# Advice needed - driving Michigan to Yellowstone Nat'l Park



## buckslayerII

I'm looking for any suggestions from Michiganders who've driven from MI out to Yellowstone Nat'l Park. We're in the northen lower, so will be going up and over through the UP. Current plan is to take 3-4 days getting out there on Hwy 90 and thinking we'll come back across on 94.

I'd appreciate any suggestions/information regarding what routes/roads to definitely drive (or avoid), places to definitely see, lodging and whatever I'm forgetting that might be important:lol:

FWIW, we'll be travelling with 4 kids (3-12 yrs old). Are hotel reservations necessary, or can we always find some place to stay?

Any suggestions about what to do/see in Yellowstone are welcomed too.

Thanks in advance!


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## Bux-n-Dux

The Badlands in SD are pretty cool imo. Also mt rushmore is probably already on your list. Devil's Tower in NE Wyoming is a must stop.
I'd do the "up and over" route...a little more scenic.

_OutdoorHub Mobile, the information engine of the outdoors_


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## Steven Arend

Like Bux-n-Dux said, Hit the Badlands and Mount Rushmore. While your in South Dakota stop off and see some prarie dog towns.

Watch going through the Northeast passage of Yellowstone on 212 going through the mountains, we hit a snow storm at the end of June and beginning of July that closed the road off.

Steve


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## POLARBEAR

buckslayerII said:


> FWIW, we'll be travelling with 4 kids (3-12 yrs old). Are hotel reservations necessary, or can we always find some place to stay?
> 
> 
> Thanks in advance!


I learned the hard way and ended up driving all night because we could not find rooms in canada on our way to Alaska. Slept in the cab of the truck. Best bet would be a good plan on your rooms. 

Sounds like a great family trip. 99 bottles of beer on the wall, etc... lol


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## STEINFISHSKI

POLARBEAR said:


> I learned the hard way and ended up driving all night because we could not find rooms in canada on our way to Alaska. Slept in the cab of the truck. Best bet would be a good plan on your rooms.


Very true, best to book at least a few places, especially near or in Yellowstone. Everything will be at peak rates nearby and booked from my experience. Even the campgrounds will be full, we tried to find a tent site for just one night and were willing to stay anywhere in the park but none were available. 

We did find a cabin outside the NW entrance here that night. 

http://www.gardinerchamber.com/


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## buckslayerII

"up and over" route? Is that Hwy 94?

As for reservations, we're all set for Yellowstone itself. I was just wondering how hard it is to find a hotel on the drive out, or is it fairly easy to find rooms available at most towns. I'd like to not "lock" myself in to predetermined sleeping points on the drive out.


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## brushbuster

I just got back from YSNP a few weeks ago here is a link to my trip
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=380573
A lot of folks had some great contributions in advice that we took on our trip out. We camped the entire way so we didnt worry about finding a place to stay.


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## buckslayerII

Brushbuster - thanks for the link to your thread. Wonder why it didn't come up when I searched "yellowstone?"

Anyways, how many days did you take to actually travel from Grayling to the YS/Tetons area? There just seems to be so many neat things that we're trying to narrow down what we see/do on the drive out. 

Thanks


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## cjric

My family of 5 did it two years ago. We took 3 days to get there, 3 to get back. Didnt have any reservations along the way except for our destinations (Black Hills and Cody, WY). Just used the GPS to find a campground near the highway when we were ready to stop for the night. We were always able to find a place to stay.

We took highway 16 over the Big Horn mtns on our way west and highway 14 on our way back. the pass on 16 is higher elevation, but slower ascent/descent and much easier to drive. The northern pass (highway 14) is MUCH prettier, but VERY curvy and steep. It has some 14% grades.

We had a snowball fight at the southern pass on July 5. :lol:


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## buckslayerII

cjric said:


> My family of 5 did it two years ago. We took 3 days to get there, 3 to get back. Didnt have any reservations along the way except for our destinations (Black Hills and Cody, WY). Just used the GPS to find a campground near the highway when we were ready to stop for the night. We were always able to find a place to stay.
> 
> We took highway 16 over the Big Horn mtns on our way west and highway 14 on our way back. the pass on 16 is higher elevation, but slower ascent/descent and much easier to drive. The northern pass (highway 14) is MUCH prettier, but VERY curvy and steep. It has some 14% grades.
> 
> We had a snowball fight at the southern pass on July 5. :lol:


So, did you enter and exit the park from the East entrance? It was suggested to us to enter at the NE entrance through Red Lodge because the East entrance is anti-climatic based on your expectations of arriving at Yellowstone for your first time. Anyone agree/disagree? We're debating whether or not the extra driving/time would be worth the effort.

As far as places to stay/sleep on the way out, we will be using motels. Has anyone had experience going this route? Easy enough to get a play to stay?


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## cjric

The drive along the Shoshone river on the way to he east entrance is anything but anticlimac. Once you get in, you are greeted w/ Deep dark pine forests, but those give way to Yellowstone Lake.

There is nothing anticlimactic about Yellowstone.


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## brushbuster

buckslayerII said:


> Brushbuster - thanks for the link to your thread. Wonder why it didn't come up when I searched "yellowstone?"
> 
> Anyways, how many days did you take to actually travel from Grayling to the YS/Tetons area? There just seems to be so many neat things that we're trying to narrow down what we see/do on the drive out.
> 
> Thanks


 We left Grayling on a Friday after noon about 100 pm and got to the tetons monday afternoon about 230. We wernt in any hurry. We stopped off at the badlands and rushmore and we just mozied once we hit wyoming. We did rush through wis. and Minn. though. I realy loved the drive through the big horns and ten sleep. On the way back we took a detour to southern utah and i dont regret that one bit. We also took the scenic way through Col. We enjoyed the state highways much more than the interstates. Its too bad North dakota is flooded out i would say take hwy 2 across the states and then drop down into the north entrance of the park instead of 90 or 94.
I took hwy 2 home from Alaska back in the late 80s and it was a fantastic trip through northern min and wisonsin and north dakota. 
Your gonna love this trip have fun.


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## hitechman

My wife and I made that trip last August (but went all the way to the west coast).

Ya gotta see the Tetons (just south of Yellowstone).

If you go I-90 out, take US 212 (loop) back (or vice versa). We got great rates at motels, but we drove, and called ahead (by 2 or 3 that afternoon) when we figured out how far we'd make it that day. We'd check out motels on the internet (and armed ourselves with phone numbers) along the way during our night stays the day before. Watch North Dakota for full motels (we were very lucky to get a room, and actually got thee last room, and a guy offered us 2x what we payed if we'd give it to him)......with the new oil fields in the North-Central part of the state rooms are hard to come by. The Motor Cycle rally in Sturgis, SD fills everything up for a week in August. We also carried an AAA motel book for each state. 

Must Sees: Badlands (SD), Mt. Rushmore/Black Hills (SD), Devils Tower - 90 minute drive from Sturgis, SD (WY), and if you can catch US-212 you can visit Little Big Horn (Custer's Last Stand) (MT). If you have a few spare days head for the NW corner of Montana and drive the "Road to the Sun" through Glacier National Park.......absolutely breathtaking!

Roosevelt NP in ND is a pretty neat place as well. We also visited the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD.

You can buy books that list neat places to see in the states you will be traveling through. We always asked the local motel clerks if there were any places to visit locally........neat places that were not normally visited by tourists.

Go prepared!

Steve


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