Chico Hot Springs

Even if you’re not staying at the lodge, stop by Chico Hot Springs (406/333-4933, 8 a.m.–11 p.m., day pass $6.50 adults, $2 seniors, $4 children 6–12, under 6 free) for a swim. The pool is huge, and it’s always a great place to people-watch.

If you are looking to rest for a while, Chico Hot Springs (406/333-4933 or 800/468-9232, www.chicohotsprings.com [1], $49–355), halfway between Livingston [2] and Gardiner [3] in Pray, is the sort of spot you want all your friends to know about and everybody else to ignore. The lodge here is built around a large hot springs–fed swimming pool. The original rooms in the circa-1900 lodge are cramped and Spartan, but the rooms aren’t where most guests spend their time (and rooms in the lodge addition and the newer cabins and cottages are spacious and nicely furnished).

Yellowstone National Park is right down the road, and there’s plenty of hiking [4] and fishing [5] in the Paradise Valley, soaking and swimming in the pool, elegant dinners in the hotel dining room, and rowdy good times in the lively bar. There’s an outfitter on the premises with horses, fishing gear, and bicycles for rent. Rooms in the main lodge start at $49 for a very small room with shared bath and run to $89 (private bath); newer lodge buildings have rooms ranging $125–225; there are cabins (no kitchens) for $79–89, and log houses for $169–355. Dogs are permitted in the rooms at Chico ($20 per stay).