A road trip from Seattle to Yellowstone National Park
Seattle is not just a hugely exciting city; this metropolis in north-western USA is also a great starting point for a road trip into the interior, which you can crown with a visit to Yellowstone National Park and conclude in Las Vegas or Denver as you wish. Let’s go!
On the road: the route
The rule for the perfect road trip: in addition to sights by the “wayside”, there should also be plenty to explore during the trip. Variety is guaranteed: our trip from Seattle heads right across the state of Washington, through northern Idaho, through the south of Montana and the northwestern corner of Wyoming to Yellowstone National Park, the oldest and one of the most beautiful national parks in the world. If you want to visit or fly back from bustling Las Vegas, you’ll pass through Idaho once more before driving through Utah and then into the middle of the Nevada desert. This is where you’ll find “Sin City”, as Las Vegas is also known. If you want more green than glamour, go from Yellowstone across Wyoming to Denver in the state of Colorado.
From Seattle to Spokane
For the Seattle-Yellowstone-Las Vegas tour, you’ll drive approximately 2,400 kilometres, or around 2,100 kilometres if you choose Denver as your destination. Both options require time, so you should plan for at least three weeks. Travellers can customise their route depending on their driving mood and interests. But: it’s worth planning at least three days for Yellowstone National Park alone. And be sure to reserve your accommodation in good time. Many book as early as a year in advance! You leave Seattle heading east and travel across the US state of Washington on Interstate 90. You reach Spokane after about four and a half hours, just before the Idaho border. An eye-catcher there: the Spokane River flows with two distinctive waterfalls right through the centre of the city.
From Spokane to Yellowstone National Park
From Spokane, Interstate 90 continues through dense, rolling woodland to Missoula in Montana – a potential place to stop that became famous as the setting of the novel “A river runs through it” by Norman Maclean, which was also made into a film with Brad Pitt in 1992. You then pass the old mining town of Butte at an altitude of 1,500 metres. Route 359 and Highway 287 head southwards and right along the Madison River. Greenery and rocky scenery alternate, right of Hebgen Lake is a lovely reservoir, popular as a holiday destination and starting point for the drive to Yellowstone National Park. Behind the lake, you follow Highway 191, cross the border to Wyoming and reach the West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center, the most popular entrance point to Yellowstone National Park.
In Yellowstone National Park
Founded in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is the oldest national park in the world and it’s almost impossible to describe its beauty Created in the Yellowstone volcano crater some 640,000 years ago, it now boasts numerous waterfalls, hot springs and geysers. Wildlife such as bison, wolves and grizzly bears have their habitat here – in an area the size of Cyprus. No wonder Yellowstone National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You need a National Park Pass to visit the National Park and you can purchase one at the entrance or online. It’s valid for seven days and costs $35 for a car and any passengers.
Southern & Northern Loop
Yellowstone National Park offers a range of accommodation that you can book in advance. If you want to save money, you can stay outside the park. The park is ideal for hiking, climbing, camping and fishing. You can take guided tours, visit on horseback or take part in ranger programmes. You can easily follow the Southern Loop and/or the Northern Loop yourself. The southern circular trail offers many highlights over 155 kilometres, including the landmark of the park, Old Faithful, a geyser that ejects a jet of hot water several metres high into the air roughly every 90 minutes. A few kilometres further on you’ll find the Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest thermal spring in the United States in beautiful rainbow colours, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone with three impressive waterfalls.
Best views anywhere in the park
There are great viewpoints all over the park, marked as “Lookout Points” or “Inspiration Points”. The Hayden Valley Overlook offers a beautiful viewpoint overlooking the valley and Yellowstone River. You can observe bison, stags and deer from here, and even wolves and bears in the distance. With wildlife, the essential rule is to keep a sufficient safe distance. On the shore of Yellowstone Lake is the West Thumb Geyser Basin, where you can observe and smell the geysers, mud pools and hot springs as you walk along a wooden boardwalk. Here it not only hisses and bubbles everywhere, but there is also an intense smell of sulphur in the air.
From Yellowstone National Park to Denver or Las Vegas
If you’ve planned enough time to visit Yellowstone National Park and the Southern Loop Trail, you also mustn’t miss the Northern Loop Trail. With a total length of 113 kilometres, the Northern Loop is the shorter loop in the park. You’ll find other natural wonders here, such as Mammoth Hot Springs and the Lamar Valley. The first hisses hot spring water gradually over a limestone terrace. Deposits radiate in white, blue, green, yellow, orange or red depending on the temperature of the water. The Lamar Valley is a valley where you can see plenty of animals, including herds of bison and (with a bit of luck) even a grizzly bear with its young. Don’t forget to take a pair of binoculars with you!
Try your luck after the park: head towards Las Vegas
If you choose to visit Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world with its casinos and wild nightlife, head south from Yellowstone National Park for about 1,200 kilometres on Interstate 15. You travel through the state of Utah with its salt desert, the peaks of the Rocky Mountains and red rock formations – it’s a backdrop created for a film shoot. Salt Lake City is an exciting interim stop, about halfway along the route.
Adventures after the park: continue towards Denver
If you want to travel from Yellowstone National Park to Denver, it takes about 8.5 hours heading north-east. You’ll need at least one overnight stay on the way: how about Laramie, Wyoming, not far from the Colorado border? It feels a bit like the Wild West here, before you continue on to the green metropolis of Denver. There are also some special experiences to enjoy here such as Denver Art Museum, in addition to its parks, numerous sculptures, street art and architectural highlights. A small selection: historic Larimer Square, Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park and, for those with a sweet tooth, Hammond’s Candy Factory.
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