How to Visit the Crow’s Nest at the Old Faithful Inn: Yellowstone National Park’s Best-Kept Secret
It’s hard not to romanticize visiting the Old Faithful Inn for the first time, as it’s like stepping back into an era before the Titanic sank, or when visitors were first getting to Yellowstone National Park by rail, with the way the historic architecture has been so beautifully preserved!
That said, whenever visitors walk into the lobby of the Old Faithful Inn for the first time today, countless look up and marvel at the historic structure built with 10,000 Lodgepole Pines, following the multiple levels of stairs until their eyes eventually reach the very top—the Crow’s Nest!
For me, this first time was when I was 13 years old, and just like anyone, I tried to climb the stairs to the Crow’s Nest until I eventually ran into the famous gate and sign in front of the stairs on the third floor.
Since then, I visited Yellowstone many times without any luck of making it to the Crow’s Nest, but on one lucky visit, this finally changed!
How to Visit the Crow’s Nest at the Old Faithful Inn?
To visit the Crow’s Nest, you need a reservation with the bellman. Reservations are not easy to come by, as the Crow’s Nest is one of the most highly sought-after tours in Yellowstone National Park, and only one to three groups per day are granted access.
That said, Crow’s Nest reservations typically book up early in the year when visitors start making summer travel plans months in advance, which is why, if you already know your travel dates, it’s best to call as soon as possible in order to secure your spot!
Bell Service / Bellman: (307) 545-4606
Old Faithful Inn Front Desk: (307) 545-4601
If you are unable to get a hold of the bellman, another strategy is to try calling the front desk, and they may be able to provide you with an estimated time for when the bellman will return.
My Experience Trying to Get a Crow’s Nest Reservation
When I tried to get my own reservation using the bellman’s phone number, I could never get a hold of them.
Whether it was the time zone difference, they were out to lunch, or they were on the phone with someone else, I have never gotten a reservation using this method, although this is what the what the National Park Service recommends.
How Did I Get to Visit the Crow’s Nest at Old Faithful Inn?
During the visit when I made it up to the Crow’s Nest, I showed up to the Old Faithful Inn and got extremely lucky!
I was simply hanging out in the Old Faithful Inn when I found the bellman’s desk and asked them if they had any openings to visit the Crow’s Nest. This was around 5:45 p.m., and the bellman told me to check back in 15 minutes.
Then, 15 minutes go by, and I ask again. The bellman said to check back in five more minutes. When I came back five minutes later, the bellman said, "Okay, I can take you up!" On the spot, we were given access to the Crow’s Nest because the bellman had a no-show!
He later told us how lucky we were to be visiting on just the second day all season that they had no-show! The bellman also told us that no-shows rarely happen, and keep in mind that this was only the second time all year by the middle of July.
Now, asking on the spot is not a good strategy, but it can be a last-second attempt if you didn’t have any luck securing a reservation. If this your scenario, try asking around 5:30 p.m., but make sure your first attempt is an advanced reservation before visiting Yellowstone National Park.
Book a Night in the Old Faithful Inn
Regardless of whether you’re able to make the Crow’s Nest a reality, I always recommend staying a night or two at the Old Faithful Inn when visiting Yellowstone National Park, because I believe it is easily the most beautiful place to stay within the park!
Climbing the Crow’s Nest in the Old Faithful Inn
At around 6 p.m., the bellman took us up the stairs to the infamous sign, where he unlocked the gate.
From there, we climbed the stairs to the orchestra platform as he told us all about the history of the inn and the architect, Robert Reamer, who designed the 10,000-log structure that we see today!
After the orchestra platform, we climbed a few more stairs to the Crow’s Nest itself, and just as it was my childhood dream to visit the Crow’s Nest, it was the architect’s dream to build it in the Old Faithful Inn, which you will learn all about when taking the tour!
From the Crow’s Nest, the tour continues to the roof of the Old Faithful Inn, which looks out over Old Faithful and much of the Upper Geyser Basin!
Climbing up to the roof is really the whole purpose of this tour, as the bellman—or guests—are required to take down the necessary flags before sunset.
In my opinion, you should volunteer to take one of the flags down and learn, before visiting, how to properly fold the American flag in order to participate in this amazing tradition!
Our visit to the roof was so well-timed that we got to see Old Faithful erupt just before heading back down!
Once back inside, my friend and I folded the flag on the orchestra platform, which was essentially the end of our tour.
Keep in mind that the more questions you ask, the longer your experience will be!
Finally, and above all else, be a fun group, and make sure to tell them how thankful you are!
I honestly didn’t think of it until the time of writing this article, but consider tipping the bellman if you had a great time. I think we all forgot because we were having such a great time!
Safety
Simply put, don’t climb over the gate to walk up the stairs to the Crow’s Nest.
The Crow’s Nest is one of those places that is so well-kept because of the reservation system in place, and it’s easy to imagine how degraded this beautiful piece of architecture would be without it.
As always, find the most up-to-date information and conditions on the official National Park website.
