14. Wyoming: 7 Day Road Trip Itinerary Salt Lake City to Grand Teton and Yellowstone. I recently published an extended guide to planning Redwoods road trips that includes this itinerary in greater detail. However, reservations for the park lodges need to be made months in advance (as much as 6 to 12 months in advance!). If you have any questions about this Yellowstone, Devils Tower and Mount Rushmore itinerary, let us know in the comment section below. Try again, pressing CTRL+P (command + P on a mac) to bring up the printer dialog box. Near the Old Faithful Inn, you will also find restrooms, gift shops, a convenience store, and restaurants, so this is the perfect place to grab lunch. There is a garden, library, and on-site bar. Flying into here will save you some driving today. About an hour's drive from Yellowstone National Park's main entrance, this cozy and comfortable accommodation has tons of luxurious amenities, including spacious rooms and private fireplaces. Republishing this articleand/orany of its contents (text, photography, etc. * Hotel accommodations for 9 nights, including 2 nights in Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone to Mt Rushmore is 8 hours, wheels turning. On the Road (from Keystone): 240 miles, 5 hours. (And the next one on this list about visiting the Giant Redwoods too). You can begin at the southern end of the Shenandoah National Park, near Waynesboro, VA, and wind along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Sawin Logs in is one of the highest rated properties near Devils Tower. The Wort Hotel. . Tonight, sleep in Cody. Start / End. After the first eruption, spend some time exploring the Upper Geyser Basin and Geyser Hill. The Freedom Ridge Cabins and the Black Elk Resort are two of the highest rated properties in this town. It takes about 2 hours to thoroughly explore this area.Get full details on how to plan your visit in our Guide to the Geyser Basins. The distance between California and Mount Rushmore is 950 miles. Below are two different ways to spend your time in Custer State Park. Enter the park through the northeast entrance. Make sure to visit the museum below the viewing deck for some history & statistics. Rushmore National Memorial and Crazy Horse Memorial. We have been to Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and the Black Hills of South Dakota in September and early October and love being here at this time of year. There is RV parking here. Highlights include Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, Reno, Death Valley, Zion National Park, Dixie National Forest and Salt Lake City. Day 1: Jenny Lake. This road trip works best from May through October, when the roads in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks are open. Go canoeing, kayaking, or fishing during your stay. Its a 30 minute drive from Mount Rushmore and a visit here can be very quick. Wyatt Earp, Calamity Jane, and Wild Bill Hickok all walked these streets. This Yellowstone road trip planner covers the northern route through North Dakota. This itinerary is a one-way, point-to-point road trip. Start in Chicago on this incredible route through some of the nation's most. It is home to various animals such as wildebeest, elk, and moose. Then drive onwards to the iconic Mount Rushmore, just make sure to account for the additional 8 hours it takes to get there! As you travel the nearly 500 miles of scenic roadway, there is much to see and do. Another option is Panorama Point, our favorite sunset spot in the Badlands. Robins Nest Bed & Breakfast. This can be done mostly on back roads. Highlights: * Rail travel on Amtrak (1 night on train) * Scenic excursion on the 1880 Train. Unfortunately, we dont have a PDF version of this itinerary. This route is the shortest and will take you to the famous Yellowstone National Park on your way. We stayed here on our most recent visit. Upon arrival, request your shuttle by calling the Rushmore Hotel at 605-348-8300. Take this route early in the morning for at dusk for the best opportunities to see bears and wolves. The third-largest cave system in the world and South Dakota's premier caving destination. Not only will you get to tour the park crowd free, at least for a little bit, but you also get to see the park at sunrise. This is one of the highest rated hotels in Jackson. For more information about how to visit Devils Tower, check out our, To learn what to do and how to plan your time, read our post, For a full list of things to do and many more photos, read our, More Information about Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Devils Tower & South Dakota. Jewel Cave is located 30 minutes from the end of the Needles Highway in the Black Hills. There are free rental bikes, a fitness center, and an indoor pool as well so you can really make the most of your stay. To get to Cody, you will then drive the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. There is an onsite pool and hot tub and this is one of the highest rated properties in Cody. This is amazing! The Yellowstone, Devils Tower, and Mt. In fact, Jackson Hole Airport is the only commercial airport located within a national park. Hop onto Teton Park Road, headed south towards Jenny Lake Lodge. Yellowstone Lake is a large alpine lake in Montana, USA. So it looks like at a minimum, you'd need 10 days to two weeks. Today, you will visit a few more sights in Yellowstone. The first thing to see in Salt Lake is, of course, the Great Salt Lake! The warmer months see larger crowds yet often great weather, so if you aren't bothered by crowds, late spring and summer might be the best times to visit. Here are ideas of where to stay in and around Grand Teton National Park. These shoulder months offer mild Travel There are two routes to drive to Cody, which adds another 2 to 3 hours of driving. You can probably find these in South Dakota as well. For suggestions on how to plan your time today, read our post One Perfect Day in Grand Teton National Park. Ideally, stay in the park. From Denver to Mount Rushmore to Yellowstone. At Mount Rushmore, you drive through the main entrance and then will immediately park in a large lot/parking garage. From Buffalo, it takes 2 hours to drive to Devils Tower (130 miles). Day 2: Colter Bay. You can print a copy of the Yellowstone to Rushmore and Washington Road Trip from your browser by pushing CTRL+P. Visit Mormon Row at sunrise and then spend the morning driving the 42-mile scenic loop drive. Cheers, Julie. There are a few national parks here that you could visit, and places like Aspen, Boulder, and Denver are nice to visit. Rome2rio displays up to date . Spend the afternoon at the Midway Geyser Basin. Persephones Bakery is an awesome breakfast/brunch spot in town. May, September and October are less busy and popular months to visit as well. Keystone is located north of Custer State Park, near Mount Rushmore. Surrounding its multicolored waters is the Spiral Jetty, a famous sculpture made by the famous sculptor Robert Smithson. Spend the remainder of the day in Jackson. Below, we've included our picks for the best overnight stops so you can get the most out of your trip. Spend the afternoon in and around Jenny Lake. By staying here, you will have a much shorter drive to get to Devils Tower on day 6. Grand Teton to Yellowstone to Glacier National Parks Road Trip 1 Week Itinerary. Option #2 is for avid hikers. It is faster and easier to day trip to Grand Teton from these locations. Bighorn Scenic Byway is 57 miles long, running from Shell to Dayton, Wyoming, on US Highway 14. Looking at going to Rushmore/Badlands, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, then. This will minimize how much driving you will do. Nearby, the walk around Leigh Lake is an easy, very pretty stroll. If this is the same in your case, you can fly into Bozeman and then make some modifications to this itinerary. It is not located in the city center, so you will have to drive to the town square and park your car if you want to visit the heart of Jackson. If you dont have to travel during the summer months, the end of September into early October is an awesome time to visit Yellowstone, Devils Tower, and Mount Rushmore. For the quickest visit, simply walk the Tower Trail, a 1.3 mile trail that loops around the base of Devils Tower. If you are traveling as a family and want to stay in one of the top rated hotels in town, this is one to consider. Thank you, Julie. The Pinnacles Overlook is the most convenient, since it is located near Sage Creek Rim Road and just a short drive to Wall. From Colter Bay, it is less than 20 miles to the South Entrance of Yellowstone National Park (about a 30-minute drive). BUFFALO BILL CODY SCENIC BYWAY: This is the longer route (126 miles, 3 hours) and you will backtrack through Yellowstone. Continue on US-89 north until you get to Dixie National Forest. From the city by the bay, San Francisco, head east on I-80 towards California's capital Sacramento. Road-trips Yellowstone, Mt. The busiest months are June, July and August. Unsubscribe anytime by clicking the link at the bottom of your email. A visit here can last as little as 30 minutes, if you just want to walk up and snap a selfie with Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln. drive for about 3.5 hours. This is one of the best places in Yellowstone to spot bison, but they are not always hanging out by the side of the road. Yellowstone Lake Yellowstone Grand Loop Road (great to follow to see many of the sites) Whitewater Rafting Waterfalls: Osprey Falls, Fairy Falls, Towel Fall, Upper Falls, Lower Falls, Union Falls Favorites: Grand Prismatic Spring was at the very top of our list of things to see at Yellowstone. The Cloud Peak Skyway tends to be more popular, since it lacks the switchbacks and tight turns that the Bighorn Scenic Byway has. It is a lot of pages since it is not optimized for printing. For the drive through the Bighorn Mountains, taking the Cloud Peak Skyway is your better option, since this road has fewer tight turns/switchbacks. When booking hotels in locations all across the country, we frequently see properties that allow pets. This scenic USA road trip route begins in Red Lodge, Montana, and ends in Cooke City and the northeastern entrance to Yellowstone National Park. If you click the star next to the title of the map, this map will be added to your Google Maps account. Hello Jeff. A must-visit if dropping by Boise, this historic prison boasts daily tours that detail the lives of its famous inmates. But you could come back through Colorado. It will take a day to drive from Yellowstone to Glacier and then you would have 2 to 3 days in Glacier National Park, which is just enough time there. How far is Mount Rushmore from Seattle, and how long will the road trip take? From West Thumb Geyser Basin, continue the counter-clockwise drive on Grand Loop Road until you get to Hayden Valley. This is a cool town, filled with great restaurants, art galleries, and boutique shops. The hike out to Taggart Lake is longer but its also a very nice hike. The shuttle operates daily from 5:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. Taxis cost $25.00 to $30.00 and take 20 minutes. On the South Rim, visit Artist Point (one of the most photographed spots in Yellowstone National Park), Canyon Overlook, and Uncle Toms Trail (if it is open). Miazgas has a wide range of food. You can click the check marks to hide or show layers. The state's largest city and likely the place where you'd fly into, Sioux Falls is the logical starting point for a South Dakota road trip. From Hayden Valley, drive north. Head back down 385 on the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway. The Hoover Dam from above on a helicopter tour - truly a sight to behold on a Southwest road trip. Coming from Florida is no easy feat. There are also a number of fishing lodges in the park. The road distance is 1392.2 miles. The map will be part of the document. For a full list of things to do and many more photos, read our Guide to Custer State Park. If you are doing well on time, you have the option to add on a visit to the Crazy Horse Memorial. Once at Devils Tower, you will have a few hours to spend here. On top of that, you'll pass through the smaller town of Sutcliffe as well as the city of Boise. Keep this in mind when planning your trip. Day 1: Arrive in Rapid City, drive to Wall, South Dakota Day 2: Badlands National Park from sunrise to sunset, drive to the Black Hills Day 3: Custer State Park Day 4: Wind Cave NP, Mount Rushmore Day 5: Deadwood, Lead, Spearfish Canyon & Devils Tower Day 6: Drive to Cody via Bighorn Scenic Byway or Cloud Peak Skyway Day 7: Yellowstone NP Day 8: Yellowstone NP Day 9: Yellowstone NP in the morning, Grand Teton NP in the afternoon Day 10: Grand Teton NP in the morning, fly home in the evening. We liked the Wyoming Inn a little bit better but we wouldnt hesitate to stay here again, especially since prices are a little lower. After exploring the area, drive east into South Dakota to see the iconic Mount Rushmore. On the sidebar, under Amenities there is a filter for pet friendly hotels, so this will help you narrow down the list. Drive north through Utah and into Salt Lake City. If you're departing from Los Angeles getting to Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore will take you 30 hours, and covering 1,840 miles if you don't make any detours. That's 24 hours of driving just to get to your destinations. Inside the Park: There are numerous lodges and campgrounds available inside of the park. As far as accommodations, I dont think that will be an issue. From . . We had a great staythe room was clean, very quiet, and comfortable. Mapbox . Beartooth Highway (one of the greatest road trips in America) Charles Kuralt called the Beartooth Highway "the most beautiful drive in America.". You need a minimum of 4 nights/3 days in Yellowstone and probably 1 or 2 nights at Mount Rushmore. Start on the North Rim. Read our one day Grand Teton itinerary for full details on how to do this. Day 7: Whitefish. Spend the afternoon in and around Jenny Lake. About halfway on the Bay Area Route is Boise, Idaho's capital and the largest city on this route before reaching Yellowstone. Starting from San Francisco in the Bay Area our suggested route will take you through Boise and Lake Tahoe, a somewhat more relaxed vibe but still jam-packed with unique attractions along the way. From Wall, its just a 30 minute drive to get to this overlook. This hotel is located next door to the Wyoming Inn, mentioned above. Before sightseeing, check out its award-winning Sunday Brunch served at their Laurel Brasserie and Bar. You'll get to visit Zion National Park and Dixie National Forest along the way as well as the small but beautiful city of Idaho Falls. At Midway Geyser Basin, you can get right up to it, while walking on raised boardwalk trails. How long does it take to drive across the USA? Just past Ten Sleep, US-16 enters a canyon and you will drive past towering limestone peaks. I recommend getting an early start. In this guide, learn how to plan a trip around the world. Big Bend National Park; . If you plan to do this road trip in the opposite direction, here is the itinerary in reverse order, with a few modifications. There are three main airports near Jackson, Wyoming. Explore the endless hiking trails of this one-of-a-kind natural area. This is one of our favorite views of Badlands National Park and one of the top spots to watch the sunrise, but its also great all morning long. There are some fishing options in the lake. Tonight, stay either near Devils Tower or you can drive one hour east to Spearfish, South Dakota. We had a great meal at Jacobs Brewhouse & Grocer but Cheyenne Crossing, El Jefes Fresh-Mex Cantina, Lewies Saloon & Eatery, and Deadwood Legends Steakhouse all get great reviews. After living it up in one of the world's party capitals, continue on I-15 until you reach UT-9. At this point, you can drive Sagecreek Rim Road farther into the Badlands. You can also compare the travel time if you're flying or driving by calculating the distance from Los Angeles to Mt Rushmore. This state park has a little bit of everythingthrilling hiking trails, picturesque lakes, and an abundance of wildlife that rivals that in the neighboring national parks. It starts in Spearfish and ends in Savoy. Cowboy Village Resort. In our Guide to the US National Parks, get the full list of national parks with important travel planning information, such as things to do in the parks and sample itineraries. We plan to drive from Tucson, AZ. But I would love to see something different on our way back to Ohio. It is also known as Lake Yellowstone. On the Road: 165 miles, 3.5 hours from Devils Tower; 105 miles, 2.5 hours from Spearfish. Continue on through Wyoming and see Bighorn National Forest. For something quicker, hike the short but sweet Rankin Ridge Trail for panoramic views over the Black Hills. The city boasts some stunning architecture and unique cultural attractions that give an interesting contrast to the natural attractions in Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore. If you're driving west, follow this route . If you visit both basins, a visit here typically lasts about 2 hours. This was the real thing -- 3 weeks and over 6,000 miles of adventure ahead of us. . The Rocket Motel is a nice pick if you are looking for a budget property that gets good reviews. If you walk the Presidential Trail you get unique views like this one. If you stay within the park, Old Faithful Village and Canyon Village are the two most convenient place to stay. Answer 1 of 4: Coming south from Deadwood, can a person do all three of these in one day? Immediately past the entrance station is the Big Badlands Overlook. If you arent lucky enough to see a herd of bison here, you have another chance in Lamar Valley. If you click the icons on the map, you can get more information about each point of interest. Elk, bison, pronghorn deer, bear, coyotes, and wolves can all make appearances. Just south of Rapid City is TKTK, where you can rent a two-bedroom house, a great option for families. Yellowstone Driving distance from Cooke City to Old Faithful: 100 miles / 2 hours 50 minutes You will come into Yellowstone via Lamar Valley, which is an amazing wildlife watching area in the park. The challenge for us is that we want to bring our 2 dogs (German Shepherds). On the way, take your pick between two different scenic drives through the Bighorn Mountains. So, for many people, it would even be doable to drive from Mount Rushmore to Yellowstone in one day! This saloon is where Wild Bill Hickok was shot and killed playing poker by Jack McCall. day 2 driving 8 hours. From Gardiner or Mammoth, it will be a very long drive to Grand Teton National Park (plus, they are closed due to the flood). Drive into beautiful Zion National Park and explore the wondrous natural rock formations and wilderness. Suggested Overnights: Crescent City, Eureka, Benbow, Mendocino, Santa Rosa. On the Road: 305 miles, 5 hours from Cody to Devils Tower; if you choose to continue to Spearfish, add another 60 miles and 1 hour of driving. Driving directly, it might take around 8 hours of driving time from Mount Rushmore to Yellowstone. Get a free Yellowstone trip planner with inspiring itineraries and essential information. 9:00 am leave from Mount Rushmore. From Provo, your travels take you to the cowboy town of Jackson and Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, Cody and then to the Black Hills of South Dakota. Today, you will visit the most popular sites. You get to see a little bit of everything on this tour, including boxwork and cave popcorn. Most of this drive is on Interstate 90 which is a large divided highway. Get inspired with tips about where to go and what to see on your national park vacation, delivered right to your inbox. Dont miss the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar and the Mangelsen Images of Nature Gallery. Continue on through the central valley and up into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The One Subscription to Fuel All Your Adventures.