Entrance to Wonderland! with the Comfort of Home

• Cozy home base for Yellowstone visit

  Cozy home base for Yellowstone visit

  • Guest Family traveler (Illinois)
  • Date of stay 09/06/13
  • Review Submitted 09/17/13
  Elk River Lodge was the perfect place to stay for our Yellowstone visit. We were traveling with my older parents and it was ideal that we were so close to the entrance of Yellowstone. After several nights in hotels on the way there, it was great to be able to settle in for a few days, do some wash and enjoy our coffee in the morning in our pajamas. The house was actually more spacious than the photos implied. You can walk to all the restaurants and souvenir shops but it was also nice to have the option to cook a meal. Barbara stocks the house with all the spices you might need. It was great to meet Barbara and visit with her for a while. My parents loved seeing all the elk in downtown Gardiner and my husband and I got to see the bear that was wandering the city on one of our morning walks. We hope to return to Yellowstone in the future and hope that Barbara's house will be available when we do.

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, people with disabilities, sightseeing, tourists without a car, age 55+, families with young children, girls getaway.

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• Great house, fantastic location!

  Great house, fantastic location!

  • Guest Katherine T. (Auburn, WA)
  • Date of stay 08/25/13
  • Review Submitted 09/05/13
  We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Our family of 4 includes 2 teenagers and we were all very happy with our stay. The location so close to the park entrance was perfect -- we took excursions into the park every day and had a great time. The game cabinet provided hours of evening entertainment and the western-themed videos on hand at the house were another fun evening diversion. Barbara was very nice and gave us excellent tips to help us make the most out of our time in the park. And, of course, the brownies waiting for us upon arrival at the house were a huge hit with two hungry and road-weary teenagers! It was a great experience.

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, sightseeing.

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• Unforgettable summer days

  Unforgettable summer days

  • Guest Hideo H. (Where do you live?)
  • Date of stay 08/16/13
  • Review Submitted 08/31/13
  This was our first vacation since my family moved from Japan. I looked for hotels at first but attractive hotels and lodges were already occupied. I found, then, there were short-term rent houses and Elk River Lodge seemed to me most fit to us, four with two teenage kids. Usually I am cautious when looking at introduction on web sites that are often exaggerated, but worried for nothing and everything was more than we had expected. Sight from the windows were beautiful and rooms were neat and chic. Dishes, linens and furniture were well cleaned. Enough rooms and beds for four of us. Backyard had beautiful a lawn carpet and lots of pretty flowers which actually called hummingbirds! I had some questions and asked the owner via e-mail and she quickly replied to my questions. It was as if we stayed in our own house! Gardiner, the lodge located was a small town but very good access to Yellowstone from the north gate and also there was a grorcery store where we could buy everything we needed during the stay. So our stay was very easy and comfortable. Visits to several places in Yellowstone were, of course, memorable experience but also Elk River Lodge was very impressive and it makes our first summer vacation unforgettable.

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, sightseeing, age 55+, families with young children.

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• August 2013 Vacation Stay

  August 2013 Vacation Stay

  • Guest Darrell (Worksop, UK)
  • Date of stay 08/12/13
  • Review Submitted 08/28/13
  This is my third stay in Gardiner and by far the best. Barbara was a kind, thoughtful and respectful host, a pleasure to get to know. The property is clean beyond all expectations, a true home away from home with full facilities especially washing and drying of clothes which are much needed when on the road for 3 weeks. We stayed 4 nights and were sad to leave - the property is within easy walk of all shops and eating establishments some of which are better than others. The accomodation is extremely spacious and finished to a high standard, it is cool and airy and it was nice to have two bedrooms. I would definitely stay here again if I ever come back to Yellowstone.

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing, age 55+, families with young children.

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• The Perfect Place to Stay!

  The Perfect Place to Stay!

  • Guest Melissa (Shawnee, KS)
  • Date of stay 07/13/13
  • Review Submitted 08/02/13
  Our family of five (three boys 7, 10, 12) had a wonderful visit to Yellowstone in July! The home was absolutely perfect for our family, it was clean, updated, and provided enough space so that we could all get some rest at the end of our busy days. We packed our lunches and enjoyed day trips into Yellowstone, white water rafting, and really loved exploring the town of Gardiner each night. I will definitely recommend this beautiful property to anyone considering a trip to Yellowstone!

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing, tourists without a car, age 55+, families with young children.

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• Wonderful Family Vacation

  Wonderful Family Vacation

  • Guest Nathan and Amy (kevil, ky)
  • Date of stay 06/30/13
  • Review Submitted 07/15/13
  This was our first visit to Yellowstone and hoping for many more!! We brought our 2 boys 5 and 7 and our father in law. This house is a home away from home. Our evenings we settled down with some fun board games that the boys really enjoyed. It was very roomy and so welcoming! Restaurants, shopping, grocery stores, and places to do guided adventures/tours were all with in a walking distance. We enjoyed the Montana White Water Rafting and Zip lining. My husband, father in laws and oldest son zip lined while my youngest and I shopped, we then met for lunch, and went back for white water rafting in the evening. We had the pleasure of meeting the owner and what a sweet heart! We hope to come back soon and we will defiantly be staying here !!

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing, age 55+, families with young children, girls getaway.

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• Have Added a Lot of Joy

  Guest comment entered by owner

  Have Added a Lot of Joy

  • Guest Ce, Marcus, Ing & Yishon, Indiana, USA
  • Date of stay 05/15/13
  • Review Submitted 06/16/13
  Thank you for providing us with this lovely temporary home for us to stay. This makes our trip more enjoyable. We love the nice decorations in your house very much. We can also clearly tell that you are such a dedicated owner. The house is very clean and the furniture equipments, DVD's, books, etc, are very well kept and maintained. We will definitely recommend your house to our friends who are going to visit Yellowstone. You have added a lot of joy to your guests in this house. Wish you all the best!

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• Elk River Lodge

  Elk River Lodge

  • Guest R&C (Sutton Coldfield, UK)
  • Date of stay 05/07/13
  • Review Submitted 05/27/13
  We spent 3 nights here to visit the Yellowstone, and found it just as described and shown in the photos. The comforts of home in the middle of an otherwise hotel-based holiday. Barbara's attention to detail shows throughout - everything was spotlessly clean and of the highest quality. We greatly appreciated receiving the Yellowstone literature before our visit, and the brownies waiting on arrival. We found plenty of excellent places to eat within walking distance, though (maybe because it was early in the season) some shut quite early (9pm). We were out early and back late, so didn't meet Barbara until we were leaving, which was a shame and our loss. We could have spent much longer talking to her. If/when we return to the area, we won't be looking to stay anywhere else. We know we already found the best!

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing, age 55+, families with young children, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• We Will Be Back

  Guest comment entered by owner

  We Will Be Back

  • Guest Larry & Crew
  • Date of stay 02/08/13
  • Review Submitted 04/04/13
  Thank you for the five star facilities. We were successful on our hunt. The wildlife in this area are in great numbers and we took alot of pictures. This is truly God's country. We will be back again because this is like home away from home. (From our Guest's "Thank You" note. We will look forward to seeing you again!)

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• Heaven in Montana

  Heaven in Montana

  • Guest D&D from Alabama (Alabama)
  • Date of stay 10/01/12
  • Review Submitted 11/09/12
  We spend the entire month of October at the Elk River Lodge and we enjoyed every minute of it. When entering the Lodge we were greeted by a plate full of delicious brownies prepared for us by Barbara. The Lodge was far more than we expected - clean, cozy, decorated perfectly and very roomy. All you need to bring is your clothes and personal items - Barbara has thought of everything else. We even had a blender for making our smoothies. For those of you that think October is a little late in the season you are missing one of the best times of the year. We got to see fall come with the beautiful leaves and we saw the first signs of winter coming with an 8" snow in the Park - it was all beautiful and we were not pushed by large numbers of tourist. Most of the stuff in the Park is still open - yes we got to eat in the Old Faithful Inn after we watched the geyser explode it all its magnificent glory. All of the beauty in the Park is intensified by the cold weather. Our first trip was to Livingston to buy some groceries at Town and Country. We made several trips to Livingston and visited some of the shops - make sure you check out the Cowboy Connection. Who knows, Clint Eastwood might be in there shopping. Don't leave out a trip to Bozeman and a visit to the University of Montana Museum - T-Rexs and everything else. Enjoy a walk down the main street of the old town and then head to the Mongolian BBQ for a different type of eating experience - reasonably priced and you won't leave hungry. Try a soak in the Gardner River just inside the Park. The Hot Springs at Mammoth empty into the river there and it just don't matter if it's in the 40s or even colder. You will be so warm that the half mile walk back to the car is not problem. We spent some time with Barbara and talked about the area's history and culture. She is a blessed and gracious landlord - fun to be around. She filled us in on some special things to see that most tourist don't know about. We will never forget our stay in the Lodge and the friendship we kindled with Barbara. May God bless all who spend time in the Lodge - you will experience a great vacation!

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, people with disabilities, sightseeing, age 55+, families with young children, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3

(SUMMER HIGH SEASON) $230/nt; 3-nt min;
LOW SEASON SPECIAL RATE-1Couple $150/nt; 2Cpls $175/nt; 5+$220/nt 3nt min;$1050/wk
Deposit Req to Secure Reser., Refund up to 30 days prior, less handling fee $75.
Balance due 30 days prior to arrival
Reservations less than 30 days before arrival requires Full Payment at Reservation
For Security, payment invoiced thru Payment Processing,Inc; Better Business Bureau
$300 Security Deposit.  Security Deposit refundable w/in 14 days of checkout.
No Refunds on Cancellations 30 days or less before Arrival

Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.