I am not, by any definition of the word, a camper. I don’t do tents. I don’t do bugs. And I definitely don’t do peeing in the woods. So you can only imagine the look on my face when my fiancé suggested that we scrap our plans to road-trip through Ireland this summer, sleeping in romantic castles and dancing in pubs, to instead explore Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. “It will be fun,” he said, rattling off a list of keywords like, “nature,” and “fresh air.”He also reminded me that this year — and more specifically, this month — marks the 100th anniversary of the National Parks Service, which, judging by the number of sold-out campsites and park hotels this summer, is something people care about. I don’t know if it was his genuine excitement (Animals! Nature! Teddy Roosevelt! America!) or the nagging feeling that I should do a bit more exploring in the good ol' U.S. of A., but a few weeks later I found myself on a flight to Bozeman, Montana (a smart place to fly into if you want to explore the park from the top down), armed with hiking boots and a handy “something/someone is trying to kill me in the forest — please help” whistle.And guess what? I survived! The trip wasn’t without a few hiccups, but Yellowstone was even more gorgeous than it looked in photos. Here’s how to experience the country’s first National Park yourself, even if you’re a wimp like me. Honestly — I barely missed the Guinness.We’ve already covered that camping is not my thing — so you can only imagine my relief when I found hotels right in the park, complete with beds and sinks and little soaps shaped like bears. Yellowstone alone has nine different lodging options , from bathroom-less cabins to full-on hotel rooms (although, call first to see what’s open during your stay). Entrance to the Park is $30 per car, whether you stay a day or a week, so it makes sense to hunker down for at least a night to truly experience the park.Since our trip started at the park’s north entrance, we spent the first night in a frontier cabin (with a shower and toilet — baby steps) at Mammoth Hot Springs, for $179. Sure, the price is steep for a somewhat shabby room with no air conditioning, but that mattress felt pretty great after a long day of exploring. The second night, we stayed in a superior queen room at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel, which had all the appearances of your typical hotel room, without Wi-Fi and TV, for a painful $454 (the string quartet playing in the lobby almost made up for it — but not quite).This all led up to night three in a cabin sans bathroom at the Old Faithful Lodge for a cool $99. Truth: I slept just as well in the cabin as in the pricey hotel room, and there was a lot more action around Old Faithful — including the historic Old Faithful Inn , which is said to be the largest log structure in the world. If you don’t want to sleep in a tent but are looking for a cheap stay, these cabins are your best bet. For optimum selection, book three months out; if the location you want is sold out, call again in the weeks leading up to your trip, as cancellations do occur.