Supplemental Guarantor/Non-Guarantor Financial Information Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash flows from operating activities	$ 903,341	$ 805,933
Additions to properties, plants and equipment	(416,611)	(307,476)
Payments to Acquire Equity Method Investments	(54,641)
Proceeds from sale of assets	15,831	14,711
Purchases of marketable securities	(402,984)	(762,224)
Sales and maturities of marketable securities	490,251	863,769
Other, net	0	5,021
Net Advances to Parent	0	0
Net cash used for investing activities	(425,440)	(247,856)
Net borrowings under credit agreement – HEP	83,000	192,000
Redemption of Senior Notes - HEP		(156,188)
Redemption of senior notes	(155,156)
Purchase of treasury stock	(481,766)	(133,150)
Dividends	(187,372)	(485,766)
Payments to Noncontrolling Interests	(61,366)	(58,473)
Excess tax benefit from equity based compensation	0	4,482
Other, net	(3,495)	(5,059)
Net advances from subsidiaries	0	0
Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities	(806,155)	(642,154)
Increase (decrease) for the period	(328,254)	(84,077)
Beginning of period	567,985	940,103
End of period	239,731	856,026
Parent Company [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash flows from operating activities	(525,515)	(260,533)
Additions to properties, plants and equipment	(8,126)	(8,373)
Payments to Acquire Equity Method Investments	0
Proceeds from sale of assets	0	0
Purchases of marketable securities	(402,984)	(762,224)
Sales and maturities of marketable securities	490,251	863,769
Other, net		0
Net Advances to Parent	0	0
Net cash used for investing activities	79,141	93,172
Net borrowings under credit agreement – HEP	0
Redemption of Senior Notes - HEP		0
Redemption of senior notes	(155,156)
Purchase of treasury stock	(481,766)	(133,150)
Dividends	(187,372)	(485,766)
Payments to Noncontrolling Interests	0	0
Excess tax benefit from equity based compensation		4,482
Other, net	(1,020)	(3,257)
Net advances from subsidiaries	(935,457)	(703,859)
Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities	110,143	86,168
Increase (decrease) for the period	(336,231)	(81,193)
Beginning of period	565,080	931,920
End of period	228,849	850,727
Guarantor Restricted Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash flows from operating activities	1,257,692	930,722
Additions to properties, plants and equipment	(408,422)	(298,272)
Payments to Acquire Equity Method Investments	0
Proceeds from sale of assets	15,187	14,711
Purchases of marketable securities	0	0
Sales and maturities of marketable securities	0	0
Other, net		5,021
Net Advances to Parent	(863,068)	(649,294)
Net cash used for investing activities	(1,256,303)	(927,834)
Net borrowings under credit agreement – HEP	0
Redemption of Senior Notes - HEP		0
Redemption of senior notes	0
Purchase of treasury stock	0	0
Dividends	0	0
Payments to Noncontrolling Interests	0	0
Excess tax benefit from equity based compensation		0
Other, net	(1,389)	(1,231)
Net advances from subsidiaries	0	0
Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities	(1,389)	(1,231)
Increase (decrease) for the period	0	1,657
Beginning of period	0	1,817
End of period	0	3,474
Non Guarantor Restricted Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash flows from operating activities	72,388	55,047
Additions to properties, plants and equipment	(63)	(831)
Payments to Acquire Equity Method Investments	0
Proceeds from sale of assets	0	0
Purchases of marketable securities	0	0
Sales and maturities of marketable securities	0	0
Other, net		0
Net Advances to Parent	(72,389)	(54,565)
Net cash used for investing activities	(72,452)	(55,396)
Net borrowings under credit agreement – HEP	0
Redemption of Senior Notes - HEP		0
Redemption of senior notes	0
Purchase of treasury stock	0	0
Dividends	0	0
Payments to Noncontrolling Interests	0	0
Excess tax benefit from equity based compensation		0
Other, net	15	493
Net advances from subsidiaries	0	0
Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities	15	493
Increase (decrease) for the period	(49)	144
Beginning of period	75	14
End of period	26	158
Eliminations [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash flows from operating activities	0	0
Additions to properties, plants and equipment	0	0
Payments to Acquire Equity Method Investments	0
Proceeds from sale of assets	0	0
Purchases of marketable securities	0	0
Sales and maturities of marketable securities	0	0
Other, net		0
Net Advances to Parent	935,457	703,859
Net cash used for investing activities	935,457	703,859
Net borrowings under credit agreement – HEP	0	0
Redemption of Senior Notes - HEP		0
Redemption of senior notes	0
Purchase of treasury stock	0	0
Dividends	0	0
Payments to Noncontrolling Interests	0	0
Excess tax benefit from equity based compensation		0
Other, net	0	0
Net advances from subsidiaries	(935,457)	(703,859)
Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities	(935,457)	(703,859)
Increase (decrease) for the period	0	0
Beginning of period	0	0
End of period	0	0
Holly Frontier Corp. Before Consolidation of HEP [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash flows from operating activities	804,565	725,236
Additions to properties, plants and equipment	(416,611)	(307,476)
Payments to Acquire Equity Method Investments	0
Proceeds from sale of assets	15,187	14,711
Purchases of marketable securities	(402,984)	(762,224)
Sales and maturities of marketable securities	490,251	863,769
Other, net		5,021
Net Advances to Parent	0	0
Net cash used for investing activities	(314,157)	(186,199)
Net borrowings under credit agreement – HEP	0
Redemption of Senior Notes - HEP		0
Redemption of senior notes	(155,156)
Purchase of treasury stock	(481,766)	(133,150)
Dividends	(187,372)	(485,766)
Payments to Noncontrolling Interests	0	0
Excess tax benefit from equity based compensation		4,482
Other, net	(2,394)	(3,995)
Net advances from subsidiaries	0	0
Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities	(826,688)	(618,429)
Increase (decrease) for the period	(336,280)	(79,392)
Beginning of period	565,155	933,751
End of period	228,875	854,359
Non-Guarantor Non-Restricted Subsidiaries (HEP Segment) [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash flows from operating activities	165,527	140,154
Additions to properties, plants and equipment	0	0
Payments to Acquire Equity Method Investments	(54,641)
Proceeds from sale of assets	644	0
Purchases of marketable securities	0	0
Sales and maturities of marketable securities	0	0
Other, net		0
Net Advances to Parent	0	0
Net cash used for investing activities	(111,283)	(61,657)
Net borrowings under credit agreement – HEP	83,000	192,000
Redemption of Senior Notes - HEP		(156,188)
Redemption of senior notes	0
Purchase of treasury stock	0	0
Dividends	0	0
Payments to Noncontrolling Interests	(128,117)	(117,930)
Excess tax benefit from equity based compensation		0
Other, net	(1,101)	(1,064)
Net advances from subsidiaries	0	0
Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities	(46,218)	(83,182)
Increase (decrease) for the period	8,026	(4,685)
Beginning of period	2,830	6,352
End of period	10,856	1,667
Eliminations [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash flows from operating activities	(66,751)	(59,457)
Additions to properties, plants and equipment	0	0
Proceeds from sale of assets	0	0
Purchases of marketable securities	0	0
Sales and maturities of marketable securities	0	0
Other, net		0
Net Advances to Parent	0	0
Net cash used for investing activities	0	0
Redemption of Senior Notes - HEP		0
Redemption of senior notes	0
Purchase of treasury stock	0	0
Dividends	0	0
Payments to Noncontrolling Interests	66,751	59,457
Excess tax benefit from equity based compensation		0
Other, net	0	0
Net advances from subsidiaries	0	0
Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities	66,751	59,457
Increase (decrease) for the period	0	0
Beginning of period	0	0
End of period	0	0
HEP [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Additions to properties, plants and equipment	(57,286)	(61,657)
Payments to Acquire Equity Method Investments	54,641	0
Redemption of senior notes	0	(156,188)
Beginning of period	2,830
End of period	10,856
HEP [Member] | Parent Company [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Additions to properties, plants and equipment	0	0
Net borrowings under credit agreement – HEP		0
HEP [Member] | Guarantor Restricted Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Additions to properties, plants and equipment	0	0
Net borrowings under credit agreement – HEP		0
HEP [Member] | Non Guarantor Restricted Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Additions to properties, plants and equipment	0	0
Net borrowings under credit agreement – HEP		0
HEP [Member] | Eliminations [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Additions to properties, plants and equipment	0
HEP [Member] | Holly Frontier Corp. Before Consolidation of HEP [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Additions to properties, plants and equipment	0	0
Net borrowings under credit agreement – HEP		0
HEP [Member] | Non-Guarantor Non-Restricted Subsidiaries (HEP Segment) [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Additions to properties, plants and equipment	(57,286)	(61,657)
HEP [Member] | Eliminations [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Additions to properties, plants and equipment	0	0
Payments to Acquire Equity Method Investments	0
Net borrowings under credit agreement – HEP	$ 0	$ 0