Crazy Yellowstone

Crowe wrote:
I don't want to stay outside the park and drive all that distance every morning and evening,

Absolutely. I've stayed at the Old Faithful Inn as well as cabins in YNP (forget where, it was many moons ago on my honeymoon and oh ya, we broke a bed!) and I've stayed in many nicer places elsewhere BUT would stay in the park again. Comfort is somewhat secondary to location. It's amazing to walk out the front door to go to the geyser and have to stop because there's a buffalo in your way. A hotel in a border town is just that-a hotel. A property in the park boundaries is a very different experience.

The main loop is a couple of circles. No matter where you stay, you have to drive those circles to get to the next attraction. In my opinion, If you are on the loop near the southern end (Grant Village for example), you are further away from most of the main attractions than if you are staying in either Gardiner or West Yellowstone. From West Yellowstone it is 10 miles along the Madison River (great animal viewing at times) to where the entrance road meets the loop (Madison Junction). From Gardiner, it is five miles thru the Gardiner River Canyon (even better animal viewing) to where the entrance road meets the loop (at Mammoth Hot Springs). Both West Yellowstone, and especially Gardiner, have more than their fair share of large mammals coexisting with the Homo Sapiens. It isn't like you will get a secluded spot inside the park (does not exist, sites and hotels are designed to keep the human footprint to a bare minimum, hence tight quarters). Plus, neither West nor Gardiner would ever be considered a concrete jungle metropolis.