West Yellowstone hotels

As someone who has camped and stayed in hotels while visiting Yellowstone, I can say that Explorer Cabins at Yellowstone combines the best of both. The cabins offer plenty of opportunities to step outside and breathe the fresh mountain air.

Rustic yet comfortable accommodations offer hotel perks like kitchenettes, climate control, indoor fireplaces, comfy beds, and walk-in closets. Cabins have front porches with seasonal hammocks and living areas, and guests are welcomed with complimentary s’mores kits to enjoy at the communal fire pits.

One of the best hotels in Yellowstone, the cabins are popular with various types of travellers, from multi-generational family groups to couples looking for a dog-friendly getaway or romantic escape. The cabins, open year-round, are just a few minutes from Yellowstone National Park’s West Entrance. There’s also free parking and a complimentary West Yellowstone shuttle service.

Named after the year Yellowstone National Park was established, the 1872 Inn aims to connect guests to the park’s rich history through its half-timbered architecture and Montana-inspired guest rooms.

Adult-only, it’s also one of the best hotels in West Yellowstone for travellers looking for sophistication and quiet. Guest rooms have custom headboards, desk chairs, personal fireplaces, large double showers, and flat-screen televisions.

A continental breakfast of bagels, scrambled eggs, and porridge is served each morning. Friendly staff are on hand to assist guests with luggage and suggest things to do, from going to the Playmill Theater to exploring hidden treasures in the park.

While it isn’t the closest hotel to the national park, it’s only about one mile away and within walking distance of things to do, like the paved Shortline Trail (a great project by the way!) that goes along the South Fork of the Madison River.

With standalone cabins on park-like grounds, Hibernation Station feels like a small village just a few blocks from the park entrance. The fairytale log cabins and chalets have handmade beds, painted armoires, quilt comforters, and jetted spa tubs.

The property often provides outdoor amenities such as picnic areas, barbecue grills, and fire pits, encouraging guests to relax and enjoy the outdoors after exploring the park. Hibernation Station is one of the best hotels in West Yellowstone for families, with kid- and pet-friendly accommodations. Some cabins can sleep up to six and have multiple bedrooms, common areas, and full kitchens.

While visiting the national park is a given, I recommend taking time to explore the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, an animal refuge where you can see wolves, grizzly bears, and more up close. It’s just a few blocks from the hotel.

The Faithful Street Inn, one of the top-rated hotels in West Yellowstone, is a reliable choice for travellers looking for the comforts of home. The inn offers the cabin-style experience that is very popular.

Clean cabins – great for families, large groups, and couples – are simple but well-appointed. This is one of the best hotels in West Yellowstone for travellers who want to eat in and easily prepare snacks to take on hikes and other adventures. Kitchens have dish towels, dishwasher pods, bakeware, pots, pans, and everything needed for serving. Laundry rooms are also fully stocked.

The innkeepers and staff know the area well and can recommend activities, dining options, and must-see sights. Pick up morning pastries at Bear Country Bakery, and fresh produce and local meats at Food Roundup Supermarket. I recommend taking full advantage of the inn’s gas grills, picnic tables, and lawn chairs.

I grew up going to Best Western hotels (the chain has over 2,000 properties around the U.S.) on road trips and have always enjoyed the clean rooms, complimentary breakfast, and swimming pools. Best Western Desert Inn in West Yellowstone is one of the only hotels in town with an indoor pool. It’s also only two blocks from the park’s West Entrance, and it’s just 30 miles to popular sites like Old Faithful.

One of the best hotels in West Yellowstone for families, the hotel offers guest rooms with two queens and even two king beds. The décor, which includes wooden furniture and framed landscape artwork, is simple and contemporary.

Bonus: Best Western Rewards members earn points during their stays to be used towards future bookings. The included breakfast buffet featuring hot eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, pastries, fresh fruit, and strong coffee helps you get on your way with a full stomach.

The Moose Creek Inn may not have amenities like a pool, but it makes up for it with attentive service and a variety of adorable accommodations. Guests can stay in guest rooms, suites and cabins from the 1950s. All are furnished with rustic, woodsy décor like plaid bed runners, log bed frames, and elk and bear motif rugs.

I love the lobby, which captures the Western design aesthetic with antlers on one wall and a log art installation on the other. Explorers can begin their day with coffee in the lobby while chatting with the knowledgeable staff about what to do. Maps are provided free of charge.

While Moose Creek Inn doesn’t provide breakfast, the excellent Ernie’s bakery, a fixture in West Yellowstone for four decades, is a short walk away and serves French specialities like pain au chocolate and crêpes with Nutella.

Three blocks from Yellowstone’s West Entrance, Yellowstone Park Hotel offers a more traditional hotel experience. The guest rooms are some of West Yellowstone’s most luxurious. Even standard rooms have king beds and 49-inch flat-screen televisions. Deluxe rooms and suites have living room alcoves and kitchenettes. Spa suites are perfect for couples who want comfort and privacy, with a king bed and a bathtub with whirlpool jets.

The indoor swimming pool and hot tub offer a way to cool off or warm up after hiking and wildlife viewing in Yellowstone. Complimentary continental breakfast is served in a cute canteen with wooden chairs and tables topped with vintage pictures and posters of the park.

Well-thought-out perks, like complimentary s’mores kits to enjoy, free ice cream in the lobby every evening (one of my favourite things about staying here), and plentiful parking, make this one of the best hotels in West Yellowstone.

On a 200-acre estate, 6 miles from Yellowstone’s West Entrance, Bar N Ranch, one of the best hotels in West Yellowstone offers an elegant take on the Western 'dude ranch' experience. Accommodations are in the Main Lodge, a grand log cabin where the Great Room has a river rock fireplace, soaring ceilings, and individually furnished cabins with wood-burning fireplaces and refrigerators.

One of the best luxury hotels in West Yellowstone, guests have abundant amenities and adventures at their fingertips. Surrounded by a national forest, guests can go hiking, fishing on the property and nearby, as I did on a visit, white water rafting. Guided tours to see wildlife in the beautiful valleys of Yellowstone National Park are also available.

The Bar N Ranch serves filling breakfasts, craft cocktails, and dinner menus that feature the best locally sourced ingredients. Start with 'Montana toasts' with herbed goat cheese, huckleberry, and wildflower honey, followed by hearty wild game Bolognese.

While being close to Yellowstone National Park’s entrance has advantages, it’s also nice to be farther out, where hotels have more room to breathe. The historic Elkhorn Cabins and Inn, located on a quiet side street, is walking distance to downtown, but it sits on the national park’s boundary, so it feels more immersed in nature than other hotels in busy West Yellowstone.

Cosy guest rooms have elk horns above dark wood bed frames with quilts in neutral shades. The best accommodations at the inn are four historic log cabins with animals carved into columns out front and panelled in different types of wood.

The Obsidian Cabin can sleep families of four, while the other three, including one with a set of bunk beds, are more compact. One of the best hotels in West Yellowstone, Elkhorn Cabins books up well in advance, so plan ahead.

Fresh from a major renovation, Gray Wolf Inn & Suites features the modern-day comforts today’s travellers expect and then some.

Different types of travellers will find accommodations to suit their needs, from large suites that can accommodate families to smaller rooms for solo travellers and couples. Rooms with pops of burnt orange have flat-screen TVs, mini-fridges, and coffee makers. Some rooms also have separate living areas and kitchenettes.

Designers wove the area’s history into interiors in creative ways. The pool area showcases facts about the national park and local wildlife. One of the best hotels in West Yellowstone for amenities, the hotel’s breakfast room is where guests congregate each morning for fresh fruit juice, cereal, and pastries.

Free covered parking is helpful, especially in the winter when the town is typically blanketed in snow.