Drive Through or Around Yellowstone

If you choose to drive over the Bighorns, there will be several signed places for you to pull over for the purpose of checking your brakes. They're usually just before another long downhill. Do it. If you ride the brakes, you'll boil the brake fluid and you won't have any brakes.
I'm too old for that kind of excitement anymore. I go west on I-90 to Bozeman, then south on US 191 to the west gate. Headed back east, I head south to visit the Tetons, then south to I-80 to head home. That part is a beautiful drive that follows the Snake River.

I live near I-90 in eastern Wyoming. Our standard trip to Yellowstone is over the Bighorns (Hwy 16 or 14), then through Cody and the East Gate. While I prefer to drive through Yellowstone bobtail, there are lots and lots of others driving through with their campers, and I can do it too -- and enjoy it.

That's what I'd recommend to you. Hwy 16 leaves I-90 at Buffalo and is a fairly gentle mountain drive across the Bighorns. Hwy 14 leaves I-90 about 50 miles NW of there at Ranchester and is a little steeper going up and coming back down from the Bighorns, but it's not hairy-scary. Both are about the same distance, whether measured by miles or time, and both are good, wide, scenic, all-season highways. If you choose Hwy 14, DO NOT take 14A at the top. It's too steep for your rig, imho.

This recommendation comes with the assumption that you're fairly experienced at handling your rig (gathered from your profile) and that you've done some mountain driving with your rig (w-a guess). :)

I'd drive through Yellowstone, we did two years ago and enjoyed it. It's a beautiful drive and not all that stressful. We pulled a 38' fifth wheel, easy peasy.


Dan

I would do everything I could to drive through it. You won't have near enough time there as it is, so might as well build more in.

Edit: Hat tip to Busskipper; didn't see his earlier post.

You could work your way from Rushmore to Cody, WY - a fun little town. Then come in straight through the park towards Yellowstone Lake/Fishing Bridge RV area and on to West Yellowstone.

Here's the park's web site with maps and things to do:

Yellowstone Nat'l Park

By the way, all national parks have an excellent web site such as this with tons of information.

While you're doing Yellowstone, don't forget about Grand Teton Nat'l Park which is just south. Both are completely different in looks and things to do. If you want hookups for the Tetons, Colter RV Park in the park itself is the place to stay. Otherwise there are very nice dry campgrounds in the park with water fill and dump stations. Gros Ventre is our favorite. It doesn't accept reservations but if you arrive before 2pm you'll get a site. There are 300 of them and it rarely fills. The same with Colter Bay campground which is right next door to the above-mentioned Colter Bay RV.

Never enough time in YNP Drive through.

trailertraveler wrote:
Unless you plan on going to Mount Rushmore or Badlands National Park; the shortest route from Burrton, KS would be to take I-70 to i-25 t0 I-80 to US-287 and enter Yellostone via Grand Teton National Park from the South. Depending on how much time you have, there are variations that could take you through Thermopolis, Cody and other places with interesting things to see and do.

Yes first stop is Mt. Rushmore, guess I should have mentioned that.

Unless you plan on going to Mount Rushmore or Badlands National Park; the shortest route from Burrton, KS would be to take I-70 to i-25 t0 I-80 to US-287 and enter Yellostone via Grand Teton National Park from the South. Depending on how much time you have, there are variations that could take you through Thermopolis, Cody and other places with interesting things to see and do.

The roads through Yellowstone are very accessible and easy to travel in a motorhome. The East West route is traveled regularly by large trucks. In West Yellowstone we stayed at the KOA. Excellent campground, indoor pool, our premium spot had a large patio with clean concrete table, and a wooden adult swing lounge. I'm sure we will return when the grandkids are older and we repeat that trip.

Where are you coming from? Kansas?

All entrances are usable, except the NE one (from Red Lodge).

Yellowstone is a 'mountain top', so all routes require some sort of climb.

I90 to West Yellowstone will have the easiest, but from Kansas that involves driving all the way around the north side.

I80 to Grand Tetons and through the park is probably the most direct.

I80 to I15 to US20 coming at WY from the south is also easy.

Many people coming from the east take US16 over the Big Horn Mtns to Cody, and from there to the east entrance. That is a logical choice if camping at Fishing Bridge.