It is believed that if you can drive in India, you can drive anywhere around the World. Well it is true for many reasons- the traffic, people jay walking, variety of vehicles on the street, rough roads, everyone’s in a rush. I never really liked driving back in India, it felt like an exhausting task. It all changed for me after I moved to the States. I wasn’t really looking forward to the driving here either due to the number of rules. Being in a place like Texas, driving became mandatory and a part of my routine. It all started from here and the many road trips that I took. Driving to some really beautiful places led to some great experiences and appreciation for what nature offers which grew the penchant for exploring the hidden gems through spontaneous road trips.

Yellowstone National Park was one such incredible road trip that comprised of many spectacular drives. I decided to share some of my from the trip that includes the postcard State of Montana, panoramic landscape State of Idaho (which is super underrated) and the enchanting State of Wyoming.

1) US 89 South

We took a flight to Bozeman Yellowstone International airport from Seattle as it was cheaper than Jackson Hole Airport. While driving from the airport to our Airbnb in Emigrant we drove through US-89 which goes all the way from Belt, Montana to Madison area in Yellowstone National Park. This is one of the most scenic highway and is also named #1 Drivers’ drive. The highway runs through small towns of Emigrant, Livingston, Gardiner who are blessed with the view of the plush landscapes, mighty rivers, pastoral fields and elegant homes.

2) US 212 East

US 212 East starts from Tower Junction in the Roosevelt area inside the Yellowstone National Park. Take the Grand loop road from Mammoth hot springs and make a turn on 212 East near Tower/Roosevelt service station towards Lamar Valley that goes all the way towards North East. There are good chances of spotting black and grizzly bears here. We also saw a fox, a badger and bisons on our way.

3) The Grand Loop Road

The Grand loop road goes all the way from Mammoth hot springs area to Canyon Village and Old Faithful. It is the most popular road and has the most Geyser basins. You will also come across Floating Island Lake, Elk Creek, Petrified tree, Yellowstone River, Mt Washburn. North rim drive and South rim drive to the Canyon starts from here. Turning east from Old Faithful, the road crosses the Continental Divide through Craig pass near Isa Lake and goes down to the West Thumb Geyser near the shore of Yellowstone lake.

4) ID 32/33

One of my favorite drive in the entire trip. While driving on US-20 W from the west entrance of Yellowstone National park, make a left on E 1200 st and drive for 0.9 miles towards ID-32 Scenic drive. This drive was a realization of how underrated Idaho is in terms of natural charm. You will come across abundant lush green fields, placid landscapes, magnificent rolling plains, the Grand Tetons and an astounding sunset.

5) US 191 N/S

We were staying in Victor, Idaho for second half of our trip as we were planning on exploring Grand Teton National park. The drive from Victor to Grand Teton will take you through US-191 once you cross the Teton Pass way and enter Jackson Hole. You get an uninterrupted view of the Tetons. The Antelope Flat road on the right of the highway leads you to Moulton Barn from where you get an artistic view of the barn with the Tetons in the backdrop. US-191 goes straight towards Moran Junction entrance of the Grand Teton National Park to the North. I would suggest stopping here for the view below.

6) US 87 N from Idaho to Montana

On our last day we were driving back from Idaho to Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport to catch our flight back to Seattle. We took our favorite highway ID-33 to US 87 and US 287 after crossing Targhee National Forest. US 87 goes from Idaho to Montana and connects to US 287 after you enter Montana. This is another scenic drive through Henry’s Lake State Park and spans through idyllic houses, bucolic rolling planes and small canyons on your way.

This road trip felt like we did something without actually doing anything. Driving through these beautiful states was a surreal experience. Hope I have tempted you enough to make a road trip up here 😁 If you already have, didn’t you absolutely love it?

Pictures by:
#chavezkumar
@theinquisitiverobot