Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Cabins

What to expect

Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Cabins is the year-round hotel at Mammoth, in the northwest corner of Yellowstone National Park, a short walk from the travertine terraces that give the area its name. Xanterra runs it as Yellowstone National Park Lodges. It is a historic park hotel, not a spa, and it is worth being clear about what that means for soaking.

You cannot soak in the hot springs. Yellowstone prohibits soaking in its hot springs anywhere in the park, and the Mammoth terraces carry water that comes out at about 170°F77°C over thin, fragile rock. You see them from boardwalks and roads.

The soak at this hotel is private and small: four Hot Tub Cabins, each with its own hot tub on an enclosed, fenced patio behind the main building. Xanterra does not describe the tubs as mineral or spring water, so treat them as ordinary hot tubs. What makes them special is the setting: a winter night at Mammoth, snow on the ground, elk wandering through the cabin area, and steam rising off the terraces up the hill.

The hotel and cabins

The current hotel was built in 1936 and kept a wing of rooms from 1911. Xanterra describes a renovation of the rooms and public spaces finished in 2019. Its best known room is the Map Room, with a large wooden map of the United States made from 15 kinds of wood from nine countries, often with live piano in winter.

Room types, from the operator:

• Hot Tub Cabins: one queen bed, full bathroom with shower, coffee maker and phone, with the hot tub on a private fenced patio. Bookable in every season.
• Suites: two queen beds, a separate sitting room, refrigerator with complimentary drinks and snacks, and the only satellite TV of any in-park room.
• Deluxe rooms: king or queen beds and a private bathroom; all hotel floors are served by an elevator.
• Frontier Cabins: two queen beds and a private bathroom. Closed in winter.
• Cabins without bath: a sink in the room and shared bathrooms and showers nearby. Closed in winter.

None of the rooms have air conditioning, and only the suites have TV. Pets, smoking, vaping and in-room cooking are not allowed. Wi-Fi is available to registered guests, according to the NPS.

Prices and booking

Xanterra does not publish fixed rates; prices change by date and room type on its booking engine. Book online at yellowstonenationalparklodges.com or call 307-344-7311. There are only four Hot Tub Cabins, so book them as soon as your dates are open, especially for winter weekends and holidays.

You also need a park pass. Yellowstone’s 2026 entrance fees are $35 per private vehicle, $20 per person on foot or bike, or $70 for an annual Yellowstone pass. Non-US residents 16 and over pay an extra $100 each unless they hold an annual pass.

Getting there

Mammoth sits about 5 miles south of the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana. The hotel address is 2 Mammoth Hotel Avenue, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190.

• From Bozeman or Livingston: Take US-89 south through the Paradise Valley to Gardiner, enter at the North Entrance and climb to Mammoth. In winter, Xanterra runs a shuttle from the Bozeman airport for lodge guests that you reserve with your room.
• From Old Faithful or Canyon in summer: Drive north via Norris. The Mammoth to Norris road was open to cars from April 17 to October 31, 2026.
• From the Northeast Entrance: Come west through Lamar Valley and Tower Junction.

In 2026 the operator warned of delays from bridge work on the Gardner River High Bridge, about half a mile southeast of Mammoth on the road toward Tower Junction.

When to go

Summer brings the full set of cabins, long days for the terraces and Fort Yellowstone, and the most traffic.

Winter is when this hotel stands out. It is one of only two Yellowstone lodges open from mid-December to early March, and the road from Gardiner through Mammoth to Cooke City is the only park road open to cars all year. Winter operations run December 15, 2026 to March 8, 2027. The hotel runs guided tours to Lamar Valley, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Old Faithful, snowcoaches to Old Faithful Snow Lodge, ski and snowshoe rentals at the Bear Den shop, and a weather-dependent skating rink with free skates for guests. The dining room serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in winter.

Fall shoulder season, from mid-October to mid-December, is quiet. The hotel stays open, but most park roads close to cars after October 31, and the cabins without hot tubs close.

Rules and etiquette

• No soaking in thermal features. It is illegal throughout Yellowstone, and the water can scald.
• Stay on boardwalks on the terraces.
• No pets in any room or cabin. In the park, pets are not allowed on boardwalks or trails.
• Keep the tub to your cabin. Hot Tub Cabin tubs are for the guests booked in that cabin.
• Give wildlife space. Elk and bison spend a lot of time in Mammoth. The NPS asks for at least 25 yards from them and 100 yards from bears and wolves.

Where to stay nearby

If the hotel is full, Mammoth Campground, run by the NPS about 5 miles south of the North Entrance, is the only park campground open all year, with first come, first served sites from October 15 to April 1. Gardiner, Montana, just outside the North Entrance, has motels, restaurants and fuel.

Safety notes

• Scalding ground: the terraces are hot and the crust can break. Keep children close on the boardwalks.
• Hot tubs: limit long soaks, especially after a day out in winter cold, and drink water.
• Icy walkways: paths around the cabins and Fort Yellowstone ice over in winter. Wear traction on your boots.
• Elk: cows with calves in spring and bulls in the fall rut (September and October) can charge. Do not walk between an elk and the hotel to get a photo.

Legal soaks nearby

Boiling River, the old legal soak between Gardiner and Mammoth, has had no swimming since the 2022 flood. The nearest legal soak is Yellowstone Hot Springs, a commercial pool at Corwin Springs about 8 miles north of the North Entrance. Chico Hot Springs is farther north in the Paradise Valley. The Firehole Swim Area near Madison is a summer river swim and stayed closed all of 2026.