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ROUTE191

Tetons, Yellowstone & Glacier

Three of America’s wildest parks along the spine of the Northern Rockies.

Mt Owen and Mt St John across Jenny Lake, Grand Teton NP, Wyoming - 4189© John Menard · CC BY-SA 2.0
Distance
About 600 mi
≈ 970 km, rounded
Time
10 days
at a comfortable pace
Best season
Jul–mid Sep
Start → finish
Jackson Hole → Kalispell

This is the wild American West: moose under the Tetons, bison and geysers in Yellowstone, grizzlies and glaciers in Montana. The three parks line up along the Rockies and fit perfectly into a ten-day summer trip, with cowboy towns in between.

Map of the Tetons, Yellowstone & Glacier road tripNDSDWYMTORUTWANEIDNVSalt Lake CityJacksonBozemanWhitefishGrand TetonGRAND TETONYellowstoneYELLOWSTONEGlacierGLACIERN0200 mi
The route, stop by stop — tap a stop to open its guide.

Day by day

  1. Days 1–2

    Days 1–2 · Jackson & Grand Teton

    Mormon Row at sunrise, Jenny Lake and Inspiration Point, Oxbow Bend at dusk. See Grand Teton.

    Sleep: Jackson

  2. Days 3–5

    Days 3–5 · Yellowstone

    Geysers and Grand Prismatic, then the canyon and Hayden Valley, then Lamar Valley at dawn. See Yellowstone.

    ~250 mi over 3 daysSleep: Old Faithful / Canyon / Gardiner

  3. 6

    Day 6 · Paradise Valley to Bozeman

    North along the Yellowstone River, hot springs at Chico, a college-town evening in Bozeman.

    80 mi · 1 h 30Sleep: Bozeman

  4. 7

    Day 7 · To Glacier

    A long scenic drive via Helena or the Flathead Lake shore and its cherry stands.

    300 mi · 5 hSleep: West Glacier

  5. Days 8–10

    Days 8–10 · Glacier National Park

    Going-to-the-Sun Road and the Highline Trail, Many Glacier, Lake McDonald. See Glacier.

    Sleep: Lake McDonald, Many Glacier, Whitefish

Short on days? Part of this route also works as a short trip, planned hour by hour:

Wildlife rules

Stay 100 yards (91 m) from bears and wolves, 25 yards (23 m) from bison, elk and moose. Carry bear spray on every trail in all three parks, and never stop in the middle of the road for an animal: use a pull-out.

Where to sleep along the way

Book the nights that matter first — inside or next to the parks, and in towns hosting a festival — then fill in the rest. Free cancellation keeps the plan flexible.

Partner links · Trip.com

Our hand-picked hotels on this route

Road trip questions

Can you visit Yellowstone and Glacier on the same trip?

Yes. They are about 6 hours apart by car; with Grand Teton, ten days is a comfortable trip.

When is the best time to visit Yellowstone and Glacier together?

July to mid-September: all roads, including Glacier’s Going-to-the-Sun Road, are open.

Which airport should I fly into?

Jackson Hole (JAC) or Salt Lake City at the start, Glacier Park International (FCA) in Kalispell at the end. Bozeman (BZN) is the best-connected airport in between.

Exit 10Stops on this routeGrand Teton National ParkJagged peaks rising straight out of the sagebrush, with moose in the willows.
Exit 17Yellowstone National ParkGeysers, bison and a supervolcano: the world’s first national park.Exit 24Glacier National ParkTurquoise lakes, mountain goats and the most spectacular road in the Rockies.
Exit 10And now?Route 662,400 miles · 14–21 days
Exit 17Pacific Coast Highway640 miles · 5–7 daysExit 24The Grand Circle1,300 miles · 10–14 days

Written by Kylian Dev. Distances and drive times are without stops or traffic; add 25% for a realistic day.