Seattle to Yellowstone Road Trip: Route, Stops and How Long It Takes
Seattle to the West Entrance is about 760 miles and 12 hours of driving, almost all of it on I-90 through Spokane, Missoula, Butte and Bozeman. It is two long days or three comfortable ones. The fastest version overnights in Missoula. The better version takes three days and stops at Coeur d’Alene and Bozeman. Driving it in one push is legal, miserable and leaves you arriving in the dark with a day wasted.
The route
I-90 runs east from Seattle the entire way to Bozeman, which makes this one of the simplest long drives in the country. Over Snoqualmie Pass, down into the dry Columbia Basin, across the river at Vantage, through Spokane and into Idaho at Coeur d’Alene, over Lookout Pass into Montana, through Missoula and Butte, and over the Continental Divide at Homestake Pass to Bozeman. From Bozeman turn south on US-191 for 89 miles to West Yellowstone, or on US-89 for 79 miles to Gardiner and the North Entrance.
The three day version
- Day 1. Seattle to Coeur d’Alene, 310 miles, 5 hours. Stop at the Columbia River overlook at Vantage and the Gorge Amphitheatre viewpoint. Coeur d’Alene has a lakefront worth an evening.
- Day 2. Coeur d’Alene to Bozeman, 340 miles, 5 hours 30 minutes. Lookout Pass on the state line, then the Clark Fork valley into Missoula for lunch. Butte’s mining headframes are worth 20 minutes if you like industrial history.
- Day 3. Bozeman to the park, 89 miles, 1 hour 45 minutes. A short morning, which means you arrive with most of a day left.
The two day version simply merges days 1 and 2 into a 480 mile run to Missoula, which is a hard but manageable day.
Worth the detour
- Palouse Falls, Washington. A 198 foot drop into a basalt bowl, about 1 hour 15 minutes off I-90 near Ritzville. The finest thing on the Washington half of this drive.
- Route of the Hiawatha. A 15 mile rail trail on the Idaho and Montana border, through a 1.7 mile tunnel and over seven high trestles. Bikes rent at the trailhead.
- Missoula. The best food between Seattle and Bozeman, and the Clark Fork runs through the middle of town.
- Quake Lake. On the MT-287 alternative into West Yellowstone, where a 1959 earthquake dropped a mountainside into the Madison and drowned a campground.
Which entrance to aim for
Coming from Seattle you will arrive at Bozeman and have to choose. US-191 to the West Entrance puts you closest to Old Faithful and the geysers. US-89 to Gardiner and the North Entrance puts you closest to Mammoth and the Lamar Valley wildlife, and it is the only gate open to cars in winter. Our gateway guide compares them properly.
Coming back a different way
If you have the time, do not retrace I-90. Leave through the North Entrance, take the Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge when it is open, then run north and west through Montana on US-12 over Lolo Pass into Idaho and back to I-90. It adds roughly a day and it is a far better drive than the interstate.
Seattle to Yellowstone Road Trip: Route, Stops and How Long It Takes FAQs
About 760 miles to the West Entrance and roughly 12 hours of driving, almost all of it on I-90 through Spokane, Missoula and Bozeman.
Two long days or three comfortable ones. The three day version overnights at Coeur d’Alene and Bozeman and gets you into the park with most of a day still usable.
Palouse Falls in eastern Washington, the Route of the Hiawatha rail trail on the Idaho and Montana border, Missoula for food, and Quake Lake if you approach West Yellowstone on MT-287.
