Salt Lake City to Yellowstone National Park Road Trip

Salt Lake wonders

You can rent a car at Salt Lake City International Airport. The airport is just an eight minutes’ drive from Downtown Salt Lake City. There are several important attractions to see before you leave the city. Chief amongst these are Temple Square, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, the FamilySearch Discovery Center, the Tabernacle, the Natural History Museum of Utah and Red Butte Garden. There is also the great Salt Lake itself. It is the largest salt lake in the Western hemisphere. It is a feast of colour with white sandy beaches where you can swim or sunbathe, turquoise waters and stunning sunsets.

A road filled with things to see

When you have finished sightseeing, take Interstate 5 and head north towards Idaho Falls. It is about a three hours’ drive. There is plenty to see and do at Idaho Falls. You might want to stay there for a day and enjoy hiking beside the lovely Snake River, admiring the waterfalls, visiting the museum, eating out. One of the fun things to see is the Giant Eagle Waterfall Nest, a sculpture and water feature in the middle of a traffic circle. Snake River also has a Japanese Pavilion with little wooden bridges. Hell’s Half Acre, about 25 miles west of Idaho Falls is well worth the detour. It is an area with stunning photo opportunities with strange rock forms in a field of basaltic lava. There are trails leading from parking lots so you can sample the strange landscape. It is only open in the summer.

Yellowstone and what we recommend to see

From Idaho Falls you take US-20 East for two hours to the Idaho side of Yellowstone National Park. The park is spread across three different states, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. You will need to get a day pass and there are also maps at the Visitor Center. The Park is huge, 3,500 square miles. The Park also includes mountains, forests and lakes. Make sure you visit the most popular attraction, Old Faithful, and smell the sulphur. Visitors can watch it erupting from a seated area which also has parking. Check the NPS website to find when it is going to erupt. You won’t have to wait long! That is why it is called Old Faithful.

Enjoy seeing the hot springs, geysers and mud pots. If you plan to stay the night, book ahead as camping space can go fast! With a little extra time, you can enjoy watching the wildlife which includes bison, grizzlies, bighorn sheep, mountain goats and grey wolves as well as a host of bird life.

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