaving the stuff in the car on move day. If you are near your next lodging, they will usually let you check in early. Sometimes very early. We checked into Roosevelt at 11:00AM one day and that really simplified things.

To your question. I can%26#39;t think of many good reasons to stay at Grant Village if other places were open. Its a long drive to everything. Canyon is the best location in the park but can be hard to get a reservation. It is good for the east sections of the park on both loops. Lake wouldn%26#39;t be a bad choice either and theirs the hotel with cabins and the Lake Lodge with cabins.

I don%26#39;t think the location for Old Faithful Inn is all that cool but the Inn is. Definitely worth spending a night there.

Mammoth doesn%26#39;t do a lot for me either. There just isn%26#39;t a lot there. Roosevelt is a great place if you can do without a bathroom in the cabin. Only a short walk, though. Good restaurant, great front porch with rockers and right at the entrance to Lamar Valley. Actually a better location for the northern loop than Mammoth in my opinion.

All that said, if you keep your current reservations, you%26#39;ll have a great trip. Hard to go wrong.

There might be something on our website that would be helpful too. It has trip reports, many pictures, sample itineraries and a page with information and links to help plan a trip.

www.alandsuejohnson.com/yellowstone_home.htm

Should I change YNP onsite hotels

Thanks! I have bookmarked your page. It will be very helpful. Right now Old Faithful Inn in has a room for July 4 in the old section w/o bath. I am debating if I want to take it or not. I tend to get up in the middle of the night...

But I have camped and had to use a flashlight to get to the outhouse before, so it would not be the end fo the world to have to walk down the hall. :)

The old rooms are cool with the log walls. It isn%26#39;t much like camping other than that.

Roosevelt is my favorite but it is a little more like camping.

I too tend to need the bathroom in the middle of the night, but stayed one night last year at OFI in a room without bathroom. (I wanted to stay there just for the history and ambience and it was worth it.)

I lasted til early morning, and ventured into the corridor which was lit so a bathroom visit wasn%26#39;t a problem. There were two towelling robes in our room which was nice.

Mammoth is a good place to stop after a day of touring up either side of the park. It%26#39;s a neat place with the elk herd hanging around, old Ft. Yellowstone and of course the rock formations. The old road up to Gardiner is well maintained and is one-way North. Makes an interesting and scenic 45 minute trip up to the arch, followed by the normal highway route to Mammoth.

Rather than making the long drive to Mammoth the first day, consider stopping at Old Faithful or the Lake area the first night. Then go on up to Mammoth and down the other side after that. The best hotel in the park imho is Snow Lodge at OF. Lake Hotel is a good hotel as well. At Mammoth, try to get a West facing cabin to catch the sunset over the formations.

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