Supplemental Guarantor/Non-Guarantor Financial Information Consolidating Balance Sheet (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 1,118,302	$ 940,103	$ 1,349,420	$ 1,757,699
Marketable securities	679,668	725,160
Accounts receivable, net	780,180	708,802
Intercompany accounts receivable	0	0
Inventories	1,504,832	1,354,247
Income taxes receivable	18,875	109,376
Prepayments and other	134,274	58,756
Total current assets	4,236,131	3,896,444
Properties, plants and equipment, net	3,492,743	3,394,596
Marketable securities (long-term)	0
Investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Intangibles and other assets	2,729,509	2,765,699
Total assets	10,458,383	10,056,739
Accounts payable	1,624,953	1,325,376
Intercompany accounts payable	0	0
Accrued liabilities	125,761	125,115
Deferred income tax liabilities	216,981	223,999
Total current liabilities	1,967,695	1,674,490
Long-term debt	1,027,885	997,519
Liability to HEP	0	0
Deferred income tax liabilities	657,465	616,842
Other long-term liabilities	138,719	158,490
Investment in HEP	0	0
Equity – HollyFrontier	6,073,532	5,999,620
Equity – noncontrolling interest	593,087	609,778
Total liabilities and equity	10,458,383	10,056,739
Parent Company [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	1,108,232	931,920	1,333,604	1,748,808
Marketable securities	679,668	725,160
Accounts receivable, net	6,070	6,095
Intercompany accounts receivable	0	0
Inventories	0	0
Income taxes receivable	18,875	109,376
Prepayments and other	16,345	21,843
Total current assets	1,829,190	1,794,394
Properties, plants and equipment, net	32,537	30,007
Marketable securities (long-term)	0
Investment in subsidiaries	6,410,993	5,722,025
Intangibles and other assets	24,535	23,034
Total assets	8,297,255	7,569,460
Accounts payable	14,406	16,704
Intercompany accounts payable	1,085,461	463,530
Accrued liabilities	43,581	43,254
Deferred income tax liabilities	216,981	223,999
Total current liabilities	1,360,429	747,487
Long-term debt	179,606	180,054
Liability to HEP	0	0
Deferred income tax liabilities	652,153	611,555
Other long-term liabilities	36,993	35,874
Investment in HEP	0	0
Equity – HollyFrontier	6,068,074	5,994,490
Equity – noncontrolling interest	0	0
Total liabilities and equity	8,297,255	7,569,460
Guarantor Restricted Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	3,777	1,817	7,098	3,652
Marketable securities	0	0
Accounts receivable, net	768,504	698,109
Intercompany accounts receivable	726,278	149,907
Inventories	1,503,250	1,352,656
Income taxes receivable	0	0
Prepayments and other	122,130	45,413
Total current assets	3,123,939	2,247,902
Properties, plants and equipment, net	2,714,741	2,633,739
Marketable securities (long-term)	0
Investment in subsidiaries	250,981	216,687
Intangibles and other assets	2,345,299	2,380,268
Total assets	8,434,960	7,478,596
Accounts payable	1,624,681	1,323,603
Intercompany accounts payable	0	0
Accrued liabilities	60,441	63,181
Deferred income tax liabilities	0	0
Total current liabilities	1,685,122	1,386,784
Long-term debt	34,026	34,835
Liability to HEP	239,387	245,536
Deferred income tax liabilities	0	0
Other long-term liabilities	65,432	89,416
Investment in HEP	0	0
Equity – HollyFrontier	6,410,993	5,722,025
Equity – noncontrolling interest	0	0
Total liabilities and equity	8,434,960	7,478,596
Non Guarantor Restricted Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	227	14	2	2
Marketable securities	0	0
Accounts receivable, net	3,087	8,075
Intercompany accounts receivable	359,183	313,623
Inventories	0	0
Income taxes receivable	0	0
Prepayments and other	0	0
Total current assets	362,497	321,712
Properties, plants and equipment, net	551	24
Marketable securities (long-term)	0
Investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Intangibles and other assets	25,000	25,000
Total assets	388,048	346,736
Accounts payable	0	383
Intercompany accounts payable	0	0
Accrued liabilities	1,577	795
Deferred income tax liabilities	0	0
Total current liabilities	1,577	1,178
Long-term debt	0	0
Liability to HEP	0	0
Deferred income tax liabilities	0	0
Other long-term liabilities	0	0
Investment in HEP	135,490	128,871
Equity – HollyFrontier	250,981	216,687
Equity – noncontrolling interest	0	0
Total liabilities and equity	388,048	346,736
Eliminations [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Marketable securities	0	0
Accounts receivable, net	0	0
Intercompany accounts receivable	(1,085,461)	(463,530)
Inventories	0	0
Income taxes receivable	0	0
Prepayments and other	0	0
Total current assets	(1,085,461)	(463,530)
Properties, plants and equipment, net	0	0
Marketable securities (long-term)	0
Investment in subsidiaries	(6,661,974)	(5,938,712)
Intangibles and other assets	(25,000)	(25,000)
Total assets	(7,772,435)	(6,427,242)
Accounts payable	0	0
Intercompany accounts payable	(1,085,461)	(463,530)
Accrued liabilities	0	0
Deferred income tax liabilities	0	0
Total current liabilities	(1,085,461)	(463,530)
Long-term debt	(25,000)	(25,000)
Liability to HEP	0	0
Deferred income tax liabilities	0	0
Other long-term liabilities	0	0
Investment in HEP	0	0
Equity – HollyFrontier	(6,661,974)	(5,938,712)
Equity – noncontrolling interest	0	0
Total liabilities and equity	(7,772,435)	(6,427,242)
Holly Frontier Corp. Before Consolidation Of HEP [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	1,112,236	933,751	1,340,704	1,752,462
Marketable securities	679,668	725,160
Accounts receivable, net	777,661	712,279
Intercompany accounts receivable	0	0
Inventories	1,503,250	1,352,656
Income taxes receivable	18,875	109,376
Prepayments and other	138,475	67,256
Total current assets	4,230,165	3,900,478
Properties, plants and equipment, net	2,747,829	2,663,770
Marketable securities (long-term)	0
Investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Intangibles and other assets	2,369,834	2,403,302
Total assets	9,347,828	8,967,550
Accounts payable	1,639,087	1,340,690
Intercompany accounts payable	0	0
Accrued liabilities	105,599	107,230
Deferred income tax liabilities	216,981	223,999
Total current liabilities	1,961,667	1,671,919
Long-term debt	188,632	189,889
Liability to HEP	239,387	245,536
Deferred income tax liabilities	652,153	611,555
Other long-term liabilities	102,425	125,290
Investment in HEP	135,490	128,871
Equity – HollyFrontier	6,068,074	5,994,490
Equity – noncontrolling interest	0	0
Total liabilities and equity	9,347,828	8,967,550
Non-Guarantor Non-Restricted Subsidiaries (HEP Segment) [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	6,066	6,352	8,716	5,237
Marketable securities	0	0
Accounts receivable, net	34,359	34,736
Intercompany accounts receivable	0	0
Inventories	1,582	1,591
Income taxes receivable	0	0
Prepayments and other	2,164	2,283
Total current assets	44,171	44,962
Properties, plants and equipment, net	1,011,961	1,004,975
Marketable securities (long-term)	0
Investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Intangibles and other assets	360,820	363,970
Total assets	1,416,952	1,413,907
Accounts payable	17,706	22,898
Intercompany accounts payable	0	0
Accrued liabilities	26,527	28,668
Deferred income tax liabilities	0	0
Total current liabilities	44,233	51,566
Long-term debt	839,253	807,630
Liability to HEP	0	0
Deferred income tax liabilities	5,312	5,287
Other long-term liabilities	38,585	35,918
Investment in HEP	0	0
Equity – HollyFrontier	392,304	416,018
Equity – noncontrolling interest	97,265	97,488
Total liabilities and equity	1,416,952	1,413,907
Eliminations [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Marketable securities	0	0
Accounts receivable, net	(31,840)	(38,213)
Intercompany accounts receivable	0	0
Inventories	0	0
Income taxes receivable	0	0
Prepayments and other	(6,365)	(10,783)
Total current assets	(38,205)	(48,996)
Properties, plants and equipment, net	(267,047)	(274,149)
Marketable securities (long-term)	0
Investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Intangibles and other assets	(1,145)	(1,573)
Total assets	(306,397)	(324,718)
Accounts payable	(31,840)	(38,212)
Intercompany accounts payable	0	0
Accrued liabilities	(6,365)	(10,783)
Deferred income tax liabilities	0	0
Total current liabilities	(38,205)	(48,995)
Long-term debt	0	0
Liability to HEP	(239,387)	(245,536)
Deferred income tax liabilities	0	0
Other long-term liabilities	(2,291)	(2,718)
Investment in HEP	(135,490)	(128,871)
Equity – HollyFrontier	(386,846)	(410,888)
Equity – noncontrolling interest	495,822	512,290
Total liabilities and equity	$ (306,397)	$ (324,718)