How to Get to Yellowstone National Park (2022 Update)

The first step in planning any visit to Yellowstone National Park is deciding how you are going to get there.  Very few people are lucky enough to live within a four-hour drive of Yellowstone National Park.  This makes it hard but not impossible to take a weekend trip to Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone isn’t the easiest of the National Parks to visit.  But we are going to break down all your options for how to get to Yellowstone National Park.

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you book or buy something through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you! Read the full disclosure policy here

Best way to get to Yellowstone National Park

Flying to Yellowstone National Park

Map of Yellowstone National Park Airports

Flying to Yellowstone National Park and then renting a car is the best way to visit the Yellowstone National Park.  Yellowstone’s location is a little remote but there is a range of regional airports located near the park.  All the airports have rental cars available and make access to the park easy and time-efficient.

Airports Near Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone Airport

Yellowstone Airport (WYS) is a seasonal airport one mile from downtown West Yellowstone, Montana.  The airport is open from June to September.  Delta Airlines and its partner  SkyWest Airlines operates flights from Salt Lake City.  Yellowstone Airport is the closest airport to Yellowstone National Park.

Distance from West Entrance – 3 miles

Drive time from West Entrance – 7 mins

Yellowstone Regional Airport

Yellowstone Airport (COD) is not to be confused with the Yellowstone Airport in West Yellowstone.  Yellowstone Regional Airport is located in Cody, Wyoming on the west side of the park.  The airport is the closest airport to Yellowstone that is open year-round.  That being said, the east entrances of the park are closed during winter.  So this airport only provides access to the park from late spring to mid-fall.  Delta and United offer daily flights from their regional hubs. 

Distance from East Entrance – 55 miles

Drive time from East Entrance – 1 hour

Jackson Hole Airport

Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) is located near Jackson, Wyoming.  The airport is open year-round.  The airport is serviced by Delta, American Airlines, and United.  During the summer flights arrive from all over the United States.  During the rest of the year, flights arrive from  Salt Lake City, Denver, and Dallas/Fort Worth. The Jackson Hole Airport is the only airport located in a national park.

Distance from South Entrance – 71 miles

Drive time from South Entrance – 1 hour

Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport

Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) is located near Bozeman, Montana.  The airport is open year-round and is the busiest airport in Montana.  The airport is serviced by Delta, American Airlines, United, Frontier, Allegiant, and Alaska Airlines.  JetBlue offers flights during the summer.  Direct flights are available from much of the United States all year long.

Distance from North Entrance – 91 miles

Drive time from North Entrance – 1.5 hours

Bert Mooney Airport

Bert Mooney Airport (BTM) is located in Butte, Montana. The airport is open year-round.  It is serviced by Delta via Salt Lake City.  The airport is named for Bert Mooney, the first pilot to fly mail into Yellowstone National Park.

Distance from West or North Entrance – 146 miles

Drive time from West or North Entrance – 2.5 hours

Billings Logan International Airport

Billings Logan International Airport (BIL) is located in Billings, Montana. The airport is open year-round. Billings is the second largest airport in Montana.  The airport serviced by Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Cape Air, Delta, Frontier, and United.

Distance from Northeast Entrance – 129 miles

Drive time from Northeast Entrance – 1.5 hours

Major Airports within a one day drive of Yellowstone National Park

Salt Lake City International Airport

Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) is located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The airport is open year-round and is the fourth-largest hub for Delta Airlines.  Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Frontier, JetBlue, KLM, Southwest, and United all offer flights to Salt Lake City.  The Airport

Distance from West Entrance – 323 miles

Drive time from West Entrance – 5 hours

Boise International Airport

Boise International Airport (BOI) is located in Boise Idaho.  The airport is called an international airport but there are no scheduled international flights.  Alaska Airlines, Allegiant, American Airlines, Delta, Frontier, Gem Air, Southwest, and United all operate flights out of this airport.

Distance from West Entrance – 386 miles

Drive time from West Entrance – 8 hours

Denver International Airport

Denver International Airport (DEN) is located in Denver, Colorado.  Denver is the second largest airport in the world.  The airport is a hub for Frontier and United and a main operating base for Southwest Airlines.  Alaska Airlines, Allegiant, American Airlines, Air Canada, Boutique Air, British Airways, California Pacific, Cayman Airways, Copa Airlines, Icelandair, Lufthansa, Spirit, and Delta all operate flights out of this airport.

Distance from East Entrance – 515 miles

Drive time from East Entrance – 8.5 hours

Public Transport to Yellowstone

There is no public transport to Yellowstone or around Yellowstone National Park.  This is a serious flaw in visiting the park and a contributing factor to overcrowding and traffic issues in the park.

The closest train station is in Amtrak station is Salt Lake City.  From there several companies offer 5-day tours of the park with all transportation and accommodations included.

Greyhound Bus Lines can get you to Bozeman, Montana but there is no public transport from Bozeman to the park.

During the winter, Xanterra offers shuttles from Bozeman to the Mammoth Hot Spring Hotel and Cabins.

Guided Tours of Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park Tours

• • Yellowstone National Park Tou. from Jackson
  • 2-Day Yellowstone National Park from Jackson with Upper and Lower Loop
  • Yellowstone Lower Loop Full-Day Tour
  • Yellowstone Lower Loop Guided Tour from Cody, Wyoming
  • Yellowstone Old Faithful, Waterfalls and Wildlife Day Tour

Driving to Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is kind of in a black hole of interstates.  It is located just off-center in a square between I-90, I-25, I-80, and I-15. None of the interstates are located near the boundary of the park. I-15 and I-90 come close but they are still about an hour away from any of the park entrances.

Unless you are taking a tour, it is impossible to explore Yellowstone National Park without a vehicle.  Yellowstone National Park has 5 entrances.

• North Entrance – Gardiner, Montana – U.S. 89
• Northeast Entrance – Cooke City, Montana – U.S. 212
• South Entrance – Jackson, Wyoming – U.S. 191
• East Entrance – Cody, Wyoming – U.S. 20
• West Entrance – West Yellowstone, Montana – U.S. 20 and U.S. 191

During the winter only the North entrance is open year-round.  You can drive into Mammoth Hot Springs area.  All other entrances are closed to vehicle traffic.

The West Entrance and South Entrances are closed to car traffic but is open to guided snowcoach or snowmobiles tours.  The South and East Entrances offer guided snowmobile tours.

Driving Distances to Yellowstone National Park

Frequently Asked Questions: Getting to Yellowstone

What airport is closest to Yellowstone National Park?

The closest airport to Yellowstone National Park is Yellowstone Airport (WYS). The airport is open from April to September.

The closest year-round airport to Yellowstone National Park is Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN).

What major airport is closest to Yellowstone National Park?

The closest major airport to Yellowstone National Park is Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). SLC is 5 hours from the park’s west entrance.

What is the best way to get to Yellowstone National Park?

It depends where you live, what your budget is, and how long do you have. If you live within about 12 hours of Yellowstone, I would road trip to the park. If you live outside of this radius, I would fly to one of Yellowstone’s nearby airports and rent a car. I would check car rental prices and flight prices of Yellowstone’s closest airports and pick the best flight combo and price.

What is the address to Yellowstone National Park?

There isn’t one address for Yellowstone National Park. GPS units and Google maps will often have a marker for each of the park’s five entrances. But there isn’t a physical address. If there isn’t a marker for the entrances, you will find the GPS coordinates below along with the address for Yellowstone’s Visitor Centers.

Yellowstone Address

• Albright Visitor Center – Grand Loop Road, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190

• Canyon Village Education Center – Canyon Villiage, Mammoth, WY 82190

• Fishing Bridge Visitor Center – E. Entrance Rd, Cody, WY 82414

• Grant Visitor Center – Grant Village, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190

• Madison Information Station – Ground Loop Rd, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190

• Old Faithful Visitor Education Center – View Avenue, Yellowstone National Park 82190

• West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center – 30 Yellowstone Ave, West Yellowstone, MT 59758

Yellowstone Entrance Coordinates

• Old Faithful – 44 27 37.31 (Lat) -110 49 41.59 (Long)

• Mammoth Hot Springs – 44 58 34.79 (Lat) -110 42 03.37 (Long)

• East Entrance – 44 29 18.42 (Lat) -110 00 13.80 (Long)

• North Entrance– 45 01 46.39 (Lat) -110 42 31.32 (Long)

• Northeast Entrance – 45 00 12.09 (Lat) -110 00 04.62 (Long)

• South Entrance – 44 07 56.97 (Lat) -110 39 52.83 (Long)

• West Entrance – 44 39 30.27 (Lat) -111 05 49.87 (Long)

Get help planning your trip to Yellowstone National Park

• National Parks of Wyoming
• National Parks of Montana
• National Parks of Idaho
• All About Yellowstone National Park
• How to Get to Yellowstone National Park
• 10 Things to Know Before Visiting Yellowstone National Park
• 11 Books to Read Before Visiting Yellowstone National Park
• One Day in Yellowstone National Park – Yellowstone’s Grand Loop Highlights Driving Tour
• The Ultimate Guide to Camping in Yellowstone National Park