Head out into the National Park System for a vacation and among the lodging options you have are cabins, some rustic, some quite nice. Some are built from logs, some from canvas, and some from planks, some are heated by woodstove, some by electric wall heaters. And some not at all.

Among the national parks with cabins you can rent for a night or longer are Grand Teton, Olympic, Shenandoah, Yosemite, and Yellowstone. This summer allowed the Traveler's Kurt Repanshek and Rebecca Latson to sample some of those cabins, with Kurt staying at Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park and Rebecca spending nights in three cabin locations in Yellowstone. 

Kurt Repanshek: Well, Becky, once again you made more stops in the National Park System this year that I have, although the year's not quite ended yet. I am curious to see what you thought of your nights in the cabins at Old Faithful, Tower-Roosevelt, and Mammoth Hot Springs. Three very different locations in Yellowstone. Were they three very different experiences?

Rebecca Latson: Not that this is a competition or anything Kurt, but retirement means I can travel a little more often — as long as I can afford it, that is. Living on a fixed income means I must mind my travel expenses, especially regarding overnighting within the park. When I began planning that late-August Yellowstone trip, my intention was to mostly camp to save on lodging expenses … until I noticed availability on the web for a cabin I’ve been wanting to stay in since I first visited the park back in 2018. Even better was the price: At $125 per night (not including taxes), it was anywhere from $86 to more than $1,000 cheaper than any of the other brick-and-mortar lodging options at Yellowstone, and my travel flexibility meant I timed it right to stay at a place with one of the park's shortest lodging seasons (June 1 - September 2 for 2024).

One thing led to another, and I not only reserved a Rough Rider cabin at Roosevelt Lodge but also a portion of a fourplex cabin at Old Faithful Lodge and a Frontier cabin at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. It did help that I stayed one or two nights only in each cabin. Short stays allowed more lodging availability and kept pricing manageable for me. Interestingly enough (speaking of pricing), the Rough Rider cabin price remained the same throughout its short season, while the prices of rooms and cabins elsewhere at Yellowstone went up and down like a rollercoaster, depending upon the month and date. For what reason, I do not know. Again, though, my flexibility allowed me to pick and choose cheaper nights for the other two cabins in which I stayed during that Yellowstone trip.

Rough Rider Cabins are rustic and a little cramped, but offer simple lodging against the elements in this part of Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

Kurt: Well, I'd venture that the Colter Bay cabins offer a huge edge in scenic appeal. The cabins are set out in rows in a lodgepole pine forest and you're only about a 5-to-10-minute walk down to Jackson Lake with that incredible view of the skyscraping Tetons across the water. A short drive away was a tree-framed meadow that during our stay was a hot spot for a grizzly sow and her three cubs. Each day shortly after sunrise and again shortly before sundown the road's two shoulders were crammed bumper to bumper for a quarter mile with photographers mounting huge lenses on tripods and the curious hoping to frame the bears with their phones. We had seen grizzlies before and didn't join the crowd.

The late September view from Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park/Kurt Repanshek

Becky: The cabins in which I stayed may not have possessed hugely scenic views, but they were still close to where the action was. For instance, my Old Faithful Lodge fourplex cabin led across the gravel road between cabin and main lodge right onto the Upper Geyser Basin boardwalks, Old Faithful Geyser, Geyser Hill, and the Observation Point trailhead. My cabin at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel was maybe a 10-to-15-minute walk to the Mammoth Terraces. The Rough Rider cabins are a short walk away from the corral and a horseback ride, not to mention the lodge and cabin complex is right across the highway from the route to Lamar Valley, and right next to the turnoff to Tower Falls and Dunraven Pass.

The view from the front porch of the Roosevelt Lodge, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

Kurt: True, it's hard to beat seeing Old Faithful in full throaty eruption, and I truly love the view from the Roosevelt Lodge porch, but there's just something about the Tetons that never fails to astound me.

Becky: I won't argue that point. Cabins and lodging in the national parks tend to be located within relatively easy reach of stunning scenic views and/or are usually chock-full of history. I think that's what attracted me to reserving a couple of nights in a Rough Rider cabin (#17) at Roosevelt Lodge, even though Theodore Roosevelt never actually stayed there (but he did camp nearby). I enjoyed my stay, but that rustic cabin was mighty small. I joke to others that it was "Becky-sized." Anything more than a duffel bag for luggage will create a tight fit, since my cabin had a wood-burning stove that burns "Presto Logs", a double bed, a wood desk and chair, a small wall mirror, and one of those ubiquitous recycle/compost/trash bins, all fitted into the small interior only a little larger than a large walk-in closet. The two screened windows allowed only a little bit of breeze to circulate, since there were cabins on either side of mine blocking the wind. There’s no bathroom, and my cabin was one of the furthest away from the communal showers and restrooms for that block of cabins. Still, it was out of the elements, near the main lodge, just a few steps away from my car in the parking lot, and was clean enough for me — my wants are few when it comes to brick-and-mortar overnighting.

The Roosevelt Lodge Rough Rider Cabin interior, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

Kurt: Small, you say? I've stayed in both rooms and cabins in the parks that were so small that the bathrooms were barely big enough to allow you to change your mind. Ahem. I've been visiting Colter Bay for more than two decades, at least. Once a buddy and I even stayed in one of the tent cabins, which is a unique experience. They have two walls made from logs and two from canvas tenting. The roof also is canvas, there's a wood-burning stove inside to help keep you warm when the nights grow cold, and it's a short walk to a communal restroom facility. The tents offer bunks for you to toss your sleeping bag down on. I will say, once was enough for me in those accommodations.

Becky: I've read about those Colter Bay cabins, Kurt, and that many of those historic cabins were moved to that spot from elsewhere in the park. Much like the Colter Bay cabins, Yellowstone’s website states the Roosevelt Lodge area “became a repository for guest cabins brought from areas in the park where they were no longer wanted.” I don't know if this includes the block of Rough Rider cabins where I lodged, but I'm glad they were kept separate and not spliced together into duplexes or triplexes. My little cabin, cheek-by-jowl to the cabins on either side of me, still allowed me a degree of privacy without needing to worry about paper-thin walls, if you know what I mean.

Becky and her Roosevelt Lodge Rough Rider cabin, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

Kurt: A unique aspect of staying in a Colter Bay log cabin is, as you note, that these are original log cabins that homesteaders in the Jackson Hole valley built and lived in more than a century ago. It makes you wonder what the log walls would say if they could talk. Of course, the downside is that you're staying in a log cabin built more than a century ago and which the Park Service has allowed minimal improvements to. And that's a concern of mine.

I'm not asking that the Park Service invite Joanna and Chip Gaines to transform the cabins into 21st century living spaces with all the functionality and technology that people seem to want these days, but these are historic structures that need better preservation. One wall in our cabin had paper towels stuffed between the logs to keep out drafts (and probably insects and maybe rodents), and there was another spot where you could see daylight coming through weak joints.

Other guests at Colter Bay have complained about flooding in their cabins, if you can believe that. While the concessionaire, Grand Teton Lodge Co., posts a notice in rooms to inform visitors that "[D]ue to the historic nature of our cabins, we are unable to completely seal off all gaps...," that's hogwash (to use a century-old expression). The Old Faithful Inn and Lake Hotel in Yellowstone are both historic structures more than a century in age and they've been rehabilitated more than once and are maintained without see-through cracks in the walls, flooding, or gaps around doors.

One of the hundreds of log cabins you can stay in at Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park/Kurt Repanshek

Paper towel chinking in a Colter Bay cabin/Kurt Repanshek

Too much daylight in a Colter Bay cabin can raise concerns/Kurt Repanshek

Becky: Yeah, but that's the cachet of staying at one of those cabins, isn't it? That's how the homesteaders lived. I reminded myself of that when I noticed some small holes in the wall next to my bed. Too small for mice to get through, but large enough for spiders and ants, not to mention the freezing night air at high elevation. Then again, that's what the Presto Log/wood burning stove was for. Takes awhile, though, for the place to heat up — even the front desk manager remarked about that when I checked in.

Kurt: Let's keep one thing in mind, Becky. This cabin went for $300 a night when all was said and done. Rates are supposed to be "comparable" to those in surrounding communities. I've stayed in cabins in Jackson that were in much better condition, structurally and in terms of cleanliness, that didn't cost that much. Long-time readers of the Traveler might recall a two-part series I wrote back in 2012 [find it here and here] about the historic nature of many park lodges and how they were being cared for. "Rusting fixtures, cracked tiles, wood rot in advanced stages, beams warped and rotting, mortar around fireplace hearths and chimneys cracked or missing. If you found some of these maintenance needs around your home, you'd likely tackle them right away," I wrote back then. "After all, better to get your hands dirty, wield a hammer, spill a little paint, or do some plumbing to fix a small problem now rather than be overwhelmed by a massive, and expensive, repair job later, right?"

I think it was a worthwhile story back then, and I wonder if it's time for the Traveler's writers to revisit it. 

But I digress. Some years ago I did stay in a cabin at Shenandoah National Park. The one I stayed in was a duplex setup, with a common wall between the two cabins. That's a problem wherever it occurs because those common walls are never designed to be sound-proof. Pretty much the opposite, from my experience. That night at Shenandoah was a rough one, as the couple next door got into a rather loud, and long, argument. During my recent three-night stay at Colter Bay there were no arguments, but somewhat muddled conversations came through, and the bathrooms for both cabins where along that wall. It was quite clear that the toilets flushed adequately.

Also important to know is that there is a variety of cabin layouts at Colter Bay. Some are two cabins cobbled together, some are single-bedroom, some offer two bedrooms, some have more room than others for bathroom facilities. And because they vary in age, some are in better condition than others.

Some Colter Bay cabins are in better condition than others/Kurt Repanshek file

Becky: I hear ya! My fourplex cabin at Old Faithful Lodge was a bit of an odd setup. Everybody staying in that building, which looked small from the outside, but still managed (in my portion anyway) to have a double and a twin bed as well as my own tiny bathroom. There was only one incident of noise coming from beyond the wall next to my bed. Since I knew, then, that everybody would be able to hear everybody else, in a fit of exhausted pique, I yelled something loudly and after that, all was quiet for the remainder of my stay.

Old Faithful Lodge Cabins range from single cabins to four-plex buildings like the one pictured here, where Becky stayed in Room 110, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

My Mammoth Hotel Frontier cabin, on the other hand, felt private, even though it was very close to the other cabins on either side of it. As a matter of fact, it was the largest of the cabins in which I stayed. It was clean, bright, and allowed in plenty of natural light. The bathroom felt small but the shower felt large - the largest of any of the showers I'd used during my stay in the park. And, unlike my Rough Rider cabin, these windows allowed plenty of breeze to waft through, which ultimately proved fortuitous. 

After unloading my vehicle, I intended to lay down for a short rest. Having taken off my hiking boots, I noticed the carpet felt damp - the entire carpet, not just a single spot. I also smelled an odor pervading the air which I hadn't noticed before. I can't say it was some chemical odor, but it was definitely not pleasant, and it lasted through the entire night. Maybe housekeeping had cleaned the carpet with some noxious-smelling formula? I know this sounds like I'm complaining, and I guess I am, but the carpet shouldn't feel damp and odd odors shouldn't be floating around the cabin at a cost of approximately $285 per night (taxes included). That said, the Mammoth Hotel cabins are adorable and - smells and carpet dampness aside - I would recommend them in a heartbeat.

The Frontier Cabins behind the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

The interior of Becky's Mammoth Hotel Frontier Cabin, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

Kurt: Don't get me wrong, Becky. I'm not suggesting there's a need for a wholesale makeover of the Colter Bay cabins. They're iconic, they're treasures from the past, and they should exude a measure of rusticness. That said, they should be overhauled, where necessary, to repair log joints and chinking, square the doors and windows, replace water-stained baseboards and indoor trim, and address outside grading to prevent flooding. After all, the Park Service mission calls for parks to be conserved so they can "provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."

Traveler footnote: If you stayed in a cabin in the parks, let us know what you thought of the accommodations and your experience in a comment below.