What is the best route to drive through Yellowstone?

YELLOWSTONE SCENIC DRIVES
  • Beartooth Highway. “My favorite is driving over the Beartooths,” says Holly Williams, program volunteer with Yellowstone Forever. ...
  • Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. ...
  • Grand Teton National Park and the John D Rockefeller, Jr Memorial Parkway. ...
  • Paradise Valley.




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The best entrances to stay if you will not be staying within Yellowstone National Park are the West and North Entrances. This is because these entrances are close to the Grand Loop within Yellowstone, as well as their gateway towns enabling visitors to get to the heart of Yellowstone with the least amount of driving.

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The Grand Loop takes between 4 to 7 hours to drive in full. During the summer season, cars are the best option for taking a trip around Yellowstone unless you are riding with a bus tour or concessionaire that provides transportation.

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Rockefeller Jr. Highway up to Yellowstone. Plus, if you are staying in Jackson, Wyo., the South Entrance is the easiest entrance to access Yellowstone. Jackson itself is an incredible mountain town that attracts skiers to its steep slopes in the winter and throngs of tourists in the summer.

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You could easily take two weeks to explore Yellowstone (and you might want to after you spend a day here). To truly experience the best aspects of the park, you'll want to plan at least three days. But if you only have one day to spend in the park, you want to get the most out of your time here.

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A breathtaking river chasm, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is one of the most spectacular places to visit in Yellowstone National Park. This is the park's second-busiest area, after Old Faithful, and it's not hard to see why.

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Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone The two most popular attractions here are the Upper Falls and the Lower Falls. The impressive Lower Falls drops approximately 300 feet, while the Upper Falls drops slightly over 100 feet. This picturesque area of Yellowstone is filled with alpine trees, hot springs, and steam vents.

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Without doubt, Lamar Valley is the best place in Yellowstone to see wildlife. Carved by glaciers and fed by the Lamar River, the grasslands that cover this valley are easily accessible on Highway 212 and attract the biggest land species in the park—bison, elk, moose, and bears. Wolves are also found here.

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Flights to the nearest major airport — that of Jackson Hole, Wyoming — are typically cheapest between November and March, which is the park's low season. Prices for lodging begin to drop after Labor Day, once the summer crowds have diminished and children are back in school.

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West Yellowstone Entrance The West Entrance is the park's busiest and most popular entrance, and it's also the second-closest to Bozeman International Airport, taking roughly two hours to drive to the West Entrance.

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However, the northern loop was our favorite. We started in West Yellowstone and headed North to Mammoth Springs then around to Canyon Village and back to West Yellowstone. We stopped many times for Elk, Bison and a Black Bear. Combine the animals stops with all of the scenic stops, our round trip took 11 hours.

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Our Locations. Yellowstone Park Service Stations has seven locations in the Park with over 80 seasonal employees. Yellowstone Park Service Stations, Inc. (YPSS) operates seven convenience store/fuel facilities, four automotive repair shops and a central office/warehouse in Yellowstone National Park.

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Although an entrance pass is required to enter Yellowstone National Park, vehicle reservations are not needed. You are encouraged to purchase an entrance pass before arriving to save time, but you may also purchase passes at any entrance station upon arrival. Find out more about entrance passes below.

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