Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [419]
From its individual rooms to its restaurant, this big, relatively new resort is West Yellowstone's standout offering. Small conveniences such as coffeemakers, plush carpeting, hair dryers, microwaves, a big indoor pool, and laundry service abound. You can arrange fishing and rafting trips, bike and ATV rentals, and chuck-wagon cookouts. Snowmobilers who have been rattling around all day can relax in the Jacuzzi in the king spa suites. Rooms are spacious, with bright decor, comfortable furniture, and landscape art. The Iron Horse Saloon serves regional microbrews, and the Oregon Short Line Restaurant features Western cuisine. At the center of the restaurant sits the restored railroad club car that brought Victorian gents to Yellowstone a century ago.
GARDINER
This little town has character, and it's where the year-round park employees hang out in the winter. Chain motels include the Comfort Inn, 107 Hellroaring Dr. (☎ 800/424-6423 or 406/848-7536), and the Super 8 on U.S. 89 South (☎ 800/800-8000 or 406/848-7401). Both are open year-round, with high-season rates ranging from $50 to $150 double. The Best Western by Mammoth Hot Springs, on U.S. 89 (☎ 800/828-9080 or 406/848-7311), is another solid option, with doubles for $95 to $105 in the summer.
Absaroka Lodge
U.S. 89 at the Yellowstone River Bridge (P.O. Box 10), Gardiner, MT 59030. ☎ 800/755-7414 or 406/848-7414. Fax 406/848-7560. www.yellowstonemotel.com. 41 units. A/C TV TEL. $40–$100 double. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V.
Every room in this lodge has a balcony, and many enjoy nice views of the Yellowstone River. The lodge's riverbank location—with a pleasant slope of lawn overlooking the river gorge—is just a few blocks from the village center, and the well-appointed rooms have queen-size beds. Suites with kitchenettes cost a little more. The owners have been in business here for decades, but the building is modern and new. Like most other properties in town, the lodge has staff ready and able to assist in arrangements with outfitters for fly-fishing and rafting.
Yellowstone Suites Bed and Breakfast
506 4th St. (P.O. Box 277), Gardiner, MT 59030. ☎ 800/948-7937 or 406/848-7937. www.yellowstonesuites.com. 4 units. Summer $85–$129 double; winter $47–$79 double. Rates include full breakfast. AE, MC, V.
Originally built in 1904, this quiet B&B on the south bank of the Yellowstone River is a good alternative to the motels that line U.S. 89. Legend has it that the second story's quarried stone exterior is a leftover from the Roosevelt Arch. The rooms are frilly and cozy, with a teddy bear motif in the Roosevelt Room and a Victorian theme in the Jackson Room; the Yellowstone Suite has a television and a kitchenette. The real perks here are the impeccably tended backyard and the breakfasts, which might feature bread pudding French toast or tomato-and-spinach frittatas.
COOKE CITY
If you choose to spend the night in little Cooke City, you have several options, none of which includes modern facilities or gourmet dining. Rooms at each of the properties listed below are clean and comfortable, but that's about all lodgings in Cooke City offer. A room for the night is less expensive than a stay in other gateway towns, anywhere from $60 to $90 a night. The Soda Butte Lodge, on Main Street (☎ 800/527-6462 or 406/838-2251) is the biggest, newest, and poshest motel in town; on the premises are the good Prospector Restaurant and a small casino. The cheaper, bare-bones Alpine Motel, also on Main Street (☎ 406/838-2262), accepts pets.
CODY
With some of the showmanship of its founder, William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, this town offers more than just a gateway to the east entrance. The night rodeo and the fine historical center are the big summer attractions.
Buffalo Bill Village Resort
17th and Sheridan Ave., Cody, WY 82414. ☎ 800/527-5544. Fax 307/587-2795. Comfort Inn: 75 units. A/C TV TEL. $69–$169 double. Rates include continental breakfast. Holiday Inn: 189 units. $69–$169 double. A/C TV TEL. Buffalo Bill Village Historic Cabins: