Built in 1903, the inn is the largest log building in America, with several hundred rooms. It has a six-story lobby, wraparound balconies and yawning rock fireplaces with huge fires that blaze on chilly days. In the summer, live classical music wafts through the inn's gnarled and massive log rafters, and visitors watch Old Faithful blow its lid from the second-floor balcony. Part of the park's story is told along its main scenic byways. But parts of the volcanic tale, as well as some of the wildlife, are hidden away in more remote corners of the park.
Most visits take the form of a loop.
You can enter on any one of the park's four sides and drive the entire 142-mile Grand Loop, or take the smaller Upper or Lower loops. To see the basics of the park, two or three days are recommended. The secret, however, is not which road to take, but where to stop and explore on foot. Vast herds of elk and bison share the range with mule deer and pronghorn, prompting some people to call the park the Serengeti of North America. Bighorn sheep pick their way through outcroppings in the cliffs, and snow-white trumpeter swans rest in ponds.