Yellowstone National Park is one of the most visited national parks in the USA. And with Grand Teton National Park right next door, a Yellowstone road trip combining these two parks is the perfect combination. For interest in wildlife, beautiful scenery and interesting geological features, this 5-day, Grand Teton and Yellowstone road trip is perfect for you.
If you only want to see Yellowstone National Park on your road trip, check out our Guide to Yellowstone here.
Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks are so close to each other you may wonder why they are divided in two. However, once you visit them, you’ll see that the parks are so different! Yellowstone is known for its wildlife, geysers, canyons and more. While Grand Teton is filled with mountains, glacial lakes and an abundance of hiking.
Yellowstone is one of those amazing places that you can spend a month in and still have things left to do. This Yellowstone road trip includes 3 full days in the park. However, if you’re interested in spending more time in the park, check out our list of things to do in Yellowstone for things to add to your itinerary.
When to Visit
The weather is Wyoming is best anytime from June through September. During these months the weather is beautiful and, most importantly, the roads are open. This is also the busy season for the park. June and July are especially busy as schools are out and this is a popular destination for families.
Fall and spring are nice too but can be much cooler and certain parts of the parks will start to shut down, mainly shops, campgrounds and lodges.
Winter is not a good time to visit and the heavy snowfalls can make roads impassable. If you are interested in winter sports like snowmobiling or skiing, winter may be a very attractive time to visit for you.
However, this Yellowstone road trip assumes you’ll be visiting in the summer months when the roads are open. We visited in September and it was perfect. The parks weren’t crowded, the weather was still nice and the roads were all open.
Getting There and Around
The only way to explore these parks is by car. This is because attractions are so spread out and public transportation is pretty much non-existent. That’s why we recommend a Grand Teton and Yellowstone road trip to anyone looking to explore these national parks.
You also could consider doing a guided tour. There are several bus tours that explore the parks. However, from what we’ve seen they are a bit too fast paced for our liking.
To follow this Yellowstone road trip itinerary, it is easiest to fly into Bozeman, Montana and rent a car at the airport. Then drive the route and end in Jackson, Wyoming. You may also consider driving on to Salt Lake City, Utah to save money on flights. This will result in an extra fee for a different drop off point if you’re renting a car. But to avoid this fee you’d need an extra day and hundreds of miles driving so it’s totally worth it.
What to Budget For Your Yellowstone Road Trip
We spent $1400 on our Yellowstone road trip, excluding a flight to the park and a car rental. Instead, we brought our own car so we didn’t have to pay for a flight or rental car but our total price does include gas money. We were pinching pennies on this trip on everything except meals so consider this the low end.
Accommodations For Your Yellowstone Road Trip
Overnight 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 do provide a less expensive option for travelers but they are limited so booking early is a must.
The most economical way to travel in national parks is camping. Campsites are plentiful and average around $30/night.
We love a hot private shower mixed in to our travels so we stayed in a mix of campsites and budget hotels. When we stayed in south Yellowstone, we camped. We stayed in budget motels outside of the park when exploring North Yellowstone and Grand Teton.
Wherever you decide to stay, make sure to book reservations months in advance (6+ months). This is a popular destination in the summer so you’ll need reservations or you’ll get stuck driving more than you need to. With parks that are so geographical large, location is so important!
Meals on Your Yellowstone Road Trip
Plan to spend around $30/person for each meal. You may even consider spending a bit more as many restaurants in the area are higher end.
We love the idea of stopping at a grocery store and packing sack lunches for this trip. As these national parks have so few restaurants, you never know where you’ll be able to find food. 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. That’s what we did and it worked out well for this Yellowstone road trip and helped keep this trip on budget.
Activities On Your Yellowstone Road Trip
One area that you won’t have to worry about breaking the budget for this trip is on activities. In order to complete this full Yellowstone road trip, the only thing you’ll need is a National Parks pass. We recommend purchasing an America the Beautiful parks pass which will get you in to any National Park for a year. The $80 pass will also get you entrance into Yellowstone and Grand Teton. This is $10 more than purchasing each individual park pass ($35 each) and will give you more flexibility for future travel plans. You can also purchase both passes individually if you don’t plan on visiting any other National Parks in the year.
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.
You’ll also be doing a ton of hiking during your Yellowstone road trip so make sure to pack all of the hiking gear that you’ll need. We love to pack our hiking shoes, hydration packs and sunscreen for any hike.
Road Trip Itinerary
This road trip travels from north to south but feel free to reverse it. We think this is better from north to south because more people do it from south to north so the traffic feels a bit lighter. Also, we liked Yellowstone better than Grand Teton so seeing that first gives you the option of changing you plans a bit to explore Yellowstone more and see less of Grand Teton.
Day 1 – North Yellowstone
Spend your first day of your Yellowstone road trip exploring the northern section of Yellowstone National Park. Start your morning at Mammoth Hot Springs. Then head east. Along your drive, you’ll see some beautiful waterfalls and the wildlife of the Lamar River Valley. You’ll see a ton of wildlife in the Lamar River Valley!
Consider detouring a bit south to see Tower Fall. If you have extra time in your day, also consider heading out the northeast entrance to drive Beartooth pass. Make your way back to Mammoth Springs and stay here or in nearby Gardiner for the night.
Day 2 – West Yellowstone
Head south into the park and visit Norris Geyser Basin. Then drive to the eastern section of the park. Here you can explore the Mount Washburn area, Yellowstone Canyon and Yellowstone Lake. Don’t forget to stop at the mud volcano and Sulphur Caldron along your drive.
Stay overnight in the Norris or Madison area of the park. If you’re looking for more options for accommodations, consider staying in West Yellowstone, just outside of the park.
Day 3 – Yellowstone Geysers
Spend your final day in Yellowstone exploring all of the amazing Geysers. Make stopes at the Artists paint pots, Beryl Spring, Firehole Falls, the Lower Geyser Basin, the Midway Geyser Basis, Biscuit Basin, Black Sand Basin and Upper Geyser Basin as you travel south throughout the park. So many Basins and so little time.
Make sure to time your visit to the Upper Geyser Basin so that you get to see the greatest number of geyser eruptions.
On your way out of the park, visit the West Thumb Geyser Basis.
Stay the evening in the southern section of Yellowstone or the northern section of Grand Teton. We stayed a second night in the northern area of Norris which caused us to backtrack a bit but it is also a good option.
Day 4 – Grand Teton Scenic Drive
Your Yellowstone road trip now enters its second national park: Grand Teton National Park. Spend your morning exploring the Jackson Lake area of the park.
In the afternoon, explore the scenic drive as it cuts through the east side of the park. Make sure to stop at Mormon row on your way out of the park. Consider spending a bit of time hiking if you have time left in your day. We hiked Phelps Lake.
Stay in Jackson for the evening.
Day 5 – Jenny Lake and Grand Teton Hiking
Spend your second day in Grand Teton National park exploring Jenny Lake and the amazing hiking the park offers. Visit Jenny Lake and Leigh Lake in the morning before it gets too crowded. Definitely take some time to hike to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point.
In the afternoon, consider spending some time hiking some of the amazing trails in the park. You could also spend some time kayaking or canoeing on Jenny Lake. Or just spend some more time driving around and trying to spot wildlife.
Leave the park a bit early to give yourself enough time to wander the street and explore Jackson.
Stay overnight in Jackson and fly out of Jackson airport in the morning.
Want to Adjust the Itinerary?
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 more time consider exploring more of Wyoming, including towns like Cody and Jackson.
Also, consider spending more time in Yellowstone. We think 7 days would be the perfect amount of time for the outdoor enthusiast to explore Yellowstone. So consider giving yourself some extra time here, even if it is just an extra day.
We hope that this Yellowstone road trip itinerary has given you the information and inspiration that you need to plan your own trip. We had such a great time exploring this amazing natural area and we know you will too! Feel free to leave any comments or questions below and we’d be happy to help you plan your own trip.
