Cozy Cabin 4 Miles to YNP and 20 Minutes from the Lamar Valley!

In May 2008, Jeff and Lisa traveled to Cooke City to stay for a week where they found their dream hotel for sale. They talked to the owners, the Hahns, and said if this was next year, we would buy it in a heartbeat. Later that year in the winter, the Ohlingers further looked into owning the hotel but were afraid that it was too big of a risk at the time having such great paying jobs with excellent benefits.

In February 2009, however, the plant that they both worked at, Century Aluminum, closed its doors after 52 years, leaving the Ohlingers and about 700 others without jobs. With nothing left to lose, they decided to take the huge jump and embrace their dreams of owning the Elk Horn Lodge. They sold their new log home that they built themselves and put in a bid for the hotel. The Ohlingers packed up their home in a U-Haul and left their friends, families, and the town they had lived in their entire lives to embark on a new, exciting adventure! After three days of traveling, they pulled their two vehicles and the U-Haul into gorgeous Cooke City, their new home!

Our family chose Cooke City as home because of the incredible beauty, peaceful surroundings, and endless opportunities for adventure. Tucked in the mountains just outside Yellowstone National Park, this is a place where you can slow down, breathe in the fresh mountain air, and enjoy everything the great outdoors has to offer.

Summer brings endless possibilities—from wildlife watching and hiking to biking, hunting, fishing, and exploring the scenic mountain roads. In winter, the area transforms into a snowy playground with exceptional snowmobiling, skiing, and other winter adventures.

With Yellowstone National Park’s Northeast Entrance just 4 miles away and the spectacular Lamar Valley only about 20 minutes from Cooke City, you’ll have some of the region’s most incredible scenery and wildlife right at your doorstep. Lamar Valley is renowned for its opportunities to observe wolves and other wildlife in their natural habitat.

For anglers, the surrounding area offers outstanding fly fishing and lake fishing. The Lamar River, Slough Creek, Soda Butte Creek, and Clark’s Fork provide opportunities to fish for native cutthroat trout, particularly from late June through September. Numerous alpine lakes throughout the area also offer fishing for cutthroat and brook trout.

But perhaps the greatest attraction is the lifestyle. Cooke City is a unique, rustic mountain community where the pace is slower, the scenery is spectacular, and adventure is always close by.

We fell in love with this special place and chose to make it our home. We hope you’ll come discover Cooke City and find the same sense of peace, adventure, and connection that brought us here.