--- title: "Sheridan to Yellowstone Drive: Route, Stops & Times" description: "The Sheridan to Yellowstone drive: about 200 miles via US-14 and Cody to the East Entrance. Route options, mileages, passes, and the stops worth making." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": [ "LocalBusiness", "LodgingBusiness", "RealEstateAgent" ], "@id": "https://wyostays.com/#organization", "name": "Wyo Stays", "legalName": "Wyo Stays LLC", "url": "https://wyostays.com", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://wyostays.com/#logo", "url": "https://wyostays.com/images/wyo-stays-logo.png", "caption": "Wyo Stays — Licensed Wyoming Vacation Rental Brokerage" }, "image": { "@id": "https://wyostays.com/#logo" }, "description": "Wyo Stays is a licensed Sheridan County brokerage built for vacation rentals, headquartered at 151 W Brundage St in Sheridan, Wyoming. Founded by Dalton Goodyear in 2020. 40+ vacation rental properties across Sheridan County and the Bighorn Mountains, part of 95+ total doors under a Wyoming real estate brokerage license. 4,210+ verified guest reviews. Airbnb Superhost, Airbnb Guest Favourite, and VRBO Premier Partner. 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Began hosting in 2017, founded Wyo Stays in 2020.", "url": "https://wyostays.com/about", "telephone": "+1-307-312-9656", "worksFor": { "@id": "https://wyostays.com/#organization" }, "homeLocation": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Sheridan, Wyoming" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.instagram.com/wyostays" ], "hasCredential": { "@type": "EducationalOccupationalCredential", "credentialCategory": "Wyoming Real Estate Responsible Broker License", "url": "https://online.wyrec.org/#/verifylicense", "recognizedBy": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Wyoming Real Estate Commission", "url": "https://realestate.wyo.gov" } } }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://wyostays.com/#website", "name": "Wyo Stays", "url": "https://wyostays.com", "publisher": { "@id": "https://wyostays.com/#organization" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "potentialAction": { "@type": "SearchAction", "target": { "@type": "EntryPoint", "urlTemplate": "https://book.wyostays.com/wyostays/theme/wyostays?q={search_term_string}" }, "query-input": "required name=search_term_string" } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "headline": "Sheridan to Yellowstone: Driving the Bighorn Mountains Route", "description": "Two mountain ranges, one river canyon, and a rodeo town between you and the park. How to drive from Sheridan to Yellowstone's East Entrance — route choices, realistic timing, and the stops that earn their pull-outs.", "image": "https://wyostays.com/og-card.jpg", "datePublished": "2026-07-21T15:57:08.425927+00:00", "dateModified": "2026-07-21T16:03:24.644452+00:00", "author": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Wyo Stays", "@id": "https://wyostays.com/#organization" }, "publisher": { "@id": "https://wyostays.com/#organization", "@type": "Organization", "name": "Wyo Stays", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://wyostays.com/og-card.jpg" } }, "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://wyostays.com/journal/sheridan-to-yellowstone-drive" }, "articleSection": "Road Trips" }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://wyostays.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Journal", "item": "https://wyostays.com/journal" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sheridan to Yellowstone: Driving the Bighorn Mountains Route", "item": "https://wyostays.com/journal/sheridan-to-yellowstone-drive" } ] }, { "@type": "FAQPage", "@context": "https://schema.org", "mainEntity": [ { "name": "What's the best route from Sheridan to Yellowstone?", "@type": "Question", "acceptedAnswer": { "text": "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.", "@type": "Answer" } }, { "name": "How long does the drive take?", "@type": "Question", "acceptedAnswer": { "text": "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.", "@type": "Answer" } }, { "name": "Is the route open year-round?", "@type": "Question", "acceptedAnswer": { "text": "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.", "@type": "Answer" } }, { "name": "Should we stay in Sheridan before or after the drive?", "@type": "Question", "acceptedAnswer": { "text": "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.", "@type": "Answer" } } ] } ] --- [Book direct & save 16–20% — no Airbnb fees Learn more → ](/book-direct) [![Wyo Stays logo](/assets/logo-mark-i6yhcujF.png)Wyo Stays™ ](/) [Stays](/stays)[Venues](/venues) Explore [Weddings](/weddings)[Hunting](/hunting) Owners [Rentals](/rentals)[About](/about)[(307) 312-9656](tel:+13073129656)[Book Now](https://book.wyostays.com/wyostays/theme/wyostays?sid=ndg-a__hfxk762a19&num_guests=1) [Book Now](https://book.wyostays.com/wyostays/theme/wyostays?sid=ndg-a__hfxk762a19&num_guests=1) [Stays](/stays)[Venues](/venues)Explore[Weddings](/weddings)[Hunting](/hunting)Owners[Rentals](/rentals)[Partners](/partners)[About](/about)[Journal](/journal) [Tenant Portal](https://wyostays.managebuilding.com/Resident/portal/login)· [Owner Portal](/owner-portal) [(307) 312-9656](tel:+13073129656)[Book Direct — Save 16–20% →](https://book.wyostays.com/wyostays/theme/wyostays?sid=ndg-a__hfxk762a19&num_guests=1) Road Trips # Sheridan to Yellowstone: Driving the Bighorn Mountains Route Two mountain ranges, one river canyon, and a rodeo town between you and the park. How to drive from Sheridan to Yellowstone's East Entrance — route choices, realistic timing, and the stops that earn their pull-outs. 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](https://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](/journal/driving-highway-14a-wyoming), and the whole mountain circuit in the [complete Bighorn Mountains loop](/journal/bighorn-mountains-loop-drive). Coming home, many guests loop back through different country entirely — see our [Beartooth Highway guide](/journal/beartooth-highway-from-sheridan) 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](https://book.wyostays.com) — Book Direct — No Channel Fees. ### Practical Tips - Check [wyoroad.info](https://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](https://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](https://wyostays.com). [← Back to the Journal](/journal) Contents - [The Sheridan to Yellowstone Drive, Leg by Leg](#the-sheridan-to-yellowstone-drive-leg-by-leg) - [Which Stops Are Actually Worth It?](#which-stops-are-actually-worth-it) - [Timing, Seasons, and Route Alternatives](#timing-seasons-and-route-alternatives) - [Stay Nearby: A Sheridan Basecamp Before the Drive](#stay-nearby-a-sheridan-basecamp-before-the-drive) - [FAQ: Driving Sheridan to Yellowstone](#faq-driving-sheridan-to-yellowstone) Share [ Planning a trip? Browse 40+ properties across Sheridan County. 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