Mt Rushmore to Yellowstone

US16 through the Black Hills has a short twisty section where it passes through Jewel Caves NM.

To cross the Big Horn Mtns, US16 is easiest, US14A toughest.

If you are 'deathly afraid' of hills/grades/curves, then go back to I90, and stick with that till Belgrade MT, and take US191 south to W Yellowstone.

Yes, US 16 is good.
I think US 16 would be a better choice. It does have a steep down hill into Ten Sheep. Very low gear required going down it.

We traveled that area last summer in our 30 ft RV. If you want to avoid hills and curved, then I suggest go through Rapid City and get on I-90. It is a nice drive to take. Hope off at Buffalo, WY and take the road from Buffalo to Cody. It is the safest route in terms of ease of driving. Few hills and curves and makes for a nice drive. But, be advised I counted two gas stations on that trip. But, as I said, it is a great drive to take.

Quick get a copy of Mountain Directory West to help plan your routes.

Way back in '82 when we did it from Ellsworth AFB at Rapid we went up I-90 to Red Lodge then in the north east gate with a 21'tt. Stopped at Little Big Horn Memorial along the way. Great for the kids.

If you are comfortable with mountain driving Hw 14 is doable. Stay away from Hwy 14A although you will miss some wonderful country.
Better yet for you flatlanders go to Buffalo which in itself is worth a visit. You could stay at a nice campground there called Indian Campground Indiancampground. take a swim and visit the museum in town, also the old hotel, Occidental Hotel and proceed the next day via Hwy 16. Hwy 16 has several USFS campgrounds on your way to Cody. There are also some great boondocking sites along the way. Tensleep is interesting and Cody is worth a day or so. Stay and Ponderosa Campground Ponderosa Campground, Make reservations and don't miss the Buffalo Bill.
This is great country and you will know you have visited the wild west when you see the Mississippi River again.
As a side note I went to school in Fulton, Illinois a century ago!

AlCar wrote:
We traveled that area last summer in our 30 ft RV. If you want to avoid hills and curved, then I suggest go through Rapid City and get on I-90. It is a nice drive to take. Hope off at Buffalo, WY and take the road from Buffalo to Cody. It is the safest route in terms of ease of driving. Few hills and curves and makes for a nice drive. But, be advised I counted two gas stations on that trip. But, as I said, it is a great drive to take.

I think the road he is referring to is US16 out of Buffalo to Worland, then 20 to Greybull and Cody. There is a nice RV park in Buffalo. Nice people. it is called Indian Camp Ground. We have stayed there many times. Fuel up in Buffalo. Not much between Buffalo and Worland. US16 is a nice road. It is a mountain road. You will really start to see why we live and love Wyoming. Not many people. Without reservations you will be hard pressed to find anything in Cody. There is a little RV park that isn't that popular. KOA RV park 3 miles east of Cody on the Greybull highway that not many people are aware of and it may be able to accommodate without reservations. Nice people. They were hay customers for a few years so I think they give trail rides from their RV park. Many RVers just pull into the Walmart parking lot on the west side, just west of Cody, and park. Quite a few RVers stay there for a few days. If you are driving during dusk and dawn be careful of deer. They seem to just jump out of no where and can do a lot of damage to your vehicle. Our stick house and ranch is about 15 miles north of Cody. BTW don't take 14 out of Buffalo. 16 is much better.

MapQuest is talking to people in cars - not RVs. You're a fellow flatlander. Get a copy of 'Mountain Directory West' and make your own decisions. The bighorns are beautiful. I've driven over them on 16. Going up is slow. Going down the other side there are several marked places to pull over to check your brakes, because you're about to deal with a very long downhill and if you ride your brakes you won't have any near the bottom. And 16 is the easiest of the three (16, 14 and 14a). The signs actually say to pull over for a brake check.
And the Bighorns haven't shrunk any in the last 30 years.
BTW, I've made the trip to Yellowstone several times. I go around on I-90.

Driving down grades is not a big deal. Let your engine do the work. When you use brakes use them hard. Slow to below desired speed. Then allow engine to slow you down. Repeat as required. Do not ride your brakes. US16 is not a big deal. That is just basic driving 101.

Greybull to Cody to Yellowstone is labeled US14,16, and 20.