How to Find Cheap Hotels in Yellowstone, Wyoming

Explore Yellowstone, the world's first national park. This American wilderness is most famous for Old Faithful. Children of all ages enjoy the beauty of the plants and animals that share these 2.2 million acres.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet access for making reservations

Instructions

Learn About Your Destination

1. Expect July temperatures to be about 80 degrees F and January temperatures to be about 9 degrees F.

2. Know that a variety of animals live in Yellowstone, including approximately 59 mammalian species, over 300 species of birds and myriad reptiles and amphibians .

3. Experience the truly unusual geography. Yellowstone boasts an active volcano, over 300 geysers and almost 300 waterfalls.

4. Knock on wood. Explore one of the largest petrified forests in the world in Yellowstone, Wyoming.

Plan Your Trip to Yellowstone, Wyoming

1. Determine which area of Yellowstone Park you plan to visit. Options include Mammoth, Old Faithful, Canyon, Norris, Madison and Tower-Roosevelt.

2. Know there are not public transportation services within the park. Private bus tours are available from various locations in the area.

3. Know the closest airline service to the north entrance flies into Bozeman, Montana; to the west entrance, West Yellowstone, Montana; to the south entrance, Jackson, Wyoming; to the east entrance, Cody, Wyoming.

4. Purchase an annual pass for $40 for a cheap entrance fee. Otherwise, the cost is $25 for a private vehicle or $12 for anyone over the age of 16 entering by ski, bike or on foot.

Choose Affordable Accommodations

1. Choose your campsite according to the size of recreational vehicle. Campsites for RVs over 30 feet are limited to Flag Ranch, Fishing Bridge RV Park and West Yellowstone.

2. Realize there are 12 campgrounds providing cheap accommodations in Yellowstone. These sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

3. Know there are many facilities such as bed and breakfasts, hotels and cabins outside Yellowstone Park in Wyoming and Montana that provide cheap accommodations.

4. To book accommodations, contact YellowstonePark.com at [phone] or visit their Web site (see Resources, below).

Tips & Warnings

• Always verify opening and closing dates for Yellowstone facilities.

• Remember to keep your entrance fee receipt, which is good for 7 days.

• Ask about special lifetime passports for permanently disabled or blind United States citizens.

• Understand that fees for commercial bus tours are based on the seating capacity.

• Refer to the park's road construction information before making travel plans. Road construction occurs every summer in Yellowstone.

• Check for park road closures between October and April due to heavy snows.

• Check for fire restrictions before starting a fire in campground facilities.

• Familiarize yourself with all the park regulations. Law enforcement rangers take their jobs quite seriously.