Bozeman to West Yellowstone?

We will be staying in Bozeman before we enter Yellowstone. We are hoping to leave there early in the morning and drive the Beartooth Highway to Mammoth to Roosevelt to Canyon to Norris to Madison and arrive in West Yellowstone before dark in mid July. Is this too much to attempt in one day? Or should we head from Mammoth straight down to Norris instead?

Bozeman to West Yellowstone?

I don%26#39;t know if you%26#39;re just mixed up your order of places in your post or if you%26#39;re confused of where the places are in the park in relation to each other. The roads in Yellowstone form a figure 8. Mammouth (north entrance) is at the upper left part of the 8. Roosevelt is at the upper right part of the 8. If you keep going east past Roosevelt 30 miles you%26#39;ll get to Cooke City (northeast entrance). The Beartooth Hwy and Pass start about 30 miles east of Cooke City.

To get to the Beartooth Hwy and Pass from Bozeman and end up in West Yellowstone here are a couple of options.

#1 Drive east on I90 until Laurel and turn south on HWY 212 to Red Lodge. Go over the pass and enter the park through the northeast entrance. Turn south at Roosevelt to Canyon to Norris to Madison to West Yellowstone. Approx. 308 miles

#2 Drive east on I90 to Livingston and turn south on Hwy 89 to Gardiner %26amp; north entrance. Turn east to Roosevelt and then out northeast entrance to drive the pass until Vista Viewing Point then turn around retracing your drive to re-enter the park at the northeast entrance. Follow Roosevelt-Canyon-Norris-Madison-West Yellowstone outlined above. Approx 306 miles

As you can see both options involve a lot of miles. If you just want to drive WITHOUT stopping for any pictures/sightseeing then yes its manageable. Probably not a whole lot of fun though. Also, starting May 26th to August 16th there will be major road construction on the Norris to Madison section. Expect up to 30 minute delays during the daytime in that area waiting for pilot cars to take you through the construction zone. The area will completely be closed to all traffic from 10pm to 8am each night. There will not be any delays during 4th of July holiday. They are also working on the road from Cooke City to northeast entrance. Last year I was usually delayed about 10 minutes waiting for pilot cars. Its not a horrible wait because the scenery is so beautiful but you need to be aware of it if you%26#39;re under a time restraint.

What is yourtentative itinerary? How many days will you be in the park? If you want to drive the Beartooth Hwy and Pass there might be a better option during your trip that won%26#39;t make such a long day.

Deb

Bozeman to West Yellowstone?

I goobered when I was adding up all the legs of option #1. It totals approx 327 miles.

Deb