Yellowstone: How Do I Get There?

The vast majority of visitors to

For flights, the closest hub is probably at Billings, Montana, where you can hire a car and drive for four hours to the northeast entrance or a little less time to the north entrance. In our case, we flew to Salt Lake City, Utah and then drove 5 hours to the West Yellowstone Entrance. Other places to fly into (connecting flights most likely required) include Idaho Falls, ID, Jackson, WY, Bozeman, MT, and West Yellowstone, MT.

There are five main entrances into the park (with a sixth one leading to a remote corner of the park). They are:

• West Entrance: This was the way we went in for our trip back in 2004. It involves lots of driving, but it's popular and there are plenty of amenities and accommodations especially at Bozeman and West Yellowstone. It's the closest entrance to the geyser basins and is relatively flat.
• South Entrance: This is most familiar to people going to and from the Grand Teton National Park. It's also close to a back corridor to the Bechler Backcountry (aka the Cascade Corner) on the rugged Grassy Lake Road. The roads here are predominantly through alpine forests and mountains.
• East Entrance: If you're a history buff (especially Native American history), you'd probably pick this entrance. That's because Cody, WY has its share of western museums, horseback riding, and guest ranches. It will also get you close to Yellowstone Lake.
• Northeast Entrance: This is closest entrance to Billings, MT, but it's windy and mountainous. But it's for that reason that it could be one of the more scenic ways to enter the park as you wind through the aptly-named Beartooth Range. You'll want to take your time going this route as dropoffs are plentiful.
• North Entrance: This is the only entrance that is guaranteed to be open year-round to motor traffic as it's the lowest elevation entrance. It's also the faster way to get into the park if you've flown in to Billings, MT (even though distance wise the northeast entrance is closer).