How to Visit the Crow’s Nest at the Old Faithful Inn: Yellowstone National Park’s Best Hidden Secret
It’s hard not to romanticize a visit inside of the Old Faithful Inn. It’s like stepping back into an era before the Titanic sank, with the way the historic architecture has been so beautifully preserved.
Today, whenever visitors walk into the lobby for the first time, countless look up the multiple levels of stairs until their eyes eventually make their way to 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’ve 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 within Yellowstone, and only one to three groups per day are granted access.
That being said, Crow’s Nest reservations typically book out right in the beginning of the season for the entire year, so if you know exactly when you will be visiting, make sure to call immediately in the spring when the park opens.
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, so that they can provide you with an estimate for when the bellman may 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 above, 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 actually never got a reservation using this method.
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 arriving in Yellowstone.
Believe me, I know how lucky I was after many visits since my first as a child.
Book a Night in the Old Faithful Inn
Regardless if you’re able to make the Crow’s Nest a reality, I always recommend staying a night or two in the Old Faithful Inn to anyone visiting Yellowstone National Park.
In my opinion, the Old Faithful Inn is easily the most beautiful place to stay within the park, especially while enjoying a drink on the deck at sunset, as Old Faithful erupts in the background!
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. He said that the architect, Robert Reamer, used 10,000 logs to construct the Inn!
Up the stairs from the orchestra platform is the Crow’s Nest itself, and just like it was my childhood dream to climb to the Crow’s Nest, it was the architect’s dream to build the Crow’s Nest in the Old Faithful Inn.
From the Crow’s Nest, you will climb to the roof of the Old Faithful Inn and have panoramic views of the Upper Geyser Basin.
Climbing up to the roof is really the whole purpose of this tour, so that the bellman can take down the necessary flags for the day before sunset.
You should volunteer to take one of the flags down, and before visiting, learn how to properly fold the American flag to help participate in this amazing tradition.
Our visit to the roof was so well-timed that we got to see Old Faithful erupt from the roof of the inn just before heading back down.
Once back inside on the orchestra platform, my friend and I folded the flag, which was essentially the end of our tour.
Keep in mind that the more questions that you ask, the longer that your experience will be. Finally, 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. During the tour, we were all having such a great time that it escaped all of our minds.
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.
