Island Park to Yellowstone: Drive Time, Route and What to Do
Island Park, Idaho sits 28 miles from the West Entrance on US-20, a drive of about 30 minutes. That makes it the closest lodging base to Yellowstone outside the gateway towns themselves, and usually the cheapest. From Island Park to Old Faithful is 58 miles and about 1 hour 30 minutes. Island Park is also the turn for Big Springs, Mesa Falls and the Henrys Fork, three things worth a morning before you ever reach the park.
The drive
US-20 runs northeast from Island Park through lodgepole forest and the Henrys Lake Flat, crosses Targhee Pass at 7,072 feet and drops into West Yellowstone. It is 28 miles, almost all of it straight, and the pass is kept open and plowed all winter. In summer allow 30 minutes. In winter allow 45 and watch for elk at dusk.
Distances from Island Park once you are inside the park: West Entrance 28 miles, Madison Junction 42 miles, Old Faithful 58 miles, Grand Prismatic 53 miles, Norris 56 miles. The West Entrance queue is the longest in the park between 8am and 10am in July and August, so leaving Island Park at 6:30am is worth an hour of your day.
Why people stay here instead of West Yellowstone
- Price. Island Park cabins and rentals run well below West Yellowstone rates in July and August, for 30 minutes of extra driving.
- Space. Island Park is a 33 mile long strip of scattered cabins and lodges rather than a town, so it does not fill the way West Yellowstone does.
- The Henrys Fork. One of the best known trout rivers in the United States runs through it. The Box Canyon and Last Chance stretches are fished from June through October.
What to do in Island Park itself
- Big Springs. Roughly 120 million gallons a day surface here at a constant 52 degrees, forming the Henrys Fork. It is a cold spring, not a hot one, and swimming and fishing are both prohibited. The Johnny Sack Cabin beside it is worth the stop.
- Upper and Lower Mesa Falls. Fourteen miles south on the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway. Upper Mesa drops 114 feet and has a boardwalk to the base.
- Harriman State Park. Former railroad ranch, easy flat trails, and reliable trumpeter swan and moose sightings.
- Coffee Pot Rapids. An easy 2.4 mile out and back along the Henrys Fork.
Hot springs near Island Park
This is the common search and the honest answer disappoints people: Island Park has no developed hot spring resort. The geothermal water is on the Yellowstone side of the pass, and almost all of it is protected and illegal to enter. Two things are legal. The Firehole Canyon swimming area inside the park opens for a short season in summer when the river runs low enough, and it is cold water, not thermal. The Boiling River at the North Entrance, which was the one true soak in the park, has been closed since the 2022 floods. If soaking matters, the nearest reliable options are commercial pools in Lava Hot Springs, about 2 hours 45 minutes south.
Plan the rest of the trip
Island Park works best as the base for the geyser half of the park. See drive times from every gateway if you are weighing it against Bozeman or Jackson, and our 5 day Yellowstone itinerary for the order to drive the loops. Planning is free, and we earn only if you book through us.
Island Park to Yellowstone: Drive Time, Route and What to Do FAQs
Twenty eight miles to the West Entrance on US-20, about 30 minutes. Old Faithful is 58 miles and roughly 1 hour 30 minutes from Island Park.
No. West Yellowstone sits at the entrance gate itself. Island Park is 28 miles further out, which is why its lodging is usually cheaper in peak season.
There is no developed hot spring in Island Park. The nearest commercial soaking pools are at Lava Hot Springs, about 2 hours 45 minutes south. Inside Yellowstone, entering thermal features is illegal, and the Boiling River has been closed since the 2022 floods.
