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Looking for an Alternative to a Big Box Motel? We're it!

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A log cabin with a green door, a welcome sign, and a number plaque. - Looking for an Alternative to a Big Box Motel?  We're it! (Gardiner)
A living room with a brown leather sofa, a dining table, and a kitchen area with wooden cabinets and appliances. - Looking for an Alternative to a Big Box Motel?  We're it! (Gardiner)
A bench with a metal frame and wooden slats, positioned under a roofed area with a view of a grassy field and mountains in the background. - Looking for an Alternative to a Big Box Motel?  We're it! (Gardiner)
A kitchen with wooden cabinets, a stone backsplash, a sink, a toaster, and a dishwasher. - Looking for an Alternative to a Big Box Motel?  We're it! (Gardiner)
Two beds with headboards, a nightstand, a lamp, and a framed picture on the wall. - Looking for an Alternative to a Big Box Motel?  We're it! (Gardiner)
At Looking for an Alternative to a Big Box Motel? We're it!, you can look forward to a firepit, a garden, and a playground. Free in-room WiFi, with speed of 100+ Mbps (good for 1–2 people or up to 6 devices), and laundry facilities are available to all guests.

Reviews

10 out of 10
Exceptional

Popular amenities

  • Kitchen
  • Washer
  • Dryer
  • Free WiFi
  • Air conditioning
  • Outdoor Space

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About this property

Looking for an Alternative to a Big Box Motel? We're it!

  • If you've been surfing Gardiner, Mt on VRBO, you have got to be asking yourself: What is with all these cloned cabins? Let me explain. My cabin and the others were part of the former Yellowstone River Resort. The resort was initially built in 2000 to provide lodging and meals for the Elderhostel programs in and around Yellowstone National Park. In 2005, the owners offered the cabins for sale to individuals. The majority were purchased as rentals or second homes. The exteriors and floor plans are the same. For the most part, it is only the decor that varies and perhaps a few gizmos.

    My cabin (#11) is the only one locally owned and operated. As such, I am able to offer significant savings over my neighbors (as much as $10-$40/night) depending on the time of year. The cabin is set off a bit from the other original cabins and is oriented for the mountains views. You can Google Earth the place at 45 degrees 04' 16.65" N 110 degrees 46' 24.31" W (no airstrikes, please). I maintain the cabin personnally and make myself available to answer questions and provide information to help you make the most of your stay. In return, you supplement my livelihood. I trust that this will always be a fair trade.

    Regardless of whether you stay at my place, my neighbors' or elsewhere in the Gardiner area, you are well positioned to explore Yellowstone. As a tourist, fly fisherman or an attendee of the educational programs offered by the Yellowstone Association, the North Entrance provides the best gateway to the Grand Loop and Yellowstone's most sought after features.

    For further information on me and my place, refer to the link to my website. For information on lodging providers (some not necessarily on VRBO), you also may want to check with the Gardiner Chamber of Commerce.



    Keywords: Cabin

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About the neighborhood

Located in Gardiner, this cabin is on the waterfront. The area's natural beauty can be seen at Yellowstone National Park and Yellowstone National Park North Entrance. Traveling with kids? Consider Parks' Fly Shop, or check out an event or a game at Rodeo Arena. Enjoy the area's slopes with cross-country skiing and snowboarding, and don't miss out on the sledding and snowmobiling. Visit our Gardiner travel guide
View more Cabin Rentals in Gardiner
Map
Gardiner, MT

What's nearby

  • A mountain lake surrounded by dense forests and rugged mountains.
    Gallatin National Forest
    1 min walk - 0.0 km
  • A waterfall cascading down a rocky gorge surrounded by dense forest.
    Yellowstone River
    1 min walk - 0.1 km
  • A stone archway with a sign, a rainbow, and a grassy landscape.
    Yellowstone National Park North Entrance
    24 min drive - 11.5 km
  • A lake surrounded by trees and mountains.
    Yellowstone Hot Springs
    29 min drive - 7.3 km
  • A wooden bridge over a river, surrounded by rocky terrain and sparse vegetation.
    Mammoth Hot Springs
    35 min drive - 20.5 km

Getting around

  • West Yellowstone, MT (WYS-Yellowstone)
    112 min drive

Restaurants

  • Wonderland Cafe & Lodge
    17 min drive
  • Backcountry Bistro
    17 min drive
  • Yellowstone Grill
    18 min drive
  • Iron Horse Bar & Grille
    17 min drive
  • Tumbleweed Bookstore & Cafe
    18 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is Looking for an Alternative to a Big Box Motel? We're it! pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

How much is parking?

Onsite parking is available at the property.

What time is check-in at Looking for an Alternative to a Big Box Motel? We're it!?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at Looking for an Alternative to a Big Box Motel? We're it!?

Check-out is at 10:00 AM.

Where is Looking for an Alternative to a Big Box Motel? We're it! located?

This family-friendly Gardiner cabin is located on the waterfront, just steps from Gallatin National Forest and Yellowstone River. Parks' Fly Shop and Yellowstone National Park are also within 6 mi (10 km).

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Reviews

Looking for an Alternative to a Big Box Motel? We're it! Reviews

10

Exceptional

10

Cleanliness

9.8

Location

10

Property conditions & facilities
Rating 10 - Excellent. 148 out of 152 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 3 out of 152 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 1 out of 152 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 152 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 152 reviews

Reviews

Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Excellent stay for a family
Stayed 3 nights in May 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, listing accuracy
The place was wonderful. Close proximity to the park. We encountered a herd of deers near the property. Great view and close to the river. Clean kitchen and bedrooms. Great communication with the host... easy check-in and check-out process. Highly recommend!
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Highly recommend this property. Good location and great views. Wade was very helpful and even drove to meet us to get a forgotten IPad back to us before we left.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
This was the perfect spot for our family of 5 to access Yellowstone! The cabin is well stocked and clean. Wade made check in seamless and responded quickly to a question we had. The views are amazing! We saw elk and pronghorn from the front and back doors every day. Would recommend and definitely stay here again if we had the chance!
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Wonderful communication, prettier than pictures, very comfy, great location, everything you need, and the wildlife (elk) right there in the yard!
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great stay

Great stay at wades place- perfectly outfitted and great communication and check in process
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities, communication
Great location. Awesome, wide open spaces, quiet, wildlife, amenities, friendly host.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
The cabin was simple and loaded with all necessary items I needed to enjoy my stay. Very clean upon arrival, all cooking equipment was ready to use. Very quiet and tranquil area to rest.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Perfect home base for our Yellowstone trip. Cabin was quiet and we loved all of the wildlife in the background. Beautiful backdrop of mountains all around. Cabin was clean and well stocked. We loved our stay at Wade’s cabin!
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Wonderful Stay

This property was perfect, a great place to stay on your trip to yellowstone. It is very close with easy access to the park, and we loved watching the elk come up to the back porch while drinking coffee every morning.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Fantastic place!

Perfect spot to serve as home base for our Yellowstone trip. The views were amazing! The cabin was clean, well stocked, and quiet. We enjoyed seeing the nearby elk herd. Absolutely recommend staying here!
Stayed 6 nights in Aug 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Excellent

Great location, great property. Highly recommend.
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Cabin in Gardiner

Cabin was immaculate clean with everything you would want in the kitchen. The views were spectacular and the host easy to deal with.
Stayed 8 nights in Aug 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great stay!!

Well equipped had everything we needed. Loved the location and view. Owner very helpful. Enjoyed evenings on the patio with an amazing view. Would definitely rent again and would highly recommend.
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

We loved it!

The scenery from the cabin windows was beautiful! The cabin was spacious, clean, well stocked with utensils and spices for cooking, and filled with information to make the most out of our trip to Yellowstone.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Fantastic place near Yellowstone NP

A spacious cabin with a great view of the Gallatin range and the Yellowstone River on the border of Yellowstone NP. Elk and Pringhorn Antelope were common in the area. The cabin was clean and had all the amenities and a back patio. Beds were comfortable and AC was available. We had a great stay!
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Perfect Yellowstone cabin

The cabin was perfect for our family of five. Plenty of room for everyone and everything was provided. The view from the back porch was amazing and perfect for my morning coffee. Loved the easy access to the north entrance of Yellowstone. This cabin was a perfect place to relax after spending a long day at the Park.
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great location

Everything just like listed. Close to park but not right in town. Elk in the yard. Amazing stargazing. Wonderful mountain view from back patio. Clean and had everything we needed. My family loved it.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Wonderful cabin

This house is perfect. Clean, fully furnished with everything you need. Perfect base camp for Yellowstone. Elk and pronghorn and deer out back door. Love it
Stayed 7 nights in May 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Jack and Brenda

Great location to view Elk and surrounding mountains just north of Yellowstone Park. Minutes from Gardner and supplies. Quite and cozy.
Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Perfect Yellowstone getaway

This cabin is the perfect place to start and end your day. Super clean, very well equipped kitchen, a wonderful patio to enjoy coffee in the morning and a glass of wine at night. The area is very quiet and the dark sky at night for star gazing was amazing. Check in could not have been easier. I highly recommend this as your home.base for visiting the park!
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Jack

Quiet, clean, great location. Even got a chance to walk down to river and caught some fish. Very relaxing.
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Fabulous

We stayed for 3 nights on our Yellowstone leg of our trip. Beautiful views from the property. Felt like coming home every night. Wade was very easy to communicate with. We had a wonderful experience and would definitely stay again.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
We were very pleased with the property and the location. Gardiner and Yellowstone National Park were 10 -15 minutes away, close enough for travel back and forth, and far enough to be in a quiet, peaceful area.The cabin was well furnished and the weather was warm enough we could sit out on the patio to watch the sunset and use the grill for steaks.Elk frequented the property and we saw prong-horned deer on our travels to Gardiner and back.An SUV is helpful, as the road to and from the property is gravel, but pretty well maintained.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great property

We enjoyed our stay. The cabin was clean and provided everything we needed plus more. We liked watching the pronghorn in the meadow in the morning. Very peaceful. The only thing I didn’t like was the rough gravel road from Gardiner to the cabin. But the cabin itself made up for it.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2024