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Badlands National Park and Yellowstone National Park can be perfect road trip destinations!
It’s a road trip to South Dakota and Wyoming!
👆 Road trip destination from Badlands National Park: Yellowstone! There are over 10,000 hydrothermal features in Yellowstone National Park! This includes more than 500 geysers! This means that there are truly so many things to do in Yellowstone!
In September and October 2021, I did a road trip from the Badlands to Yellowstone and beyond.
It took me 8 days to drive from Badlands National Park to Yellowstone National Park.
That is one way, from the day of departing Badlands National Park, to the day of entering Yellowstone National Park for the first time.
No, it doesn’t need to take you 8 days to drive from the Badlands to Yellowstone National Park!
How long is the drive from Badlands National Park to Yellowstone National Park?
Driving directly, it might take around 8 hours of driving time from Badlands National Park to Yellowstone National Park.
Explore the map.
Driving directly west to Yellowstone from Badlands National Park, you can pass through Cody WY and enter Yellowstone National Park through the east entrance. (There are many entry stations for Yellowstone National Park.)
There are chain hotels in Cody WY.
Cody WY to Yellowstone National Park east entrance is around a 1 hour drive. (map)
So some people will say that it’s doable to drive from Badlands National Park to Yellowstone National Park in one day.
And instead of driving directly to Yellowstone, there are also other ways you can do this drive depending on your time and interests!
Below will show you one driving route to start to give you some ideas… the way I did it… if you want to break up the drive and spend more time along the way!
Download offline maps before you go!
It’s quite possible that you will have minimal data in some places as you are driving to Yellowstone National Park.
It will be best to download offline google maps before you go!
If you’ll be doing some day hikes in Wyoming, see the best apps for hiking in Wyoming!
More below for ideas on driving from the Badlands to Yellowstone!
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Now…
What is there to see between Badlands National Park and Yellowstone National Park?
Explore the map.
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1. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
The main road through Badlands National Park is the Badlands Loop Road.
All you have to do is drive this road and you will get scenic views!
If you’re driving from the east, you’ll enter from the Badlands National Park northeast entry station. (map)
You may be quite happy with your South Dakota badlands experience just by driving through Badlands National Park.
You will also find many overlooks to stop off at along the way.
👆 You can make a quick stop in Badlands National Park at the Big Badlands Overlook.
There are also popular short hikes in Badlands National Park that conveniently start along Badlands Loop Road.
👆 Hiking in Badlands National Park from Door trailhead.
👆 Hiking in Badlands National Park from the Notch trailhead. The Notch Trail is one of the scary trails in Badlands National Park!
There are campgrounds in Badlands National Park.
While the Cedar Pass Campground is the most convenient, you may also want to go camping in Badlands National Park in the more remote area of the park too.
That’s where you will find the free Sage Creek campground where you have a very good chance of seeing prairie dogs.
And you also have a chance at seeing buffalo walking right past your tent!
If you are not camping, then driving towards this remote Sage Creek area will also give you a chance to see prairie dogs and buffalo.
When you are in Badlands National Park, you also have a chance to see bighorn sheep too!
For that, you have a chance to see them just by driving the main area of Badlands Loop Road.
See more about planning your Badlands to Yellowstone road trip:
- Quick things to do in Badlands National Park
- Best hikes in Badlands National Park
- Camping in Badlands National Park (with buffalo and prairie dogs!)
2. Wall Drug (South Dakota)
Wall Drug is a complete tourist attraction.
As you are driving along I-90 in South Dakota, you will see a TON of signs for Wall Drug.
There are really just THAT many that it will have you thinking… what is this Wall Drug?!?!
Well, personally I think it’s skippable.
But it’s also kind of an all-American road trip story, and you are on a road trip yourself, so… you might want to be a part of it and stop by!
I did an overnight at a hotel in Wall SD. (Super 8 by Wyndham Wall – reviews)
From Badlands National Park, you can exit through the Pinnacles entry station to drive to Wall Drug. It will be about a 15 minute drive from there. (map)
Wall SD to Yellowstone National Park is around an 8 hour drive. (map)
See more about planning your Badlands to Yellowstone road trip:
3. Mount Rushmore National Memorial (South Dakota)
Mount Rushmore is one of the most popular places to visit in South Dakota from out of state… if not THE most popular.
If you want to stay for a night or 2 near Mount Rushmore, there are a few hotels near Mount Rushmore in Keystone SD.
The big city near Mount Rushmore is Rapid City SD, and this is around 30 minutes away.
Mount Rushmore is in the famous Black Hills of South Dakota.
If you want to make time for it, you might also be interested in driving through Custer State Park also in the Black Hills. For example, you can drive through the Needles Eye Tunnel.
If you want to stay for a few days in the Black Hills, this area is also where you will find Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument.
Badlands National Park to Mount Rushmore is around a 1.5 hour drive. (map)
Mount Rushmore to Yellowstone National Park is around a 7.5 hour drive. (map)
See more about planning your Badlands to Yellowstone road trip:
- Things to do in Mount Rushmore National Memorial
- Things to do in the Black Hills for VIEWS!
- Things to do in Custer State Park
- South Dakota state park camping cabins in Custer State Park
4. Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway (South Dakota)
The Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway is a scenic drive that you can make along the way if you are driving from Mount Rushmore to Devils Tower. (Next on the list!)
You can make it just about the drive, or you can get out of the car for a couple of stops too.
Badlands National Park to Spearfish SD is around a 1.5 hour drive. (map)
Spearfish to Yellowstone National Park is around a 6.5 hour drive. (map)
See more about planning your Badlands to Yellowstone road trip:
5. Devils Tower National Monument (Wyoming)
Devils Tower is an iconic rock formation.
If you only want to dedicate 1-2 hours to Devils Tower, that’s completely reasonable.
There are some quick things to do at Devils Tower.
I did an overnight at a hotel near Devils Tower. (Best Western Devils Tower Inn in Hulett WY – reviews)
Then I did 1 night at the Devils Tower campground.
And if you are at Devils Tower at night, then you might see rock climbers lighting up Devils Tower!
Badlands National Park to Devils Tower is around a 2.5 hour drive. (map)
Devils Tower to Yellowstone National Park is around a 6 hour drive. (map)
See more about planning your Badlands to Yellowstone road trip:
- Driving from Mount Rushmore to Devils Tower
- Things to do in Devils Tower National Monument
- Camping in Devils Tower National Monument
- Driving from Devils Tower to Grand Teton National Park
6. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
There are 2 national parks in Wyoming. You know about Yellowstone, and Grand Teton is the other one.
Since you are so near if you are going to Yellowstone, you really shouldn’t miss Grand Teton National Park!
If you’re short on time, even a drive through the park can be worth it.
The best road to drive if you are truly short on time is Teton Park Road.
Along the way you will also pass by the turn-off for Jenny Lake Scenic Drive.
If you have more time, then you will want to do the whole 42-mile Grand Teton Scenic Loop Drive. (Teton Park Road is a part of it.)
And if you have even more time… or instead of the rest of the scenic loop… you can do a short hike with mountain views! (For example, hike to Taggart Lake.)
For Grand Teton National Park, the most popular gateway town is Jackson WY or Jackson Hole.
Grand Teton and Yellowstone are connected. So depending on your route (aka what you’re doing after Yellowstone), you may or may not want to go to Grand Teton before you go to Yellowstone.
I went to Grand Teton first. After Yellowstone I went to Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho for lava fields and caves! Driving from Yellowstone to Craters of the Moon, you can also drive the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway to stop by for waterfalls.
Also on the way to Grand Teton, I spent a couple of nights in a Wyoming national forest cabin too.
If you decide to go to Grand Teton National Park before Yellowstone, then also see about how to drive from Devils Tower to Grand Teton.
See more about planning your Badlands to Yellowstone road trip:
- Best things to do in Grand Teton National Park
- Driving through Grand Teton National Park
- How to spend one day in Grand Teton National Park
- Driving from Grand Teton to Yellowstone
7. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming)
And you’ve made it to Yellowstone National Park!!!
What makes Yellowstone National Park very special is the Yellowstone supervolcano!
Because of the Yellowstone supervolcano, there are tons of thermal features to see all over Yellowstone National Park.
So you must be sure to see geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and fumaroles (steam vents)! You do this by visiting the many thermal basins that are in the park.
THE best things to do in Yellowstone National Park are to see the Old Faithful geyser eruption (see from ground level and the geyser overlook) and to see the Grand Prismatic Spring (see from ground level and the spring overlook).
The West Thumb Geyser Basin is another one of the great things to do in Yellowstone, as you get to see thermal features with the backdrop of Yellowstone Lake.
And hopefully you will get to see a bunch of smaller geyser eruptions, like the Clepsydra Geyser!
See more about planning your Badlands to Yellowstone road trip:
- Best things to do in Yellowstone National Park
- How to spend an easy-going one day in Yellowstone National Park
And those are just a few ideas on how to drive from Badlands National Park to Yellowstone National Park!
More for your Badlands to Yellowstone road trip planning:
- How to spend 7 days in Wyoming
- Wyoming national forest cabins
- Best places to visit in South Dakota
- Campgrounds in South Dakota
And, after Yellowstone, maybe you want to loop back around and make the return trip from Yellowstone back east with a detour through North Dakota to go to another national park! (map) In which case…
HAPPY DRIVING TO YELLOWSTONE FROM BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK!
Where to stay in the Black Hills
- Keystone: Roosevelt Inn Mount Rushmore
- Keystone is a small gateway town for Mount Rushmore
- Spearfish: Best Western Black Hills Lodge
- Spearfish is a small town in the Black Hills
Here are some ideas for a classic South Dakota road trip going from east to west!
After you go to Badlands National Park, you can head west to Wall Drug and then onwards to Mount Rushmore!
You've made it to the Black Hills, where you'll find Custer State Park.
While you're in the area, you can also go to Wind Cave National Park and/or Jewel Cave National Monument and/or the Mammoth Site!
Drive the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway on your way west out of the Black Hills and South Dakota as you continue your epic road trip to Devils Tower National Monument and Wyoming!
Then, onwards to the best places to visit in Wyoming with your grand finale of Wyoming being one day in Yellowstone National Park!
Read more for your South Dakota road trip: Best places to visit in South Dakota
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