Headwaters Lodge & Cabins at Flagg Ranch

Headwaters Lodge & Cabins is a seasonal lodging campus in John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, the corridor between Grand Teton and Yellowstone. It is about two miles south of Yellowstone's south entrance and works best as an overnight base if you plan to visit both parks. The tradeoff is distance: major sights in either park still mean plenty of driving.

This is a collection of cabins rather than one hotel block. Walkways link the cabins with the main building, so expect some walking with bags; standard and deluxe cabins have private bathrooms, and some higher cabin tiers have porches with views toward the Snake River valley. Wi-Fi is advertised, while cell service can be limited. Guest reports say cabins do not have air-conditioning, a drawback in hot weather.

The main building houses Sheffields Restaurant and a small convenience store, and fuel is available on the campus. Sample menus have included bison burgers and elk dishes; the menu changes with the season, and guest opinions on food and value vary. Public access to the restaurant, store and fuel is not clearly described, so check before relying on them as a day stop.

A U.S. Army station stood here from 1872 to 1906, and travelers knew it by the flags above it. Edward S. Sheffield established Flagg Ranch in 1910, keeping that name as the area shifted into a dude-ranch stop between Jackson and Yellowstone. The original log lodge burned in 1981; its replacement was completed in 1995.