Hotels Out West - Our Suggestions and More
I should first start with a disclaimer that when we travel we are usually on a budget and we spend the majority of our time outside. That being said, when we book hotels, we are usually searching for the bare minimum-clean rooms, hot shower, no bed bugs, and air conditioning! Apart from that we are not very picky and we are definitely not staying in high class ritzy resorts! So if you are looking for something more fancy, you most likely won't find it here. If you are okay with a basic room then keep reading!
When we searched for hotels near the Badlands there were quite a few near the famous Wall Drug. However, most of them were booked or pretty pricy for what you were getting. We decided to go with The Badlands Inn. It was affordable ($138 a night), 7 minutes from the park, and had a nice view of the Badlands. Basically it was cheap, clean, and convenient and exactly what we were looking for.
Pros:
- Great view - we could see the Badlands from our window and it was especially pretty watching the sun rise
- Clean - place was clean and up to our standards
- Cheap - $138 a night was the cheapest we could find in the area
- Convenient - Right next to the park making it easy to do an early morning or late night hike
- Free Wi-Fi and cable
- Free parking and ice
Cons:
- The water was luke warm. After a long day of hiking I just wanted a hot shower. Unfortunately the hottest I could get it was luke warm. Not a deal breaker but worth mentioning.
- It is a very basic hotel, nothing fancy or spectacular about it.
- There really isn't much around it so if you are hungry for dinner you will need to drive about 10 minutes to the nearest restaurant.
Overall we were satisfied with our night here and would recommend it for anyone looking for the 3 C's (cheap, clean, convenient)! If you are planning on spending a lot of time in your hotel and you want something fancier, I wouldn't suggest staying here.
Just Outside of Yellowstone National Park - Irma Hotel
We chose to drive to just outside of Yellowstone and then stay the night 2 hours from the park. We stayed in the last major city before Yellowstone called Cody, WY. It is a small touristy town with plenty of hotel options. We again went with the cheapest but also most interesting hotel called Buffalo Bill's Irma Hotel. This is known as a historic hotel and was very unique and overall a fun place to stay!
Pros:
- On the cheaper side for $150 a night
- Perfect stop before Yellowstone National Park
- Clean and well maintained hotel with hot water, Wi-Fi, free parking and cable
- Plenty of places to eat surrounding it as well as in the actual hotel
- Unique and historic. You will learn a lot about the history of Buffalo Bill and the town. You can even watch a gun fight reenactment if you time it right. We unfortunately were not able to see it but the people there were raving about it!
- Have the option to stay in a standard room or a historic room *we had a standard room
- The staff is WONDERFUL and helped us decide what route was the best to take both to Yellowstone and for the rest of our trip. They gave us many tips and knew the National Parks well!
Cons:
- 2 hours from Yellowstone so not an ideal location for anything besides a pit stop
- Can be loud as it is a very active town with an active nightlife
Highly recommend this hotel! The historic aspect of it made it unique and an enjoyable experience and the facilities were wonderful and exceeded our expectations!
There are many hotels within Yellowstone National Park. However, because of availability and pricing, we opted for camping for 2 nights in Yellowstone. If you have never camped before, Yellowstone is a great place to try it! Surrounded by woods, many other campers, and beautiful views it is definitely something worth experiencing! We chose Bridge Bay Campground based on location, availability, and features. There are NUMEROUS places to camp in Yellowstone so be sure to check out all the options (link below) to see what works best for you!
Pros:
- Location - Bridge Bay is centrally located in Yellowstone. Most places are within 1-2 hours which makes a huge difference when planning your day!
- Can reserve in advance so you don't have to worry about getting there early to reserve a spot!
- Very quiet location!
- Has a fire pit and picnic bench, great for meals!
- Very nice bathrooms with flush toilets!
Cons:
- No Showers - the camp site with showers is about a 20 minute drive away
Tips:
- For first time campers: be smart about where you pitch your tent! We pitched ours on a slight incline and woke up the next morning crammed at the bottom of our tent!
- Bring a cooler of food and drinks. Things are expensive in the park!
- Lock up food - there are bears! We went in August and only saw 1 bear however, if you go other times you are more than likely to see quite a few bears!
- Don't waste money on firewood. You are allowed to pick up logs in the forest, you just can't cut anything down! We found SO much firewood and even enjoyed gathering it!
- Once it is dark, people close up for the night. It gets very quiet and everyone are pretty much in their tents!
We enjoyed this campsite! It was very quiet and a perfect spot to spend 2 nights! Highly recommend if you plan on camping!
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| View from our window |
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| Windows Room |
Devil's Tower itself is not a destination you need to spend a lot of time in unless you plan to rock climb. However, the way the timing worked out, we would arrive in the evening and need to spend the night. Now looking back I am so glad we spent the night! Devil's Tower Lodge is a bed and breakfast, not a hotel. Therefore they rent out rooms, some with bathrooms attached, others with bathrooms down the hall. They also serve an amazing breakfast (included) and dinner (extra $15). The place was AMAZING with gorgeous views of the tower, beautiful rooms, and wonderful people. It is also the only place to stay that is even somewhat close to Devil's Tower. What makes this place such a gem is truly the hospitality of the owner Frank. Now my husband and I aren't exactly social butterflies looking to meet friends on our vacations, but we truly enjoyed getting to know Frank and some of the other people at the lodge over dinner. Frank offers his guests dinner as a chance to get to know the people that are staying at his lodge. We decided last minute to call and see if they still had room for us for dinner and we lucked out! Not only was dinner really tasty, talking to Frank was definitely a highlight. He is a very interesting individual with quite the life story. He is also VERY knowledgeable about the tower and can tell you everything you want to know and more! We LOVED our stay here and highly recommend it as it made Devil's Tower worth the trip!
Pros:
- Amazing food!!! There isn't anything to eat nearby so definitely enjoy dinner and breakfast!
- Great hospitality - Frank is willing to help with ANYTHING you need!
- Very Knowledgeable - Frank can tell you all there is to know about the tower. If you want to rock climb, he offers training and takes people up the tower.
- Free Wi-Fi and parking
- The rooms have a beautiful view. We stayed in the Windows Room and had a stunning view of the tower. Our bathroom was down the hall but there were no rooms near us so we didn't have any issues with it.
- Very spacious shower and air conditioning
- Hot tub for guests to enjoy
- Good price at $150 a night
Cons:
- Can be tricky to locate the lodge as GPS doesn't work out there. Luckily Frank emails you a map with directions. Print and use this map!
- It is a bed and breakfast which understandably isn't for everyone
- Some rooms do not have bathrooms directly attached
If you can squeeze a night in at Devil's Tower Lodge, do it! You won't be disappointed!
Our last stop on our trip was to Custer State Park to explore Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Jewel Cave, and Custer State Park. We didn't want to camp again (I like my showers and comfortable bed) and we were finding the rates were quite pricy for hotels in the area. So we decided to book another bed and breakfast as the price was more reasonable than the hotels. Dakota's Dream Bed and Breakfast was quaint, comfortable, and on a beautiful property. The couple who owned it was also friendly, helpful, and of course made a delicious breakfast! We enjoyed our stay here and recommend it to those who are comfortable with bed and breakfasts!
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| Cute living/common room space |
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| A sign welcoming us! |
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| Beautiful property |
Pros:
- Free parking and Wi-Fi
- Beautiful property surrounded by woods. There were deer everywhere and they are definitely comfortable with humans! It was fun to see even for us Wisconsinites who see deer often!
- Delicious breakfast and company! We were able to learn a lot of great tips of what to see and not miss while in Custer
- Comfortable and clean room
- Very cute decor
- Affordable at $170 a night
- Great location near all the major sights
Cons:
- Bathroom was down the hall and not attached to the room
- Room was small
We enjoyed our stay here and would again recommend it for anyone comfortable with a bed and breakfast!
Final Thoughts
Overall, we were very satisfied with our hotels on this trip! They were exactly what we needed and affordable! They helped make our trip a success!
There are many hotels within Yellowstone National Park. However, because of availability and pricing, we opted for camping for 2 nights in Yellowstone. If you have never camped before, Yellowstone is a great place to try it! Surrounded by woods, many other campers, and beautiful views it is definitely something worth experiencing! We chose Bridge Bay Campground based on location, availability, and features. There are NUMEROUS places to camp in Yellowstone so be sure to check out all the options (link below) to see what works best for you! 
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