Using Cody as a Base Camp for Your Yellowstone Vacation

What’s it like to head to Yellowstone using Cody as your base camp? In this article, learn how to organize your time to see Yellowstone and the Wild West.

Why Cody?

Cody, Wyoming, is an excellent place to launch your western vacation. The East Entrance to Yellowstone is arguably the nicest one. While you’re not right on the park’s edge, that’s a true advantage. It takes 2.5 hours to drive to Old Faithful with no stops from Cody. And from West Yellowstone, it often takes 3 hours because you are in stop-and-go traffic the whole way (with no traffic, it takes about 40 minutes). You didn’t come here to sit in traffic.

Using Cody as a base camp for your adventures, you’ll stop to watch wildlife and see amazing scenery. Because there’s so much to see along the east entrance road, stop-and-go traffic will only happen where there are wildlife jams, and even then, only for a moment until you find a place to pull off.

In addition, Cody is a full-service town without the overcrowding seen in other gateway communities. The most common comment from so many visitors here in Cody is, “We had no idea how much was here! We could easily spend another week just in Cody!” And, yes, that’s a good idea!

Check the Calendar

Cody Journal’s Community Calendar is a resource you need to check when planning your Yellowstone vacation. Cody is a town that loves to gather and have fun! The local community calendar is packed with lots of small-town goodness you can join in on. There’s so much to do that you’ll want to check to see how many days you want to spend just in Cody! From summer concerts in the park to larger events that happen nearly every weekend in the summer, checking the community calendar first will make sure you don’t miss out!

Flying to Cody

While most people drive here, Cody does have Yellowstone Regional Airport. United Airlines flies three to four flights in and out of Cody in the summer. However, you might not see those flights until the airline drops them around March. Know that our flights usually fill, so keep an eye out for them and book as soon as you can. Most hotels have a shuttle service, but there are a couple of taxi/Uber/Lyft services in the town.

Cody also has a fantastic FBO for private airplanes. Many have found it to be one of the nicest in the country they’ve used. It resides in the old airport building.

If you choose to fly into Cody, Billings, or Bozeman, know that we have Cody Shuttle to help you get settled in Cody, and they can even plan out your itinerary with their concierge service. They can meet you and drive you to Cody or have them plan your entire Yellowstone vacation, where all you need to do is show up.

Getting settled in Cody

Once you’ve decided on Cody for your base camp, you’ll want to spend at least one day
just exploring Cody. The main attractions are:

• The Buffalo Bill Center of the West – Here you get five museums in one: the Draper Natural History Museum, Plains Indian Museum, Whitney Gallery, Firearms Museum, and, of course, the Buffalo Bill Museum. People don’t expect a world-class museum in a gateway community to Yellowstone. It’s often unofficially referred to as the Smithsonian of the West. Your entrance fee covers two days because there’s that much to see.
• Cody Nite Rodeo – We have a rodeo every night from June through August (except the days of the Cody Stampede Rodeo the first four days in July). This nightly show allows competitors to practice every night, gaining tremendous experience. The announcers do a great job helping those unfamiliar with rodeos understand what they’re watching. It’s an exciting way to finish out a day. It starts at 8 PM each night, and buses stop at various places in town to pick you up and drop you off when it’s over. Or you can take your own car out to the rodeo grounds.
• The Irma Hotel – This building is in the heart of downtown Cody and has been a gathering place since it was built. Inside is the famous rosewood bar given to Buffalo Bill by Queen Victoria. There’s live entertainment on the weekends in the Silver Dollar Saloon or on the porch, where you can enjoy Cody’s friendly small-town atmosphere. And every night during the summer, a western gunfight is staged for your entertainment. Being the hub of many activities, consider heading there to catch the Trolley Tour to get a good overview of the town.
• More Adventures in Cody – Check out our article with even more things to do in Cody, Wyoming.

How to best spend your time in Yellowstone

Give yourself two days to head into Yellowstone and another if you want a day to head over the Beartooth Highway. If you only have one day, you’ll likely need to pick one and come back again to cover more.

Day One: The Lower Loop

If you only have one day for Yellowstone, drive the lower loop and give yourself 10-12 hours for this trip. This trip has the highest number of stops and amount of walking. Drive in through the East Entrance. On the way in, you’ll pass Sylvan Lake and keep your eyes open for bears all the way to Yellowstone Lake. You can go around the lower loop either way at Fishing Bridge. Possible stops along the road would be:

• Lake Village to see Lake Hotel
• West Thumb Geyser Basin
• Old Faithful Geyser and the Upper Geyser Basin
• Midway Geyser Basin
• Lower Geyser Basin
• Gibbon Falls
• Beryl Spring
• Artist Paint Pots
• Norris Geyser Basin (give lots of time here if you stop)
• Canyon area to see the Lower Falls
• Brink of the Upper Falls
• Hayden Valley (watch for wildlife – bears, wolves, and bison)

Return to Cody, your base camp, via the East Entrance.

Day Two: The Upper Loop

This is the scenic drive and wildlife-watching trip with travertine springs at Mammoth. The drive takes six hours with no stops, so give yourself 9 to 12 hours for this day. You’ll still be stopping and walking at the sights, but not quite as much as the lower loop.

Head north out of Cody toward Billings on Hwy 120. About 20 miles north of town, you’ll drop down a long hill. At the bottom of that hill, you’ll find the turnoff for the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway. Take a left, and you’ll see some tremendously gorgeous country. Miles later, when the road Ts, turn left to head to Yellowstone. (Turning right is another potential day trip over the Beartooth Highway and onto Red Lodge, MT.)

Watch for wildlife all along this route of the northern part of Yellowstone. As you get closer to Cooke City, really watch for moose (though they are all throughout the area). You’ll travel through the famed Lamar Valley – sometimes referred to as the Serengeti of the West due to the vast size of the area that’s teeming with wildlife. Here, you’ll see a good chunk of the bison that live in the park. Wolf packs, buffalo, grizzlies, elk, pronghorn (aka antelope), and much more wildlife live here.

At Roosevelt Junction – head to Mammoth. Sights you might consider stopping along here are:

• Tower Fall
• Calcite Springs Overlook
• Petrified Tree
• Undine Falls

The next stop is at Mammoth Hot Springs, where you can stop to see the hot springs and take the one-way loop around the upper terraces. Mammoth is also home to the historic Fort Yellowstone. After exploring this area, head back the way you came, keeping your eyes open for more wildlife.

You can also return to Tower-Roosevelt Junction, drive over Dunraven Pass, descend to Canyon, and exit through the east entrance.

A third (and longer) route – that makes for a long day, but is doable – is to head south from Mammoth to Norris and then over to Canyon and back. If you aren’t planning to stop at Norris, the second route will be faster, and you’ll still see a lot of gorgeous country!

Day Three: Beartooth Highway

Depending on your schedule, you can also head over the famous Beartooth Highway. This trip is mainly a driving day that takes you up in altitude through stunning scenery. Give yourself 6-10 hours for this drive.

The road usually opens in mid-May and closes in the fall when the early snows set in. Take the same route as you did with the Upper Loop, but turn right at the T in the road near Cooke City. The twisting road takes you to some of the prettiest rugged country in the area.

On your way down the east side, you can stop at Bear Creek in the evening for the pig races or head on to Red Lodge and explore this delightful extra gateway community. From there, it’s a smooth drive back to your Cody base camp.

[This article first appeared on Yellowstone Naturalist, but has been modified with permission for Cody Journal.]

This article is proudly sponsored by Cody Calendar advertisers