Historic Mammoth Hotel In Yellowstone Won’t Open This Spring Due To Record Snowfall

The historic Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel in Yellowstone isn't opening for the spring 2023 season because of record snowfall. The weather has delayed construction of a new wastewater treatment system damaged by last year's massive flood.

RJ
Renée Jean

April 13, 20233 min read

Colder temperatures and above-average snowfall have slowed progress on a new wastewater treatment system for the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, prompting the hotel to cancel its planned April 28 opening.
Colder temperatures and above-average snowfall have slowed progress on a new wastewater treatment system for the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, prompting the hotel to cancel its planned April 28 opening. (Cowboy State Daily Staff)

Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel isn’t opening for the spring 2023 season because its wastewater treatment system is not yet completed, much less operational.

The heavy winter, with its record snowfall, hampered construction of the new system, according to a statement from Yellowstone National Park. The original timetable had called for opening the hotel April 28.

“It’s important that the (wastewater) system is fully functional, safe and meets required environmental standards prior to the park reopening the hotel in Mammoth Hot Springs,” the Park Service email says. 

The Mammoth Campground’s opening will also be delayed until the wastewater system is operational. 

While Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel will remain closed, other services will open, including the Albright Visitor Center, General Store, Post Office, Medical Clinic and Gas station.

An email to Yellowstone Park requesting an interview for more details about the delay was not immediately returned. 

Some Lodges Opening Earlier Than Usual

Yellowstone National Park Lodges, including Old Faithful Inn and Canyon Lodge, have been authorized to open earlier than usual to help accommodate displaced guests who may rebook their stays at these locations on a space-available basis. 

Old Faithful Snow Lodge will open April 28 instead of May 5, while Canyon Lodge will open May 5 instead of May 19. Other properties will open as scheduled, but have limited availability.

Communities near Yellowstone also offer accommodations, including Gardiner, Silver Gate, Cooke City and West Yellowstone in Montana, as well as Cody and Jackson or Jackson Hole in Wyoming. 

If You Cancel

Reservations for stays at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel prior to June 2 will be canceled and deposits refunded, but other lodging reservations will remain intact unless guests wish to cancel them. 

If canceling such reservations, seven days advance notice is required for a full refund.

Reservations following June 2 will remain intact. Hotel status updates will be sent to those guests at least one month prior to their arrival date. If the hotel has still not re-opened, those guests will be offered an option to rebook on a space-available basis or receive a full refund.

An alert page has been provided online with details for displaced guests. The page advises that guests should be contacted soon about the situation.

The “Plan Your Visit” page will also have updates about the park.

Road updates are available by calling 307-344-2117. 

Mammoth Hotel Recently Restored

Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel is a popular year-round tourism destination in the national park, but it had to close after a flood in June last year, when unprecedented amounts of rainfall severely damaged the North Entrance Road between Mammoth Hot Springs and the park’s North Entrance in Gardiner.

The sewer line adjacent to that road, which carried wastewater from Mammoth Hot Springs to a sewage treatment plant, ruptured. The wastewater was rerouted into percolation ponds used between the 1930s and 1960s, which allowed summer day-use and other limited services.

The new treatment system was to have been completed by April 28, but above-average snowpack and colder-than-usual temperatures have both hampered construction.

The hotel was built in the Queen Anne style in 1883, but underwent an extensive renovation by its architect Robert Reamer in 1913 and again in 1936.

The latest renovation in 2019 preserved the historic look and feel of the hotel while modernizing the facility. 

The $30 million project included new private bathrooms for guest rooms, new windows, and new conference rooms. 

The building was also made accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the structure was seismically stabilized, and its electrical systems improved.

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Authors

RJ

Renée Jean

Business and Tourism Reporter