We dragged our feet talking about places to stay in Yellowstone. All along we encouraged people not to wait and to book hotels and reservations early because the are tends to fill up, but we danced around talking about recommendations, etc. directly until we had some host hotels locked down. Well, it doesn’t look like we are going to have any host hotels this year. Not for lack of trying. The community of West Yellowstone is excited about the race and helpful, but the hotels just don’t seem to think the race is bringing them any business (?). We’re sorry.
So here is what we can do. If you are staying in a hotel in West Yellowstone, let them know you’re there for the race. Specifically mention the race. Ask them if they are offering a race discount. Ask them if they plan to next year. Let them know if you were to run next year you would be inclined to stay somewhere that is more “race friendly”. Maybe if we all say something then they will realize what an impact the racers and the company they bring with them have on the area and they will be more supportive in future years, making for a better experience for our runners.
If you are still scrambling to find somewhere to stay, a great resource is Destination Yellowstone. That’s a great place to start looking. West Yellowstone is a small town, so pretty much anywhere in town will be convenient for the race expo and the start line. You can’t really go wrong. If you’re looking at camping options you can browse this list of RV Parks that are in and around West Yellowstone. There is also this list of campgrounds in West Yellowstone and the surrounding National Forest or State Parks.
No matter where you stay it is going to be beautiful. We can’t wait!