The route
- Which way should you drive Yellowstone and Grand Teton?
- How long is each leg from Jackson to Bozeman?
- How many nights does the Yellowstone and Grand Teton trip need?
- When is the whole Yellowstone and Grand Teton route open?
- What does the trip cost in park fees?
- How fast can you drive in Yellowstone and Grand Teton?
- Where can you fill up between the parks?
- Can you start the trip from Salt Lake City?
- FAQ
The Yellowstone and Grand Teton road trip links two national parks that share one road. It starts at Jackson Hole Airport, inside Grand Teton, and runs north past Jenny Lake into Yellowstone's South Entrance. It goes on to the geyser basins and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. From there it crosses to Lamar Valley and Mammoth and leaves by the North Entrance at Gardiner, under two hours from Bozeman's airport. The whole drive is about 280 miles.
The times inside the parks are the Park Service's own averages, which are slower than any map app. Distances outside the parks are approximate, from OpenStreetMap routing. Road dates and fees come from the two parks' pages, read on 26 October 2026.
Which way should you drive Yellowstone and Grand Teton?
Drive Yellowstone and Grand Teton south to north, flying into Jackson Hole and out of Bozeman, and the route never doubles back. Jackson Hole Airport has Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz and National counters in the terminal. A one-way rental may carry a drop charge, which appears on the quote. Our guide to renting a car in the USA explains the fees.
Starting in Bozeman and returning there is the other common shape. It suits a visit to Yellowstone alone. Adding Grand Teton to it means driving the road between Old Faithful and the South Entrance twice, about 90 minutes each way by the Park Service's times. The entrance to Jenny Lake adds about an hour each way.
How long is each leg from Jackson to Bozeman?
The legs from Jackson to Bozeman are short in miles and long in time. Yellowstone's speed limit is 45 mph, and wildlife stops traffic.
| Leg | Distance | Time without stops |
|---|---|---|
| Jackson Hole Airport to Moose | about 5 miles | about 10 minutes |
| Moose to Jenny Lake | 8 miles | about 15 minutes |
| Jenny Lake to Yellowstone's South Entrance | about 36 miles | about 1 hour |
| South Entrance to Old Faithful | about 40 miles | about 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Old Faithful to Canyon Village | about 50 miles | 1 hour 35 to 1 hour 45 minutes |
| Canyon to Lamar Valley, over Dunraven Pass | about 29 miles | about 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Lamar Valley to Mammoth Hot Springs | about 29 miles | about 1 hour |
| Mammoth to Gardiner, the North Entrance | about 5 miles | 15 minutes |
| Gardiner to Bozeman's airport | about 88 miles | about 1 hour 45 minutes |
The Park Service warns that its times may be much longer with wildlife, weather or roadworks. Allow at least double the table for a day of stops.
How many nights does the Yellowstone and Grand Teton trip need?
The Yellowstone and Grand Teton trip needs five nights at the least, so that no day carries more than about three hours of driving. Six or seven nights leave time for a hike and a dawn in Lamar Valley.
| Night | Base | The day |
|---|---|---|
| 1 and 2 | Jackson, or a lodge in Grand Teton | Moose, Mormon Row, Jenny Lake and the boat, Oxbow Bend |
| 3 | Grant Village or Old Faithful | Into Yellowstone by the South Entrance |
| 4 | Old Faithful | The Upper, Midway and Lower geyser basins |
| 5 | Canyon Village | Norris on the way, then the canyon rims |
| 6 | Gardiner or Mammoth | Lamar Valley at dawn, then Mammoth's terraces |
On the last morning, Bozeman's airport is about an hour and three quarters from Gardiner. Our guide to where to stay in Yellowstone covers the lodges, which book 13 months ahead, and the towns.
When is the whole Yellowstone and Grand Teton route open?
The whole route, including Dunraven Pass between Canyon and Tower, was scheduled to be open from 22 May to 12 October in 2026. Without Dunraven, the drive works from 8 May to 31 October. It then goes from Canyon to Mammoth by Norris and visits Lamar Valley from Mammoth instead.
- Grand Teton: the Teton Park Road past Jenny Lake is open to cars from 1 May to 31 October. Outside those dates, the main highway through Moran is plowed and stays open.
- Yellowstone's South Entrance: open from 8 May to 31 October in 2026; it is the last of the southern roads to open.
- Dunraven Pass: scheduled to 12 October, though in 2026 it stayed open to 31 October, weather permitting.
- All year: only the road from Gardiner through Mammoth and Lamar Valley to the Northeast Entrance.
The 2027 dates had not been published by late October 2026; the 2026 dates are the pattern to plan on. Our guide to the best time to visit Yellowstone has the months.
What does the trip cost in park fees?
The trip pays two park fees, because Yellowstone and Grand Teton each charge their own: $35 a car for seven days at each. In 2026 both are also among the 11 parks that add $100 for every non-resident aged 16 or over.
| Two adults from abroad, one car | Cost |
|---|---|
| Grand Teton, seven days | $235 |
| Yellowstone, seven days | $235 |
| Both, without a pass | $470 |
| Non-resident America the Beautiful pass, a year | $250 |
The Park Service says the $250 pass covers the entire vehicle. A visitor travelling alone still saves $20 with it, against $270 at the gates. The pass also lasts a year, so a second visit through Grand Teton after the seven days needs no new ticket. Our guide to national park fees for international visitors has the rules.
How fast can you drive in Yellowstone and Grand Teton?
The speed limit in Yellowstone is 45 mph unless a sign says otherwise. In Grand Teton, the highways through the valley are 55 mph by day and 45 mph at night. Night here runs from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise. The Jenny Lake loop and the Signal Mountain summit road are 25 mph.
Bison walking down a park road, the kind of hold-up the low speed limits leave room for.
Yellowstone and Grand Teton set the same distances from animals: at least 100 yards from bears and wolves, and 25 yards from all other wildlife. Never stop in the road to watch them. Use a pullout with every wheel off the tarmac, and stay with the car when bison block the way.
Where can you fill up between the parks?
Fuel is easy on this route, because every station inside both parks has self-service pumps that work around the clock, all year. Grand Teton has stations at Signal Mountain, Colter Bay and Headwaters at Flagg Ranch. Yellowstone has them at Grant Village, Old Faithful, Fishing Bridge, Canyon, Tower-Roosevelt and Mammoth.
The whole route is on Mountain Time, so no clock changes along the way. Phone signal is not easy. In Yellowstone it is extremely limited outside the developed areas, so download maps before leaving Jackson. For road conditions outside the parks, use wyoroad.info in Wyoming and 511mt.net in Montana.
Can you start the trip from Salt Lake City?
Salt Lake City works as a start for a longer version of the trip. Its airport is much larger, with ten rental companies at its Gateway Center. Jackson is about 280 miles away, roughly five and a half hours by road. Driving back to Salt Lake City, leave Yellowstone by the West Entrance. From West Yellowstone it is about 320 miles and under six hours. The way back through Gardiner and Bozeman takes about nine and a half.
The Salt Lake City loop needs seven or eight nights, with the first and last days mostly on the road. Our Wyoming guide covers the airports, and the hubs for Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park cover each park in full.