Driving from Denver to Yellowstone?

Planning to visit Yellowstone in July. Thinking of flying into Denver, renting a car and driving to Yellowstone. One week trip. Is this a good idea? Have never seen Rocky Mtns, Tetons or Yellowstone, but is this too much to attempt? Is the drive too much? Just trying to save on air fare but also see more sights. We plan to stay in West Yellowstone while we are there, but where should we stop en route? This seems overwhelming and impossible to plan, but I%26#39;d like to try.

Driving from Denver to Yellowstone?

With only one week to make this trip, you might want to re-think flying into Denver. It will take you nine hours to drive from Denver to the Yellowstone area, and of course another nine hours back. In effect you will be spending TWO DAYS of your vacation just getting to and from the airport. Depending on your flight times, it could even involve an overnight stop and meals each way as well. When you look at it that way, how much are you really saving?

I can not speak from personal experience since I always fly into Bozeman, Montana, but from what I%26#39;ve read on the forum, there really isn%26#39;t much to see between Denver and Yellowstone anyway, and adding a swing up to Mt. Rushmore, Devil%26#39;s Tower, etc. might be a bit too ambitious for a one week trip. You%26#39;ll be doing plenty of driving once you get to the parks without adding more.

There are folks who have used Denver for thier Yellowstone trips, and you will probably hear from them about distances, things to see etc., but we would always rather spend the bulk of our time IN Yellowstone, not getting there.

You might also get more responses to your question if you post it on the Wyoming or Yellowstone forums as well.

Driving from Denver to Yellowstone?

In 2007 we did Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Jackson Hole. We flew into Las Vegas and out of SLC. In 2008 we did the Black Hills of SD, Yellowstone, Cody, Casper and Cheyenne. If you have a full seven days- maybe 8 then you can do it. We did in 2008 because I got airfare at $200 roundtrip from Atlanta and a rental car for 8 days for only $200. A good stop might be Casper and then go toward Cody or go toward Jackson Hole for one day and then into YNP. We stayed in West Yellowstone in 2007.

OK, I am not sure how to propose or phrase this...it%26#39;s just my opinion and like an old worn shoe it won%26#39;t fit every one...but here goes

There%26#39;s a LOT more to Wyoming than Yellowstone. There, I said it. Now if the regulars can just hold off on the rotten veggies (or rocks) for a moment...

YES, Yellowstone is a phenomenal natural wonder both in geologic and wildlife terms. No doubt about it. A national treasure for sure. But this has to be taken in perspective with other possible interests. Yes, if someone is completely ';in'; to wildlife viewing Yellowstone can be time consuming. But to see the natural wonders (geysers, Mammoth, Yellowstone Falls, etc...) it can easily be done in a couple days without feeling deprived. Sure, longer would be good too. Especially to take time in the visitor centers. But remember...it is very popular and parts can be crowded. Traffic jams, full parking lots, over stressed facilities, etc... and this can be stressful for some people.

Now, for a one week (and remember, if planned right vacation weeks are nine days)...

- Fly to Denver on Friday evening and stay there a night.

- Drive to Thermopolis, WY via Hwy 130 and Snowy Mountain Scenic Byway (spectacular), Independence Rock and Wind River Canyon. Spend a night in Thermopolis and have a soak in the hot springs.

- If inclined spend an extra day in Thermopolis and tour dinosaur center and maybe raft Wind River Canyon.

- Drive to W. Yellowstone via the park and view Yellowstone Falls on the way.

- Day touring southern loop and geyser basins.

- Next day do northern loop and Mammoth Hot Springs.

- Next day depart via East Entrance to Cody for a night

- Day to Spearfish, SD via Worland, Ten Sleep Canyon, Big Horn Mts. and Devils Tower.

- Drive to Denver via US 85 and I-25. Either fly out then or stay a night.

Now, that extra optional day at Thermopolis could be used instead for more time at Yellowstone or optional route to Yellowstone via Grand Tetons or get home a day earlier and recover from vacation or drive Beartooth Pass on YNP departure day, see Little Bighorn Battlefield and stay in Sheridan or Buffalo, WY. Do this last instead of stopping at Cody and you buy back a day.

The point being there are many other things to see not the least of which is just how darned HUGE and wide open the Great American Desert and grasslands of Wyoming are. Inventory the things you are interested in (vistas, mountains, geology, history, wildlife, etc...) and then decide how much time to spend on what. If there are any questions about these ';other'; places along the way please post.

I agree with Sequim88 , there is a lot to see and do in Wyoming.

Our summer plan is as follows...maybe this would work for you. Is your 1 week actually 9 days, a Saturday to a Sunday?

Sat Day 1 Arrive Denver.

Sun Day 2 Denver to Lander WY. See South Pass City, Sinks Canyon State Park. Stay in Lander.

Mon Day 3 Lander to Tetons. Stop and see the Bighorn Sheep enter in Dubois. Stay in Tetons or Jackson WY

Tue Day 4 Tetons

Wed Day 5 YS

Thu Day 6 YS

Fri Day 7 YS

Sat Day 8 To Cody WY and/or Thermopolis

Sun Day 9 Back to Denver.

There is a lot to see in Wyoming, but I would personally dread flying to Denver to see Yellowstone. They are just not close together.

Have you checked flying to Idaho Falls, Jackson or Bozeman? You might like to know that Bozeman has many landmarks named after Albert Gallatin, such as Gallatin Canyon and Gallatin Gateway. It is in Gallatin County.

The drive from Denver to YNP is long and not without its landmarks. But it is really a tour of the central mountain West, not a trip to Yellowstone.

Don%26#39;t miss a chance to swim in Thermopolis even if you don%26#39;t spend a night there! Also, make time in Cody for the museum (takes at least half a day) and a stop at the Irma Hotel.

Hi! I agree that Wyoming (%26amp; southern Montana) offer a lot to see %26amp; do. Would you consider flying into Billings, MT? That would put you pretty close to the Park, with several places available for getting groceries %26amp; supplies for your stay in the park (if you need them). There is a Wal-Mart %26amp; we usually buy plenty of bottled water %26amp; snacks to take with us on each day%26#39;s drive since you can%26#39;t get food just anywhere in the park. I%26#39;d suggest going from Billings to Red Lodge (I-90 %26amp; Hwy 212) - then you could take the Beartooth Hwy into Yellowstone Park thru the northeast entrance (my favorite way in). If you come in this way, you%26#39;ll be driving thru the Lamar Valley (from Silver Gate to Tower Jct is my favorite part of the park). You could continue around the northern loop thru Mammoth Hot Springs, then down to Madison Jct, then over to West Yellowstone for the night.

The next morning you could go up to Norris %26amp; take the cut-across over to Hayden Valley, Mt. Washburn %26amp; back up to Tower Jct - maybe even swing back over to Lamar Valley before heading back south. You should be able to see the Upper %26amp; Lower falls that day, get in some hikes if you like, and maybe drive around the lake %26amp; back to West Yellowstone past Old Faithful. If it%26#39;s getting late in the day, you could always stop there the next morning instead, but I%26#39;ve heard the sunset eruptions are spectacular.

Next day could be Thermal Day - you could go back to the Norris area %26amp; check out the geysers there, then to Old Faithful %26amp; check out that area and everything in between. I think you would have plenty of time on this day to drive back up to Mammoth from Norris %26amp; check that area out in more detail if you didn%26#39;t get a chance the day before.

At some point, I would highly recommend a day-trip down to Jackson Hole %26amp; the Teton Mountains. The park fee for Yellowstone includes Grand Teton Nat%26#39;l Park, so it would be a shame if you didn%26#39;t get over there. We%26#39;ve gone down there %26amp; back as a day-trip from Silver Gate at the Northeast entrance to Yellowstone, so I%26#39;m pretty sure you would have time to go down there %26amp; back to West Yellowstone in one day. BUT, you may want to stay overnight there one night, because there is a lot to see %26amp; do down there as well - and the scenery is spectacular.

You will probably have time for another day in the park, but if you stay overnight in the Jackson area (depending on how many days you have left), you may want to head back up to the Fishing Bridge area above Yellowstone Lake and leave via the east entrance, spending the night in Cody, Wy. We really enjoy this drive, great scenery. Try to find time to visit the Buffalo Bill Museum if you can. There are nightly rodeos, and several motels %26amp; restaurants to choose from there. Next time I%26#39;m in Cody, I want to find the gravesite of the mountain man John Johnston (AKA Liver-Eatin%26#39; Johnson) - the movie Jeremiah Johnson was based on his true life story. If anyone here knows what part of town it%26#39;s located in, please let me know. There are historical places all along these roads, so whenever you see a sign, you might want to just pull over %26amp; check it out.

The next day, you could drive from Cody to Sheridan, Wyo, via Alternate US 14. This route goes by the Medicine Wheel which is an ancient stone circle kinda like Stonehenge in England. The Native people of North America have been making pilgrimages there for hundreds of years, and I think it%26#39;s just really cool. This way will take you thru the Bighorn Mtns on their northern end - mountainous driving, but super-spectacular scenery. Depending on the stops you make along the way, you might want to spend the night in Sheridan, but you should have plenty of time to go north from Sheridan, up to the Little Bighorn Battlefield, then back over to Billings to catch your flight back home.

If you are interested in the Little Bighorn Battlefield, please check out my last two posts where I have some historical info about what happened during the battle %26amp; some things most folks don%26#39;t know about. It%26#39;s pretty interesting stuff - nice to know about these things before your visit as they%26#39;ll give you a good idea of how things really were.

I%26#39;m thinking you%26#39;ll have an extra day in the park besides what I%26#39;ve suggested, so you can decide for yourself what you%26#39;d like to see %26amp; when. We usually have such time constraints on our vacations that we end up only spending one day in Yellowstone, and we don%26#39;t have a problem hitting the hi-lites %26amp; then some.

Good luck, and have a super fun trip! :0)