Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center is a popular attraction and the area's natural beauty can be seen at Yellowstone Park West Entrance and Gallatin National Forest. Download the Yellowstone tour app thats like having a tour guide in your car. Mormon Row is incredibly beautiful at sunrise. Pin It For Your Road Trip! A longer but more scenic drive from Salt Lake City to Yellowstone is about 400 miles along Highway 89 / Highway 26, taking in more of the highlights of Wyoming and Idaho. After three days in Yellowstone, its time to head back from Yellowstone National Park to Salt Lake City. Walk around Norris Geyser Basin and Artists Paintpots. Make the most of your time by visitingsome of our favorite spots in the parkincluding wildlife watching, dining at historic lodges and see geysers erupt. Moab, Utah. As you continue along Highway 89 towards Jackson Hole, youll pass through Afton, Wyoming, and Alpine, Wyoming. Day 4 - See Midway and Lower Geyser Basins (inc Grand Prismatic Spring), Artist Paintpots, Norris Geyser Basin, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Hayden Valley. Town Square Inns of Jackson Hole to browse flights and find the best price. Road conditions from Salt Lake City to West Yellowstone After you are done at Bear Lake, take Merkley Lake road to US-30 W and get back on US-89 N. Follow US-89 as far as Afton, which is the largest town in Star Valley. 6 Best Road Trips to Yellowstone with Detailed Stops In spring and fall you should be able to book night 5 in Canyon quite easily, but for a summer visit you might run into issues with Canyon being fully booked. The most scenic journey from Salt Lake City to Jackson Hole is via Logan Canyon, Bear Lake, the town of Afton, Alpine Junction and Snake River Canyon. If you cant get a room in Old Faithful or they are too expensive, book a night at a hotel in West Yellowstone such as Kelly Inn or Explorer Cabins. Saddle Up in Jackson Ultimate Road Trip from Salt Lake City to Yellowstone *Please note this post may contain affiliate links. In addition, we have noted which hotels we have personally stayed at and impressed us. Now you know the best things to do and places to stay in Salt Lake City, Jackson, Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Jenny Lake to West Thumb Geyser Basin in south Yellowstone is around 60 miles and will take approximately 1 hour 30 minutes without stops. Spend an hour walking around Abyss Pool, Black Pool, Big Cone Geyser, Fishing Cone and various other colorful hot springs located in West Thumb. ahead of time. You can then hire a car in Jackson so you only drive around Grand Teton and Yellowstone before taking the bus back to Salt Lake City from Jackson. With temperatures reaching new highs, figuring out how to stay cool is key to enjoying your summer. After spending a day exploring Salt Lake City, youll head towards Grand Teton National Park, the first destination on your road trip! Day 5 Explore West Thumb, Upper, Midway and Lower geyser basins. After Yellowstone, dip into southern Idaho to explore nine attractions, including two national park sites, you wont find elsewhere. Hope that helps but feel free to get back to us with any specifics or more questions. Rent an RV with Outdoorsy Popular sites include, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache, Caribou-Targhee and Bridger-Teton National Forests as well as Antelope Island and Willard Bay State Parks. Hi Ashley, yep you'll definitely be too late for Yellowstone and Grand Teton end of November, we would recommend heading south from Salt Lake City instead. Only have 48 hours? You could head back to Jackson, stay in the same hotel as the night before so its one less check out and check in process, grab a nice dinner and spend another sunrise in southern Grand Teton the next morning before driving to Yellowstone later in the day. If you cant find availability or prices are too high at cabins and lodges inside the park, you should consider staying at a hotel in either Gardiner or West Yellowstone. Stay in Gardiner. Its time to put it all together and create an unforgettable 7 day Salt Lake City to Yellowstone road trip itinerary! 49er Inn and Suites. Barker Ewing rafting on the Snake River in Jackson Hole. Itinerary: How to Spend 1 to 5 Days In Yellowstone Things to Do: 22 Best Things to Do in Yellowstone Hikes: 15 Best Hikes in Yellowstone Getting There: 8 Best Airports Near Yellowstone When to Visit: The Best Time to Visit Yellowstone Where to Stay: Where to Stay in Yellowstone Airbnbs Nearby: 25 Best Airbnbs Near Yellowstone. The Center of it All in Salt Lake Roundtrip, your driving time will be at about 10 hours. Chicago to out west, then Tour Parks - Road Trips Forum What do you suggest to finish out our yellowstone trip before we do the 5 parks in Utah. All hotels are similarly priced but we can definitely recommend both Yellowstone Gateway Inn and Yellowstone Riverside Cottages from positive experiences. West Yellowstone to Salt Lake City - Road Trips Forum Salt Lake City is the natural stopping off point between visiting Glacier, Grand Teton and Yellowstone to the north, and the 5 Utah national parks to the south for those on longer US road trips. If you stayed near Moran, you might want to drive up Signal Mountain for sunrise or simply having a slower start at your rural lodging. US-89 transitions into US-191 N and not long after you will arrive into Jackson, Wyoming. Day 4 Spend another full day enjoying the tranquility in Grand Teton. Continue to both Grand View and Inspiration Point and if you arrive at the right time, you will be at Inspiration Point for sunset directly behind Lower Falls. 3-Day Road Trip with Kids from Salt Lake City to Yellowstone Insurance, license, registration, identification, roadside assistance and extra car keys. West Yellowstone is the best place to stay outside Yellowstone boundaries because it is central to the park and has plenty of amenities. We try to incorporate each place with what we think is the right amount of time, but you may have entirely different goals. Right out of Firehole drive park up at Fountain Paint Pot Trail, this is Lower Geyser Basin. 1. Explore Antelope Island on Great Salt Lake Salt Lake City to West Yellowstone drive - plan a road trip Road conditions from Salt Lake City to West Yellowstone Road conditions from Salt Lake City to West Yellowstone Salt Lake City 66F Clear Sky Feels like 63.32 Wind speed 10.4 mph Pressure 1023 hPa Farmington 64F Clear Sky Feels like 61.34 Wind speed 8 mph Pressure 1022 hPa Roy 62F Clear Sky Feels like 59.34 Wind speed 10.4 mph Pressure 1022 hPa Read more about the best time to visit Yellowstone here. Fun on the Water in Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone has eight lodges inside the park, plus several campgrounds. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. The only road currently closed that will impact a typical Yellowstone visit is the road between Tower-Roosevelt and Cooke City, that means you won't be able to go out into Lamar Valley which is one of the best places for spotting wildlife in the park. Whether you are driving your own car or a hire car make sure you are carrying all of the following items: The roads around Grand Teton and Yellowstone are flat and easy to drive. While it is less scenic than the route from Jackson Hole to Salt Lake City, the faster, direct route saves time and allows you to see new places. You can go inside with free entrance and might even strike it lucky with a choir performance. The downtown is compact and walkable, perfect for a quick day exploring. Heres how we might plan a 6 day itinerary: Day 2 Spend the full day hiking and taking photos in Grand Teton, before staying at a hotel near Moran. But before reaching the Grand Tetons, there are so many incredible destinations to see. Are you visiting multiple national parks in the next year? Denver International Airport will be the best alternative for many, but the drive distance and drive time are around 40% longer to reach Grand Teton or Yellowstone. Check for availability at a hotel such as Yellowstone Gateway Inn or Yellowstone Riverside Cottages if you want to stay in Gardiner. Why Start A Yellowstone Road Trip From Salt Lake City? The easiest option would simply be to cut out the day in Salt Lake City and pick up the full itinerary above on Day 2. Home Latest Posts National Parks Wyoming Yellowstone National Park. One of my favorite ways to see the national parks is with GyPSy Guide. This route is filled with beautiful gold, red, and yellow foliage in the fall. Road conditions from Salt Lake City to Yellowstone National Park In our example itineraries we have you driving into Yellowstone via the prettier route and then back to SLC via the quicker freeways. 6 Outdoorsy Weekend Road Trips from Salt Lake City, Utah - Territory Supply This small island within the Great Salt Lake provides incredible views of Utahs famous lake and the free-roaming herds of bison and antelope found here. Salt Lake City to Yellowstone Drive Time The driving time from Salt Lake to Yellowstone National Park is about five hours depending on traffic conditions. We will cover where to stay on the Salt Lake City to Yellowstone road trip in much greater depth later in the guide. We typically use Booking to book our hotels but park lodging inside Yellowstone is not available with Booking. The next closest is Yellowstone south entrance, which is 340 miles and would take around 6 hours and 10 minutes to drive. The drive from Salt Lake City to Jackson Hole is beautiful. The best cities to stay between Salt Lake City and Grand Teton are Logan, Afton, and Jackson. Here are the best hotels in West Yellowstone MT: Want to read more about where to stay in Yellowstone?