Living in the Old Faithful Area of Yellowstone National Park
Old Faithful Area is the best known and most visited area in Yellowstone National Park! With three different hospitality centers in one place, it is also has the largest employee population and is the most like a "town" of any location, or village.
Three distinct guest facilities surround the Old Faithful Geyser boardwalk - Old Faithful Inn, Old Faithful Lodge and Old Faithful Snow Lodge.
Each has a unique history and personality that invites guests in to learn more about them. Many stay to eat a meal and/or spend the night.
The Old Faithful staff ensures that visitors remember the hospitality they received and the adventures they had while here!
Old Faithful Inn Facts
Elevation: 7265 Feet or 2254 Meters in the Old Faithful area
Number of Employees: 390
Number of Guest units: 327 Guest Rooms
Services Available for all Old Faithful area:
Post Office, Gas Station, General Store, Medical Clinic
Old Faithful Inn is an impressive log structure. Built in 1904 it just celebrated its 100th birthday. It is the most visited building in the area. The interior lobby towers five stories high and boasts an interior made entirely of locally harvested logs and a fireplace made of locally quarried stone.
Everything in the Inn is big, including the volume of business each summer. Old Faithful Inn employees stay busy as the summer season brings amazed visitors from all over the world to stay in her historic rooms, eat in the dining room or deli, sip beverages in the lounge and purchase items in the gift shop.
Old Faithful Lodge Facts
Number of Employees: 170
Number of Guest units: 96 Cabins
Old Faithful Lodge was built in the mid 1920s. The large, log structure houses the front desk, cafeteria, bakery and gift shop. A large lobby area with vast windows overlooks Old Faithful Geyser Basin. Guests sleep in cabins adjacent to the lodge. Being the closest location to Old Faithful herself, the Lodge is one of the first places visitors head for when the geyser finishes one of its periodic eruptions.
This cycle of guests in and out of the lodge is warmly referred to as a "Geyser Rush" and they are the routine each day at Old Faithful Lodge!
Old Faithful Snow Lodge Facts
Number of Employees: 180
Number of Guest units: 134 Rooms and Cabins
Old Faithful Snow Lodge is the newest building on location. Completed in 1998, it is a showcase of woodcraft. The rough-hewn beams used to build the interior are from the original mill where the Old Faithful Inn timber was processed. Guests can choose a meal in the dining room or fast food from the grill, and purchase a take-home memory in the gift shop. The only winter lodging open in the park's interior, Snow Lodge also houses a conference room and comfortable reading/community areas along with a small, cozy lounge.
Employee Life at Old Faithful
What can you say . . . it's Old Faithful! Life here is a larger experience in every way that makes Yellowstone different. A combined employee population of nearly 750 people gives Old Faithful a cultural and national diversity that's hard to find elsewhere. Once-in-a-lifetime opportunities abound for learning, playing and life-long friendships.
Dormitory-style employee housing is located throughout the Old Faithful area. Bitterroot, Columbine, Larkspur, Laurel, Lupine and Obsidian dorms house two to three employees in each room and have bathroom facilities that are either down the hall or between two rooms. Each dorm building has a community room, laundry facilities and pay phone.
The number of RV sites at Old Faithful are very limited. Click Here for more information about bringing your RV to Yellowstone.
Some resident buildings are a 15-minute walk from the Old Faithful work/guest areas and employee dining rooms. Old Faithful area is a great place to bring your bicycle...just don't forget your helmet! And...be sure to bring a flashlight, rain gear, mosquito repellent and warm jacket.
Employee Dining Rooms (or EDR's) are located in the Inn and Snow Lodge. Old Faithful Inn employees are asked to dine in the EDR located behind the Inn. Lodge and Snow Lodge employees dine at the Snow Lodge EDR.
What About Off-time?
There are many things to do in the Old Faithful area. Upper Geyser Basin, located right outside the Inn, has some of the most amazing geo-thermal activity in the world. Trails and roads take you from Old Faithful into a steamy, bubbly wonderland that could take an entire summer to explore.
The nearby Firehole River is a blue-ribbon trout-fishing stream. It also offers one of only two areas in the park where swimming is legal (and safe). For more fishing and hiking near the water, take a short drive to the trailhead of Shoshone Lake, located in the midst of a massive, old-growth forest.
Bison, elk, and their young, wander through the Old Faithful area, making wildlife watching an easy pastime.
Old Faithful is located in the southwestern portion of the park and is closest (32 miles from Old Faithful) to the town of West Yellowstone, Montana,the western gate of Yellowstone National Park.
West Yellowstone is a small, yet complete town with grocery, drug and clothing stores and an assortment of restaurants and (dare we say it?) fast-food joints. If you head south through Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Hole, Wyoming is two and one-half hours drive from Old Faithful.
For daily recreational activities the Co-op Recreation Department schedules van trips to local attractions and town, hiking trips, white water rafting, big-screen movies, dances and live music.
The Employee Recreation Hall is located at the Old Faithful Lodge. This huge structure is home to the Old Faithful recreation program office, exercise equipment room, library and full sports court. The rec hall stage is home to the annual park-wide talent show held each summer.
The Old Faithful Visitor's Center is a source of knowledge about the area. Daily guided ranger walks and films are great ways to learn more about the park's ecosystem.
"Geyser Gazers" are a phenomena unique to this area. These employees spend their off-time watching and reporting activities in the basin, such as eruptions and changes to features, to National Park Service staff. Anyone getting to know a Geyser Gazer has a good resource for interesting information about Yellowstone's thermal basins.
Old Faithful is a study in contrasts. At mid-day, the parking lots are full and the boardwalks are crowded. Mornings and evenings are peaceful, with the buffalo and elk outnumbering the occasional stroller.
Whether you enjoy a whirlwind of activity or quiet solitude, Old Faithful offers experiences and moments that you will remember for years to come.
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