October 10-17, 2026 / Island Park, Idaho
Seven nights at Iron Slide Lodge: Yellowstone days, a ridiculous Airbnb setup, late-night games, and enough room for the whole crew to stop pretending they are "checking the calendar."
guys on the board
bedrooms at the lodge
beds listed at the Airbnb
The trip board
Yellowstone is the exploration side: geysers, wildlife, big views, and stories that start with "from a safe distance." Island Park is the friendly competition side: lodge nights, game room records, golf sim confidence, and enough amenities to make staying in feel like part of the plan.
Island Park side
The lodge half of the trip: golf sim, sauna, hot tub, theater room, game room, and a week of low-stakes competition that everyone will absolutely pretend is low-stakes.
Yellowstone side
This is the exploration half: wolves in Lamar Valley if the park is feeling generous, bison doing bison things, moose country, Grand Prismatic color, canyon views, and the reminder that the best parts of the trip are not indoors.
Travel coordination
If it is convenient, I want to help guys travel together. The dream is everybody landing at the same airport around the same time so we are not running a one-man shuttle company all day. That probably will not be perfect, but we can get close.
There are already a couple of likely travel groups, so text me before you book if you want help lining it up. Idaho Falls looks like the clean AI answer because it is about an hour and a half from the Airbnb. I personally like Bozeman a lot, and Jackson may be necessary for some routes. All three are on the table.
Likely easiest for the Airbnb. The practical pick, which is annoying but useful.
Personal favorite energy. Good airport, good town, more of a move if it lines up.
May be necessary depending on flights, prices, and who wants to make travel spicy.
Featured stay
The listing reads like it was built to end the group chat debate: golf and multisport simulator, private sauna, outdoor hot tub, theater room, ping pong, foosball, double-shot basketball, fire pit, lake access, and room to spread out. It is basically a lodge with side quests.
View the AirbnbThe most important athletic event of the week may happen indoors.
For recovery, conversation, and pretending we understand wellness.
Ping pong, foosball, basketball, and several ways to lose with dignity.
8 bedrooms, 24 beds, 4.5 baths, and enough room to not become a group therapy experiment.
Optional homework
Full disclosure: I made it with a slightly leftist, maybe-a-little-commie lean because apparently I cannot discuss public lands without briefly becoming a pamphlet. The history is genuinely rich, though, and I wish the message had landed more libertarian-anarchist: protect the parks, distrust everyone in charge, and let the mountains remain aggressively unbothered.
Watch the park rant
Open video
Airbnb intel
TruGolf APOGEE package with arcade-style sports games listed by the host.
Private sauna, outdoor hot tub, and the correct post-park recovery plan.
Ping pong, foosball, double-shot basketball, and a theater room for the week.
16+ guests, 8 bedrooms, 24 beds, 4.5 baths, and an extra-large dining setup.
Roll call
C is confirmed. P is pending. N is not going. The board can get more official once the final headcount shakes out and the maybes stop living in the fog.
Cost plan
The goal is to keep the shared cost lighter than the actual bill. The known big pieces are the Airbnb, a 15-seater van, and groceries. I am putting in a large contribution up front so the per-person ask stays closer to a normal trip buy-in than a financial character-building exercise.
The strip above shows 15 contribution segments so the group math feels visible.
I am covering a hefty chunk to lighten the load and keep the trip realistic.
Bunk room keeps the baseline lower. Solo space is for guys who want to pay more.