Hi there!
So you want to go to Devils Tower National Monument and Yellowstone National Park!
In September and October 2021, I did a road trip from Devils Tower to Yellowstone.
It took me 5 days to drive from Devils Tower to Yellowstone.
That is one way, from departing Devils Tower National Monument on the last day I was there, to entering Yellowstone National Park for the first time.
No, it doesn’t need to take you 5 days to drive from Devils Tower to Yellowstone!
How long is the drive from Devils Tower to Yellowstone National Park?
Driving directly, it might take around 6 to 7 hours of driving time from Devils Tower to Yellowstone.
Although this will depend on exactly where in Yellowstone is your first destination, since Yellowstone is big!
Explore the map.
So, this means that it is doable to drive from Devils Tower to Yellowstone in one day!
Driving directly west to Yellowstone from Devils Tower, 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)
And then, 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!
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What is there to see between Devils Tower and Yellowstone?
Explore the map.
1. Devils Tower National Monument
Devils Tower is known for its 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.
There is also the Devils Tower campground if you want to spend an overnight here.
And if you are here at night, you might see some rock climbers lighting up Devils Tower!
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See more about planning your drive from Devils Tower to Yellowstone:
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2. Cloud Peak Skyway in Bighorn National Forest
Driving directions: Buffalo WY to Tensleep WY
If you’re driving from Devils Tower to Yellowstone, the Cloud Peak Skyway is said to be the scenic route, and it’s also said to be the route with the least grade.
The Cloud Peak Skyway is a drive from Buffalo WY to Tensleep WY, and it will take you through Bighorn National Forest.
The highest point you will get by driving the Cloud Peak Skyway is 9,666 feet as you are driving the Powder River Pass.
Driving from Buffalo to Tensleep without stops will take you less than 1.5 hours.
You can also take it even more slowly along the Cloud Peak Skyway by spending the night in Bighorn National Forest if you can manage to book a Wyoming national forest cabin!
There are chain hotels in Buffalo WY.
If you’re up for a solid day hike in Wyoming, the road to the West Tensleep trailhead is off of the Cloud Peak Skyway.
See more about planning your drive from Devils Tower to Yellowstone:
Devils Tower to Grand Teton to Yellowstone
From Devils Tower, you can drive directly to Yellowstone. That will be the 6-7 hour drive.
Or, you can first drive to Grand Teton National Park, and then go to Yellowstone National Park!
Grand Teton and Yellowstone are connected.
Going to Grand Teton first before Yellowstone is a detour when you’re doing a Devils Tower to Yellowstone drive.
Whether or not you want to go to Yellowstone or Grand Teton first will depend on where you’re going after them.
I went to Grand Teton first, and then 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.
3. Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway
Driving directions: Thermopolis WY to Shoshoni WY
So if you will be going from Devils Tower to Grand Teton to Yellowstone, and you will be driving the Cloud Peak Scenic Byway, then you will next naturally end up on the Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway.
Yes, this is a scenic drive along a river through a canyon!
4. Grand Teton National Park
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 from the Taggart Lake trailhead.)
For Grand Teton National Park, the most popular gateway town is Jackson WY or Jackson Hole.
See more about planning your drive from Devils Tower to Yellowstone:
- 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
5. Yellowstone National Park
And you’ve made it to Yellowstone National Park!!!
There are over 10,000 hydrothermal features in Yellowstone! This includes more than 500 geysers! This means that there are truly so many things to do in 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, bubbling 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 drive from Devils Tower to Yellowstone:
- Best things to do in Yellowstone National Park
- How to spend an easy-going one day in Yellowstone National Park
And that’s one way you can drive from Devils Tower to Yellowstone!
Download offline maps before you go!
It’s quite possible that you will have minimal data in some places as you are driving through Wyoming.
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!
Driving to Devils Tower
Devils Tower is in northeastern Wyoming which means that it’s near South Dakota.
If you will be starting your drive to Devils Tower from further east, then be sure to see the best places to visit in South Dakota and South Dakota campgrounds.
👆 See about the best places to visit in South Dakota! You can make it an epic road trip from South Dakota to Devils Tower to Yellowstone!
If you are driving from Mount Rushmore to Yellowstone, then Devils Tower is on the way to Yellowstone! Well, if you make a slight detour it’s on the way!
With a detour of an extra 1 hour or so of drive time, you can make it so Devils Tower is on the way to Yellowstone National Park.
Driving the scenic route to Devils Tower from Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills, it is about a 3 hour drive. If you drive directly without the scenic route detour, it’s around 2.5 hours or maybe a little less.
Be sure to see about how to drive from Mount Rushmore to Devils Tower for that.
And now, about the drive from Devils Tower to Yellowstone!
More for your Devils Tower to Yellowstone road trip planning:
- How to spend 7 days in Wyoming
- Wyoming national forest cabins
- Driving from Mount Rushmore to Devils Tower
- Best places to visit in South Dakota
- Campgrounds in South Dakota
- How to spend 10 days in South Dakota
- Best things to do in Custer State Park
And, after Yellowstone, maybe you want to keep heading west to Idaho and Craters of the Moon National Monument! And then you can make the return trip back east along southern Wyoming and drive through Medicine Bow National Forest and the Snowy Range Scenic Byway!
Or, after Yellowstone maybe you want to loop back around and make the return trip from Yellowstone to the east with a detour through North Dakota to go to another national park! (map) In which case…
HAPPY DRIVING FROM DEVILS TOWER TO YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK!
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