The Old Faithful Lodge Cabins are the perfect affordable lodging option in the heart of Yellowstone’s most popular area. Staying inside the national park boundaries gives you so many advantages as a guest, and the cabins have an absolutely perfect location. Though the Lodge gets much less fanfare than the nearby Old Faithful Inn, you won’t regret a stay here.

Note: There are three hotel/cabin options in the Old Faithful area, all with similar sounding names. This article is about the Old Faithful Lodge Cabins. The Old Faithful Inn and Old Faithful Snow Lodge are all within walking distance so be careful when booking your reservations.

Location, location, location

The Old Faithful Lodge Cabins are located incredibly close to their namesake Old Faithful. You can even see the eruptions from some of them, though our unit was jussssttt around the corner out of sight.

Getting to spend the night that close to Old Faithful was absolutely dreamy and worth every penny. We got to watch the geyser erupt so many times during our stay, and it was especially pleasant in the evening and first thing in the morning.

We saw our first eruption around 6:30 that night and the viewing area’s benches were pretty full of people. We ended up sitting on the boardwalk to wait because we couldn’t find an open spot. After that, most of the people headed straight to the parking lot. We checked into our cabin and grabbed a carry out dinner – I endorse the bison sloppy joe meal off the kids’ menu paired with a local hard cider because there are no rules on vacation – and sat on a bench just by the hotel to watch another spout.

When we finished eating, we went back to the cabin and loaded in all of our stuff and I grabbed my camera to head back for a sunset eruption. The geyser was not particularly faithful that time though, as it erupted about 20 minutes before predicted and I was just rounding the corner of the main lodge.

The really special moment was when I went out after dark and watched Old Faithful erupt lit up by the light of a full moon. Under an endless, perfectly clear sky with the Big Dipper lined up perfectly behind the water plume and only a couple other people in sight, it was pure magic.

We caught another sparsely attended eruption as we ate our breakfast the next morning before many visitors from other areas had time to arrive.

Another nice thing about staying here is that there are a lot more food options to choose from than in most areas of the park. Between the three hotels in the area, you have a few quick service style restaurants and two table service dining options. If you’re staying for multiple nights, it’s nice to have some variety to choose from.

The location is also a great spot to use as a base for exploring the western side of the park as you can easily get to all of the major hydrothermal areas from here. It’s also one of the best spots to take a day trip to Grand Teton National Park.

Inside the Old Faithful Lodge Cabins

The cabins are on the smaller side. Some are single units, but ours was set up in a duplex style so it shared a wall with another unit. Old Faithful Frontier Cabins feature a full private bathroom, whereas the appropriately named Cabins without Bath have only a sink and offer communal showers and toilets much like a campground would.

We stayed in a Frontier Cabin and got lucky with one close to the main building and the walkway to Old Faithful. Our cabin had one double bed, but there are some available with a double and a twin.

We had a small desk with a chair and a couple dressers, but other than that the room was pretty basic. None of the hotels in Yellowstone have tvs, radios, or air conditioning, so bring a book or cards for the evening if you plan on staying up.

The bathroom area was divided, with the sink and mirror located in the main area of the cabin. The toilet and shower were together in a small bathroom. It wasn’t the most spacious area, but it gets the job done. Towels, soap, shampoo, and conditioner are provided.

Old Faithful Lodge Lobby

The lobby of the Old Faithful Lodge is less grand than its sister Inn’s, but it’s still beautiful to behold. With its high wooden beams and massive stone fireplace, it has the perfect rustic national park feeling.

Inside the main building, you’ll find the Old Faithful Lodge Cafeteria & Bakeshop with several different counters to order different foods from. Expect to find basics like burgers, but also stir fry noodles and the previously mentioned bison sloppy joe.

There’s also a very popular coffee counter and a gift shop in the main building.

How to book the Old Faithful Lodge Frontier Cabins

The Old Faithful Lodge is run by a vendor named Xanterra. You can reach their booking site here. I won’t say it’s the easiest to navigate as checking different room types wasn’t always easy, but I got the reservations done. You can also book over the phone, and I received great customer service from the person on the line when I needed to call and sort out some scheduling questions.

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