travelin to west yellow stone from wi via 90
i wast told to go to billings montana,
then down to cody . then west thru the park.
14- 16 20 i believe to west yellow stone.
i have a 33ft gas class a, with a kia toad.
is this a good way to go?
thanks
If you were in Vegas, they'd say you're making your point the hard way.
You're already on I90. Stay on it to exit 309 West. You'll be on Rt.191. Take it all the way into West Yellowstone. No Bighorn Mts. to cross, and you don't have to drive thru the park in your RV pulling a toad. Just an easy and beautiful drive.
Retired and visiting as much of this beautiful country as I can.
Going to Yellowstone a few years ago we went:
I94 to Livingston,MT,
89 into the park & on to Fishing Bridge
Fishing Bridge is a great central location for touring the park. If you were traveling from the southwest or west, West Yellowstone would probably be a better choice for home base. I can't see driving through the park to get to West Yellowstone, and in & out of the park everyday.
On the way home:
Out the East entrance to Cody, WY
Hwy 16 to I90, back to WI
I hate going out & returning on the same path. A route like this gives you many opportunities for side trips.
Or never mind if your true destination is really West Yellowstone.
2005 Sierra 285 BH
2003 Dodge 2500 Diesel, quad cab, short bed
Did they say why you should go via Billings and Cody?
A route that has been discussed many times here is I90 past Black Hills (got to see the big faces), US16 across the Big Horn Mtns and Cody west into Yellowstone.
Whimps ( ) opt for a north entrance from I90 like US191 or US287.
I90 from Montana south to Cody is certainly workable, but doesn't make a lot a sense unless someone has scared you away from the Big Horns.
From Wisconsin you could just as well take I94 to Montana.
There's even a thread in which a neighbor of yours (MN) is contemplating the NE entrance, Beartooth. That would work for you too, if you breeze through the Driftless corner of Wisc.
I think the question was I-90 to Billings, then down to Cody.
I'm confused, and I live in NW Wyoming. I sure don't see that route taking me through the Big Horns.
If you take I-90 to Billings, and on to Laural exit 437. BTW great Walmart in Laural. Then take 212/310 down to Bridger. South of Bridger you can take 72/120 through Belfry and on to Cody. Small grade before you reach Cody but bad at all. Or you could take the route 310 on through Powell and on to Cody. Almost no hills but a little further. Head west on 16/14/20 out of Cody.
I drive the route through Belfry all the time pulling a loaded stock trailer. Just a few hills and farm land. Just a few miles of construction south of Bridger.
I think they were thinking you wanted to go 16/20 all the way from I-90 at the Ranchster exit 9 off ramp. That route is steeper.
WyoTraveler wrote: ...
I think they were thinking you wanted to go 16/20 all the way from I-90 at the Ranchster exit 9 off ramp. That route is steeper.
For the record, it's Hwy. 14 at the Ranchester exit. Hwy. 16 goes through Buffalo.
I agree, if you want the easiest route to West Yellowstone, stay on I-90 all the way to Bozeman, then Hwy. 191 south the rest of the way.
WyoTraveler wrote: ...
I think they were thinking you wanted to go 16/20 all the way from I-90 at the Ranchster exit 9 off ramp. That route is steeper.
For the record, it's Hwy. 14 at the Ranchester exit. Hwy. 16 goes through Buffalo.
I agree, if you want the easiest route to West Yellowstone, stay on I-90 all the way to Bozeman, then Hwy. 191 south the rest of the way.
X2
This is my preferred route from MN to Yellowstne. If I am going to Fishing Bridge or the Tetons from my part of MN this route is the shortest and easiest. Sometimes if I want a change of scenery I will turn West before Cody and take the Chief Joseph Hwy over Dead Indian Pass to the NE entrance at Cooke City.
On Google maps I asked for directions from Rapid City to Cody. Via US16 over the Big Horns, it is 393 miles. If I ask for a route through Billings it is 480 miles.
US16 across the Big Horns is the most direct route from I90 in South Dakota to Yellowstone. Looping north on I90 into Montana does avoid that climb over the BH, but at the cost of some 100 miles. And you still have to climb to Yellowstone, where the lake is at about 8000ft.
There have been many threads about crossing the Big Horns, since they are right in the way between two major tourist destinations, the Black Hills and Yellowstone. Plus some consider Cody itself to be a destination. Driving south from Billings to Cody has gotten much less attention, though the drive should not give anyone problems.
If I ask Google maps for a route from Madison WI, gives 3 choices
- I94 to Billings and then south to Cody (or a route via Livingston if I ask for West Yellowstone)
- I90 and US14 over the Big Horns (it does not take into account that US16 is a bit easier than 14)
- I80, and US20 from the SE.
* This post was
edited 07/03/12 11:48pm by paulj *
Paulj,
Yes, Hwy 16 is generally considered an easier route than Hwy 14, and I agree. I've traveled both ways dozens of times. Hwy 14 has many more curves (hairpin type even) going up and down. I'd still consider either one an easy, beautiful drive.
If you're headed to Yellowstone from the Black Hills, distance and time-wise both Hwy 14 and 16 are a wash. If you're coming south/east on I90/I25 from Billings for some reason and want to cross the Bighorns, Hwy 14 would be 40 miles shorter. But if/when I'm in Billings and want to head to Cody, it's MUCH, MUCH easier and quicker to just go west to Laurel and take Hwy 310/120 south. I will say that traffic seems heavier that way, but not so bad that I'd consider another way.
The OP was asking about going to West Yellowstone. And I gathered that he wanted an easy route. If you're in any kind of hurry, driving through the Park this time of the year, especially with a motorhome and toad, is a drag.
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