Yellowstone’s 5 Entrances: Which Entrance is the best?

Planning your first trip to Yellowstone National Park can be overwhelming – especially when deciding where to stay if you can’t get lodging inside the park. Staying outside the park isn’t as big of an ‘issue’ as you might’ve been made to believe – the common answer when asking for Yellowstone trip planning advice is to “OMG STAY IN THE PARK!!”

While it is very convenient to stay in the park, sometimes it isn’t feasible. Traditional lodging fills up a year in advance and can be extremely expensive, camping isn’t for everyone – and that fills up quickly too – and relying on snapping up other visitors’ cancellations isn’t reliable and often can’t accommodate a multi-day stay in the park.

I’ve been to Yellowstone National Park countless times and only once have I stayed inside the park. That’s right, ONCE. And it was camping. And I’ll never do it again. (The campground sucked, we had horrible weather, and, well, I’m not a camping person. Give me a hotel any day, baby. I’ll write about the experience one of these days).

I don’t like to plan trips years in advance – I don’t know what I’m eating for dinner tonight, let alone my vacation plans 18 months away. I often travel to Yellowstone with little notice – like two weeks’ notice on a good day; a few hour’s notice on a ‘bad’ day! And in each of these cases, I have always found lodging, even in height of summer tourism season.

I’m going to cover each of the 5 entrances – and give you the positive and negative sides to staying in each of the towns. I have personally used lodging at each of the five entrances to visit the park, so I know first-hand what this entails. I’ve listed these in order of my least favorite entrance for visiting to my favorite. Let’s get going!

First, a map so you can get an idea of where these entrances are in relation to the gateway towns:

Yellowstone’s South Entrance

At Yellowstone’s South entrance, there really isn’t a ‘gateway’ town. The closest gateway town would be Jackson, and I absolutely do not recommend staying in Jackson Wyoming as a base for Yellowstone. But I’ve done it. I was young and dumb and didn’t know any better!

If you stay in Jackson, Wyoming as a base for Yellowstone, you’re just asking for trouble. You will run into these problems:

• Absurdly long commute time: Jackson is too far away from Yellowstone! I can’t stress this enough! If you look on a map, you’ll see that from downtown Jackson, WY to the south entrance of the park is about 2 hours. Now, you might think that’s fine and do-able, but you’re just at the south ENTRANCE. Everything in the park is spread out and just at the south entrance, there isn’t much to see, until you reach West Thumb. It’s 3.5 hours one way just to reach Mammoth Hot Springs! And that’s without getting caught up in traffic at the entrance station, stopping to see stuff, or getting in a bison jam! Summertime might have long days of sunshine, but there still isn’t enough hours in the day to make this feasible and enjoyable trip. You will spend all day in the car.
• Very high hotel prices: You are not saving any money by staying in one of the most expensive tourist towns in the country. When we stayed in Jackson to visit Yellowstone, we stayed at the Super 8 and paid $300/night. In 2010, in mid-October!
• Snarling traffic in the town during summer, especially around dinnertime. When everyone comes back from a day in Grand Teton National Park (Jackson is a great spot when you visit that park!), traffic jams can back things up way out by the Elk Refuge and it can take an hour to reach the town center, where all the hotels are, when it should only take a few minutes.
• It’s dangerous driving at night: Because if you want to stay in Jackson to visit Yellowstone, you’ll have to drive in the dark. The creatures come out at night; the speed limits get lowered and you have to be on high alert for wildlife as you’re driving back.
• Entrance is closed in winter

Positives?

• Jackson is a fun town. I love staying in Jackson, I love being able to walk around and explore the shops and restaurants, but there’s a time and place for it – when you’re visiting Grand Teton National Park. Not Yellowstone.

Where to stay:
Budget: Snake River Cabins and RV Village: This used to be a KOA and I’ve stayed here multiple times in the cabins. A good place to stay near Jackson (you cannot walk to the town from here!) if you are on a budget and don’t mind bringing your own linens.
Mid-range: 49’er Inn and Suites: Free breakfast, fitness center, and pets stay free! Great location in the middle of downtown. If I have my dogs with me, this is where I stay.
High end: Four Seasons Jackson Hole: If you’ve got money to burn, you’ll love this place. Typically clocks in at over $1,400/night! Far too bougie for me, but if you got it, flaunt it!

4. Yellowstone’s East Entrance

The East entrance takes up the #4 spot and offers up the gateway town of Cody, Wyoming. Cody is a great little town and I’ve stayed there a few times, but like Jackson, it is just too far away from the action to make it a good base for a Yellowstone National Park vacation.

If you choose to stay in Cody, Wyoming, here are some issues you may run into:

• Very risky choice during shoulder season (May-possibly early June, October): Sylvan Pass, the mountain pass you’ll go over, often closes during snowstorms (yes, snowstorms can happen in the spring and early fall!). If this happens during your trip, you’ll have to wait it out until the park service plows can clear the road. This is a common event in spring, so be warned if you are planning to stay in Cody for your trip to Yellowstone during that time!
• Long commute time: While Cody might not be as far away as Jackson is from Yellowstone attractions, it’s still far away – especially from Old Faithful/Mammoth Hot Springs so you’ll have long, long days in the park.
• Entrance closed in winter
• You won’t run into Yeezy here or his ex Kim Kardashian; Kayne West put his ranch on the market in November 2021. He’s long gone.

Positives

• Cody is a great town! I’ve stayed in Cody just to hang out in the town! There are a lot of attractions here, such as the Buffalo Bill Museum of the West and the nightly summer rodeo!
• Reasonable lodging: Unlike Jackson, Cody is a very reasonable priced town for lodging. In my experience, it is the cheapest of all the gateway towns.
• Yellowstone Lake: If fishing is your thing and you’re planning on spending a lot of time at Yellowstone Lake, Cody is your next-best-choice if you can’t stay inside the park.
• Wildlife spotting – especially bears! Every time I drive along Sylvan Pass, I’ve seen bears. Granted, this is just a personal anecdote, but there’s a reason photographers park their butts along certain areas of Sylvan Pass!

Where to stay:
Budget: Cody KOA. Though it’s not in the center of town, if you really want to save a few bucks, get a camping cabin here (just bring your linens!).
Midrange: The Irma – a classic hotel formerly owned by Buffalo Bill’s daughter – Irma Cody. Definitely a fun experience to stay here – historic rooms are fun, the restaurant is great and so is the location – totally walkable!
High end: The Cody: Cody’s most upscale hotel is still reasonably priced. But don’t expect a 5-star experience; you are in Cody, Wyoming for pete’s sake.

3: Yellowstone’s Northeast Entrance

The Northeast Entrance offers two gateway towns – Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana – and they are literally next to each other! This entrance and road are open year round, so you won’t have seasonality issues with this entrance.

If you choose to stay in Cooke City/Silver Gate or Red Lodge, here are some downsides to this area:

• Cooke City and Silver Gate are tiny towns – less than 200 residents between the two towns. While there is lodging, there isn’t a ton of it, and it can be quite expensive. You also won’t have much in the way of tourist attractions inside these towns themselves.
• It’s a long drive to see the main geothermal features of Yellowstone from this entrance.
• Entrance is open year round

Positives to staying in Cooke City/Silver Gate:

• The Beartooth Highway! Absolutely one of the most scenic drives I’ve ever been on, and I’ve been on a lot of ‘scenic routes’ – the Beartooth Highway still ranks very high! It’s typically open from Memorial Day weekend to mid-October, so if you’re coming in the winter, this isn’t an option.
• Very close to Lamar Valley. If you’re coming to Yellowstone to view wildlife, Lamar Valley is where you’ll want to be – it’s often referred to as the American Serengeti. The Northeast entrance borders Cooke City/Silver Gate, so staying here is perfect if you want to get up early/stay late to view wildlife.

Where to stay:
Budget: Alpine Motel: A basic, bare bones motel, but it’s clean, comfy and cozy with large rooms – and pet friendly with no additional fee!
Mid-Range: Super 8. Yes, a Super 8 is considered a mid-range here. Rate includes a free breakfast. Also has laundry facilities.
High-end: There are no high end hotels in this area.

2: Yellowstone’s North Entrance

Gardiner, Montana is the gateway town to Yellowstone’s North Entrance to the park. When I go to Yellowstone this entrance is my second choice for where to stay. Gardiner is literally right outside the park entrance to Yellowstone and is just minutes away from Mammoth Hot Springs. Additionally, this entrance is open year-round so if you are visiting in the winter, Gardiner is an excellent place to stay.

If you choose to stay in Gardiner, here are some downsides to this area:

• Lodging can be expensive – not Jackson prices, but you will pay to stay in a town so close to the park.
• Far away from the Southern end of the park (Yellowstone Lake, West Thumb, etc.) Still definitely do-able in a day, but it is a long drive.

Positives:

• Gardiner borders the North entrance; you are minutes away from entering the park and only about a 10 minute drive to Mammoth Hot Springs.
• Still a good location for wildlife watching in Lamar Valley.
• Plenty of lodging choices in the town, lots of shops and restaurants.
• This is the entrance with the famous Theodore Roosevelt Arch, a must-see!
• If you want to whitewater raft while in the local area, Gardiner is the place to do this. There are several outfitters who you can book a whitewater rafting excursion. If you have friends who visited Yellowstone National Park and went whitewater rafting, this is likely where they did it.
• Yellowstone Hot Springs, a new public hot springs pool, is located just north of Gardiner and it is fabulous! Chico Hot Springs is another commercial hot springs venue, and is closer to Livingston.

Where to stay:

Budget: Travelodge Gardiner
Mid-Range: Yellowstone Big Rock Inn
High end: Dreamcatcher Tipi Hotel: This is luxury glamping in a tent! But don’t let the tent accommodations fool you – the per night price isn’t cheap (over $400/night in 2022) but I’m sure it’s an experience you won’t forget!

One more option:
You can also look into the Paradise Valley towns of Emigrant and Pray, which are north of Gardiner – there are cabins, lodges, and ranches where you can stay. Personally, I love staying at the KOA (you can read my experience here), which is even further north, about 10 miles south of Livingston. I wouldn’t recommend staying this far away if it’s your first time in the park, but I don’t mind it because it’s cheap lodging, I love the beautiful drive in the Paradise Valley, and I’ve visited Yellowstone National Park so many times that I’ve lost count, so I

1. Yellowstone’s West Entrance

My favorite entrance! Just like Gardiner, West Yellowstone, Montana is a town that borders an entrance to the park. This is my choice for lodging when I visit Yellowstone National Park because it plops you right in the thick of things. You’re (more or less) at the center of the ‘figure 8″ loop road in Yellowstone National Park. I feel that this is the best place to stay if you can’t or don’t want to stay inside the park.

However, there are a few downsides to staying in West Yellowstone, Montana, so let’s go through those first:

• Lodging prices: You’re not going to find cheap hotels here and you won’t find high end hotels here either. You will find ‘cheap’ hotels at ‘high end’ hotel prices, but it’s not Jackson, Wyoming territory. The hotels are relatively affordable and are around the same, maybe slightly higher price than what you’ll find in Gardiner, Montana.
• Traffic jams: This is ultimately the worst part of staying in West Yellowstone. Once you exit the “Grand Loop Road” (that’s the figure 8 that makes up the main park road) and head towards the park exit for West Yellowstone, you may find yourself in a nasty traffic jam. I’ve found that this typically happens in the early evening around dinner time, but I’ve been stuck in traffic jams here as late as 7:30pm. The reason for the traffic jams is elk. The road going to West Yellowstone is home to a lot of elk – the elk typically aren’t on the road (but I wouldn’t put it past them), it’s people in their cars slowing down and stopping to view the elk out in the meadows – even through there are plenty of viewing spots with lots of parking to view them. Rangers are often patrolling this area to keep the traffic moving, but I’ve sat in 1.5hour long traffic jams just to go the 12 miles to West Yellowstone. Beware!!! (Oh and this also can happen in the mornings too!)
• Entrance station traffic: West Yellowstone is the most popular gateway town of them all (for a good reason!) so the entrance station is always busy. Personally, I’ve never had to wait too long, but I’ve heard horror stories from other park visitors on lines at the entrance spilling out into the downtown areas of West Yellowstone.
• Crowds and long wait for restaurants: This is a very crowded town in the summer and everyone wants to eat at the same time in the restaurants – expect long wait times for a table (up to two hours!). Personally, I like to stay at the KOA – so we either cook our own food or enjoy burgers or BBQ at the KOA’s outdoor tent (it’s really good!)
• Park entrance is closed in winter. You can stay in West Yellowstone for a base for snowmobile / snow coach tours into the park, but you cannot drive into the park in the winter months.

Positives:

• Location: West Yellowstone, Montana is an excellent base for exploring Yellowstone. It puts you nearly in the middle of the figure 8 of the loop road.
• Amenities and tourist attractions: Let’s face it – West Yellowstone is a tourist trap town but I love it! This town is chock-full of tacky gift shops (and I do mean tacky – some of this stuff I wouldn’t even buy!), restaurants, a dinner theater, a big screen movie theater, the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center (if you want to guarantee you’ll see a griz or a wolf, go here!). Plus a (high priced) grocery store, a camera store (with rentals available!), coffee shops, and all kinds of lodging!
• Walkable town: The town is compact enough where it’s likely you’ll be able to park at your hotel and walk to the shops and restaurants.
• Easy half day trip to Earthquake Lake: The visitor center shows a great movie on the history of the 1959 earthquake that struck in the middle of the night, resulting in 28 fatalities. And it’s a really beautiful area.

Other nearby areas:
If you want to go just a bit further out, you can look into the areas of Island Park, Idaho and the cabins/campgrounds at Hebgen Lake. I’m a Marriott girl, and if you want a Marriott property for a Yellowstone visit, Island Park, ID has a new Springhill Suites that looks amazing (but very expensive). I haven’t stayed there yet, but it looks beautiful!

There you have it! If you’ve been to Yellowstone National Park before, which is your favorite entrance?