Reclaiming Wonders

Visiting Yellowstone National Park this year? Don’t just make a Yellowstone trip plan for your days at the park – create a full Yellowstone itinerary and explore along the way. You could create an ultimate three-week family road trip to Yellowstone from Texas!

This 4,000-mile Texas to Yellowstone road trip plan covers 12 national parks across 11 states. Visit Kansas plains, South Dakota’s Black Hills, Idaho’s mountains, the Grand Tetons, Utah’s Arches NP, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado’s dinosaurs, and New Mexico’s desert beauty. It’s a big road trip from Texas to Yellowstone with a different beautiful destination every day.

Don’t stress how to plan a Yellowstone vacation. Follow our proven Texas-to-Yellowstone route, tested by our family of six. Whether with young kids or teens, our detailed Yellowstone guide highlights the best routes, top sights, and hidden gems for your adventure. This is the ultimate Yellowstone trip planner you need.

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How to Create the Ultimate Yellowstone Road Trip Itinerary

One of the greatest road trips is from Texas to Yellowstone National Park passes through some of the most visited, most beautiful US national parks. Remind yourself now that it is impossible to see all these beautiful places. You will have to drive right by national park signs without stopping. If you have extra time, there is so much more to add!

Through several years of longer travel, we have figured out that what works best for our family. To prevent burnout and allow a true vacation, we usually aim for an extended stay in the middle of the trip; no daily travel allows for more rest an in-depth exploration of one place. Then we fill in the rest of the calendar with more places to explore. We make a big road trip circle, so we don’t have to repeat the same locations.

Don’t get overwhelmed by tryin to plan one of the greatest American road trips at the start. Look through these places, pick what’s most important, and choose the dates for your stay in Yellowstone. Book your Yellowstone rental now; the other details can be filled in later.

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Day 1: Houston to Oklahoma Trip

Total Drive Time: 6 hours, 35 minutes 
Driving from Houston to Oklahoma City was a straight shot through familiar territory, so we didn’t stop. We spent the night with family, but OKC has so much to do if you have time! This is my “homeland”, so check out these posts if you want to add some days of adventures on your way north.

• “9+ Must-See Family Attractions in Oklahoma City”. There is plenty to see in OKC to stay several days covering our favorite children’s museum, US history sites, and lovely outdoor spaces.
• “How to Spend a Kid-Friendly Day in Downtown Dallas.” Downtown Dallas is walkable and has several free museums which make a great quick stop.
• “21 Best Family Things to Do in Wichita Falls.” This north Texas city is my hometown and has so many great, unique places to explore. Another perfect place to get out some road trip wiggles.

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Day 2: Oklahoma City to Nebraska Trip

Total drive time: 10.5 hours

• OKC to Fort Larned, Kansas (4 hours, 33 minutes)
• Fort Larned to Valentine, Nebraska (6 hours, 7 minutes)

Our second day of the Yellowstone road trip was a long drive through Kansas and up into Nebraska for the night without other stops. Do not wait to wait to find a hotel in this rural area; the bigger towns (and their chain hotels) are few and far between. We ended up spent the night in Valentine, Nebraska, so we didn’t have to drive too far in the morning before the next stop.

Fort Larned National Historic Site in Larned, Kansas

Fort Larned National Historic Site in Kansas was a little bit out of the way but an excellent stop. This complete fort on the Santa Fe Trail was in operation from the 1860s to 1870s. Take yourself on a walking tour of the soldier barracks, hospital, supply storage, and other fort buildings. In addition to the fort to walk through, there is also a dugout home behind the fort for you Little House on the Prairie fans. Nearby there are wagon wheel ruts from the Santa Fe Trail. 

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Day 3: South Dakota Travel to Yellowstone

Total drive time: 3.5 hours

• Valentine, NE to Minuteman Missile NHS (2 hours)
• MMNHS to Badlands National Park (6 minutes)
• BNP to South Dakota Air and Space Museum (1 hour, 15 minutes west)
• Museum to Rapid City, SD (18 minutes)

The Black Hills in South Dakota has so many places to explore in this small area. Spend more time if you can, but the sites are close enough together to allow a good sampling of several in one long day. We did Minuteman in the morning, the Badlands in the afternoon, and spent the night in Rapid City.

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in South Dakota

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is recent history in action. My husband’s grandfather was actually stationed here for several years, and we got to talk to him about his experience here! The site is free to visit so take a few hours to walk around the visitor center. The exhibits cover the full US interaction with the Cold War, reason for the missiles, and the military people who served down in the bunker prepared to launch the missiles.

There are several different sites you can tour at Minuteman, and you need to plan in advance if you want to do a tour due to availability. Parts of it are not available for tour the day of our visit. Doing this would also require you to spend more time at this site than you may want to spend.

Badlands National Park in South Dakota

Although you can spend days at the Badlands National Park exploring trails, we had a quick visit to keep moving. Our quick Badlands trip included a quick drive to see the view and a visit to the visitor center. Don’t overlook going to the prairie dog town. I had no idea so many could be in one area! There are so many trails and places to explore – save time if you’re up for a hike.

South Dakota Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth AFB

Just outside the gate for Ellsworth Air Force Base, this free museum is just east of Rapid City on the way into town. After the long day of driving, we arrived at the South Dakota Air and Space Museum after closing, but we were able to see the planes parked outside. It’s a good activity to give you something to do end of the day before heading into the hotel. Did I mention free??

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Day 4: South Dakota Travel to Wyoming

Total Drive Time: 5+ hours

• Rapid City, SD to Mount Rushmore (30 minutes)
• Mount Rushmore to Custer State Park (40 minutes)
• Custer to Wind Cave (30 minutes south)
• Wind Cave to Devil’s Tower (2 hours north)
• Devil’s Tower to Gillette, WY (1 hour)

This is a long day with broken up stops and lots to see. The highlights of the day are Mount Rushmore and Wind Cave. If you want to dawdle and take your time at these two, I recommend you skip the others. Gillette, WY is one of the only large towns in this area; that’s the only reason we chose to spend the night here.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial; Keystone, South Dakota

After enjoying the drive through the Black Hills, head into the park while looking for glimpses of the presidents through the hills. Walk through the flags and head to the visitor center which has excellent displays on making the memorial and a video to watch. You have a great view of the monument from the large windows at the back and plenty of time for the kids to complete their junior ranger badge.

Custer State Park; Custer, South Dakota

If you have some extra time, drive through this park on the way from Rushmore to Wind Cave and enjoy the scenery. There is a wildlife loop road to look for all the bison and other animals. However, you have to pay for a pass to just drive through the park. 

Crazy Horse Memorial; Crazy Horse, South Dakota 

At only seventeen miles south from Mount Rushmore, the statue of Crazy Horse can be seen from the road. There is a paid visitor center which has a museum and video about the construction, but we didn’t stop. 

Wind Cave National Park; Hot Springs, South Dakota

This is a unique park with boxwork caves that look different than most other caves you have explored. Check the website before hand to see when tours are available and aim to arrive in time for one of these.

Devils Tower National Monument; Devils Tower, WY

Welcome to Wyoming! If you have time, add Devil’s Tower to your itinerary. It is about an hour detour off the main highway. If you’re okay with just a drive by to see it, add the triangle detour an an hour of driving. There are pullovers to make it easy to pull over for the required picture. Before your kids get crazy ideas, climbing the rock is for the professionals and requires registration. Honestly, my kids were less than impressed, but we didn’t get up close.

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Day 5: Wyoming to West Yellowstone

Total Drive Time: 8 hours

• Gillette, WY to Little Bighorn (2.5 hours west)
• Little Bighorn to Island Park (5 hours, 20 minutes)

If you are planning on entering Yellowstone from the east entrance past Cody, WY, don’t plan on visiting Little Bighorn as it is way out of the way. However, if going up or around to West Yellowstone, it’s on the way.

Yellowstone is a huge and requires a lot of planning on its part – you need to plan out your days as best you can. You can enter the park from the east entrance, but just remember that it isn’t a fast drive and can take up to all day depending on stops and traffic. If you are driving through the park, go ahead and just plan it as one of your Yellowstone days. If you’re in a hurry to check into your hotel or rental house outside of the park, drive up and around to the west side.  Also, depending on the time of the year you plan to visit, the road dropping in from the north entrance might be closed.

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument; Crow Agency, MT

To break up the drive, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is a great stop. This monument is up on the hill and gives a beautiful view of all the surrounding area. There is an introductory movie in the visitor center, but most of the site is seen through the driving tour around the area. Prepare to sit in your car and get out frequently to read the plaques. Unless you are a true history learner, plan for maybe an hour.

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Yellowstone Visit from Idaho

So many posts could be written about Yellowstone – this isn’t one of them. Hope you aren’t disappointed! Required: plan way ahead for Yellowstone housing. Book this as your mid-vacation stop before everything else if you are wanting to stay in the park because it fills up so quickly. Because chose to visit at the end of October at the end of the season, some roads and places in Yellowstone were already closed. 

For our home base for the week, we chose Island Park, Idaho which is about thirty miles west of the West Yellowstone entrance to the park. It’s a smaller tourist city and very spread out. Know that Island Park is the country’s longest main street at more than 30 miles long, so make sure you look on the map for proximity to Yellowstone before booking a rental house. If your house is in the southern part of the city, your 30-minute trip to Yellowstone may extend to an hour. 

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Grand Tetons to Yellowstone National Park

There is so much to do in the Yellowstone National Park area. Plan for long driving days, take the picnics, and hope for little traffic. With that in mind, remember that the beautiful area doesn’t stop at the park entrances. Explore some surrounding areas!

Grand Teton National Park; Jackson Hole, WY

(IP to Grand Teton 2 hr 15 min back to the south east — and back)
For a lengthy day trip from Idaho and Yellowstone, we drove South from Island Park. We took the highway down to Jackson, and backtracked to the north to drive the main road through Grand Teton National Park to explore the visitor center. It’s more than four hours driving in the car for a day but allows to seeing the beautiful Grand Teton mountains.

West Yellowstone Day Trips

Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, West Yellowstone – This was one of our favorite animal experiences of the trip and left one of my kids determined to be a wolf researcher for several years. It’s a small place with lots of rescue animals including bears, wolves, otters, and birds of prey. Break up the scenic drive days with a morning walking around with animals. It’s a great place to support.

West Yellowstone Visitor Center – Here’s your insider tip. This is a NPS Yellowstone site manned by park rangers. This is a great non-crowded place to plan your trip through the park and have the kids complete their junior ranger badge.

Harriman State Park Remember beauty doesn’t stop just because you leave the confines of the national park. This is a great small nature area to explore and hike for a couple of hours.

Earthquake Lake Take a short day trip for fishing at lake that was once a little valley town. Read up on the interesting history of how the dam formed the lake.

Yellowstone to Texas – Through the Southwest… Let’s head home!

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Day 1 Returning: See the Great Salt Lake, Utah

Total Drive Time: 8 hours

• Island Park, ID to Great Salt Lake (4 hours)
• Great Salt Lake to Vernal, Utah (4 hours)

This drive will take you through Salt Lake City – stop and see something. Our goal was Great Salt Lake with the plan to spend the night in Vernal, the closest town to visit Dinosaur National Monument on the Utah side of the park.

Great Salt Lake at Antelope Island State Park; Salt Lake City

You can’t drive through Salt Lake City and not see the Great Salt Lake at Antelope Island State Park. Drive the causeway across Great Salt Lake to Antelope Island which is home to pronghorn, lion, mule deer, and bighorn sheep. The visitor center explains the lake, its tiny inhabitants, and the reason for the smell! Drive further up to go on a trail and climb all over the boulders. Make sure you drive down to the water before you leave, but don’t plan to get in. This is not a swimming lake.

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Day 2 Returning: Visit Dinosaur National Park Utah

Total Driving Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes

• Vernal, UT to Dinosaur National Monument (<30 minutes)
• DNM to Moab, UT (3 hr south)

Dinosaur National Monument site is a little out of the way – you’ll head back east a bit. However, it’s so unique that it’s well worth it in my book. The park has parts in Colorado and Utah; to see the dinosaurs, you want to be on the Utah side. Give the kids the goal of looking for all the dinosaurs on signs and advertisements – they’re everywhere! Drive 3 hours to spend the night in Moab to visit Arches National Park the next day.

Dinosaur National Monument; Vernal, Utah

Dinosaur National Monument is huge and has lots to explore. If you have more time, plan to spend the whole day here at least. Don’t be misled by the park name. There is so much more here than just dinosaurs. To start with dinos, head to the Dinosaur Quarry Exhibit Hall where you see a giant upheaval of a side of the mountain with all the dinosaur fossils still embedded at twenty feet above your head. Talk to the park rangers and do your junior rangers.

Afterward, drive down to the lovely river running through the canyon area that shows off the beautiful layers and colors of the rock. Look for the mule deer in the canyon. At the end of the valley, there are the remains of a pioneer homestead to explore, and make sure you allow some time to wander off the road to go find the petroglyphs up in the rocks. It’s a beautiful place.

~~~> Dinosaur National Monument is just one of the must-see ancient US sites detailed in “8 Epic US Archeology Sites that Bring History to Life.” Click through to add more ancient US history to your Yellowstone Road Trip.

Explore Moab, Utah

Moab is the hippie, rock climbing community where you stay for adventure. It’s a small town with lots of hotels. We visited a rock store and spent way too much money. If you have an extra day, stay here and go rafting the Colorado River or hiking in another park.

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Day 3 Returning: Arches, Four Corners, and Santa Fe, New Mexico

Total Drive Time: 7 hours
Moab to Arches National Park (11 minutes)
Arches to Four Corners (2 hours, 45 minutes)
Four Corners to Santa Fe, NM (4 hours, 15 minutes)

There are so many national parks in this bottom southeast corner of Utah that it was hard to just go to one. However, I was advised that they tend to all look pretty similar, so it’s really okay to not see all of them. Also, we didn’t allow time to explore all of these amazingly unique areas of New Mexico. If you have extra time, leave it for this part of the trip!

Arches National Park; Moab, Utah

Arches National Park is beautifully unique place. As it isn’t very big, it’s easy to see from the loop road around the park. After exploring the visitor center, head out. There are plenty of short hikes off the main road with nice paved parking areas. Park and explore for several hours in the morning before it warms up.

Four Corners Monument; Teec Nos Pos, Arizona

Let’s have real talk about the Four Corners Monument which straddles the four states of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. First – pronunciation. “Tiiis-Nas-Pas” is as close as I can come. I mentally said it wrong for several years, so I’m saving you the error. On Navajo land, this is the exact place where Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona meet. Also, this site is very remote. We ended up back tracking to get back to the main highway.

The is a tourist site out in the desert – plain and simple. You pay for the right to be able to show your picture and say you were here. It costs $5-10 per person (depending on the time of year) to enter a concrete area with flags and a marked site. If you are wanting to buy Native American souvenirs, save your purchase to buy here where there are native artisans in booths selling you their own native artwork like dreamcatchers, pottery, paintings, and jewelry. 

My kids still talk about it because they think it was exciting to be in four states at one time especially since one of them managed to fart on all four states at once – that’s the real memory. All in all, I’m glad we went because it really meant something to my map loving kids.

Shiprock Peak; Shiprock, New Mexico

There is part of New Mexico is a straight flat highway. Because of that, New Mexico’s Shiprock Peak is very easy to see off in the distance to the south. Shiprock is on Navjajo tribal land and is sacred. You can’t get close or even consider climbing it. Drive by and yell at the kids to look out the window – there’s nothing else in this area to spark excitement 🙂 . It’s very unique. Maybe they would be more interested if they knew it was used in the filming of “Jumanji 2”? 

When driving this highway, remember you are on Native American land. There are reservations nearby that you can tour. Go into the gas station and read the signs in the Navajo language.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

This long day doesn’t allow much time to explore this unique town full of so much history. You could easily spend a whole day walking around the downtown and exploring museums in this town. And make sure your family knows the words to “Santa Fe” from Newsies so you can fully appreciate it and sing along!

Suggested Stops

• Mesa Verde National Park – This part of the trip is passing right by Mesa Verde if you want to grab that national park in south west Colorado. However, I don’t think I would plan to do both Mesa Verde and Bandolier due to their similarity. They’re both Anasazi cliff dwelling national parks. Mesa Verde is up on the mesa with beautiful wide overlooks and a couple of dwellings to explore; Bandolier is down flat with lots of smaller dwellings to climb ladders into.
• Canyonlands National Park
• Monument Valley

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Day 4: Bandelier National Monument Cliff Dwellings

Santa Fe, NM to Bandelier – 50 minutes and then back

Bandelier National Monument; Los Alamos, New Mexico

Bandolier National Monument was a day trip from Santa Fe and a return back to the same hotel for the night. Bandelier allows for a good mix of history with all the natural national parks you have visited. The visitor center is excellent and at the entrance of the canyon where the cliff houses are located.  The trail walks past the kiva remains and head for the ladders which will allow you to climb up into some of the cliffhouses.

Suggested Stops

• Los Alamos, New Mexico
• Albuquerque, New Mexico

~~~> Bandelier National Monument is just one of the ancient US sites on my must-see list. Head over to “8 Epic US Archeology Sites that Bring History to Life.” Some of these are easy to add to this Yellowstone road trip route.

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Day 5 to Texas: Santa Fe Travel to Houston

Total Drive Time: 12.5 hours — a long day!

There are many places to stop and see in this area, but they are not the straight path home. On our trip, we drove this path pretty much straight through.

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