WYOMING& MONTANA
Every summer, people fly in from all over the world for one stretch of country. This is the valley where the Teton range lifts straight off the plain with no foothills to soften it, where the first national park on Earth still steams and erupts, and where the Snake River drifts quietly past moose, elk and bald eagles. It is some of the most photographed land on the planet, and once you see it in person you understand the fuss.
We pointed the whole trip at the very best of it, then took the effort out. Jackson Hole to land and ease in. The Tetons for the peaks. Yellowstone for the geysers and the wildlife. Montana's open range to send you home. Four stops, one clean line north, and nothing about it rushed.
“ The road from the Tetons up through Yellowstone is regularly named one of the great drives in America. It links two parks the world counts among its most beautiful, and travel writers have filled whole guidebooks with this stretch alone. Do it once and you will spend the rest of your life telling people about it. Why we built the trip around the drive
Effortless by design
Two nights to land and rest, short scenic drives, long unhurried dinners. The trip does the work so you don't have to.
Light on the feet
Nearly everything here is seen from the car, a flat boardwalk, or a cushioned raft. Enormous views, very little walking.
History you can stay in
Yellowstone was the world's first national park, founded in 1872. You sleep inside it, in grand log lodges over a century old.
Wildlife and wild scenery
Bison, elk, moose and bears, watched from your seat as the valley wakes. Waterfalls, canyons and peaks between every stop.
The Grand Loop
One clean line north. You fly into Jackson Hole, drift up through the Tetons and Yellowstone with short, scenic drives between each stop, and fly home out of Bozeman. No backtracking, no long days behind the wheel, and something beautiful out every window.
Your first day is mostly travel, and that's fine. You fly out of Orange County (SNA), likely connecting through Salt Lake City or Denver, and land right inside the valley. The airport sits within Grand Teton National Park, so even the ride to the hotel is a preview. Keep tonight simple: a good dinner, an early night, and let the altitude settle.
Arrive & settle
An easy transfer to town. Unpack once, breathe the mountain air, no agenda.
A quiet first evening
Dinner in town and an early rest. Jackson sits above 6,000 ft, so a gentle start helps.
- See the National Museum of Wildlife Art on the hill overlooking the Elk Refuge.
- Have a drink at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, saddle bar-stools and live country music on the Square.
- Catch the Jackson Hole Rodeo at the in-town fairgrounds on a summer evening.
- Gallery-hop around Town Square, Jackson has a serious Western art scene.
- Walk out under the antler arches on the Square at golden hour.
- Soak at rustic Granite Hot Springs, about forty-five minutes south of town.
- Roadhouse Pub & EateryGood value
New-American plates and local beer right on Town Square.
- Hand Fire PizzaGood value
Wood-fired pizzas in a fun converted old cinema.
- The Bistro at The CloudveilHigher-end
Relaxed French-American bistro on the square, a nice first night out.
A buffer day so nothing feels rushed and you are fully adjusted before any real driving. The centerpiece is a calm float on the Snake River: flat water, no rapids, cushioned high-back seats, and a guide who does all the work while you watch for moose and eagles. The afternoon is yours, all of it low and easy.
Snake River scenic float
Class I water, cushioned seats, wildlife along the banks. Book a private raft and the whole boat is yours.
Jackson town square
The famous antler arches, easy strolling, and good lunch spots.
Museum of Wildlife Art
Quiet galleries with valley views, seen mostly without much walking.
Ride the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram, “Big Red,” up Rendezvous Mountain for a huge view, waffles at Corbet's Cabin up top.- Take a guided wildlife safari in a comfortable vehicle, moose, elk, bison, sometimes bears and wolves.
- Ride the Bridger Gondola up for happy hour and sunset at The Deck.
- Drive the National Elk Refuge road for open-valley wildlife right outside town.
- Do a chuckwagon cookout and Western show for a fun evening out.
- Unwind with a soak at Astoria Hot Springs on the Snake River.
- Snake River BrewingGood value
Burgers and award-winning beer, easy and local.
- LocalHigher-end
Wyoming steakhouse on the square for a relaxed splurge-lite dinner.
- Bin22Higher-end
Wine bar and small plates, a low-key evening of good bottles and bites.
A short, gentle travel day into the most photogenic stretch of the whole trip. After a relaxed breakfast you drive under an hour up into the heart of Grand Teton, with the Tetons rising right outside. The afternoon is scenic drives, and the evening is a long, multi-course dinner with the peaks glowing outside.
Signal Mountain Road
A sweeping valley-and-peaks panorama straight from the car, almost no walking.
Jenny Lake overlooks
Mirror-still reflections of the range, with pullouts at every bend.
A candlelit dinner
A long, multi-course dinner with the peaks outside. Dress up a little; it's that kind of evening.
- Stop at Oxbow Bend and Schwabacher Landing for classic Teton reflections, moose often near the water.
- See the historic Mormon Row barns and the tiny Chapel of the Transfiguration.
- Take a scenic sunset cruise on Jackson Lake from Colter Bay.
- Drive Signal Mountain Summit Road for a sweeping valley view straight from the car.
- Take the Jenny Lake boat shuttle across to Hidden Falls, a short optional stroll on the far side.
- Pull off at the Snake River Overlook, the view Ansel Adams made famous.
- Pioneer Grill, Jackson Lake LodgeGood value
Fun 1950s diner counter and famous huckleberry milkshakes.
- Leek's Pizzeria, Signal MountainGood value
Lakeside pizza and salads with Teton views.
- The Mural Room, Jackson Lake LodgeHigher-end
Rocky Mountain cuisine with one of the finest views in any park.
Today the road is the attraction. It's your longest leg, but it's entirely inside the parks, so it's less a drive and more a rolling tour of geyser basins, steam vents and roadside wildlife. Stop as often as something is beautiful, which will be often. You reach Old Faithful in time to watch the world's most famous geyser do its thing.
Stop-and-go sightseeing
Pullouts, overlooks and photo stops the whole way. Take your time.
Old Faithful erupts
Roughly every 90 minutes, right by the inn. Grab a bench and wait for the show.
Upper Geyser Basin
Flat boardwalks past hot springs and smaller geysers, at whatever pace suits him.
- Walk the boardwalk to Grand Prismatic Spring, then the Fairy Falls trail for the overlook above it.
- Loop the Upper Geyser Basin to catch other geysers between Old Faithful eruptions.
- Stop at West Thumb Geyser Basin on the shore of Yellowstone Lake.
- Add Black Sand and Biscuit Basins nearby, quieter and just as colorful.
- Drive the one-way Firehole Lake Drive past more springs and geysers.
- Take the free ranger tour of the Old Faithful Inn, the architecture is worth it.
- Geyser Grill or Bear Paw DeliGood value
Quick, casual burgers and sandwiches right by the Inn.
- Obsidian Dining Room, Snow LodgeHigher-end
Bison and wild-game plates in a quieter room.
- Old Faithful Inn Dining RoomHigher-end
Dinner under the soaring log beams, the classic Yellowstone splurge.
Today you see the best of Yellowstone at an unhurried pace, and nearly all of it is viewable from near the car: waterfalls, a technicolor canyon, and the finest wildlife valley in the park. Then you head north to spend the night up by the park's north gate, near Gardiner and the Mammoth terraces, so tomorrow's drive to the airport is short and easy.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Thundering falls from short, paved overlooks. The colors in the rock are unreal.
Hayden Valley wildlife
The park's best stretch for bison herds and often bears, all from your seat.
Overnight near the north gate
End the day up by the terraces, so the airport is barely ninety minutes away in the morning.
- Walk the travertine boardwalks at the Mammoth Hot Springs terraces, elk often on the lawns.
- Wander old Fort Yellowstone's historic buildings at Mammoth.
- If you have the morning, drive out to Lamar Valley, the “Serengeti of North America,” for wolves and bison.
- See the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone from Artist Point and the Lower Falls overlooks, short and paved.
- Slow through Hayden Valley at dawn or dusk for bison and the occasional bear.
- Photograph the Roosevelt Arch at the Gardiner north gate.
- Yellowstone Grill or Wonderland Cafe (Gardiner)Good value
Solid, friendly, casual spots in the gateway town.
- Terrace Grill, MammothGood value
Fast counter service, elk often grazing right outside.
- Mammoth Hotel Dining RoomHigher-end
Elk burgers, bison chili and a nicer dinner near the north gate.
From the north gate it is an easy drive of about an hour and a half to Bozeman, out through Paradise Valley along the Yellowstone River and into big Montana ranch country, wide and golden and unlike anything else on the trip. Catch a midday or afternoon flight from Bozeman (BZN) and fly home to Orange County with a phone full of photos.
Down Paradise Valley
Out the north gate along the Yellowstone River with mountains on both sides. A fitting last chapter.
One more pullout
The drive is short, so there is time for a final stop or two.
Fly home from Bozeman
A midday or afternoon departure is easy now that the airport is only about ninety minutes away.
- Explore Livingston's old-west downtown, art galleries, fly shops and the historic Murray Bar.
- See the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, one of the best T. rex collections anywhere.
- Soak at Chico Hot Springs in Paradise Valley, a turn-of-the-century resort with a great restaurant.
- Meet rescued grizzlies at the Montana Grizzly Encounter sanctuary on Bozeman Pass.
- Stop at the Yellowstone Gateway Museum in Livingston for frontier history.
- Wander downtown Bozeman's shops and breweries before your flight.
- Gil's Goods or Mark's In & Out (Livingston)Good value
Easy, tasty lunch stops on the way north.
- Backcountry Burger Bar (Bozeman)Good value
Montana-raised beef and bison burgers, a great quick bite.
- Montana Ale Works (Bozeman)Higher-end
A lively last Montana dinner in a converted rail depot.
A Few Gentle Notes
Small things that make an easy trip even easier.
Ease into the altitude
Jackson sits above 6,000 ft. That first rest day isn't wasted time, it's what lets everything after it feel easy.
Book your hotels soon
Rooms near the parks fill up months ahead, so lock in your lodging as soon as your dates are set.
Fly home late
An afternoon or evening flight out of Bozeman means the last morning is coffee and a view, not a scramble.
Best wildlife hours
Dawn and dusk are when the valleys come alive. Keep binoculars in the car and pull over often.
Wyoming · Montana · The Drive of a Lifetime