In our last adventure we explored the Old Faithful area including the neighboring Geyser Hill and Firehole River walk areas.
Today we are going to take in the history of the famed Old Faithful Inn (a human marvel of architecture) and give a run down of popular tourism services in the OF village.
The Old Faithful Inn is one of the most unique and magnicifent park lodges in the world. This multi-story log ‘castle’ lodge sits on the cusp of Old Faithful Geyser. It was built in the winter of 1903-04 and opened in spring of 2004. The Old Faithful Inn was designed by famed architect Robert Reamer – who also helped designed the park’s Mammoth and Lake hotels.
The Inn was constructed of area lodgepole pine and rhyolite stone. It is defined by its knotted wooded hallways and soaring ceiling that feels as if you are in the trees. The iconic stone fireplace warms guests on chilly Yellowstone nights as they listen to the sounds of piano drifting through the lobby.
When I worked at Old Faithful I used to ‘hide out’ with a book and my journal upstairs in one of the many nooks. This is a perfect place to get lost in and to enjoy a glass of wine or coffee while just enjoying time tick by.
I recommend taking the hotel tour – which runs several times a day and gives you a feel for the inn’s nearly 120 year history.
I recommend grabbing a drink from the bar and sitting on the upstairs porch at sunset to watch Old Faithful go off – it is the most ‘explosive’ hotel view in the park.
To learn more about the hotel history click here.https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/historyculture/oldfaithfuldistrict.htm
The Old Faithful Inn is an awesome place to stay – but I’ve actually only spent the night there once given my proximity to the park and my mom and I typically would camp at Madison Junction in the summer.
That being said – I have spend dozens of days and nights hanging out at the Old Faithful Inn – eating breakfast in the wonderful dining room or grabbing a quick coffee at the grab and go shops – or a night cap at the Bears Paw bar.
Old Faithful has a great gift shop – and local artists usually are showcased in the lobby.
My mom and I used to play boardgames in the lobby after dinner before returning to the campground 🙂
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Want to stay at Old Faithful but want something a little more modern – look no further than the Old Faithful Snowlodge. I worked in the dining room in 2004 and it is a modern hotel designed with summer tourists and winter skiers in mind (you have to ski in or snowcoach/snowmobile in during the winter to get to Old Faithful)
I personally prefer dinner at the Snowlodge dining room – it is affordable and has a more diverse menu from local game to burgers and a delicious caldera dessert.
Adjoining the Snowlodge are several gift shops and also the Geyser Grill – my favorite go to for a quick burger/chicken sandwich lunch.
The Yellowstone General Store has two locations at Old Faithful and also features food and great gifts.
One thing you much get while in YNP is the the world’s best ice cream – Wilcoxsons. Made fresh in Livingston Montana – this ice cream has been a fixture in YNP for decades. The huckleberry is my favorite flavor
