America’s first national park, Yellowstone stretches over more than two million acres across the states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana.
Home to geothermal and geological wonders like Old Faithful and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, the park boasts outstanding scenery, fascinating ecosystems, and abundant wildlife roaming the terrain just as they’ve been doing for millennia.
With a long list of world-famous attractions to witness, the park draws in visitors from all over the planet. Guests can base themselves in the park itself at one of the many lodges. Alternatively, they can stay in one of the bustling communities surrounding the five entrances to the park.
To help you choose the perfect accommodation for your itinerary, budget, and travel style, we’ve listed the top-rated Cabins to Rent in Yellowstone National Park. See them below
Travel Tips for Staying in Yellowstone National Park
What to Know About Yellowstone Before You Go
Regardless of where you stay in Yellowstone National Park, you’ll need an entrance pass. Seven-day passes start at $20 for individuals with no car and $35 for private non-commercial vehicles.
For a full list of entrance pass prices and options, please visit the official National Park Service website.
When thinking about cabin rental in Yellowstone National Park, it’s important to consider the top attractions that you want to see, and when you want to see them. Prioritizing what’s the most important to you will help you decide where in the park you’d like to say.
The more popular attractions, such as Old Faithful, tend to offer vastly different experiences depending on what time of the day you actually visit them, some attractions will get crowded.
Typically, the busiest times in the park are from 10 a.m. to 5/6 p.m. Visit during these hours and you could spend a long time lining up, only to have other guests obstruct your view in the end anyway.
The best time to avoid the crowds at the geyser is early in the morning, or late in the afternoon. So it might pay to stay somewhere nearby if you plan on being there early.
Similarly, Yellowstone Lake is best to visit during the day, when most of the crowds are at Old Faithful (Yellowstone National Park Lodges).
If observing wildlife is one of your priorities while visiting the park, it’s important to get up early or stay out until dusk, as these are the times when the wildlife are most active.
One of the best vantage points for viewing bison, in particular, is Hayden Valley, which lies mostly to the west of the Yellowstone River in Wyoming.
Another popular location for viewing wildlife inside the park is Lamar Valley, in the north-eastern corner of the park. Visitors often spot wolves, bears, coyotes, and bighorn sheep here, which also tend to be more active around dawn and dusk.
Should I Stay Inside or Outside the Park?
When tossing up between staying inside or outside the park, there are a few things to keep in mind. Firstly, accommodation tends to be cheaper outside the park. While there are costlier options outside the park too, lodging, in general, is more expensive inside.
Secondly, there is limited mobile network and Wi-Fi coverage inside Yellowstone. So if a secure internet connection is important to you, it might be better to stay in nearby accommodation and make day trips to the park.
All Yellowstone cabins tend to book quickly, especially in the popular summer months. So be sure to book well in advance. If you’d like to stay inside the park, you usually have to book a year in advance, while accommodation in the communities outside the park tends not to fill up quite so quickly.
Staying in the surrounding towns also gives you access to more amenities, such as supermarkets and a wider range of restaurants. Fuel is also cheaper outside the park than it is inside.
Weather and Specific Items to Pack
The weather in Yellowstone National Park can bring conditions from all four seasons in a single day. So it’s important to pack for both the cold and the heat when visiting in summer, fall, and spring.
Also be sure to pack binoculars, since it’s important to keep a safe distance from any wildlife you encounter.
Even if you are staying at a crowded lodge or RV park, it’s important to bring a trusty flashlight as artificial light tends to be poor in the park at night. Of course, this makes stargazing all the more spectacular.
Other important items to bring include hand sanitizer, food, a water cooler, a refillable water bottle, and an insulated mug to keep coffee warm, especially if you’re staying outside the park and want to sip your drink on the drive in.
What to Do Inside the Park
Some of the most popular attractions in the park include Grand Prismatic Spring, the Lamar and Hayden Valleys, and Mammoth Hot Springs.
While some visitors choose to remain in their cars and just observe the landscape from the road, there are more than 1000 miles of trails to explore. Only a sliver of the park is accessible by the road. The rest of the 2.2 million acres can only be discovered by foot, so it’s worth factoring in at least some hiking to your itinerary.
Other than avoiding the busiest times of day, you can avoid large crowds by not traveling to Yellowstone in July and August. You can also swap the most popular highlights for hidden gems.
For example, most guests flock to see Old Faithful, not realizing there are actually 500 other geysers in the park that won’t attract nearly as many crowds. (Lonely Planet).
The park is dotted with visitor centers which can provide help, guidance, and advice at any time. Each region of the park has a visitor center so don’t hesitate to stop in for information or a ranger talk.
Safety Inside Yellowstone
To stay safe in the park, it’s important to hike in groups and avoid being alone on the trail. This will significantly reduce your chances of a negative bear encounter.
Always carry bear spray and make as much noise as you can to ward off curious bears.
Always keep your distance from wildlife, staying 100 yards away from bears and wolves and 25 yards away from smaller animals, such as squirrels.