Il to Yellowstone

text deleted on edit. Sorry I miss read the question and gave an inappropriate response.

Madison to Billings, I94 and I90, have about the same distance and time. 94 might actually be a bit shorter since it is closer to the great circle. Using US212 might shift the distance measure in favor of 90.

If you are going to Cody and east entrance, then I90 to US16 is the clear choice. But if headed to the north or west entrances, than 94 works just as well as 90. 94 can slow you down around the Twin Cities, but 90 is (or at least was) awfully rough across southern Minnesota. 90 lets you stop in the Black Hills.

I've driven both on various trips to and from Chicago.

-------------------

I just checked GM - I94 is 80 miles shorter than 90/212, though only 15 minutes faster.

Be careful when using GM around Yellowstone. There's an L shaped segment of park roads, W Yellowstone to N. Entrance that the mapping program refuses to use. That glitch was noted in an earlier thread.

Djcjc, why 94? 90 will be much faster to get to Yellowstone. Any specific reason to go farther north?

As for the "easy 6 hours to Grizzly" - in my first post I mentioned going through Yellowstone being quite slow going. If you think you'll be much faster going around via Bozeman, you will be disappointed; going thru town there (which is what we needed to do going the opposite direction from 191 to I-90) is also slow going, lots of stoplights, traffic, etc. Maybe there's a bypass around Bozeman I'm not aware of, but even then - if you're starting that day anywhere east of Billings, it won't be any 6 hours to Grizzly. Just sayin'.

What's the time and distance advantage to taking US212 v I90? May be an hour? It can't be stressed enough - when a mapping program gives you a particular route, it isn't because it is 'better' - it's just faster (often not by much).

The big variable is where do you want to enter Yellowstone? North, south, east or west (probably not north east)?

Starting from Minooka IL just west of Joliet

As you cross ND, spend some time in Teddy Roosevelt NP, it's quite nice and the camping is good. Private RV parks will be a little scarce in the Dickinson ND / Sidney MT area with the oil field activity going on, no problem in the national park as far as I know though. You should also visit Mandan, just across the river from Bismarck, that's where the Lewis & Clark Expedition spent the winter of 1804-05 on their way westward.

djcjc - where are you starting from in IL?

Doug

After some more research looks like if I go north to 94 across Mn and ND I can be on all interstates and time wise is only about 15 minutes more. Thinking this might be the best plus have not been that way before less campgrounds available but if I push should be able to do Fargo ND the first day (10 hrs) just have to figure out the next layover somewhere 6 to 8 hours from there and last day should be easy 6 hrs or less to Grizzly campground.

Long days no matter what; if you want to take US 212 you could also camp at/near Hardin MT in place of Buffalo WY. A bit longer drive from Mitchell, but will make the drive into/through Yellowstone the next day a bit less long than it would be from Buffalo.

If you do decide to stay on 90 and stay in Buffalo, when you head out the next day avoid US14 and 14A, and be aware that US16 will also be lots of climbing, winding roads, descending, etc. over the Bighorn range - much slower going than the interstate. It may be shorter but probably won't save you any time.

From 90 near Laurel MT you can take US 212 and then US 310 to SR 72 (which turns into SR 120 in Wyoming) to drop down to Cody - not too hilly, still plenty scenic, and it may save you a bit of time over towing through the park from the north entrance. From Cody head west into Yellowstone, go in the east entrance and out the west. Towing through the park is slow, as is all driving in the park - traffic, animals, animal jams, and the 45 mph speed limit all make it at least a 2-hour drive from east to west across the park. From the north entrance, you'll encounter MAJOR road construction from Mammoth to Norris, which will slow you down even further, hence my recommendation to go in from Cody.

US 212 from Belle Fourche is a good highway, not much traffic and is shorter drive than staying on I-90. Don't think there are any RV parks along the way, but it's been a couple years since I drove it; there may be something in Broadus now. Of course you could just pull into a rest area or a parking lot and boondock to save some money. Watch out for antelope if you drive at night and also watch your speed in the tribal lands.