West Yellowstone has a vast selection of highly rated hotels available for your visit to Yellowstone National Park. It’s by far the most popular place to stay outside the park because it has lots of amenities and restaurants, and it’s close to the park’s major geyser basins. We’ve stayed in hotels all around Yellowstone, and we think West Yellowstone is a great place to book for one or two nights depending on your itinerary.
In this guide we show you the best hotels in West Yellowstone Montana for all budgets, based on our experiences.
Our Experience
We’ve stayed at hotels in Cody, Gardiner, Jackson and West Yellowstone during two different trips to Yellowstone and Grand Teton in October 2019 and April 2021. In West Yellowstone, we’ve stayed at Kelly Inn and Explorer Cabins. Now, we don’t always get it spot-on, but we did here because they’re two of the best hotels available for you to book.
What we like about West Yellowstone is that it’s right at Yellowstone’s west entrance, it has a lively atmosphere and it has lots of restaurants to choose between. It also has grocery stores so you can pack lunches to take into the park each day. Read more about us.
YELLOWSTONE: We’ve written a lot of travel guides for Yellowstone on our sister site Where Are Those Morgans, so head over to our Wyoming travel guides if you need help planning your visit.
Where To Stay In West Yellowstone
West Yellowstone is a very small grid-style resort town, so you’re never too far from the amenities no matter which hotel you book. With that said, most of the restaurants are located on the east side of town, so if you want to be within easy walking distance of grub and a beer after a long day exploring the park, book a hotel closer to the east side.
Alternatively, if you’re looking for a quieter place to stay (for instance couples seeking romance or families with younger kids), we recommend booking a hotel on the west side of town. You can then either walk or drive your car over to the restaurants.
West Yellowstone Hotels Map
Click or touch the map below to activate. Zoom in and out, move around the area to see exactly where each hotel is located.
Map key:
- Green stars – Low budget
- Red stars – Mid range budget
- Blue stars – High budget
How We Order Hotels
We’ve hand picked 8 West Yellowstone hotels for you to consider booking by taking into account previous guest ratings, location, value for money and our own experiences in the area. Read more about our editorial process.
Hotels in this guide are listed in order of average nightly cost. We analyzed nightly prices on three future dates in different seasons so we could order with a degree of accuracy.
You’ll find 3 x cheap hotels, 3 x mid range budget hotels and 2 x luxury hotels. We periodically update our guides to ensure the previous guest ratings from Booking and Google reviews are accurate.
1. Elkhorn Cabins
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 8.9 / 10
- Google – 4.4 / 5
- Price: Cheap $
- Amenities: Free WiFi, free parking
- Location: Northeast side of West Yellowstone
Elkhorn Cabins is one of two extremely well regarded cheap hotels in West Yellowstone. There are no amenities, breakfast is not included and it’s not pet friendly. But what you do get is a comfortable, clean, cute and quaint wooden log cabin in a great location to the north of the busy dining areas.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness, facilities and location the highest at Elkhorn Cabins. The most positive comments are about helpful and friendly staff, as well as the log cabins being cozy and quiet. We think it’s the perfect place to stay if you’re a light sleeper traveling on a lower budget.
BOOK: Elkhorn Cabins
2. The Evergreen
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 8.9 / 10
- Google – 4.6 / 5
- Price: Cheap $
- Amenities: Free WiFi, free parking, laundry
- Location: Center of West Yellowstone
The Evergreen is an upscale motel style West Yellowstone hotel with excellent ratings and very low nightly prices. It’s the the second of two extremely highly rated but affordable hotels in the area, and it should definitely be on your shortlist if you’re trying to save a bit of money.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness and location the highest at The Evergreen. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but it has beautifully furnished rooms with cute Yellowstone touches, and there’s free coffee with pastries available during your stay.
BOOK: The Evergreen
3. Yellowstone Lodge
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 7.9 / 10
- Google – 4.1 / 5
- Price: Cheap $
- Amenities: Free WiFi, free parking, breakfast included, indoor swimming pool, hot tub, pet friendly, laundry
- Location: South side of West Yellowstone
Yellowstone Lodge is the last cheap West Yellowstone hotel we’re featuring and it’s a different proposition altogether because breakfast is included, it has a pool and hot tub, it’s pet friendly and you can do laundry. But to offset all those amenities, it’s rated lower and it’s more generic, so there’s a trade-off.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness and location the highest at Yellowstone Lodge. It could be the perfect way for families with younger kids to use the pool area and grab a basic breakfast at very low prices. Just as long as you know it’s not going to be a luxurious experience!
BOOK: Yellowstone Lodge
4. Crosswinds Inn
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 8.8 / 10
- Google – 4.5 / 5
- Price: Mid range $$
- Amenities: Free WiFi, free parking, breakfast included, indoor swimming pool and hot tub, laundry
- Location: Center of West Yellowstone
Crosswinds Inn is one of the overall best hotels in West Yellowstone when you consider price, amenities, quality, location and previous guest ratings. It’s a simple inn, but the amenities and breakfast are a step up in quality, and we think its a great mid-budget option.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness, facilities and location the highest at Crosswinds Inn. It’s another great option for families because it has the pool area and breakfast, and there are some dates in the year when it’s around the same price as the lower budget hotels we’ve covered.
BOOK: Crosswinds Inn
5. Gray Wolf Inn
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 8.6 / 10
- Google – 4.3 / 5
- Price: Mid range $$
- Amenities: Free WiFi, free parking, pet friendly (no extra charge), indoor swimming pool and hot tub, fitness center, laundry, breakfast included
- Location: Southeast side of West Yellowstone
Gray Wolf Inn is an amenity heavy mid-budget hotel featuring a fitness center, indoor hot tub and pool. It’s also pet friendly, you get breakfast included and you can do laundry which is great on a longer road trip. We think it’s a good middle of the road lodging option, especially if you can find cheap rates.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness, facilities and location the highest at Gray Wolf Inn. It’s a great choice for couples and families alike thanks to its amenities, as well as having the option to book suites with one or two beds, and family suites with two bedrooms.
BOOK: Gray Wolf Inn
6. Kelly Inn
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 8.7 / 10
- Google – 4.4 / 5
- Price: Mid Range $$
- Amenities: Free WiFi, free parking, indoor swimming pool and hot tub, sauna, breakfast included, laundry, pet friendly (no extra fee)
- Location: Southeast side of West Yellowstone
Kelly Inn is one of the most popular and overall best hotels in West Yellowstone. We spent a fantastic night here in a huge queen room with two beds, and the buffet breakfast was excellent. It’s a fantastic mid-budget hotel with quality touches and a super location near the restaurants in town.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness, facilities and location the highest at Kelly Inn. The hotel was very busy when we stayed, partly because it’s in West Yellowstone and partly because it has such a good reputation. We think it’s definitely one to consider if you’re a middle of the road traveler.
BOOK: Kelly Inn
7. Explorer Cabins
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 9.1 / 10
- Google – 4.6 / 5
- Price: Luxury $$$
- Amenities: Free WiFi, free parking, indoor swimming pool, fire pit, pet friendly (no extra fee)
- Location: Southeast side of Yellowstone
Explorer Cabins is our favorite place to stay in West Yellowstone. You can stay in either one or two bedroom detached cabins, which are like small houses and they’re perfect for couples or families. The price is a little higher but it’s worth it for an amazing experience.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness, facilities and location the highest at Explorer Cabins. We sat around a fire pit with a s’mores kit, relaxed in our cabin and had a superb nights sleep with no chance of noisy neighbors! If your budget can stretch further, this is where to stay in West Yellowstone.
BOOK: Explorer Cabins
8. Yellowstone Park Hotel
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 8.7 / 10
- Google – 4.3 / 5
- Price: Luxury $$$
- Amenities: Free WiFi, free parking, indoor swimming pool and hot tub, fitness center, breakfast included, laundry, games room, fire pit
- Location: South side of Yellowstone
Yellowstone Park Hotel is a more expensive but highly rated hotel to consider. It’s a step up in quality, which includes service, rooms and smaller touches. If you want a more luxurious place to stay and you have a healthy travel budget, put this hotel on your shortlist.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, facilities, cleanliness and location the highest at Yellowstone Park Hotel. It scores very highly for everything except value for money (naturally!) because it’s more expensive, but it’s a fantastic place to stay if you don’t mind the outlay.
BOOK: Yellowstone Park Hotel
Best Hotels In West Yellowstone By Reviews
We always look at guest reviews when booking our hotels in new travel destinations. Previous guest reviews are a fantastic resource to use because you can see genuine unbiased pros and cons from a wide range of real people.
But it’s important to use reviews as a guide only because you might not necessarily agree with others. Let’s take a look at the best hotels in West Yellowstone as per genuine user generated reviews from popular online resources.
1. Booking.com
According to previous guest reviews on Booking.com, your top three hotel options are:
2. Hotels.com
According to previous guest reviews on Hotels.com, your top three hotel options are:
3. Google
According to previous guest reviews on Google, your top three hotel options are:
4. Tripadvisor
According to previous guest reviews on Tripadvisor, your top three hotel options are:
Affordability
Yellowstone receives over 4 million tourists each year, so you can expect prices at hotels in the most popular town outside the park to be higher than you’d usually pay. But with that said, we think West Yellowstone’s hotels are competitively priced, especially if you visit in May, June, September or October. In July and August you’ll certainly pay inflated prices, but that’s to be expected.
The best things about staying in West Yellowstone instead of inside the park is that you’ll have more control over where you eat out, and you can find a hotel to suit your budget. We usually spend one or two nights in West Yellowstone when visiting the park for four days.
Added Tax
Bear in mind when booking your hotel in West Yellowstone that you’ll pay 12% hotel tax and $1 city tax per night on top of your base rate.
So, let’s say the basic nightly room cost at a hotel is $200.00 for one night, your actual total cost is going to be at $221.00 per night.
- When booking your hotel using Booking.com look under the price for includes taxes and fees. This means the price you see is final and will not be subject to further add ons.
- Conversely, if you see text reading something like +$30 for taxes and fees, that means you’ll pay the hotel room cost + the additional 12% tax.
Our Verdict
West Yellowstone is an immensely popular resort town for Yellowstone National Park, and as a result it has lots of excellent hotel options for your visit.
In truth, we don’t think there’s a huge amount of difference between most of the cheap, mid range and luxury hotels in town. So our advice is to check the prices for your travel dates at all hotels we’ve listed in this guide. But one thing we do know is that Explorer Cabins is a step up in quality, and it’s where we’ll stay again the next time we visit Yellowstone.
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We hope this guide to the best hotels in West Yellowstone helps with planning your visit to Montana!
Please let us know if you have any questions by commenting below.
Happy Booking,
Mark and Kristen
Best Hotels Anywhere
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Mark and Kristen Morgan are experts at finding and booking hotels. They’ve been traveling the world for over 6 years, staying at more than 500 hotels across 4 continents.
They only write about places they have personally visited themselves, which means every article you read on Best Hotels Anywhere is created directly from first hand experience. Read more about us.