Sheridan to Yellowstone: Driving the Bighorn Mountains Route
July 21, 2026 · 6 min read read · Wyo Stays Journal
The best Sheridan to Yellowstone drive runs west on US-14 over the Bighorn Mountains, down Shell Canyon to Greybull, on to Cody, then up the North Fork to the park's East Entrance — roughly 200 miles and four-plus hours of driving, nearly all of it scenic. It's less a transfer than a first day of the trip.
Plenty of travelers treat Sheridan as a night's sleep on the way to the park. Locals know better: this is the prettiest approach Yellowstone has, and the town on this end is worth more than a gas stop. Base here a night or two, cross the Bighorns fresh in the morning, and you'll arrive at the East Entrance having already had a day most visitors would trade their boardwalk photos for. Wyo Stays is a licensed, insured Wyoming vacation rental brokerage at 151 W Brundage St in Sheridan, hosting guests since 2017, and this drive is the single most common itinerary question we field.
The Sheridan to Yellowstone Drive, Leg by Leg
The classic route: I-90 briefly north, then US-14 west through Ranchester and Dayton, climbing the Bighorn Scenic Byway over Granite Pass, descending Shell Canyon past Shell Falls to Greybull, crossing the Bighorn Basin to Cody, then following the North Fork of the Shoshone — the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway — 52 miles to the East Entrance. Mileages below are approximate; check wyoroad.info for live conditions before any mountain leg.
| Leg | Approx. miles | Approx. time | Don't miss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheridan → Dayton (US-14) | ~20 | 25 min | Last full-service fuel towns before the mountain; Tongue River country |
| Dayton → Shell Canyon → Greybull | ~75 | 1 hr 45 min | Fallen City rock slide, Granite Pass, Shell Falls interpretive stop |
| Greybull → Cody | ~55 | 1 hr | Bighorn Basin badlands; Cody's Buffalo Bill Center of the West |
| Cody → East Entrance (US-14/16/20) | ~52 | 1 hr+ | Buffalo Bill Dam, North Fork canyon, Shoshone National Forest |
Call it 200 miles and four to four-and-a-half hours of wheel time — a comfortable full day with stops, or a leisurely morning-to-mid-afternoon run if you launch early.
Which Stops Are Actually Worth It?
Shell Falls is the one everybody should take: a short paved interpretive walk to a waterfall pounding through pink granite, right off the highway mid-descent. Burgess Junction makes a natural leg-stretch near the top of the mountain. In Cody, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a legitimate half-day museum — brutal to skip, hard to fit; many travelers split the difference with ninety fast minutes. And the North Fork canyon west of Cody needs no stops at all: it's the rare stretch where the windshield is the attraction, which is why Theodore Roosevelt's praise of this road gets quoted in every guidebook ever printed about it.
My advice is always the same: leave Sheridan at seven, waterfall at nine, lunch in Cody, through the gate by three. You'll think the park has to top the drive. It'll try. — Dalton Goodyear, founder, Wyo Stays
Two quieter stops deserve a mention. Dayton and Ranchester, the last towns before the climb, hold the honest cafes and fuel stops that beat anything on the interstate — a proper breakfast in Dayton with the mountain filling the window is the right way to start this particular day. And on the far side, Buffalo Bill Dam just west of Cody offers a free visitor center perched over a genuinely vertiginous canyon: ten minutes, big payoff, and a natural leg-stretch before the North Fork's final hour.
Timing, Seasons, and Route Alternatives
The East Entrance is seasonal — typically open from early May into early November, with exact dates set by the Park Service each year — and US-14 over Granite Pass stays open year-round but demands winter respect. In summer, an alternative first leg swaps US-14 for US-14A, the Medicine Wheel Passage from Burgess Junction toward Lovell; it's steeper, wilder, and closed roughly December through late May. We cover that high road in our Highway 14A driving guide, and the whole mountain circuit in the complete Bighorn Mountains loop. Coming home, many guests loop back through different country entirely — see our Beartooth Highway guide for the spectacular northern return. One caution on ambition: don't plan to cross the Bighorns, tour the park, and return in a single day. The distances read as feasible on a map and are miserable in practice; the drive deserves a day, the park deserves several, and the return deserves its own scenery.
Stay Nearby: A Sheridan Basecamp Before the Drive
The drive rewards a fresh start, and that's the case for basing in Sheridan the night before: a real bed, a full kitchen for a proper breakfast and packed cooler, and off-street parking for the loaded car. Our homes across Sheridan, Dayton, and Ranchester put you minutes from the US-14 climb — some practically at the mountain's foot. Book the night-before basecamp at book.wyostays.com — Book Direct — No Channel Fees.
Practical Tips
- Check wyoroad.info and the park's current road status the morning you leave — mountain weather rewrites plans in any month.
- Fuel in Sheridan, Dayton, or Ranchester; services on the mountain itself are sparse.
- Pack layers — you'll cross elevations where a summer morning can sit near freezing.
- Yellowstone entrance requires a park pass; buy online ahead to skip the gate line.
- Turn the trip into a loop rather than an out-and-back — and book your Sheridan nights early at book.wyostays.com, since summer fills fast.
FAQ: Driving Sheridan to Yellowstone
Q: What's the best route from Sheridan to Yellowstone?
A: US-14 west over the Bighorn Mountains, down Shell Canyon to Greybull, then through Cody and up the North Fork to the East Entrance — about 200 miles. It's the most scenic practical approach to the park, crossing two mountain ranges and a river canyon, with Cody as the natural lunch-and-museum stop en route.
Q: How long does the drive take?
A: Plan four to four-and-a-half hours of driving without stops, and a full day with them. Mountain grades, summer construction, and wildlife on the road all add time, and the good pull-outs will tempt you constantly. Leaving Sheridan by early morning puts you inside the park by mid-afternoon at a humane pace.
Q: Is the route open year-round?
A: US-14 over Granite Pass is maintained year-round, though winter storms bring temporary closures — check wyoroad.info. Yellowstone's East Entrance is seasonal, typically open early May to early November. US-14A, the alternative high route, closes each winter, roughly December through late May. Winter travelers to the park generally route very differently.
Q: Should we stay in Sheridan before or after the drive?
A: Before, ideally — crossing the Bighorns fresh in the morning beats doing it tired at dusk, and Sheridan's downtown gives you a real evening beforehand. Many travelers bookend the park with nights here on both ends, turning the return leg through different scenery into its own day.
Yellowstone gets the postcards, but the road from Sheridan is the part travelers underline when they write home. Give it a whole day, start it rested, and let the Bighorns set the bar. Plan your basecamp nights and the rest of the trip at wyostays.com.