Getting to Yellowstone: Drive Times From Every Gateway
Yellowstone has five entrances and no single "front door". From Bozeman it is 79 miles and about 1 hour 30 minutes to the North Entrance at Gardiner, or 89 miles and 1 hour 45 minutes to the West Entrance. From Cody it is 53 miles and about an hour to the East Entrance. From Jackson it is 57 miles and 1 hour 15 minutes to the South Entrance. Red Lodge reaches the Northeast Entrance in about 2 hours over the Beartooth Highway, but only from late May to mid October. Only the North Entrance road stays open to cars all winter.
Every entrance, and what it is good for
| Entrance | Gateway town | Open | Closest to |
|---|---|---|---|
| North | Gardiner, MT | All year | Mammoth, Lamar Valley |
| West | West Yellowstone, MT | Late Apr to early Nov | Geyser Basin, Old Faithful |
| South | Jackson, WY via Grand Teton | Mid May to early Nov | West Thumb, Grant Village |
| East | Cody, WY | Early May to early Nov | Fishing Bridge, Yellowstone Lake |
| Northeast | Cooke City, MT | All year to Cooke City | Lamar Valley, wildlife |
From Bozeman
Bozeman is the practical answer for most visitors. It has the biggest airport in the region, and two roads into the park. US-89 south through Livingston and Paradise Valley reaches Gardiner and the North Entrance in 79 miles, about 1 hour 30 minutes. US-191 south through Gallatin Canyon reaches West Yellowstone in 89 miles, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Paradise Valley is the prettier drive and it puts you at the only entrance open to cars year round. See our guide to which airport to fly into for the full comparison.
From Cody, and the East Entrance
Cody to the East Entrance is 53 miles and about an hour on US-14/16/20 through the Wapiti Valley, which Theodore Roosevelt called the most scenic 52 miles in America. From the gate it is another 27 miles over Sylvan Pass to Fishing Bridge, so allow 1 hour 45 minutes from Cody to Yellowstone Lake. Sylvan Pass sits at 8,530 feet and is the first road in the park to close for snow, usually in early November.
The east side rewards people who are not in a hurry. The Cody Nite Rodeo runs nightly through the summer, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West holds five museums under one roof, and the drive itself passes the Buffalo Bill Reservoir and a run of volcanic rock formations with names like the Holy City and Chimney Rock.
From Red Lodge and the Beartooth Highway
Red Lodge to the Northeast Entrance is 65 miles and close to 2 hours, because the road climbs to 10,947 feet at Beartooth Pass. This is the most spectacular approach to any national park in the country and the least practical. It opens in late May and closes in mid October, and it can close inside that window for snow at any time. If the pass is shut, Red Lodge to the North Entrance via Laurel and Livingston is 170 miles and 3 hours. Our Beartooth Highway itinerary builds a trip around the drive itself.
The four approaches that get their own guide
- Island Park, Idaho to Yellowstone, the closest lodging base to the West Entrance.
- Big Sky, Montana to Yellowstone, an hour up the Gallatin.
- Jackson Hole to Yellowstone, through Grand Teton.
- Yellowstone to Mount Rushmore, the long eastern haul.
Two things that catch people out
- Distances inside the park are the real distances. The Grand Loop Road is 142 miles of figure eight with a 45 mph limit, bison jams and no shortcuts. West Yellowstone to Old Faithful is only 30 miles but budget an hour.
- Most of the park closes to cars in winter. From early November to late April the only road open to regular vehicles is Gardiner to Cooke City across the north. Everything else runs on snowcoach and snowmobile. See Yellowstone in winter.
Have us plan the drive
Tell us where you are flying in and how long you have, and we will lay out the entrances, the nights and the order to drive the loops. Planning is free, and we earn only if you book through us.
Getting to Yellowstone: Drive Times From Every Gateway FAQs
Seventy nine miles and about 1 hour 30 minutes to the North Entrance at Gardiner, or 89 miles and about 1 hour 45 minutes to the West Entrance at West Yellowstone. Bozeman has the region’s largest airport, which makes it the most common starting point.
Fifty three miles and about an hour to the East Entrance. Add another 27 miles over Sylvan Pass to reach Fishing Bridge and Yellowstone Lake, so roughly 1 hour 45 minutes from Cody to the lake.
Only the North Entrance at Gardiner stays open to regular vehicles all year, and the road runs east to Cooke City. Every other entrance road closes to cars from early November to late April, when access switches to snowcoach and guided snowmobile.
Yes, if it is open. It climbs to 10,947 feet and is the most scenic approach to the park, but it runs only from late May to mid October and can close for snow inside that window. Check the Montana road report before committing.
