Drive through Yellowstone

[MuleyFever]

I hope to be able to drive from Cody through the park on my way back to UT next week. This is the direct route but I am wondering if it is worth the scenery to drive further north. Maybe from Cody to Tower Junction then south?

Anything cant miss points along the way? Dont plan to stay long probably just the day as a slow drive through.

 

[Yooper]

I did that same drive back in 2018. IIRC that area around/adjacent to Yellowstone Lake was just kind of meh. Not terrible scenery by any means, but nothing that I would rush back there to see. If I had to do it all over again I'd want to see more of the Lamar Valley area to the N of that route and then back down through the Tetons. Just my two cents.

 

[displacedtexan]

Absolutely worth it to take the north loop.

Stop and stretch your legs at Grand Prismatic and the boiling mud pots.

There's a few other spots that you can get out and see some really cool stuff pretty close to the road.

You'll LOVE the drive through the Tetons, especially with the sun setting.

 

[TaperPin]

If you want to see animals take the north loop in the park - just look for a crowd of people in one spot and that will be wolves or a bear. If you join a Facebook group for wildlife sightings in the park you’ll have an idea where dead elk and buffalo are - a fresh buffalo will get picked over for a week, elk slightly less. There’s a phone ap that follows your position and points out where to go and trivia - most everyone with the ap said it made the drive a lot more interesting,

Bears will be sighted in a number of places, but some days you’ll see just as many grizzlies on the road between Cody and the park boarder so keep your eyes peeled.

Haden valley is full of buffalo all day, and maybe a bear and maybe a wolf if you’re lucky. That’s cool to see the buffalo doing their thing. We generally bring out a couple of chairs and watch while eating a snack.

Lamar Valley also has buffalo and seems to be where a large number of kills can be seen from one of the turnouts. The bears seem to come out early in the morning to feed, then an hour or two after the sun comes up the wolves drive off the bear, then an hour or two later they bed down for the day.

If the weather is nice I could glass the valley all day.

Then up at Gardner you’ll see a bunch of elk. Elk in the rest of he park don’t show themselves like they did in the past - an elk out in the open gets noticed by the wolves sooner than one in the timber.

The rest of the park you might something, but usually nothing other than a few buffalo. The crowds at most of the sites get old fast so we avoid the southern half.

 

[displacedtexan]

Also, by the end of September/early October, the park is a lot less crowded.

Definitely enhances it.

 

[t_carlson]

Just make sure you hit the Lamar valley

 

[KHNC]

Always nice to see wolves and bears killing elk and buffalo. At least they dont do it outside the park anywhere.

 

[jolemons]

100% better to take Beartooth Hwy to Cooke City and go thru the Lamar Valley then take North Loop down.

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[MuleyFever]

So I should take 296 from Cody to 212 then take that to Tower Junction. From there do I want to go south or should I keep going west to 89 then go south to 191?

 

[wesfromky]

I would probably go through tower falls vs Mammoth. But traffic moves slow in the park and looping from Cody, north through Lamar and then back south is going to make for a pretty long drive.

 

[Dust Rider]

So I should take 296 from Cody to 212 then take that to Tower Junction. From there do I want to go south or should I keep going west to 89 then go south to 191?

Yes. Head north over the Beartooth Pass into Cooke City, then west to Lamar valley and to Tower Jct.
Beartooth Pass is the best views in the whole region.

 

[jolemons]

Yes. Head north over the Beartooth Pass into Cooke City, then west to Lamar valley and to Tower Jct.
Beartooth Pass is the best views in the whole region.

This is the way

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[TheCougar]

You’ll miss the Thermal Hot Spring up by Gardiner. That was pretty cool. Otherwise we did the canyon vista points and the geyser trail around Old Faithful. I second the Tetons. This may be sacrilegious , but I found the Tetons way more awe inspiring and impressive than Yellowstone.

 

[MuleyFever]

Yes. Head north over the Beartooth Pass into Cooke City, then west to Lamar valley and to Tower Jct.
Beartooth Pass is the best views in the whole region.

From Tower Junction should I go west to 89 then south or south from there to Canyon village?

 

[displacedtexan]

You’ll miss the Thermal Hot Spring up by Gardiner. That was pretty cool. Otherwise we did the canyon vista points and the geyser trail around Old Faithful. I second the Tetons. This may be sacrilegious , but I found the Tetons way more awe inspiring and impressive than Yellowstone.

Yellowstone has a lot of cool stuff to get out and see. Amazing little stuff.

Tetons have the best views. Unbelievably grand. The name is fitting.

 

[Dust Rider]

From Tower Junction should I go west to 89 then south or south from there to Canyon village?

If you have not been to the park before, I would take Tower to Mammoth and see if you can get a room in the hotel in Mammoth for the night. There are resident bull elk that just hang out in Mammoth and during the rut its pretty wild. They bugle like mad and sometimes you see 380" and bigger bulls battling it out right in the village. There was one old rank bull years ago that would attack cars and trucks.
There is so much to take in view wise from Cody to the Beartooth Platue, Cooke and through Lamar that I would make that an all day drive. There are way less people in the park right now, so this is the time to enjoy it without it being bumper to bumper and anoying crowds.
I take a lot of it for granted living here. The Thermal features are amazing and unlike any in the world. Take time to power walk around them. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is pretty impressive. The lower falls is one of the largest in America and the colors of the landscape are like none other around. So for me it’s the Elk rutting in Mammoth and down to the Canyon, then check out thermal pools and such on the way to the Tetons.
Edit: fill your gas tank in Cody and in Cooke City.

 

[MuleyFever]

If you have not been to the park before, I would take Tower to Mammoth and see if you can get a room in the hotel in Mammoth for the night. There are resident bull elk that just hang out in Mammoth and during the rut its pretty wild. They bugle like mad and sometimes you see 380" and bigger bulls battling it out right in the village. There was one old rank bull years ago that would attack cars and trucks.
There is so much to take in view wise from Cody to the Beartooth Platue, Cooke and through Lamar that I would make that an all day drive. There are way less people in the park right now, so this is the time to enjoy it without it being bumper to bumper and anoying crowds.
I take a lot of it for granted living here. The Thermal features are amazing and unlike any in the world. Take time to power walk around them. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is pretty impressive. The lower falls is one of the largest in America and the colors of the landscape are like none other around. So for me it’s the Elk rutting in Mammoth and down to the Canyon, then check out thermal pools and such on the way to the Tetons.
Edit: fill your gas tank in Cody and in Cooke City.

I think we will have to choose between Mammoth or Canyon Village. Trying to fit this in after our pronghorn hunt. If we tag out quick we may have time to spend 2 days. I hope to be leaving the Cody area Wednesday morning at the latest and we have to be leaving WY for home by 7am Thursday.

My wife wants to shoot the first buck she sees so she can see the park. We will see what happens.

 

[CorbLand]

If you don’t have extra time and want to see what you can. 212 in, head to canyon, then down to the lake, then to old faithful and back track to head out the 191.

The hard thing is the drive time will be minimal compared to the stopping and seeing things.

You will want to spend some time in Lamar Valley and take the Slough Creek road. You may see some bears and wolves there.

The Grand Canyon is pretty sweet and the lower falls is awesome. Worth the stop to see.

Old faithful is worth it if you haven’t seen it.

What makes Yellowstone truly unique is mostly on the 89 and 191.

 

[Dust Rider]

Prioritize Canyon and the falls and any extra time jog around thermal pools. The park isn’t going anywhere and once you get to see it briefly you will come back. Good luck on your Pronghorn hunt. Tell the wife to hold out for the biggest buck!

 

[ClearCreek]

My suggested route:
Take Highway 120 north out of Cody

Turn west on Highway 296 (Chief Joseph Scenic Highway), travel to Highway 212

Turn west on Highway 212 and go through Cooke City and Silver Gate and enter Yellowstone at the northeast entrance.

Proceed on through the Lamar Valley to Tower Junction and turn left (east). Continue on this road over Dunraven Pass to Canyon Junction.

At Canyon Junction you have two options:

1. Go straight on south through the Hayden Valley to the Fishing Bridge Junction and continue south along Yellowstone Lake until you come to Highway 191. If you want to see Old Faithful you will have to go to the northwest at the intersection. If you are ready to leave Yellowstone at the point, turn to the southeast and stay on 191,

2. Turn west and proceed towards Norris Junction, here you can turn south on Highway 89 and head in the direction on Old Faithful, You will come to the junction with Highway 191, turn south on 191 and this will take you to Old Faithful. After seeing Old Faithful turn eastward on 191 and it will take to south out of Yellowstone to Grand Teton National Park and eventually to Jackson.

As several have mentioned there are many, many things to see along these routes so it will most likely take longer than you think to make the drive.

ClearCreek