If you have decided to include the wonderful Yellowstone National Park in your road trip, you will face the “issue” of how to get to the park, and it is very likely, especially if you are on a West Coast road trip, that you will have to cover the distance between Salt Lake City and Yellowstone. Salt Lake City is the nearest big city to the park (the only one really) and is a perfect stop for those who, coming from Las Vegas, have visited the Utah parks.
In addition, it is a very interesting city to visit (see our article on what to do in Salt Lake City), as it has many points of interest relating to Mormon history, and also for its beautiful surroundings, which include natural wonders such as Antelope Island State Park, an island populated by bison with splendid views of the salt lake, and Bonneville Salt Flats an unlikely salt plain whose bright white surface stretches as far as the eye can see until it merges with the horizon.
However, the capital city of the Mormons is not just a stone’s throw away from Yellowstone: although it is indeed the nearest large city to the park, it is still about 5 hours away, which is not exactly a short trip. The question is: are there any interesting stop-offs to make the day’s journey more enjoyable? What is there to see between Salt Lake City and Yellowstone? Here are a number of attractions along the way designed to make the most of this itinerary.
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Salt Lake City to Yellowstone National Park distance
First of all, we need to clarify something: Yellowstone has 5 entrances and obviously the journey depends on which one you choose. Luckily the one closest to the main attractions is also the one closest to Salt Lake City. I am talking about the West Entrance, located in West Yellowstone, just under a 5 hour drive from the Mormon capital (320 miles in total).
Another valid alternative is the South Entrance, near Grand Teton, which although it requires an extra hour of travel, can be an interesting solution for those who want to stay a day in Grand Teton before visiting Yellowstone. My advice is in any case to opt for the West Entrance, thus following my Yellowstone itinerary and visiting Grand Teton afterward, going down towards Salt Lake City (in the last part of this article you will find also a suggested itinerary for this return leg).
The route is feasible in 1 day, but there’s nothing stopping you from planning a stop at one of the attractions listed below (we’ll talk about that too). Obviously, you will need a car and, if you haven’t done so yet, I suggest you read my guide on how to rent a car in USA.
Places to see between Salt Lake City and Yellowstone
The route from Salt Lake City to West Yellowstone traverses northern Utah and eastern Idaho, only to eventually enter Montana, the state where our destination town is located. The route awaiting you crosses the north side of the Salt Lake Valley, where the Wasatch Mountains rise up, and as you continue northward, the landscape becomes increasingly green. The most beautiful views on this route are offered on Mesa Falls Scenic Byway, a scenic road that leads through the lush Targhee National Forest to 2 spectacular lookouts over 2 scenic waterfalls.
Below are all the points of interest you’ll find along the route, listed from south to north.
Hill Aerospace Museum
At half an hour’s drive from the city, you will already come across the first reason to stop for at least an hour. Near Hill Air Force Base there is a museum dedicated to aviation, with a remarkable collection of warplanes. This is a very interesting stop, worthwhile even for those who are not lovers of the genre.
Pocatello
Main Street still has a frontier town feel to it. Here there are mainly 2 attractions to consider for a stop:
- The Museum of Clean: Those looking for an unusual attraction can stop by this museum dedicated entirely to cleaning, where the funniest part is the advertisements.
- Fort Hall Replica: Reproduction of the historic Hudson’s Bay Fort, which in its day served an important function for migrants moving along the Oregon Trail.
Idaho Falls
This is the largest town you’ll find in the area (but don’t expect a metropolis, as we are only talking about 60,000 inhabitants). Here you can take a pleasant walk along the Snake River Greenbelt, a green space created thanks to the realization of a hydroelectric project. Although small, the artificial Idaho Falls blend well with the surrounding environment and the Mormon temple in the background. If you’re looking for something bizarre, you’ll also find something here: the Idaho Potato Museum & Potato Station Cafe, a museum entirely dedicated to potatoes!
Yellowstone Bear World
A safari park with bears, deer, bison and many other animals. The interesting thing is that you can drive right through it with your car, while the local wildlife roams freely around you. There are also some upgrades not included in the standard ticket, such as the possibility of feeding bear cubs (bottle feeding) or a guided hike with the curator for closer contact with the animals.
Frostop Drive-In
This is the place where I recommend you stop for a snack. At this diner, like a real Drive-In, you can also order and eat right in the car, but if you’re not in a hurry, why not enter this quaint place reminiscent of the family-owned fast food restaurants on Route 66 from days gone by. As you’ll notice from the big sign outside, they make root beer here (I can’t stand it but you may want to try it…), the burgers are great too!
Mesa Falls
The short detour from the main road (US 20) is the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway, a scenic route that allows you to admire 2 beautiful waterfalls, the Upper Mesa Falls and the Lower Mesa Falls, that are the main attractions of this itinerary before you reach Yellowstone. Upper Mesa Falls and Lower Mesa Falls are visible from the Grandview Overlook, that you can easily reach by car (here is the point to enter on Google Maps); Lower Mesa Falls requires you to walk along a short path that starts near the visitor center and leads to a platform directly behind the falls. For more information here is my article on how to visit Mesa Falls.
West Yellowstone
Our destination, the small town on the outskirts of the park, to use as a base for visiting Yellowstone. For tips on what to do in the town check out my guide to West Yellowstone.
Where to stay between Salt Lake City and Yellowstone
The itinerary, as mentioned above, is feasible in 1 day, if you don’t stop at every attraction along the way. However, since it is quite a long drive (about 5 hours without stops), it is not totally out of the question to stop over one night along the way, especially if you want to dedicate some time to the attractions that I described above. If so, here are the towns where you can look for accommodation:
- Pocatello (2 1/2 hours from Salt Lake City): all available accommodations
- Idaho Falls (3 hours from Salt Lake City): all available accommodations
On the other hand, to find accommodation in your city of departure and your destination, please take a look at our tips at these 2 links:
Jackson Hole to Salt Lake City itinerary (visiting Grand Teton)
If you follow my Yellowstone itinerary, you will find yourself returning not from West Yellowstone but from Jackson, in which case some tips on what to expect on the route between the heart of Jackson Hole and Salt Lake City may come in handy. Usually, Google maps shows this route by default, however, if you want to be sure to follow it, remember to turn right just before Etna (a small town of just over 100 inhabitants) on Creamery Road, then turn left on 114 South (which runs along the border between Wyoming and Idaho) and right on US 34 (if you don’t want to do a lot of calculations put this address in your navigator).
For the first half of the route, you will drive through a beautiful rural area, full of pastures, fields that stretch as far as the eye can see, and a few towns with a population of less than 100. Along this route, you will cross the Blackfoot Reservoir, a beautiful lake whose shores are home to one of those historic villages that make you imagine the life of yesteryear. As you stop you will notice a traveling butcher and the Henry-Chester Country Store, opened by a Dutch pioneer in 1884.
Shortly after that, you will pass the insignificant town of Soda Springs. This is the first major urban settlement after crossing pastures and remote villages; stop for lunch at Porters Pub, it will seem like any other pub, but the burgers are really high quality and the lady who served us is very friendly. From Soda Springs onwards, the landscape will tend to become more barren and perhaps a little less interesting, until you come to the Wasatch Mountains, which frame the skyline of Salt Lake City.
You can choose to stay longer in Wyoming instead of going through most of Idaho, just don’t turn before Etna for the 34 but stay on the 89. The journey is more or less the same length and along the way you will see Afton, the town that boasts of having the widest deer antler arch in the world, and also Bear Lake, a beautiful natural area with views of the lake, also renowned for the production of the infamous raspberry shake.
