Another tale from our national parks trip last fall …
Last year, I shared a story about the one and only time we had ever stayed in national park accommodations (at the Grand Canyon in the mid-90s) and how we checked out after only one night.
So when we began planning last fall’s trip, we weren’t sure we wanted to stay in any official park hotels. That said, the locations are convenient, so we decided to at least consider the options.
As it happened, because we were traveling in October, everything at Glacier N.P. was already closed for the season. And, as for Yellowstone, almost everything would be closed during the time we would be there. However, there were two options: one hotel near the north entrance at Mammoth Hot Springs and one in the Old Faithful area.
We took one look at the prices at Mammoth Hot Springs, laughed, and booked a much less expensive hotel a short drive away just outside the park gates in Gardiner, Montana. We were very pleased with our accommodations there and Gardiner is a lovely town, so we highly recommend that to anyone who might be planning a trip.
Then we looked at what was available near Old Faithful. All that was open there during the days we were looking at was the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Cabins. The prices were expensive — well above what we would normally be willing to pay — but the location was so good that we decided to splurge and stay for two nights.
We reserved one of the cabins. While they were stand-alone structures, in reality, they were cabin-sized hotel rooms with 1 or 2 beds, a table and chairs, a tiny bathroom, and individual front porches and entrances. There was no kitchen or kitchenette, not even a microwave, and the website stated that cooking was not allowed in the rooms.
Because cooking was not allowed, before we reserved our cabin, we looked at available food options. At this point in our trip, it would be the third week of October, and not only were most of the hotels, but most of the dining options were too. All that was available around the Old Faithful area was the Obsidian Dining Room (breakfast, dinner, and maybe lunch) and the Geyser Grill (fast food options for lunch and dinner). Both were located nearby in the main Snow Lodge.
The food situation was almost a dealbreaker for us. At this point in the pandemic, we still wear masks inside stores, medical offices, airplanes, and so forth. We don’t eat inside restaurants unless we have no other option. Even then, we’ll go inside masked and do that awkward thing of lifting our mask to take a bite, replace our mask, chew and swallow, and repeat.
(Note: I am not open to any debate whatsoever about our masking choices as we enter the fifth year of a pandemic that people like to pretend is over or is somehow not still killing hundreds of people weekly. I have not had covid yet and would like to continue to avoid it for as long as possible.)
So the food situation at Old Faithful was less than optimal. We could get takeout at the Geyser Grill but it looked like that wasn’t an option for the Obsidian Dining Room. We decided to pack a cooler with easy breakfast and lunch options, then pick up dinners at the fast food place. If we needed to go to the dine-in option, we would, but only if truly necessary.
Fast forward to our arrival at the lodge: Driving into the Old Faithful area, we were excited to finally be there. Check-in was slow, as there was only one person processing arrivals. But once we did that, we drove over to our temporary home for the next two days.
The cabin was simple and rustic but looked cozy and appeared to be clean. We were delighted to find out that we had a fridge, which was a pleasant surprise.
We quickly learned that the wifi was iffy and dropped constantly. Cell service was nonexistent in most of the park, including the Old Faithful area. I don’t need to be connected 24/7 but since there were also no telephones in the cabins, I would at least have liked to have a connection with the outside world in case of a family emergency. And based on the lack of staffing we saw at the main desk, I was not confident that we would get a message if there had been an emergency.
At dinnertime, we walked back over to the main lodge to the Geyser Grill. The menu is small and meat-centric. As we perused the menu, we noticed that quite a few items were crossed off and unavailable, so we ordered burgers and fries and went back to our cabin to eat. The meal was somewhere between mediocre and inedible, and given the lack of menu options, we didn’t bother with the grill again during our visit. Luckily, we had packed enough snack and lunch options in our cooler that we were able to cobble together a decent dinner our second night.
Our cabin had been reasonably warm all evening, which was pleasant. However, later in the night, I woke up so cold that I was shivering uncontrollably. I was reminded of the time my husband and I went camping and shivered all night.
The bedding situation was inadequate for fall in Wyoming — just a thin bedspread, a blanket, and a top sheet — and it was then that I discovered that the blanket smelled as though it had not been washed all season, which meant I certainly didn’t want it anywhere near my body. I got up and added another layer of clothes.
When we woke up in the morning, I mentioned to my husband how cold it was, which was when I learned that he had lowered the heat before he went to sleep. He promised not to do that again and the next night was much warmer.
As for the blanket, we asked at the front desk to get a clean one, along with more coffee for the coffee maker. The same person who had checked us in the day before said that someone would bring a blanket and more coffee to our room, but that never happened.
We spent the day exploring the Old Faithful area and other parts of the park. As promised, our location was convenient and it was easy to walk over to the geyser area and watch the magnificent geothermal activity. As I’ve said before, Yellowstone is truly awesome.
We spent one more night in the cabin and woke the next morning to beautiful falling snow. As we were getting dressed, someone cleared our front porch and brushed off our car, both of which were unexpected and greatly appreciated. We loaded the car to leave Yellowstone, headed south, and learned that all roads had been beautifully plowed. As one would expect, those folks know how to deal with the frozen white stuff.
Wrapping all this up, how many stars would I give this experience?
I was not expecting this to be a posh experience (not that I would have wanted one) but the noisome blanket was repulsive and not at all acceptable, no matter how basic the accommodations.
The poor wifi was frustrating given the lack of communication options. As for the lack of food options and understaffing, I recognize that we were there at the end of the season, but it was still annoying.
However, the company that runs the hospitality services at Yellowstone charges a lot of money for those services. For the prices we paid, I expected better. I definitely expected clean bedding.
I just looked at the reviews on Google and while they skew toward positive, there were plenty of complaints about the wifi, cleanliness, service, and food options.
Overall, I’d give this lodge two stars because I’m still skeeved out by that blanket.
Would I ever stay in a national parks hotel again? Honestly, it would take a lot to convince me to try again.
Ah yes... somewhere between mediocre and inedible, that's a STRONG recommendation right there. I think we stayed in a cabin 16 years ago when we visited Yellowstone as a family. It was summer - approaching high season and I don't remember it being horribly expensive. I think honestly that the cost was less expensive than any alternative but it had to be booked a year in advance. I do remember the food being awful and we managed to use a cooler for breakfast and lunch items. Oddly the concessions at Grand Tetons were infinitely superior. (the parks are so close I'd have thought the concessions might be shared)