On their way to Yellowstone, people traveling into Bozeman, Montana, often stay there for the first few days of their trip. Bozeman is NOT a convenient location from which to explore Yellowstone National Park. Remember that most of your travel during a Yellowstone vacation will take place within the park’s boundaries, as Yellowstone National Park is enormous. Listed below are some stops we recommend en route to Yellowstone from Bozeman.
The Rocky Mountaineering Museum
The T-Rex is the main attraction at the Museum of the Rockies. Regarding dinosaur fossils, the best collection can be found at the Museum of the Rockies, the best museum in town. The university in Montana is responsible for the museum. The massive skeleton is the most well-known exhibit as numerous T. rex and Triceratops skulls. Wonderful, right here.
Many of their resources went toward a display about the local Native Americans, but it was very preachy. It resorted to a simplistic story of white oppression rather than providing historical context about who the tribes were and the interplay between tribes and Europeans (which was, at times, amicable and, at other times, violent).
There’s also a blacksmith shop and a pioneer home in the museum’s outdoor living history area. My favorite part was seeing the blacksmith produce nails for our kids at the blacksmith shop. We learned from him where the expression “dead as a doornail” started.
Amusement Park Dedicated to Sculpture
Parks may be found all across Bozeman. The path network from Main Street to the mountaintop connects all these parks. Miles of paths are spread over the city for you to use on your bike, run, or walk.
The Sculpture Park is a collection of sculptures spread out along a route.
We drove to the library and then walked to Peets Hill/Burke Park via Sculpture Park. This vantage point gave us stunning views of the city and surrounding mountains as the sun sank.
How far away is Yellowstone from Bozeman?
About an hour and a half, or 78 miles, separate Bozeman from Yellowstone’s North Entrance (125 km). The 89-mile distance from Yellowstone’s West Entrance to the park’s center takes around an hour and 45 minutes by car (143 km).
Getting to Yellowstone Via a Different Route
The journey from Bozeman to Yellowstone can be accomplished using three distinct paths. They all pass through beautiful valleys.
Highway 89 through Paradise Valley enters Yellowstone at the North Entrance, which is convenient for getting to Mammoth Hot Springs but the distance from other major attractions like Old Faithful and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
Stop By Montana Grizzly Encounter En Route.
Accessible in just 30-60 minutes from the nearby I-90, this bear park is well worth the stop. They have four grizzly bears and show them to us individually. When the bears are out in the open, they become very lively.
