If you’re planning a visit to Grand Teton National Park, check out the Colter Bay Cabins. Colter Bay Village is located at the northern end of the park in one of its main hubs of activity. They’re the perfect spot to stay for exploring Grand Teton as well as taking day trips up to neighboring Yellowstone. You’ll love their convenience and historic charm.
Colter Bay Village
Colter Bay Village is home to one of Grand Teton’s visitor centers and several other amenities that make it a great place to stay. It’s located right along the shores of spectacular Jackson Lake and has spectacular views of the mountains and is ideal for watching sunset. If you’re entering from the north (coming from Yellowstone) it’ll be your first main stop in Grand Teton and the perfect place to stop and pick up maps or get park info from rangers. It’s also the starting point for a few of the park’s easier trails as you won’t have much elevation gain at lake level.
Near the visitor center, you’ll also find a large building housing a gift shop and a general store. The store has lots of food and beverage options, and is a great place to stock up if you’re planning on picnicking during the day or need some trail snacks. There is also a laundry facility in the area as well as a popular campground.
Colter Bay Village Dining
There are two main restaurants at Colter Bay Village. The Ranch House serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With hearty American breakfast foods, classic lunch fare, and BBQ focused entrees for dinner, you definitely won’t go hungry.
The Café Court Pizzeria focuses on – you’ll never guess – pizza, but also serves breakfast in addition to lunch and dinner. It’s a great option to carry out to eat down by the lake or back to one of the Colter Bay Cabins.
Inside the gift shop and general store, there is a small coffee bar serving Starbucks coffee. You can also grab some pastries. It’s open from early morning to mid-afternoon, so it’s a great spot to start your day if you need some caffeine in the morning.
All about the Cabins at Colter Bay Village
The Colter Bay Cabins can sleep anywhere from 2-10 guests depending on which ones you reserve. They’re an easy walk from the shopping and dining closer to the lake, though in all honesty after several days of hiking, we were lazy and drove there for breakfast and dinner. Check in is in a small building at the entrance to the cabin area. You’ll pick up your cabin keys here and get directions to find your building.
One of the cool things about the cabins at Colter Bay Village is that they’re historic buildings relocated from other areas of the park. Most of them were from the early 20th century, but some date to the 1800s. When the park was expanded and redeveloped in the 1950s, many of the old lodges and resorts were demolished by the park service and some of the cabins from them were transported to Colter Bay Village. I thought it was pretty cool to stay in a real log cabin, and it’s certainly the only place I’ve had a chance to do so.
Cabins come in a few different varieties. One-bedroom and two-bedroom cabins with private bathrooms can sleep anywhere from 2-10 guests and include a full bathroom in the cabin. One-room cabins with shared bathrooms sleep a max of 2 guests, and have communal bathrooms a short walk away in a campground-style bath house. Despite their historic nature, they all have electric wiring and have heaters inside.
We stayed in a one-bedroom cabin with a private bathroom and a double and twin bed. We didn’t actually need the extra bed, but we booked pretty late so we didn’t have a lot of options and I took what was available. The layout of ours was a little different than what’s pictured on the booking site for the Colter Bay cabins, and it felt incredibly spacious.
Even the bathroom was surprisingly bright and had a lot more room than some of our lodging in Yellowstone. It was pretty basic, with the toilet, sink, and shower all in one enclosed area. Clean towels are included, and shampoo and soap are provided in pumps inside the shower.
Out in the main room, we had our double bed, with two nightstands and lamps. I enjoyed sitting at the desk to do some writing in my trip journal. We also had the extra twin bed, a couple of wooden chairs, and a small dresser. As you can see from the pictures, we also had a pretty large closet, which is great if you have any recreational gear you want to bring inside.
There are a couple notable things that the Colter Bay cabins don’t have that you’ll want to be aware of when planning your stay. The most noticeable one is wifi. If you want internet service, you can head down to the main office, restaurants, or store, though I didn’t find the wifi to be particularly good in those areas either. So, plan on not having much internet access during your stay. The cabins do not include tvs either, which is totally fine since I have zero interest in watching sitcom reruns when there are trails to hike and scenery to soak in nearby. Finally, while in-unit heaters are included, you won’t find air conditioning. Even in summer, the nights tend to cool off pleasantly, so there’s little need for it.
I loved our time here and would absolutely return. The cabins aren’t as glamorous as more famous spots like the Jackson Lake Lodge or Jenny Lake Lodge, but they’re more affordable and totally cozy. I loved sitting down by the marina and watching the sunset over the mountains and then heading back to our little log cabin to plan the next day’s adventures. Colter Bay Village is also the perfect spot to start at for my one-day Grand Teton itinerary.
Tent cabins at Colter Bay Village
In addition to the wooden log cabins, you can stay at slightly more rustic tent cabins nearby. These are available during the summer and feature two log walls with the roof and other walls made up of canvas tent material. They’re a nice hybrid if you want to try camping, but don’t have the gear or desire to fully commit to it.
The tent cabins have four single bunks that fold down from the walls, and up to two additional cots can be added for an extra charge. They have lighting installed, but there are no outlets to plug electronics into. You have a small wood-burning stove inside the tent for heat and a fire pit outside.
Bathroom facilities are a short walk away in a communal bath house and showers are offered in Colter Bay Village for an extra charge. Note that linens are not provided so it’s highly recommended that you bring your own sleeping bags and pillows though there are some for rent on a limited first come first served basis. You’ll also need to pack toiletries and towels.
Ready to book a stay at the Cabins at Colter Bay Village?
If you’re interested in booking the Colter Bay cabins, head to the official website to check availability. You can also make reservations by phone at 307-543-3100.
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Kris is a girl whose suitcase never rests. Follow her adventures around the United States, abroad, and to her beloved Disney parks. Traveling the world, camera in hand, and sharing all of her best adventures is her ultimate dream.