Best Route Badlands to Colter Bay (Grand Teton)

[bpsakowicz]

Never been to Grand Teton National Park and will be traveling in from the Badlands National forest area. Whats the best route to take? I have like 3 nights in between the two parks so we be looking for a place to stay as well until we can check in at Colter Bay. Any thoughts? Trying to avoid any super crazy mountains narrow roads. Thanks in advance.

[BigSxyWhtGuy]

Do you wanna see Yellowstone at all?

[n2916s]

Badlands to Buffalo, WY to Cody, WY in to Yellowstone through the East Gate, hang a left at Fishing Bridge Junction, left again at West Thumb Junction and you will enter Grand Teton in about half an hour.

Lots of campgrounds Federal, State, private along the way.

[Silverbee]

Hi,
Here is a great analysis of the roads. Once we left the Keystone, S.D. area and Mount Rushmore we spent the night in Buffalo. We crossed the Big Horns using Hwy. 16. Pretty route and plenty of places to stop. Never scary.
http://www.rvtechmag.com/travel/4_ye...yrv.php?pg=all

A really pretty place to stay if you are close to Cody, Wy. is the Buffalo Bill State Park.
https://wyoparks.wyo.gov/index.php/a...s-buffalo-bill

If you just need a place to overnight there is the Homesteader Museum in Powell, Wy.
You can stay there for free.
https://twomeander.com/campsite-revi...owell-wyoming/

[mykytiukr]

Between the two points you specified, just about any route you choose is going to be ok. Been on all these roads with a big truck over the years. The direct GPS route many times. Unless you choose to go through Yellowstone. Any road through there will be hilly, narrow and crooked but VERY scenic!
Motor On!

[dogfordrd]

Just did this in reverse last summer. Our route had some big passes, but all with very good roads, and some of the best scenery of our whole east coast to west coast and back trip!

In reverse, we went from the badlands to Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, drove through the black hills over to Devils Tower, WY. Stayed at Devils Tower KOA: Dusk screening of Close Encounters of the Third Kind every night. Next stop was Thermopolis, WY: Small town with some nice hot springs that will put Yellowstone into scale, and a great Dinosaur museum.

Then we took the Wind River Canyon route (20/26) over to the south entrance of Yellowstone and Colter Bay. Stunning.

We did it in two nights, but three would be nicer.

[Doc Foster]

You could take a Southerly route from the Badlands and check out Scott's Bluff NM, very nice RV park very close is https://www.gering.org/robidoux-rv-park where we stayed last year, then from there head over to Fort Laramie, if you like history, we did that last year also - https://www.nps.gov/fola/index.htm is was worth the stop even with the visitor center closed. More history along that route - https://www.nps.gov/oreg/planyourvis...toric-site.htm, made a nice lunch stop for us and near there is Register Cliffs - https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/register-cliff. Guernsey State Park is also nice.
In Wyoming there is a lot of cool stuff to see around Thermopolis, Lander and Riverton, many nice campgrounds as well. Hot Springs, Wyoming Dinosaur Museum, Legend Rock, Castle Gardens Petroglyph site, Wind River casino (RV parking with electric, Sinks Canyon state park, etc.

[bpsakowicz]

Thanks everyone for the tips! Can't wait for the trip

[Piggy Bank]

Following. We usually go through the wind river range (coming from I-80), but I will check out these other places of interest.

[Bill M.]

Not the shortest or maybe the best road way but we usually go to Livingston, up Paradise Valley to Gardner, and down through Yellowstone and Grand Teton. It is a beautiful trip. It is not a bad drive through Yellowstone with a trailer if you are not in a hurry. I fish so there is a reason for a stop in Livingston.

It is all good and pretty in that area.

[kpfate]

Reservations are required in advance to all national parks in Wyoming. Make sure to get these in place before you head out!

[SYC2Vette]

Now taking summer reservations as of this morning 01/26/2021. We were able to book without much problem (you register first at recreation.gov)

[kpfate]

Originally Posted by Doc Foster

You could take a Southerly route from the Badlands and check out Scott's Bluff NM, very nice RV park very close is https://www.gering.org/robidoux-rv-park where we stayed last year, then from there head over to Fort Laramie, if you like history, we did that last year also - https://www.nps.gov/fola/index.htm is was worth the stop even with the visitor center closed. More history along that route - https://www.nps.gov/oreg/planyourvis...toric-site.htm, made a nice lunch stop for us and near there is Register Cliffs - https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/register-cliff. Guernsey State Park is also nice.
In Wyoming there is a lot of cool stuff to see around Thermopolis, Lander and Riverton, many nice campgrounds as well. Hot Springs, Wyoming Dinosaur Museum, Legend Rock, Castle Gardens Petroglyph site, Wind River casino (RV parking with electric, Sinks Canyon state park, etc.

Doc, you covered our state like a pro! Love that you included Fort Laramie & Guernsey - I am an Oregon Trail nut so it is my favorite place to stop when I am in town.

:0)

[drmox]

Made reservations this morning also, and found things to be a bit more hectic, but got what I wanted. June 21-28 we'll be in Gros Ventre campground.
When will you be there?

Originally Posted by SYC2Vette

Now taking summer reservations as of this morning 01/26/2021. We were able to book without much problem (you register first at recreation.gov)

[bpsakowicz]

Colter bay from July 16th through the 22nd.