Take a Photo Safari!
by kazander
When I was first planning our trip, I booked us a Photo Safari though Xanterra. I thought "oh hey that might be fun.." It was fantastic! Our guide, Doug, was really wonderful. He has been working at the park for 17 years and giving photo tours for 8. He knew perfect spots to take photos, the exact time of when to get there, and which animals might be out and about, and where we might spot them. We had to get up early in the morning to meet up with the group at the Lake hotel. From there we piled into a 1930's motorcoach which took us all around the eastern side of the park. We saw a gorgeous sunrise, Buffalo (of course), a bald eagle, blue heron, a pair of sandhill cranes, osprey, mule deer,a fox and a pack of coyotes, including 5 cubs! Not to mention all of the gorgeous viewpoints and wildflowers. Breakfast of hot beverages and muffins is provided. You eat while on a mountaintop which provides a wonderful view of the park.
This trip is highly recommended! Lou said next time we are back in Yellowstone, we may book more than one!
There are tours that leave from the Lake Hotel, Old Faithful Inn and Canyon Lodge. The price was about $50 per person, and worth every penny!
better than expected
by TripAdvisor Member jolewis62
Before leaving on our trip to Yellowstone National Park, I read reviews on the Canyon Lodge and was a little nervous..We had a pleasant surprise when we arrived. Although siimple in decorations and having no T.V.and air conditioning, it was very clean. The air is cool at night so we didn't miss the air conditioning..The bathroom was spotless and seemed fairly new.. Not to mention that we had a couple of bison camped outside our front door every day. Although the cabins looked rundown the lodge is updated (we stayed in Dunraven Lodge in a high range room)..There was also a little lounge on the first floor is you needed a little more room to play cards or a game with the kids)..It was a good location for a starting point for our Yellowstone sightseeing..We moved on to Grant Village lodge which was also clean but didn't seem as new (and didn't have an elevator)
I would recommend Dunraven lodge if you want to stay in the park and would return to it ourselves if we even get the opportunity to return.
Much better than expected, lovely newly renovated cabin
by A TripAdvisor Member
After reading terrible reviews, I too was very worried about our decision to book the Canyon Lodge Western Cabin but we didn't have much choice when we booked in mid-March, everything was pretty much taken. We arrived to find a very pleasant surprise. We had two units, P82 and P83, each with two double beds. The cabin interior and bathrooms appeared to have been newly renovated and were very clean. We did experience a shortage of hot water the second morning and resorted to half of us taking our bath/shower in the evening and the others in the morning, this worked out well. We stayed 3 nights and would definitely stay there again.
Our experience with the food was pretty much as reported by others. Overpriced and there was not one meal in the park (we ate at several different locations) where every member of our party had a good meal. Service is VERY slow!!! I guess that's what you have to expect when you are a captive audience. Overall we enjoyed our stay very much.
Cabins worn out on the outside but nice on the inside!
by TripAdvisor Member Brutus_Buckeye
We stayed at the Canyon Lodge - Pioneer cabins for 3 nights. I would have to say that the outside of this 4 spoked bunch of cabins would make you cringe. The inside was more spacious than the pioneer cabins at Old Faithful. We had the basics such as 2 twin beds, night stand, desk, sink, shower, and toliet. The only downfall was the last couple of days we were there it was unsually warm and with no airconditioning it got up to 89 degrees during the day in our cabin (flat roof no insulation) and only got down to 75 at night with all the windows open! The walls of the cabins are thin so you can hear everything everyone says and the floor shakes upon walking and you can feel it in the other cabins and we had a loud group next door with kids. We also had a bison and mule deer that hung out in the area. The food is about the same all over the park. I would not say the food was bad but average in the Cafeteria, restaurant, diner, etc. We also enjoyed being so close to Hayden Valley to animal watch in the early morning hours and evening hours. The people were all friendly and helpful. We also thought the 1/2 mile trail from Canyon Village down to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone was nice (take a box lunch from the Picnic place and take the easy hike to have lunch at the Grand Canyon).
Canyon cabins rustic
by TripAdvisor Member Sharianderic
We stayed in a Frontier cabin at Canyon on June 7-8, 2005. ($85) They are VERY rustic. The outisde looks terrible - shabby and dumpy. They definitely need some updating. The one we stayed in was in a grouping of 6. You can hear someone sneeze on the other side of the wall like they are standing in your room. The inside appeared clean enough, but the shower stall left much to be desired. However, after 3 days of camping beforehand and not having a shower, I just shut my eyes and enjoyed! The water pressure and temp were perfect. The sinks are beside the bed (ours dripped constantly).
They are overpriced, sure, but isn't everything in the park? Don't expect much and you won't be disappointed. We were much happier with the cabin at Lake Yellowstone Hotel last year. The bathroom there had been totally updated and sparkling clean, and the outside was newly painted.
Food in the dinning room and General Store was great (but it doesn't take much to please me as long as it's simple)!
Just go and enjoy!
Canyon Western Cabin, June 2005
by A TripAdvisor Member
What a truly remarkable place! I am referring to Yellowstone in general, as it lives up to its' billing as one of the greatest wonders on this planet. As to the Canyon Western Cabin my family of 5 (3 boys, ages 10-13-15) stayed in for two nights, I would say it is what I expected from the other reviews. The cabin was spacious enough with two double beds and a pull out single bed. The shower was fine, as long as you timed your shower early (or late) while there was still hot water from your quad. The sink was outside the bathroom (just how I like it) and the room was furnished with a small round table and a good sized drawer unit. My wife bought a scented candle from the gift shop to cover up a slight musty smell, and it worked just fine. We were on road in the park all day and only used the place to sleep. The mattresses were a little rough on the back, and you do hear your neighbors if you like to sleep in. There was a half mile path through the woods to the Grand View of Yellowstone Canyon right next to our cabin. We ran into (about 100 yards away) a 400-lb. grizzly bear on the way back from this spectacular view. I got about 2 seconds of video before scurrying the troops back to the cabin, which was thankfully just up the trail! Oh, back to the review. I would stay here again, and would recommend this facility to those with boys, or those with a similar expectation of accomodations. If you want something fancier - go elsewhere. If you want a centrally located cabin for sleeping (in Grizzly country!), this is your place.
Forum Posts
Updated Yellowstone/Grand Teton Itinerary
by jackfruit
There's been a change in itinerary, so I am posting another question in this forum (Please ignore my previous post):
Day 0 - Arrive Salt Lake city
Day 1 - Start early; rent a car and drive to the western entrance of Yellowstone; Drive on the grand loop road (Old Faithful, West Thumb, Lake area to Canyon Lodge); Overnight Canyon Lodge
Day 2 - Day hike in the Canyon area of park ; Overnight Canyon Lodge
Day 3 - Drive the remainder of the loop road to the Mammoth area and geyers at Norris etc. Overnight Canyon Lodge
Day 4 - Drive south to Grand Teton NP - Lake Jenny visitor center. Take the ferry across to Inspiration Point and do the Cascade Canyon roundtrip hike to Soltitude Lake and back; Overnight Signal Mountain Lodge
Day 5 - Midafternoon drive back to SLC for return flight.
Some questions I had:
1) Any suggestions for a hike in the canyon area of Yellowstone? If we do just 1 hike in the park and its in that area, what shd it be? We dont mind a strenous day-long hike.
2) In the short time we have in Yellowstone, any suggestions for must-sees?
3) How long does it take to drive from Canyon Lodge to Lake Jenny ferry area? We want to start the hike from Inspiration point arnd 8:30am.
4)We picked Canyon Lodge because it's a nice central point in Yellowstone. Any opinions here?
Thanks!
Re: Updated Yellowstone/Grand Teton Itinerary
by zrim
Cascade Canyon may still be the most favorite hike I have ever done. I'd advise you to start as early as possible. The trail does get crowded, but if you are the first hikers up the trail you stand a better chance of seeing wildlife. So I'd leave Yellowstone by 5:00 or 5:30 a.m. on that day.
Re: Re: Updated Yellowstone/Grand Teton Itinerary
by jackfruit
Thanks for the reply, zrim! How long did you take for the roundtrip (We will be crossing the lake by ferry)?
I spoke to the lady at Signal Mountain and she warned me that it might take upwards of 2 hrs to make the Canyon Lodge - Jenny Lake drive in the morning. I guess some roads are closed around the Canyon Lodge area for summer 04 - xanterra desk didnt tell me anything about this when I made the canyon lodge reservations, so I plan to call them back about it. Anyone here have any info on road closings (the official site - http://www.nps.gov/yell/home.htm - has no closing listings for July 2004. Shd I just call up the park office and ask them?
Re: Re: Updated Yellowstone/Grand Teton Itinerary
by jackfruit
In Yellowstone, any comments/suggestions on the Mount Washburn and Seven Mile Hole trails?
Re: Re: Updated Yellowstone/Grand Teton Itinerary
by zrim
It's 14.5 miles roundtrip and an elevation gain of over 2000 feet, so you are looking at a full day--at least eight hours.
Sign in with Facebook
Canyon Lodge Deli
