West Yellowstone

At the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone's west entrance is a bastion for tourism, chock-full of accommodations, restaurants, souvenir shops, and outfitters. The personality of the town has changed since the popularity of snowmobile excursions increased winter traffic on Yellowstone's roads; it now offers more, and better, year-round facilities. Time will tell how the town will react to future snowmobile court rulings.

Originally called Riverside, and then Yellowstone, the name was officially changed to West Yellowstone in 1920 when Gardiner residents grudgingly complained that people would assume that the town was the park. Regardless of its name, this place is about shopping, not nature, and its biggest attraction is a zoolike look at wildlife in the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center.

Getting There -- To drive to West Yellowstone from Bozeman (91 miles), take U.S. Hwy. 191 south to its junction with U.S. Hwy. 287 and head straight into town. From Idaho Falls, take I-15 north to U.S. Hwy. 20, which takes you directly into West Yellowstone, a 53-mile drive.

Visitor Information -- Contact the West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce, 30 Yellowstone Ave., P.O. Box 458, West Yellowstone, MT 59758 (tel. 406/646-7701; www.westyellowstonechamber.com).

Getting Outside--Yellowstone is obviously the big draw here, but there is plenty of wilderness west of the park in the Targhee and Gallatin national forests. The area around West Yellowstone ranks among the best fishing locales in the country. There are also numerous hiking and kayaking opportunities near the town. Come winter, snowcoach tours and snowmobiling tours are huge draws for West Yellowstone, and Yellowstone rangers come into town and lead snowshoe walks. Every major hotel and motel in town offers snowmobile packages that include a room and a sled rental; just be sure to book well in advance.

Where to Stay--Make your reservations early if you want to visit in July or August, or if you're going to spend Christmas to New Year's here. If you're smart, you'll come in the fall, when there are plenty of empty rooms and better rates, and spend your days fishing the Henry's Fork or one of the other great streams in the vicinity. Rates for rooms often reflect the seasonal traffic, and prices fluctuate. Unless noted, all these establishments are open year-round.

West Yellowstone Central Reservations handles booking for many of the hotels (tel. 888/646-7077; www.yellowstonereservation.com). Among the new ones, you'll find chains like the Marriott Fairfield Inn (tel. 800/565-6803; http://marriott.com/fairfieldinn), at 105 S. Electric St., with summertime doubles for $109 to $149; and the Days Inn (tel. 800/548-9551; www.daysinn.com), at 301 Madison Ave., around $115 a night for a double. There are three Best Western affiliates, ranging from $80 to $140 a night for a double during the summer. Call tel. 800/528-1234, or go online to www.bestwestern.com for information and reservations. The Stage Coach Inn, at 209 Madison Ave. (tel. 800/842-2882 or 406/646-7381; www.yellowstoneinn.com), is another good choice, with doubles for $69 to $139, with two different levels of rooms.

A good inexpensive option (with more character than the chains to boot), the 1912 Madison Hotel, 139 Yellowstone Ave. (tel. 800/838-7745 or 406/646-7745; www.wyellowstone.com/madisonhotel) has historic rooms for $37 to $56 for a double and newer motel doubles for $50 to $80.

Where to Dine--Just as the chain motels have arrived, so too have garden-variety fast-food joints; West Yellowstone is a good place to stop for a quick bite on your way into the park. Apart from the choices listed below, Uncle Laurie's Riverside Café, 237 U.S. Hwy. 20 (tel. 406/646-7040), is a small but excellent alternative to steak ?n' eggs breakfast joints. The menu migrates from breakfast calzones and huckleberry cinnamon rolls in the morning to a lunch menu of cold sandwiches, wraps, and "stinky burgers," so named for their garlic content. For the best variety of coffee drinks and baked goods, visit the espresso bar at the excellent Book Peddler in Canyon Square (tel. 406/646-9358). Beartooth BBQ, 111 Canyon St. (tel. 406/646-0227) is a fun place with a nice selection of local microbrews and top-notch slow-smoked ribs.