Old Faithful Inn Is A World Famous Structure
As iconic as the geyser with which it shares its name, the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park is the largest log structure in the world and the building that launched the architecture movement known as national park service rustic. National park structures have a shared, specific look and feel because of the trends set by the Old Faithful Inn.
Crews built the inn with lodgepole pines and rhyolite stone from inside the park over the winter of 1903-1904. The lobby is multiple stories tall and has as its focal point a massive 85-foot, 500-ton stone fireplace. The building stands exactly one-eighth of a mile from Old Faithful, which can be seen from the lobby floor.
The building is remarkable and certainly worth a visit. Which is easy to do, since chances are good you’ll go see Old Faithful while you’re in the park. Walking through the lobby, you’ll see the stone fireplace, the enormous lobby clock, built for the inn when it opened, and a series of balconies supported by a network of tall, gabled log structures. The atmosphere is rich and the place just feels like a national park.
And the inn is a legitimate, operating hotel, open from May to October each year. Rooms have to be reserved and prices run anywhere from $572 a night for the suite to $115 for a room with a shared bathroom in the Old House. And be aware, whether you’re in the suite or the Old House, your room will have no television, radio or air conditioning. Because who travels to Yellowstone to watch TV?
For the 2016 season, the Old Faithful Inn will be open from May 6 to Oct. 9. To make a reservation, visit YellowstoneNationalParkLodges.com or call 866-439-7375. Be aware, crews will be working through summer on the East Wing to finish the exterior staining project that started last year.
