Sometimes we just wish to go on the most adventurous trip of our lives. The perfect place for such an incredible experience has to be the Yellowstone National Park. It has a one-of-a-kind geography that has earned it the honour of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There’s one city in the state of Montana that is often referred to as the “Yellowstone Gateway”. Being in Billings will give you a guaranteed memorable journey to the park as it will feature some of the best scenery. Through this blog one will get to know which is the right route through the wilderness and the mesmerising views of nature.
Is Travelling To Yellowstone Difficult?
Yes, people often face difficulty in travelling to Yellowstone National Park. The traffic jams caused by hundreds of tourist vehicles and the wildlife in this huge area make the trip a bit difficult. The summer time is one of the busiest periods in the year which often makes things difficult for travellers. You can fix these issues with the right travel plan. If you are in Billings that is great because the trip to Yellowstone is much easier from here than from other cities. Book your flight and land in the “Magic City” to kickstart your Billings to Yellowstone Park road trip if you do not live here.
Why Is Billings Called “Yellowstone Gateway”?
Billings has historically served as the “gateway” or the most accessible path to Yellowstone National Park. It started as a railroad city in 1882 as people used it extensively to travel to the Yellowstone area. Now it assists visitors in travelling to the National Park with ease because of its direct route, getting the nickname of Yellowstone Gateway. This route has a lot of facilities, most notably the Montana charter bus service as public transit is not available for Yellowstone National Park. Your Billings to Yellowstone drive will even make you stop at many locations. But the most important in this route is driving on the Beartooth Highway.
Popular Sites In “Yellowstone Gateway” You Can Visit
Whether you live in Billings or are arriving here to go to Yellowstone, you must visit some wonderful places in this city. Billings has a lot of picturesque places to plan an outing to. Let us take a look at these sites.
Rimrocks
This is a beautiful cliff made up of sandstone surrounding the whole city. It is also known as the “Rims” and stands at almost 600 feet in height. Look at them from any angle and it is going to give some of the most stunning views. You can explore these age-old rocks from many parks just below or around the mountain. Zimmerman Park gives a very beautiful view where people can also hike and do some biking too. The same goes for other parks like the Swords Park and Four Dances. Visit these places and enjoy the view of the 30-million-year-old rock formation.
Pictograph Cave State Park
Pictograph Cave State Park uniquely preserves three prehistoric caves. People visit this wonderful state park a lot to revisit the history of the area. The three cave complexes consist of paintings drawn by prehistoric hunters. The trail is filled with greenery and has boards with information on the vegetation and the natural characteristics of the caves and their surroundings. Billings residents often visit the Pictograph either with families or even on their own for an enriching and knowledgeable experience. This place will provide a nice warm-up before visiting Yellowstone National Park
ZooMontana
Are kids accompanying you to enjoy the wilderness of Yellowstone? Give them a sneak peek at the most popular zoo in the Treasure State! ZooMontana has the most beautiful flora and animals that are both native to the place and the exotic, exclusive ones too. You can find bears, wolves, tigers and even eagles in the vast zoo. Species from Europe and Asia also find their home here. People in Billings love visiting this zoo as it has a lot more attractions than just animals. ZooMontana has a nature shop, playground, picnic spot and even an amphitheatre. Schools in Billings also bring their young students to this zoo occasionally.
The Yellowstone Gateway Road Trip
We have warmed ourselves up enough by visiting some of the best places in Billings. Now let’s grab our backpacks and fasten the seatbelts. The journey from Billings to Yellowstone National Park begins now! We will understand and complete this route and see what sights we can capture while on the road to Yellowstone. The Beartooth Highway has a lot of surprises to look out for.
A Ride Through Beartooth Highway
A CBS reporter named Charles Kurait rightfully said it once: “This is the most beautiful roadway in America”. The Beartooth Highway is not just any highway. It houses some of the beautiful flora and fauna with hotspots for sightseeing and even towns where you can plan to stay. Here are some of the most picturesque features of this mesmerising road.
- As the name suggests, the Beartooth Highway will make you meet some “nice” grizzly bears that have been in this wilderness for years. Yes, they’ll remain nice to you unless you get close to them. Read the bear safety guidelines from the National Park Service before travelling on the highway.
- Besides those furry giants you will get to meet some mountain lions, sheeps and goats with long horns, elks, deers, pikas and many more. But it is better to stay on the road and not try making any contact with most of these animals.
- The views of the Beartooth Mountains are some of the most beautiful landscapes of Montana and Wyoming. A drive through these scintillating geographic wonders will make your trip very memorable.
Key Places To Stop At Beartooth Highway
It is better for you to save some fuel for both your car and your body before going to the National Park. There are three stops on the highway where you need to stop before you head towards the Yellowstone.
- Red Lodge: It is one of the most beautiful and vibrant cities in Montana. Hotels and bars fill this place to keep you engaged. A stay in Red Lodge is available in the range of $100 – $250.
- Cody: Now let’s talk about this wonderful town in West Yellowstone. This is a beautiful place where you can stay, meet with the community and have a great time. You can stay at many inns and lodges in this city where the rooms can range from anywhere between $70 – $250.
- Cooke City: At the end of the Beartooth Highway you will find yourself in the smallest town of Yellowstone. People stop here in the winter for sure to have some fun riding on snowmobiles. There are many stays and lodges here with a price range of $110 – $300 per night.
Yellowstone National Park- The Ultimate Destination
If you have followed our guide of Yellowstone Gateway road trip till now, then congratulations! You have finally made it to one of the most beautiful national parks in the whole country! In 1872, USA established the world’s first national park here. For the last four decades, millions of people have visited this wild park for the amazing natural phenomena that we get to see. Before we read about the iconic sights to see in Yellowstone let’s take a quick guide for the trip in the park.
Important Instructions For Yellowstone National Park
The National Park Service needs you to follow these instructions at any cost when you are in the park. We will take a quick look at it but save it because this will be useful when you visit this place.
- Keep a healthy distance from the wildlife in the national park. Stay 100 yards away from wolves and bears and 25 yards away from other animals.
- Do not forget to bring a bear spray and you must know how to use it. Never run away from a bear if one chases you.
- Stay on the trail marked by the officials for travelling in the National Park. On a vehicle do not go above the 45 miles per hour speed limit.
- Do not feed your biscuits to any animal as it is illegal and unsafe for them. Enjoy and share your snacks with humans only.
- The weather is unpredictable in Yellowstone so carry all necessary clothing like rain coats and 2-3 pairs of casual clothing,
- Your four-legged friends will only be allowed on roads and in campgrounds. Do not bring your pets to the wild.
- If you find some nice rocks or flowers on the way keep them right where you picked or plucked them up.
Beautiful Places To Explore In Yellowstone National Park
This park is abundantly spread with amazing spots that will definitely fill up your gallery. Without wasting any further time let’s show you the amazingly wonderful places to explore.
Grand Prismatic Spring
This is the most visited spot in this park and the largest hot spring in the US. Grand Prismatic Spring is as wide as 300 metres wide which is also filled with bacterial life. One of the most unique features of this spring is its rainbow colour. This attracts almost more than half of the visitors to witness the beautiful view. The Grand Prismatic Spring will provide you with the best view for which you have to take a 1,2 miles of round hike. The boardwalk near the Midway Geyser Basin may serve as the second-best view for the spring,In the summer this spring looks absolutely stunning as the brightness of the colours is at its peak.
Grand Canyon Of The Yellowstone
It is one of the biggest attractions in the Yellowstone National Park because of its wonderful natural formation and the waterfall cutting through it. The Grand Canyon is spread over 20 miles long and has a 1000 foot deep gorge. This gorge makes the way for the water from the Yellowstone River to flow down towards the lake. It has not one but two waterfalls: Lower Fall (308 foot) and Upper Fall (109 foot). Two rims near the Canyon provide the best view of the site. The Artist Point or the South Rim and the Lookout Point or the North Rim are the two places from where people get to witness the marvellous formation.
Lamar Valley
Often referred to as ‘America’s Serengeti’, Lamar Valley is one of the best areas where you can see some of the best wildlife of the park. The most notable animals that you will meet here are the wolfpacks and the grizzly bears. Bisons and bald eagles are also some of the more commonly found species in Lamar. The reason behind so many wild animals being habituated in this valley is the Lamar Lake. You can set your camps in this valley at two spots: Pebble Creek and Slough Creek. There are many lookout points in the valley and hiking the nearby Mary Mountain Trail gives a wonderful view of the wilderness.
Yellowstone Lake
Those who visit the National Park have to visit this lake because it is the highest-elevation freshwater lake in North America. This lake originated or formed after a collapse in the volcanic caldera. It spans almost 20 miles and allows visitors to do some interesting activities here. People can do boating, fishing, and also use shuttle services to reach the spots where it is best recommended to set up camps. For capturing the best views take a 40-passenger cruise which takes you on a one-hour ride along the beautiful lake. Besides boating one can also do kayaking here making the experience even better.
Best Tips For A Perfect Yellowstone Gateway Journey
This will be a recap of what we have learned but these tips are some of the best ways in which the Billings to Yellowstone Gateway journey can be covered. Pointing out the things to remember from the guide helps you before starting your road trip.
- Take Route 212 from Billings and drive until you reach Red Lodge.
- Stay at the lodge for a few hours and take enough rest before moving to Yellowstone.
- Drive through the Beartooth Highway calmly and enjoy the scenery.
- At Cooke City enter the Northeastern gate of the National Park.
- If you plan to stay for 3-4 days book your lodges in advance.
- You will experience some issues in networking because cell service will not be available or will be very poor.
- So download your offline maps beforehand rather than depending on GPS.
Conclusion
In the end, it will not be wrong to say that now you have a full map to have one of the most beautiful Yellowstone Gateway journeys. The amount of scenery you are going to witness from the Rimrocks in Billings to Huge Spring in Yellowstone are just astounding. But such a beautiful trip also carries the risk of life as the wilderness of the park may pose a threat to your lives. Follow some of the rules and instructions and you are destined to the best times of your life in the Yellowstone National Park.