Wyoming is filled with wide open spaces, towering mountain ranges, beautiful lakes, and wonderful wildlife. This state is a beautiful place to explore nature and connect with the land. The beautiful scenery combined with the wide open spaces make this state a perfect place for a road trip. This 8-day Wyoming road trip winds it’s way through the northwestern corner of the state and explores the best things to do in the state.
When to Take a Wyoming Road Trip
The weather is Wyoming is best between June and September. During these months the weather is warm-ish and, most importantly, the roads are open. Fall and spring are nice too but can be much cooler. Winter is not a good time to take a Wyoming road trip as the heavy snowfalls can make roads impassable.
Getting There and Around
The only way to explore Wyoming is by car. This is because attractions are so spread out, public transportation is pretty much non-existent and airports are limited. That’s why we recommend a Wyoming road trip to anyone looking to explore the state.
To follow this Wyoming road trip itinerary, it is easiest to fly into Jackson and rent a car at the airport. Then drive the route and end in Bozeman, Montana. Flying out of Bozeman is cheaper than many small airports in the area.
What to Budget for Your Wyoming Road Trip
We spent $1700 on our one week Wyoming road trip, not including transportation to and from Wyoming. We definitely would consider this a budget trip as we camped a lot and packed a sack lunch almost every day.
Accommodations
Accommodations in these areas range from luxury to budget and the price range spans accordingly.
Hotels in Wyoming will average around $120/night. However, keep in mind that hotels within national parks tend to be very expensive. Jackson Hole is also a very expensive place to stay. Hotels in these areas are rarely found for under $250/night.
Vacation rentals like AirBnB in Wyoming average around $150/night. These can provide a less expensive option for travelers but they are limited so booking early is a must.
The most economical way to travel in Wyoming is camping. Campsites are plentiful and average around $30/night.
If you aren’t into camping for 8 days but still want to save some money, we’d recommend camping in areas where hotels are limited and therefore more expensive. We camped when we staying in the Tetons and south Yellowstone. The rest of the time we stayed in budget hotels that were all under $100/night.
Meals
Plan to spend around $20/person for each meal. Meals in Grand Teton and Jackson are a bit more pricy averaging above $50/person.
We love the idea of stopping a grocery stores and packing sack lunches for this trip. As Wyoming is such a spread out state, you never know where you’ll be able to find a restaurant. Packing a sack lunch allows you to have fun during the day without having to follow a strict itinerary to get you to a town for lunch.
Activities
We recommend purchasing an America the Beautiful parks pass which will get you and anyone in your car into any National Park for a year. This $80 pass will also get you entrance into Yellowstone and Grand Teton. This is $10 more than purchasing each individual park pass and will give you more flexibility for future travel plans. If you choose to purchase individual parks passes, those will cost $70.
You’ll also want to budget out any activities you plan on doing in Cody or Jackson. Prices for recommended activities in those towns are included in the itinerary.
What to Pack
You’ll definitely want to remember to grab a paper map of Wyoming for your travels. Cell service in the state is spotty, especially in the remote areas. A paper map will help you to avoid getting lost.
If you’re going to be doing hiking in Yellowstone or Teton, you’ll want to pack bear spray or other bear repellent. Additionally, make sure to pack sturdy walking shoes as there is plenty of walking involved in this Wyoming road trip.
Wyoming Road Trip Itinerary
Day 1 – Jackson Hole
Arrive in Jackson Hole and explore the town. You’ll likely arrive mid-day if you’re flying into Jackson. Spend the rest of your day exploring downtown Jackson and consider visiting the National Museum of Wildlife Art ($15/person).
Stay overnight in Jackson.
Day 2 & 3 – Grand Teton National Park
Next, spend your time exploring Grand Teton National Park. We’d recommend spending your first day exploring the Jenny Lake area of the park and filling your second day with hiking and an exploration of the northern portion of the park.
Stay overnight on day 2 and 3 in the park. There are lots of camping sites available as well as options to stay at some of the exclusive Grand Teton lodges. For recommendations on places to stay check out our Grand Teton vacation guide here.
Day 4 – Yellowstone Geysers
Next, spend day 4 of your Wyoming road trip exploring the most popular section of Yellowstone National park – the geysers. To get there, head north out of Grand Teton National park along highway 191.
First, stop at the West Thumb Geyser Basin and then continue north. The road from West Thumb to Madison Junction is filled with stops that will allow you to explore the geysers that Yellowstone is famous for. Make sure to check the eruption times so you can time your trip just right in order to see as many geysers as possible, including the famous Old Faithful.
This part of the park is the busiest part of this Wyoming road trip, so prepare yourself to move at a slow pace and make plenty of stops.
Stay in the south section of the park for the evening.
Day 5 – West Yellowstone
Visit the western portion of Yellowstone on day 5. This will include views of Yellowstone Lake, visits to mud geysers and hikes around Yellowstone Canyon.
Then, leave the park in the afternoon and make your way along Buffalo Bill scenic byway to Cody, Wyoming. Stay in Cody for the evening.
Day 6 – Cody
Spend day 6 of your Wyoming road trip exploring Cody. Cody is an amazing town that celebrates the history of the wild west. There are several museums that make up the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and visiting them all will take up your morning and possibly your afternoon. I would swear we spent a full day in the Firearms museum alone. Cost for admission is $19.75/person.
However, if the museum doesn’t take all day, consider visiting Old Trail town ($10/person) in the afternoon for a visit to a real old west town. Or consider getting outside and visiting Buffalo Bill Dam and State Park ($7/vehicle).
The town offers nightly rodeos in the summer months that are a highlight of a visit to Cody. The season does end mid-September so if you’d like to visit this iconic show, plan accordingly.
Stay for the evening in Cody.
Day 7 – Beartooth pass
In the morning, leave Cody via Chief Joseph Scenic Highway. Then head into Montana via Beartooth pass. This is constantly rated one of the most scenic drives in the world. This winding road will take you to Red Lodge Montana. Stop here for lunch.
In the afternoon, take Beartooth pass back into Yellowstone National Park. You’ll go through north Yellowstone in the afternoon/early evening. This just so happens to be the best time and place to view wildlife in the park. If you’re lucky you’ll even see some wolves out hunting.
Stay the evening in North Yellowstone.
Alternatively, if driving Beartooth pass twice isn’t your idea of fun, consider rerouting through Montana on your way from Red Lodge to Yellowstone. You can loop a bit north and find yourself in Gardiner by the evening which will also put you in a good spot to start Day 8 of your Wyoming road trip.
Day 8 – North Yellowstone
Spend your last morning exploring the north loop of Yellowstone National Park. This will be where you spot a majority of those amazing Yellowstone creatures you’ve been on the lookout for. Also make sure to stop at Mammoth Hot Springs on your way out of the park.
In the afternoon head north out of Yellowstone and you’ll find yourself in Montana. It is here that your epic 8-day Wyoming road trip comes to an end.
Want to Adjust This Wyoming Road Trip?
If you have just a few days, consider just focusing on Yellowstone or Grand Teton. We like Yellowstone better so check out our 3-day Yellowstone itinerary here.
If you have 5 days, you can still visit Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Check out the full 5-day road trip here that eliminates visiting Cody and driving Beartooth Pass.
If you have more time, we’d recommend staying an extra day or two in Yellowstone. Can you tell we love Yellowstone? There is so much to see and do and 5 days in Yellowstone would be time well spent. With more time, you can also see other things in Wyoming but remember that Wyoming is incredibly spread out. For example, we love Devils Tower National Monument but that would be a 6 hour drive to get to.
Wyoming is such an amazing natural resource. We know that this Wyoming road trip will allow you to explore some of most beautiful scenery in the country. Traveling in Wyoming is such a treasure, we know you will remember it for years to come.
We hope this Wyoming road trip itinerary has helped you to plan your upcoming Wyoming vacation. We know that Yellowstone and Grand Teton will be the highlights of your trip but make sure to explore the other amazing things that the state has to offer. If you have any questions or comments, make sure to leave them in the comments section below and we’ll be happy to help.
