West Yellowstone,
MT, Travel Guide.gif)
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| Downtown
West Yellowstone |
West
Yellowstone, Montana, is truly a tourist town in every
sense of the word. This really isn’t surprising, since
it serves as a primary gateway to Yellowstone National Park.
And West Yellowstone does nothing to hide it’s trappings
as a tourist destination spot.
Yet,
there is something a bit different that separates a true “tourist trap” from
West Yellowstone. I guess what I’m saying is that West
Yellowstone, while a tourist town in every sense of the word,
is just plain different from your typical tourist trap encountered
near other National Parks and popular places or along busy
Interstate highways.
I like
West Yellowstone. Even thought I’m not a fan
of crowds and touristy spots – truth be told, I tend
to avoid them like the plague – I’ve had to spend
time in West Yellowstone a number of times simply because
the town really can’t be avoided. All roads seem to
lead there – and the town is about the only “civilization” for
miles and miles around.
What
separates West Yellowstone, MT, from other total tourist
traps is that West Yellowstone seems to have “character”,
if that makes any sense. It’s not like a touristy thing
that lies just off the Interstate, hoping to snag a few dollars
from a desperate passing motorist. West Yellowstone seems
to realize that people who visit probably end up spending
lots of time there, so they’ve done a pretty nice job
of making your stay in and around West Yellowstone a nice
one.
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| Old
Train Depot in West Yellowstone - now a museum. |
To begin with, West Yellowstone is extremely simple to get
around. The town is laid out on an easy to figure out grid
pattern, and the wide width of the streets allows traffic
and people to flow enough. Parking, unlike in many tourist
traps of the world, is also not really a problem. You can
usually find a place to park within a block or two of where
you want to go.
Moreover,
the town of West Yellowstone has an absolute dizzying array
of things in town. What it does lack, much to its credit,
is a Wal-Mart or other “superstore”. Instead,
West Yellowstone is filled with hundreds of little “mom
and pop” specialty shops – many of which carry
very unique things that you will find no place else. I especially
like the little book store they have – buried as it
may be in an almost hidden mall (for the life of me, I can’t
remember the name of this place).
West
Yellowstone, MT, is also not lacking in dining options.
Overall, Montana is pretty barren in dining variety, but
West Yellowstone bucks this trend. No matter what your culinary
tastes may run on any particular day – you’re
likely to find something in town to satisfy it. While not
all restaurants may be good, of course, all the ones I ate
at were better than average.
Of course,
the flip side of all this is that West Yellowstone, Montana,
is not exactly the cheapest spot around to eat and
buy stuff. It’s location in the middle of nowhere and
its tourist trappings lead to eye-raising prices for things
like groceries, restaurant food and gas. And hotel and motel
rooms are not exactly the cheapest during the summer, either.
See
Listings of Hotels & Motels in West Yellowstone,
MT
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