FAQ

Check in: After 4:00 pm (16:00)

Check Out: Before 10:00 am (10:00)

A 2 hour early check in can be purchased for an additional $20 during checkout.

If you’re arriving to the area early but OK with not checking into your tent early and want to avoid the upgrade cost, you can leave your luggage in our welcome center free of charge.

Yes, we have a centrally located communal fire pit that the staff lights in the evenings around 7pm. Weather permitting. It’s possible in dry summers to have campfire privileges removed by the forest service.

For direct bookings through our website you’ll pay 25% of the total booking amount when you book.
If you cancel 14 days before arrival or more, you’ll get half of what you paid back. 
If you cancel less than 14 days before arrival, any payments made are non-refundable.
7 Days before you arrive, you’ll automatically be charged for your stay.
Cancellation Policy

We currently have 3 very nice restroom trailers on site. They have running water with hot showers, flushing toilets and sinks.
Restrooms

We suggest coming prepared with:

• Cold, wet, and warm weather clothing. Also comfy warm clothing to wear to bed
• A flashlight and/or headlamp. 
• Sunscreen and bug spray.

  You may also want to bring:

• Recreational equipment
• Water
• Food

  What to bring

Food
There are many food options for you to choose from.
– Cook yourself
We have picnic benches near the campfire where you’re welcome to use our camp stove or bring your own and prepare and eat any food. Bringing sandwiches into the park is a great idea for lunch. 
– Eat in Yellowstone
There are a handful of restaurants near old faithful that make a great lunch or dinner option.

– Eat in Island Park or West Yellowstone
There are several breakfast, lunch and dinner options available at each of these towns.
– Dinner theater
Yellowstone Playhouse offers a great dinner theater to end your day. You’ll pass it on your way back to Starlight Retreat from Yellowstone.

The best weather ranges from mid June to the end of August. You’ll also find the biggest park crowds during those times. To avoid crowds, we suggest going during May or September even though the weather is colder. For average weather during each month, refer to this page:
Weather

The closest commercial airport is the Idaho Falls Regional Airport (IDA). It’s 1.5 hours to the south by car. However finding good flights is a challenge and they tend to be more expensive. 
Most people will prefer flying into Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) which is about 2 hours to the north. But we suggest checking flights at each.

Guidebook
Besides visiting Yellowstone, there are a handful of activities that Island Park is the ideal location for.
– Trails
There are over 300 miles of beautiful mountain trails running through Island Park begging to be explored by bike, hiking, side by sides…etc. If you want to rent a side by side, call us and we’ll set it up for you.
– Fishing
Island Park is one of the premier fishing destinations in the country. Flawless fly fishing rivers, several lakes for boat, float, or even ice fishing. Expect many species of Trout. If you need any fishing gear or a fishing guide, call us and we’ll set it up for you.
– Float Trips
Float down a crystal clear river fed completely by a natural mountain spring. It makes for a calm, refreshing afternoon where you’re likely to spot Deer, Elk, or maybe even Moose along the river edge. Call us if you’d like to book.
– Hunting
They call this area sportsman’s paradise for a reason. The hunting and fishing is on another level.
– Visit Mesa Falls
Mesa falls is an impressive waterfall in Island Park. You’ll be impressed by the sheer energy of that much water.
– Nature photography
With a perfect mixture of a wide variety of animals, stunning landscapes, and a crystal clear night sky, you’ll be in the middle of a photographers paradise.

Every activity in the world has an element of risk, but people have been camping in this area for hundreds of years with very few problems. If you look at Yellowstone National Park, it’s been open for over 150 years and had 200,000,000 guests. Over that time, there have only been 44 bear related injuries. That means you’re 248 times more likely to be struck by lighting than injured by a bear!
Wildlife

We have listened to our guest feedback about our heaters and the majority have felt they weren’t worth having since they are not recommended for overnight use and have a safety shut off feature that causes them to shut off after about an hour. 

Even with a heater the tents do get cold by the morning but the bedding is very warm and we provide extra blankets for each person. If you really like sleeping very warm we suggest bringing comfy warm clothing to wear to bed each night.

We believe this is all part of the camping experience, waking up inside a cool tent to the sun poking through and birds chirping while feeling nice and cozy under the blankets.

Pets are only allowed at Starlight Retreat with special permission from management.

Quiet hours start at 10:00 pm (22:00) and run till 7:00 am (7:00)

We ask that all guests be respectful of each other.

We don’t allow smoking or vaping of any kind on property. This includes for medicinal use. You’re welcome to go off property if you need to smoke. We have smoke alarms in each tent, any guest who smokes inside their tent will be charged a $10,000 replacement fee when we have to replace the tent and the articles inside as smoke smells absorb into canvas and do not come out.