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Where Should I Stay in Yellowstone?

August 7, 2019 Aaron Teasdale

This post is part of Just Ahead’s Yellowstone Trip Planner—our guide to what you need to know to plan your trip to Yellowstone National Park. Click here to see the complete guide. And be sure to download our Just Ahead smartphone audio tour of Yellowstone before you head to the park.

In a park rife with natural wonders, it’s pretty hard for anything man-made to compare. But the best lodges in Yellowstone nearly justify a visit unto themselves. And if you can’t get in, or you prefer less expensive digs, the park’s many 1950’s-style motor lodges and tiny cabins—and the tourist towns orbiting Yellowstone—all have standard hotel and motel options. All lodging inside the park is operated by Xanterra and can be reserved at www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com or by calling 866-439-7375. Here are the best options in the park and an overview of the surrounding communities.

Best Park Options

Old Faithful Inn
With its namesake geyser erupting just outside, this is the original great park lodge of the West. Built seven stories high in 1903 from lodgepole pines felled in the park, it’s the largest log building in the world. It’s worth a visit even if you’re not staying the night just to see the towering lobby and its fireplace built with 500 tons of volcanic stone.

Where to Stay in Yellowstone: Old Faithful Inn

Historic Old Faithful Inn is the park’s signature lodging.

Lake Hotel
The most elegant lodging in the park, the 196-room Lake Hotel originally served wealthy 19th-century travelers, including US presidents and European royalty. Its massive Southern colonial architecture feels a bit out of place in Yellowstone, but all will be forgiven as you sit in the sunroom looking across the lake to the sounds of live orchestral music. Feel free to walk through whether you’re a guest or not.

Roosevelt Lodge
For a more rustic and remote Yellowstone experience, visit humble Roosevelt Lodge in the park’s less-traveled northern reach. Not much has changed here in the past century, and that’s just how lodge guests like it. Some rooms have wood stoves for heat, and you can hire evening wagon rides to outdoor steak cookouts for dinner. It makes a relaxed, quiet base for exploring the Lamar Valley and surrounding wildlands.

Where Should I Camp in Yellowstone?

August 7, 2019 Aaron Teasdale

This post is part of Just Ahead’s Yellowstone Trip Planner—our guide to what you need to know to plan your trip to Yellowstone National Park. Click here to see the complete series. And be sure to download our Just Ahead smartphone audio tour of Yellowstone before you head to the park.

For many Yellowstone enthusiasts, nights spent camping are the only way to visit America’s first national park. After a day exploring the park’s many wonders, it just feels right to drift to sleep to the sound of a nearby creek or the breeze through the treetops. Yellowstone has 12 campgrounds ranging from 430-site tent cities to small, out-of-the-way wilderness enclaves. All have drinking water and most sell firewood.

Park concessionaire Xanterra manages five large campgrounds in the heart of the park, which feature hundreds of sites, flush toilets, and sometimes showers. They are reservable in advance through www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com, or by calling 307-344-7311 (future reservations) and 307-344-7901 (same-day reservations).

The seven campgrounds managed by the National Park Service (NPS) are smaller, less developed (most have only vault toilets), and often more remote. They are first-come, first-served, and often fill completely by early morning. To check which campgrounds are full, you can click here for a handy Park Service campground information web page. Some campgrounds have flush toilets and showers, others are simpler with vault toilets and creeks. Here’s our guide to Yellowstone camping.

Madison Campground (Xanterra)
Popular with fisherman and families, this large, popular campground offers the easiest access to Old Faithful, 17 miles, and the West Entrance, 13 miles. Walking trails lead to the Madison River, and bison and elk are abundant in nearby meadows. Nightly ranger talks are held at the amphitheater, and kids can sign up for the Junior Ranger program at the adjacent Madison Information Station. There are vending machines, but the nearest real services are in West Yellowstone or Old Faithful. Flush toilets, no showers.

Where to Camp in Yellowstone: Madison Campground

Bison roam the meadows near Madison Campground—and sometimes the campground itself.

Norris Hot Springs Campground (NPS)
One of the park’s nicest campgrounds, this has sites on the Gibbon River and others near a large meadow where bison can be seen. Guided ranger walks lead through the nearby Norris Geyser Basin, which is reachable via a one-mile walking trail. The charming Museum of the National Park Ranger is also a short walk away. Flush toilets, no showers.

Mammoth Hot Springs Campground (NPS)
Situated on the edge of Mammoth village, this is a great spot for visiting its namesake hot springs, which are reachable by an easy walk. This is the only Yellowstone campground open all winter and its relatively low elevation (for Yellowstone) often makes it the warmest campground in summer months. It has flush toilets but no showers, and the road is close by, so there is some traffic noise. Rangers talks are held nightly in summer.

When Is the Best Time to Visit Death Valley?

June 26, 2019 Bob Howells

This post is part of Just Ahead’s Death Valley Trip Planner—our guide to everything you need to know to plan your trip to Death Valley National Park. Click here to see the complete series, and be sure to download our Just Ahead smartphone audio tour of Death Valley before you head to the park.

When is the best time to visit Death Valley? Anytime! With a caveat: Summer in Death Valley is, no surprise, hot. How hot is it? Before we get to the punch line, let’s look at the other seasons in Death Valley.

Spring in Death Valley

For most people, this is the most pleasant time to visit Death Valley. The weather is perfect—days mostly in the 70s and 80s, nights in the 50s and 60s. Those temps warm up to the 90s in late April and can start hitting 100 in May. If there’s been a dollop or two of winter rain, wildflowers will be abundant in early spring. Spring is also the park’s busiest season, so be sure to reserve your lodging in advance. If you’re camping, know that most sites are first-come, first-served, though you can book sites at Furnace Creek Campground in advance through recreation.gov. Click here for our advice about camping in Death Valley. And click here to learn about Death Valley lodging.

Winter rains can bring out dazzling springtime wildflower blooms in Death Valley. NPS photo.

Just Ahead’s Death Valley Trip Planner

June 25, 2019 Bob Howells

Welcome to Just Ahead’s Death Valley Trip Planner—our guide to everything you need to know to plan your trip to Death Valley National Park. Click here to see the complete series, and be sure to download our Just Ahead smartphone audio tour of Death Valley before you head to the park.

Death Valley National Park is a great road-trip destination. It’s not difficult to get to or to drive through, but planning a trip there requires more than just throwing a few things into the car. It’s a remote desert area with long distances between services. Which route should you take? Will you camp or stay in park lodging? What should you pack?

Once you’re under way, the Just Ahead app turns your smartphone into a narrated audio tour of the park, and we tell you what you need to know as you drive along. It’s the most pleasurable way possible to visit Death Valley National Park.

But there’s much to know before you go, and that’s why we’ve pulled together our years of experience of visiting Death Valley into Just Ahead’s Death Valey Trip Planner. Topics include:

How Much Time Should I Spend in Death Valley?

June 25, 2019 Bob Howells

Before you decide how much time to spend in Death Valley National Park, it’s good to be aware of two things: First, Death Valley is the largest national park in the lower 48 American states (yes, bigger than Yellowstone). Second, Death Valley is remote. That’s a huge part of its appeal. It’s at least 2-1/2 hours from Las Vegas, five hours from Los Angeles, eight hours from San Francisco.

It would be a shame to drive such a distance and spend less than a day in such a huge, magnificent park. But we understand that everyone has their own way and their own schedule, so here’s our rundown of what you can do and see in Death Valley in the amount of time you might have. Remember, no matter how much time you have or what approach you take to the park, Just Ahead will guide you every step of the way.

Death Valley in Less Than a Day

We understand that you’ll see some of the park as you approach, and that there are several different approaches, so take these as general guidelines. And remember that the order in which you see things isn’t important.

If you’re simply doing a drive-through, you’ll want to beeline to Furnace Creek in the heart of the park—the hub of Death Valley’s road spokes. Spend 45 minutes in the visitor center to get oriented, see the exhibits, perhaps see the park’s film. Drive down to Badwater and experience the lowest place in North America. Turn around at Badwater and take the scenic Artist Drive on the way back up. Then head east on Highway 190 and take in the awesome views from Zabriskie Point and Dante’s View.

No matter how much time you have in the park, be sure to check out the salt-pan floor of Death Valley at Badwater.

How Do I Prepare for a Trip to Death Valley?

June 24, 2019 Bob Howells

Death Valley National Park is a remote desert and mountain park, and the largest park in the lower 48 American states. It’s smart to be prepared for a trip to Death Valley—that is, to come with your vehicle in excellent working order and with food and water on board. The park does have excellent services, including three gas stations and stores. But you’ll be far from those services much of the time. Here are some issues you should prepare for:

Dehydration

Death Valley is the driest place in North America. Even when the temperature is pleasant, even when you’re standing still, the air constantly saps moisture from your body. So dehydration is a year-round concern. The solution is simple, of course—carry and drink plenty of water. Drink regularly, even if you’re not thirsty. You’ll need at least a gallon per person per day—twice that if you’re hiking or biking. Carry water with you whenever you leave the car—I like to use a Camelbak or similar hydration system so that my source of water is just inches away.

Weather

The main weather concern you should prepare for in Death Valley is, of course, heat. But much of the year it can be cool to chilly in the park at night. Wind is likely anytime. Winter rains and occasional summer thunderstorms can wash out roads. So keep an eye on the weather by way of a website like weather.com, and check the park’s homepage—or if you’re in the park, the visitor center—for weather alerts and road closures. Remember too that Death Valley has mountains where it can be 40 degrees cooler than the desert floor, and where you might encounter snow in winter and spring. By the way, we share some great stories about the weather in the Just Ahead tour of Death Valley. And we’re not averse to a summer visit, even though it’s a bit warm then. Click here for 10 reasons to visit Death Valley in summer.

Why it’s important to be well prepared for a trip to Death Valley.

Just Ahead’s Grand Canyon Trip Planner

June 24, 2019 Bob Howells

Welcome to Just Ahead’s Grand Canyon Trip Planner—our guide to what you need to know to plan your trip to Grand Canyon National Park. Click here to see the complete series—and be sure to download our Just Ahead smartphone audio tour of Grand Canyon before you leave. We’ll steer you to and through the park and point out its inspiring viewpoints and scenic wonders—plus we share entertaining and educational stories all along the way. It’s like having a friendly tour guide along for the ride.

The number one thing to bear in mind when you’re planning a trip to Arizona’s Grand Canyon is the fact that the magnificent gorge has two rims. The South Rim is more developed—more camping, more lodging, and more people. It’s also closer to good-sized towns such as Flagstaff and Williams. The North Rim is more remote, less developed, and far less crowded. But it’s also a 200-mile-plus drive from the South Rim, and it’s far from developed cities.

Grand Canyon from the Rim Trail. NPS Photo by W. Tyson Joye

How Do I Get to Death Valley?

June 23, 2019 Bob Howells

You need a car in Death Valley. The park does not run shuttle buses. And besides, to enjoy Just Ahead’s narrated audio tour of the park, you need to be in a moving vehicle. Here are approximate driving times from major destinations:

Las Vegas (closest airport): 2-1/2 hours
Los Angeles: 5 hours
San Francisco: 8 hours when Highway 120 is open
Yosemite National Park: 6 hours when Highway 120 is open

Driving Advice

The main park roads in Death Valley are excellent paved roads, so standard two-wheel-drive serves you just fine for seeing its major sights. Many of those sights require short drives on graded dirt roads that are also just fine for passenger cars. Just Ahead always tells you what to expect before you turn off a paved road.

As we say in this post, you’ll want to be sure your car is in excellent working order, particularly its cooling system and tires. Be realistic about your car’s ability to travel dirt roads. In addition to the graded dirt roads that are part of the Just Ahead tour of Death Valley, the park has a huge network (785 miles) of remote dirt roads that require a high-clearance vehicle, if not four-wheel drive. Only set off on those roads if you’re experienced, informed, and fully prepared for backcountry travel. The Just Ahead tour doesn’t extend to those remote roads.

If you do find yourself intrigued by the park’s backcountry roads (Titus Canyon or the Racetrack, for example) visit Farabee’s Jeep Rentals across the street from Furnace Creek Inn. They rent sturdy 4x4s and offer guided off-road tours.

Every approach to Death Valley is wild and beautiful.

Where Should I Camp in Death Valley?

June 22, 2019 Bob Howells

Death Valley has 12 campgrounds—nine operated by the park service as well as three private campgrounds. With the exception of Furnace Creek Campground in the heart of Death Valley, all park service campgrounds are first-come, first-served. Furnace Creek accepts reservations through recreation.gov. For holiday periods in winter and spring, be sure to make reservations or arrive early to get a site.

Don’t expect shady campsites strewn with pine needles. You might get a scrap of shade from a mesquite tree, but for the most part, Death Valley campsites are open and exposed. The exceptions are the two high-country campgrounds in the Panamint Mountains—Thorndike and Mahogany Flat. But those campground require high clearance and sometime four-wheel drive to reach.

When to camp is also an important consideration. Click here for our advice about when to visit Death Valley. And if you’d like to spend some nights in the comfort of a lodge room, click here for our advice about where to stay in Death Valley.

Here’s our rundown of campgrounds in Death Valley National Park. All are open year-round unless otherwise noted. For more details, see the camping page on the park’s website.

Where to Camp in Death Valley: Texas Spring

A secluded site in Texas Spring Campground, Death Valley National Park.

Where Should I Stay in Death Valley?

June 21, 2019 Bob Howells

Hospitality has a long history in Death Valley. Even before it became a national park, Death Valley was luring visitors by offering them comfortable accommodations amid the exotic desert splendor of the region.

As the heyday of borax mining was fading in the 1920s, the Pacific Coast Borax Mining Company set its sights on tourism, and opened Furnace Creek Inn in 1927. Furnace Creek Ranch followed in 1933. Around the same time, an entrepreneur named Bob Eichbaum built a toll road over Towne Pass and opened a lodge at Stovepipe Wells. Panamint Springs, also on the toll road, opened in 1937.

All of these historic lodges remain open today, and each offers food service and a general store. All are privately operated.

A quick orientation: The two Furnace Creek properties are in the heart of the park near the park visitor center and general store. Stovepipe Wells and Panamint Springs lie to the west on Highway 190. These lodges have a more rural and isloated flavor, but still offer full services.

Furnace Creek Inn

The four-diamond, 66-room Inn at Furnace Creek has the most luxurious lodging and dining in Death Valley National Park. The hillside oasis has a spring-fed swimming pool and features beautiful stonework executed by European craftsmen. The inn is fully operational from October 10 to May 10, but is also open from mid-July to late August as an overflow option—Furnace Creek Ranch tends to fill up during that period. (Yes, Death Valley is very popular in the summer. Click here to learn all about it.) Food service is limited to a nightly buffet during the summer opening.

Where to Stay in Death Valley: Inn at Furnace Creek

The Inn at Furnace Creek is Death Valley’s oldest and finest lodging.

What's Ahead? The Just Ahead Blog

Best Park Options

Spring in Death Valley

Death Valley in Less Than a Day

Dehydration

Weather

Driving Advice

Furnace Creek Inn