Sheridan, Wyoming to Yellowstone
The Drive That Changes Everything

Shell Canyon. Chief Joseph Highway. Lamar Valley wolves. And Sheridan is where you sleep before all of it.
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The Sheridan to Yellowstone Drive — Two Routes, Both Spectacular

There is no bad way to drive from Sheridan to Yellowstone. Both routes climb the Bighorn Mountains, cross the high basin, pass through Cody, and join the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway to the northeast entrance of the park. The difference is which face of the Bighorns you descend — and both are extraordinary. Plan a full day. This is not a drive to rush. The road itself is the destination.

Start in Sheridan, Wyoming

Most people driving to Yellowstone from the east start in Cody — and Cody is fine. But Cody is a gateway town, built around tourism infrastructure, priced accordingly. Sheridan is not a gateway town. Sheridan is a real Western city with a working Main Street, independent restaurants, world-class fly fishing, and the kind of character that takes 150 years to build. And Sheridan is only 200 miles from Yellowstone's northeast entrance — the least crowded, most wildlife-rich entrance to the park.

The drive from Sheridan to Yellowstone crosses the Bighorn Mountains — which alone would be reason enough to go. Shell Canyon, the Bighorn Scenic Byway, the Chief Joseph Highway — you're not killing time getting to the park. You're driving through three of the most beautiful landscapes in the American West before you even arrive.

Stay two nights in Sheridan. Spend a day exploring downtown — King's Saddlery, the Mint Bar, Black Tooth Brewing, dinner at Frackelton's. Leave early the next morning for Yellowstone. Come back to Sheridan for your last night. This is the pattern our guests follow. It works.

Wyo Stays manages 65+ vacation rentals across Sheridan County — from $125/night, book direct at wyostays.com with no Airbnb service fees. Licensed Wyoming brokerage. Local team. We keep a printed version of this drive guide in every property. This is the version we'd hand a friend.

Highway 14 West — The Bighorn Climb

From Sheridan, take Highway 14 west through Dayton — a tiny community at the foot of the Bighorns that has been there since ranchers first ran cattle in the valley. The road begins climbing immediately after Dayton, and the landscape changes fast. Within 20 minutes you've left the high plains and entered Bighorn National Forest — lodgepole pine, spruce, and the occasional moose standing in a clearing like it owns the place. Because it does.

The switchbacks are dramatic but well-maintained. Black Mountain Fire Lookout is visible on your left as you climb — pull off for the view back east across the Powder River Basin. On a clear morning, the visibility extends over 100 miles. The high meadows near Burgess Junction bloom with wildflowers in July. Watch for elk in the timber edges at dawn and dusk. This is not the drive to Yellowstone you expected. This is already the trip.

At Burgess Junction (elevation 8,025 feet), you make your choice: Route A continues on Highway 14 west through Shell Canyon. Route B takes Highway 14A south toward Lovell. Both lead to Cody. Neither is wrong. We'll cover both.

Tip: If you're driving in September or early October, the aspens along this stretch go gold in a way that stops you in the road. Budget an extra hour just for the color.

Shell Canyon — Red Walls, Dinosaur Tracks, Wild Horses

Shell Canyon is the western descent of Highway 14 — and it is staggeringly beautiful. The road drops through a narrow canyon with steep red and grey walls rising hundreds of feet on either side. The rock layers here span 2.9 billion years of geological history, compressed into a single 15-mile corridor. You can see Precambrian granite alongside Paleozoic limestone alongside Mesozoic red beds, all exposed in a living cross-section of deep time.

Stop at Shell Falls — a 120-foot waterfall visible from a short, accessible walkway with interpretive panels. The visitor center is well done and genuinely informative. The mist from the falls on a summer afternoon is welcome relief from the canyon heat.

Below Shell Canyon, take the short detour to the Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite — one of only two confirmed Middle Jurassic dinosaur tracksites in the United States. The tracks are 167 million years old, preserved in exposed red sandstone, and open to the public with no admission fee. Walk on the same ground theropod dinosaurs walked. It is as surreal as it sounds.

As you descend into the Bighorn Basin toward Greybull and Shell, watch the hillsides for wild horses — the McCullough Peaks herd and other BLM herds roam these ranges. They are not always visible, but when you see them, you'll remember it. Continue south from Greybull on Highway 16/20 to Cody — approximately 60 miles through open basin rangeland with the Absaroka Range visible to the west.

Highway 14A Alternative — Paradise Falls, Moose, and the Medicine Wheel

The 14A route from Burgess Junction takes you south along the spine of the Bighorns before descending through a series of dramatic switchbacks toward Lovell. This is the moose route — the timber edges along 14A hold more moose per mile than almost anywhere in Wyoming. Drive slowly. Watch the willows.

The 14A descent includes views that border on disorienting — you can see the entire Bighorn Basin stretching west to the Absaroka Range, with Yellowstone somewhere behind those peaks. The switchbacks are steep and numerous. RVs and trailers should use Route A instead.

Near the summit, a short spur road leads to the Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark — a 75-foot prehistoric stone circle at 9,642 feet elevation, used ceremonially by Indigenous peoples for over 10,000 years. The 1.5-mile walk to the Wheel is simple but the elevation makes you work for it. Respect the prayer offerings tied to the fence. This is a living sacred site, not a museum exhibit.

From Lovell, drive south to Cody on Highway 37/120 through the Pryor Mountains — where wild horses roam the high ridges — and past the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. This route is longer than Shell Canyon by approximately 30 miles but rewards you with more wildlife, more solitude, and one of the great sacred sites of the American West.

Cody, Wyoming — Give It More Time Than You Think

Most people treat Cody as a gas stop on the way to Yellowstone. That's a mistake. Cody has one of the great museums in the American West — the Buffalo Bill Center of the West — and it deserves 3–4 hours at minimum. Five separate museums under one roof: the Whitney Western Art Museum, the Plains Indian Museum, the Draper Natural History Museum, the Cody Firearms Museum, and the Buffalo Bill Museum. If you're interested in the American West at all, this is essential.

The Irma Hotel was built by Buffalo Bill Cody in 1902. The cherrywood back bar was a gift from Queen Victoria. Have a drink there. It's not the best bar in Wyoming — that's the Mint Bar in Sheridan — but it's worth the stop for the history alone.

The Cody Nite Rodeo runs nightly June through August at 8pm — an accessible, genuinely entertaining small-town rodeo that's worth seeing if your timing works. And if you're arriving in Cody from Shell Canyon, you've been driving through some of the most beautiful landscape on the continent. Sit down. Eat something real. The park isn't going anywhere.

Book museum tickets in advance during peak season (June–August). The Center of the West can get crowded by midday. Morning visits are best. Allow more time than you think — most people underestimate this museum by at least two hours.

Chief Joseph Scenic Highway — The Most Dramatic Road in Wyoming

North of Cody, Highway 296 — the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway — climbs through open sagebrush valleys into the Absaroka Range toward Dead Indian Pass at 8,071 feet. This road follows the approximate route of the Nez Perce during their 1877 retreat from the U.S. Army — one of the most extraordinary military retreats in American history. Chief Joseph led 750 Nez Perce men, women, and children across 1,170 miles of brutal terrain, outmaneuvering the Army at nearly every turn. This road honors that passage.

At Dead Indian Pass, the panorama opens in every direction — the Absaroka Range, the Clark's Fork Valley, and on a clear day, the Beartooth Plateau to the north. This is grizzly country. Active grizzly management areas line both sides of the highway. If you see a bear, stay in your vehicle. This is not negotiable.

Sunlight Gorge Bridge crosses the Sunlight Creek gorge at approximately 300 feet above the creek bed — the highest bridge in Wyoming. The gorge is narrow and deep and the drop is vertigo-inducing from the roadside pulloff. There is no guardrail at the viewpoint. Watch children and stay back from the edge.

The highway descends from Dead Indian Pass through increasingly dramatic canyon terrain before joining Highway 212 near Cooke City — the northeast gateway to Yellowstone. From Cody to the park entrance via Chief Joseph is approximately 80 miles and takes 1.5–2 hours. Do not rush this road. Every mile has something worth seeing.

Beartooth Pass — The Most Beautiful Drive in America

Charles Kuralt called it "the most beautiful drive in America," and he was right. Beartooth Pass on Highway 212 climbs to 10,947 feet between Red Lodge, Montana and Cooke City — a series of switchbacks through alpine tundra above the treeline where snow patches persist into August and the views extend to the horizon in every direction.

The road itself is an engineering achievement — carved into the side of the Beartooth Plateau in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. At the summit, you're standing on the roof of the northern Rockies. Mountain goats graze beside the road. Alpine wildflowers bloom in impossibly short growing seasons. The air is thin and cold even in July.

If your schedule allows, drive the Beartooth from Red Lodge to Cooke City as a standalone trip — it deserves its own day. But if you're connecting from Chief Joseph to Yellowstone, you'll join Highway 212 near Cooke City and can drive the upper portion of Beartooth toward the summit before turning back. The road closes for winter — typically mid-October through late May — so confirm conditions before planning.

Lamar Valley — The Serengeti of North America

The northeast entrance to Yellowstone at Cooke City drops you directly into Lamar Valley — and Lamar is why you drove all this way. This is the most wildlife-dense corridor in Yellowstone, and arguably the best wolf watching location in the world. Bison herds numbering in the hundreds. Grizzlies digging for ground squirrels on hillsides visible from the road. Pronghorn. Coyotes. Osprey. And wolves.

The Junction Butte Pack uses the Slough Creek drainage and surrounding ridgelines as their primary territory. Pull over at the Slough Creek area — you'll see scopes and tripods lined up along the pullouts. Wolf watchers are generous with their equipment and their knowledge. Ask. Everyone here is watching the same thing and nobody minds sharing.

Dawn and dusk are the essential hours. If you arrive in the afternoon, drive to Slough Creek and stay until dark. The wolves are most active at the edges of the day. Bring binoculars at minimum — a spotting scope if you have one. If you don't own a scope, rent one from Optics Yellowstone in Gardiner before entering the park. Melba, the owner, visits the park daily and can tell you exactly where the packs were last seen. She is the single most useful person you'll meet on this trip.

Winter is the best wolf watching season — smaller crowds, wolves more visible against snow, and the park takes on a stark, almost arctic beauty that summer visitors never see. If wolf watching is your primary reason for coming, plan a January or February trip and stay in Sheridan for the best winter rates.

Gardiner, Montana + Paradise Valley — The Perfect Exit

If you drive through Yellowstone from the northeast entrance to the north entrance, you'll exit through the Roosevelt Arch in Gardiner — the original entrance to the park, dedicated by Theodore Roosevelt in 1903. The arch reads "For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People." Stand under it. Read it. Mean it. This is why public lands exist.

North of Gardiner, Highway 89 follows the Yellowstone River through Paradise Valley — one of the most beautiful valleys in Montana. The Absaroka Range rises to the east. The Gallatin Range to the west. The river running through the middle. Tom Berenger country. Robert Redford country. Except the real thing is better than any movie.

Chico Hot Springs in Pray, Montana — 30 miles north of Gardiner — is the essential stop. Two natural hot spring pools (one hot, one warm), a saloon with live music, and a dining room that would hold its own in any city. Make a dinner reservation before you leave Sheridan. The hot pools are open to day visitors. Soak after a full day in the park. You've earned it.

Tom Miner Basin — a gravel road west off Highway 89 between Gardiner and Pray — is one of the best grizzly viewing locations outside the park. Fall is prime season. The basin is surrounded by high peaks and the bears are active on the hillsides preparing for denning. This is not a guided experience. Drive slowly, stay in your vehicle, and bring binoculars. Follow Yer' Nose BBQ operates a food truck near the basin entrance some weekends — brisket that justifies the entire detour.

Where to Stay Before the Drive

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Book direct and save 14–16% versus Airbnb or VRBO. Call (307) 312-9656.

Frequently Asked Questions — Sheridan Wyoming to Yellowstone

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Your Yellowstone Trip Starts in Sheridan

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