10 Best Hotels in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Dating from 1891, the park's oldest lodge maintains an air of old-world refinement; just off the lobby, the spacious sunroom offers priceless views of Yellowstone Lake at sunrise or sunset. It's also a great place to play cards, read, or just soak in its considerable grandeur. Note the tiled fireplace, the etched windows of the gift shop, and the beautiful bay windows. The white wicker furnishings in the rooms lend them a light, airy feel; some rooms have water views. The least expensive rooms are in an annex.

The rooms at this 1936 lodge are smaller and simpler than those at the park's other historic hotels, but this one is less expensive; the surrounding cabins look like tiny, genteel summer homes. The rooms can get hot in summer months, but you can open the windows to catch a breeze. Some of the rooms do not have private bathrooms; shared facilities are down the hall. Set amid lush lawns, the cabins are among the nicest inside the park, and some have hot tubs, although others are without private baths. With a spacious Art Deco lobby, this is one of the few lodging facilities open in winter.

Easily earning its National Historic Landmark status, this jewel of the national park system has been a favorite since the original Old House section opened in 1904—it's worth a visit whether or not you stay here. The lobby has a 76-foot-high, eight-sided fireplace, as well as bright-red, iron-clad doors, two balconies, and a fantastical "treehouse" of platforms, ladders, and dormer windows. You can stay in century-old rooms with thick timber wood walls and ceilings for as little as $135 if you're willing to do without a private bathroom (and the communal bathrooms are surprisingly elegant). Rooms with bathrooms are in the Old House or the "modern" wings built in 1913 and 1927.

You can choose from several different types of accommodations at this large, sprawling property near the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, which includes a modern and attractive lodge with smartly designed and sustainable rooms, the renovated pine-frame Western Cabins, and nicely updated rooms in the historic Dunraven and Cascade Lodge buildings. The property is set in the trees above the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. There are several dining options within walking distance.

Grant Village is an excellent location for touring the southern half of the park, but this 1980s lodge itself feels a bit dorm-like, its rooms furnished like their counterparts at a big-city motel, with beds, nightstands, and tables, and not much else. Premium rooms also have coffeemakers and refrigerators.

Located just up the lake shoreline from the grand Lake Yellowstone Hotel, this 1920 lodge is one of the park's homey, hidden treasures. It offers clean and affordable, no-frills cabins and some of the best sunrise views in the park from its fantastic front porch. Ask for a Western cabin, which are some of the nicest. A few units have baths, instead of just showers.

There are no rooms inside the Old Faithful Lodge, but close to 100 rustic cabins can be found at the village's northeastern end. Typical of cabins throughout the park, these ones are very basic—lacking most amenities, views, or character. On the other hand, the cabins are almost as close to the geyser as rooms at the Old Faithful Inn. If you plan to spend a day or more exploring the geyser basins, this is a good budget-friendly option.

This large, contemporary lodge brings back the grand tradition of park lodges by making good use of heavy timber beams and wrought-iron accents in its distinctive facade; guest rooms combine traditional style with up-to-date amenities. In the interior common spaces you'll find soaring ceilings, natural lighting, and a spacious lobby with a stone fireplace, and a long sitting room where writing desks and overstuffed chairs invite you to linger. This is one of only two park lodging facilities open in winter, when the only way to get here is on over-snow vehicles.

Just yards from Old Faithful, the Western Cabins feature bright interiors and a modern motel ambience, while the Frontier Cabins are simple pine structures.

Near the beautiful Lamar Valley in the park's north-central reaches, this simple lodge in a pine forest dates from the 1920s and surpasses some of the park's more expensive options when it comes to rustic tranquility. Some cabins have bathrooms, but most do not, though there is a bathhouse nearby. Roughrider cabins may have woodstoves as the only heating system. Horseback and stagecoach rides are among the hotel's activities, and there's a charming old restaurant on-site.