Driving Bozeman to West Yellowstone

[linsj]

I'll be in Bozeman in June and want to spend one day in Yellowstone Park. (That's all the time I have.) I was hoping to take a bus tour from Bozeman through some of the park, but can't find one. So I'll have to rent a car for the day. I can't find enough info on the terrain between Bozeman and West Yellowstone to determine if part--or most--of it is mountain driving. Can someone describe what the drive is like?

 

[Sandy VDH]

I did that a few years back. Started out 2 week national park trip by flying into Bozeman. The drive is pretty straightforward. Most of it was a big valley and flats until you get closer to North Yellowstone Entrance.

However if you take 191 directly to West Yellowstone you have a longer drive through the mountainous region. But it all depends on when you are going. there are often road closures in that area near yellowstone in winter. It was a nice drive when we did it in late april, it was a nice sunny day.

 

[WinniWoman]

To the West Yellowstone Gate, you just drive the highway along the Galentin River (of "A River Runs Through It" movie fame)- it takes about 2 hours, though, an easy drive- flat and scenic, curves- and to see Yellowstone Park you will also be doing a lot of driving and then have to drive the 2 hours back. Doing this in one day will be more than tiring. You also will not be able to see a lot of the park, as it is huge and you have to get in and out of the car and do a lot of walking.

We went mid Sept. and the weather was great. Dropped to the 20's at night but went up as high as the 80s during the day.

 

[linsj]

Thanks for the info. The drive sounds doable for me. I know I won't be able to see a lot of the park, and that's OK for this trip. Would much prefer a bus tour for the day, but apparently none exist.

 

[DaveNV]

Lin, be advised that June is a great month for seeing wildlife in Yellowstone, IF you have the time it takes. We were there a few years ago in June, flew into Bozeman and drove down through the North entrance, crossed a piece of the Park, "sight-saw" (is that the past tense of sightsee? ), and exited at West Yellowstone to get to our timeshare at Island Park Village. I've been to Yellowstone a number of times, so knew where I was going and what I was up against, but there were lots of animal traffic jams in the Park. Lots of bison with babies, and traffic was a mess. There is essentially one road through the Park, and if traffic stops, you stop. After you get to West, the drive back up to Bozeman after the Park will get you there very late in the evening. You'll be setting yourself up for a very long day, and your visit to Yellowstone won't include seeing things like Old Faithful, a major attraction. Adding that will add another couple of hours to your day because it's (as I recall) another 17 miles each way further South from the junction with that one road that goes out the West entrance.

You may want to reconsider your plans until you can have more time.

Dave

 

[CO skier]

I'll be in Bozeman in June and want to spend one day in Yellowstone Park.

This is the perfect opportunity to tour the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park. This is not the typical traffic jam filled Yellowstone experience of the geyser basins. It is a wide, open valley filled with bison. This is also where is it not uncommon to see the famous wolves of Lamar valley.

The entire tour would be about 200 miles roundtrip (about the same distance just to and from West Yellowstone, MT), and could easily be done in less than 6 hours, including stops to take a short hike, or have lunch or an early dinner at Mammoth Hot Springs.

The tour route would be I-90 east out of Bozeman to Livingston, south on US-89 through the North Yellowstone Entrance and on to Mammoth, then east on US-121. US-121 is the road through the Lamar Valley. Last June, we saw the wolves at the very end of Lamar Valley where the road starts to climb out of the valley into the mountains. There will be vehicles pulled off the road all along US-121 looking at the bison, but if the wolves are out, you will see long lines of cars pulled off the road with people out using spotting scopes. I would recommend taking the time to drive to the end of Lamar Valley before turning around to retrace the path back to Bozeman.

This route is easy. It is river valley driving with no mountain passes to cross.

It depends on what your expectations are for a one-day Yellowstone visit. Lamar Valley will be lush green in June and beautiful. Depending on your expectations, though, you might end the day thinking, "I just spent 5 hours driving and all I saw was a bunch of bison."

If you want to enter the park at the West Yellowstone entrance to see geysers and/or the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone with Yellowstone Falls, you will need to plan for a 10-12 hour long day. The speed limit in the park is 35 mph, so it takes some time to drive from place to place.

 

[linsj]

This started out as a cheap side trip--free hotel in Bozeman, free car rental day. My main objective is to see Old Faithful, which seemed doable in one day--and less than 10-12 hours--until I posted here. I have to rethink this, especially since hotels close to the park are expensive in June.

 

[Sandy VDH]

... and in the summer the park can be a bumper to bumper traffic jam, which is why I went in early May, instead of summer.

 

[zinger1457]

If a day is all you have I can think of a lot of things worse than spending it driving around Yellowstone, I'd go for it. It will definitely get your juices flowing for a followup longer trip.

 

[PigsDad]

This started out as a cheap side trip--free hotel in Bozeman, free car rental day. My main objective is to see Old Faithful, which seemed doable in one day--and less than 10-12 hours--until I posted here. I have to rethink this, especially since hotels close to the park are expensive in June.

We spent a week in Big Sky, Montana in the middle of June a few years back (about half way between Bozeman and West Yellowstone), and we went to Yellowstone several days that week. We were able to see almost all of the park that we wanted -- nothing was "too far" for a day trip. Traffic in the park was fine in the middle of June (much better than late June - August). Yes, there were some "traffic jams" when wildlife was spotted close to the road, but it really wasn't bad and that is part of the whole Yellowstone experience!

You will have an extra ~45 min drive time back and forth from Bozeman vs. where we were in Big Sky, but it is certainly feasible. While it may not be ideal, if you only have a day it would be well worth the drive, IMO (and it is a beautiful drive!).

Kurt

 

[sue1947]

If it were me: I'd focus on the north part of the park and if the conditions (weather, traffic, crowds) allow, continue on to Old Faithful. The roads form a figure 8. From Bozeman, head into the top of the 8 at Mammoth and then east to the Lamar Valley. The critter watching opportunities are too good in June to pass up. Old Faithful will still be doing its thing when you come back, but later in the summer, the chances of seeing critters go way down. You are guaranteed to see bison any trip (or almost), but wolves and especially young are much harder to see. Take this opportunity to go that route.
From Lamar, head south to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. At that point, you can decide if you have time and want to finish the southern loop of the figure 8 or call it good with the Norris geysers. The top half of the figure 8 will give you most of Yellowstone, but just not the iconic Old Faithful. You will probably want to come back anyway.

Sue

 

[Laurie]

If it were me: I'd focus on the north part of the park and if the conditions (weather, traffic, crowds) allow, continue on to Old Faithful. The roads form a figure 8. From Bozeman, head into the top of the 8 at Mammoth and then east to the Lamar Valley. The critter watching opportunities are too good in June to pass up. Old Faithful will still be doing its thing when you come back, but later in the summer, the chances of seeing critters go way down. You are guaranteed to see bison any trip (or almost), but wolves and especially young are much harder to see. Take this opportunity to go that route.
From Lamar, head south to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. At that point, you can decide if you have time and want to finish the southern loop of the figure 8 or call it good with the Norris geysers. The top half of the figure 8 will give you most of Yellowstone, but just not the iconic Old Faithful. You will probably want to come back anyway.

Good suggestion. I've been to Yellowstone 2x, each time for a week, and not a boring moment ever. IMO the Upper Norris Basin is at least as spectacular as Old Faithful, if not more so, even though Old Faithful is worth seeing.

And we have never seen wolves on our own, in spite of keeping our eyes peeled for hours - but we finally saw 2 packs by hiring a private guide who specializes in that, on an expedition that began before sunrise. I recommend it and it's a good reason to come back when you have more time.

 

[linsj]

What about this revised plan?
Day 1: Drive from Bozeman to West Yellowstone to Old Faithful. Spend night in West Yellowstone. (All park hotels are booked on my dates.)
What's a good place to eat lunch around Old Faithful?

Day 2: Drive from West Yellowstone to Mammoth Hot Springs, then back to Bozeman.

Which day is better to add upper and lower falls? I'm not looking to schedule 10-hour days of mostly driving.

Alternative: Take tour out of West Yellowstone that includes Old Faithful and the falls. But if I can see these three main points on my own without killing myself, I'll save the money.

Would it be better to drive to Gardiner and see the hot springs first? I'm trying to plan two days with the least amount of driving.

 

[Sandy VDH]

What about this revised plan?
Day 1: Drive from Bozeman to West Yellowstone to Old Faithful. Spend night in West Yellowstone. (All park hotels are booked on my dates.)
What's a good place to eat lunch around Old Faithful?

Day 2: Drive from West Yellowstone to Mammoth Hot Springs, then back to Bozeman.

Park Hotels are booked way in advance in the summer, Not sure if they have a waitlist for cancellations. West Yellowstone is where we stayed and it is an easy drive from there to Madison.

I would drive from Bozeman, down through the park North Entrance, through Mammoth, through the high valley between Mammoth and Norris, then down through Madison to Old Faithful then back up to Madison and west to West Yellowstone. Once you pay for admittance to the park, it is good for a 7 day period.

https://www.nps.gov/features/yell/interactivemap/

I would stop at Grand Prismatic Spring, between Madison and Old Faithful. It is a short walk but the spring has the most fantastic coloring and pool and overflow area.

The next morning you could get up and drive back to Norris, but take the cutoff to Canyon and go back north through Tower Falls. you could do a quick stop at Grand Canyon of Yellowstone to see the Lower Falls. You will see some on the Lamar valleys from an overview that way.

 

[DaveNV]

I agree with Sandy ^^^ about the route. Stopping at Mammoth on the way from Bozeman gets it done sooner, and you can move on. Be aware, that Mammoth Hot Springs may or may not have any water flowing. When we were last there in the June trip I mentioned above, Mammoth Hot Springs was mostly dry, and there wasn't a lot of anything to see, other than the formations. (Which are amazing, but can be seen relatively quickly.) 30 minutes walk all the way around, taking a few pictures here and there, and we were done. On to other sites in the Park. The Ranger Station at Mammoth has great historical displays about the Park, and are worth the time, if you like museum stuff.

Upper and Lower Falls are worth the trip. Plan to spend a bit of time viewing them. If the Rangers are talking about them, listen in. Very informative. Lamar Valley is great any time, especially if you see bears or moose. Elk and bison are commonly seen throughout the Park, and especially in June, will be near water and in open grassland country.

Right next to Old Faithful is the Old Faithful Inn. They have several restaurants. It's worth exploring, if only for the "Parkitecture."

Dave

Edited to add: Keep an eye on the park lodges. They frequently have cancellations, and you can snag a room. Although it's a more rustic stay than any hotel I've ever been in (as in "bathroom down the hall" kind of stuff), it's a great bucket list item, and you can see Old Faithful going off at night - very cool in the moonlight. (I once heard someone ask a Ranger if they turn it off after dark. Seriously. )

 

[WinniWoman]

If anything, try to have dinner at the Old Faithful Inn. We did a tour and then had dinner reservations (a must!). It was so very awesome!

 

[linsj]

Thanks for the help with the revised itinerary. Still debating about taking a tour, but this sounds doable for self-driving. Now that I've remembered I can get hotel rooms with Chase Sapphire points, I'll definitely stay in West Yellowstone since I can do so for free and not $300/night.

 

[Passepartout]

Right next to Old Faithful is the Old Faithful Inn. They have several restaurants. It's worth exploring, if only for the "Parkitecture."
View attachment 3491

This is the world's largest log structure.

 

[DaveNV]

Thanks for the help with the revised itinerary. Still debating about taking a tour, but this sounds doable for self-driving. Now that I've remembered I can get hotel rooms with Chase Sapphire points, I'll definitely stay in West Yellowstone since I can do so for free and not $300/night.

If memory serves, Old Faithful is 17 miles from Madison Junction, and then it's another 14 miles to the West entrance. West Yellowstone is right outside the west entrance to the Park. So 31 miles - but it's Park speed, not highway speed. You'll be lucky to travel at 30 miles an hour. Drivable, for sure, just not fast.

There are plenty of places to eat in West Yellowstone. Best breakfast I ever had there was the Running Bear Pancake House. Great family environment, good food at reasonable prices, and a good location. Great way to start your day. (Bonus: They'll pack you a box lunch to take into the Park with you. Great if you'll be hiking around.). http://www.runningbearph.com

Dave

 

[Greg G]

I second Dave on the Running Bear Pancake House for breakfast. Also the Ernie S Bakery & Deli for pastries and sandwiches, and Three Bear Restaurant for steaks.

 

[PStreet1]

Don't go without YELLOWSTONE and GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARKS ROAD GUIDE by National Geographic. It's $10.00 from Amazon and includes park maps and descriptions of each "feature" along each section of the road. You will be able to tell a lot about what you care about stopping to see with your limited time, and will probably make better decisions.

 

[linsj]

Don't go without YELLOWSTONE and GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARKS ROAD GUIDE by National Geographic. It's $10.00 from Amazon and includes park maps and descriptions of each "feature" along each section of the road. You will be able to tell a lot about what you care about stopping to see with your limited time, and will probably make better decisions.

Thanks for this recommendation.

 

[linsj]

Thanks for the restaurant recommendations.

 

[humor_monger]

I'll be in Bozeman in June and want to spend one day in Yellowstone Park. (That's all the time I have.) I was hoping to take a bus tour from Bozeman through some of the park, but can't find one. So I'll have to rent a car for the day. I can't find enough info on the terrain between Bozeman and West Yellowstone to determine if part--or most--of it is mountain driving. Can someone describe what the drive is like?

If you are still interested in a tour, these guys apparently can do one if enough people are involved. http://karststage.com/
I'm kinda like the others. West Yellowstone is a good location to jump off if you can book somewhere. We stayed both there and two nights in a rustic room in the original part of Old Faithful Inn at the end of May (the first open week of the season at the Inn). So much to see and do

 

[linsj]

If you are still interested in a tour, these guys apparently can do one if enough people are involved. http://karststage.com/
I'm kinda like the others. West Yellowstone is a good location to jump off if you can book somewhere. We stayed both there and two nights in a rustic room in the original part of Old Faithful Inn at the end of May (the first open week of the season at the Inn). So much to see and do

I called Karstage, and they no longer do tours out of Bozeman, unless you're booking for a group. So I decided to spend two days driving in the park, with one night in West Yellowstone in between.