The Open Road Travel

A road trip from Great Smoky Mountains to Yellowstone National Park takes you through seven states, between the two most popular national parks in America.

Our 1,850 mile road trip from Great Smoky Mountains to Yellowstone National Park will see you travel through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota, and Wyoming, as you cross some of the most rugged and iconic landscapes in North America.

If you want to uncover everything there is to do and see on this incredible adventure, I highly recommend reading on.

The quickest route for a road trip from Great Smoky Mountains to Yellowstone National Park will cover 1,750 miles and take around 27 hours to complete. However, the route I am going to suggest is one covering 1,850 miles, which will take 28 hours to complete.

While adding an extra 100 miles may seem like quite a big detour, there is simply so many amazing attractions along the way that it more than offers enough value to be worthwhile. Plus, on a journey this long, what difference is one more hour going to make?

Begin by taking one of the northern exits out of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and joining U.S. Route 321, heading west. Follow this to Exit 81, where you’ll head north on I-75, before using the very next exit, Exit 84B, to go west on I-40.

You’ll take the I-40 all the way to Nashville, where you’ll use Exit 211 to go north on I-24. Follow this until it merges with I-57 in Pulleys Mill, which you’ll then use to go north. When you reach Mt Vernon, use Exit 96 to join I-64 and take it west to St. Louis.

At Exit 3B, join I-70 and continue heading west, until you reach Kansas City. Use Exit 2G to join I-29 where it begins and follow it north for 360 miles, to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. You’ll then use Exit 84B to join I-90 and follow this west for another 550 miles, to Ranchester, Wyoming.

Here you’ll use Exit 9 to join U.S. Route 14 and follow it west, until it terminates in Yellowstone National Park, some 210 miles away.

With a road trip from Great Smoky Mountains to Yellowstone National Park taking more than a full day to complete, you are definitely going to need to make some stops along the way.

While there are plenty of great options, the following are what we consider to be the absolute best places to stop along the route, as they provide you with maximum value for your time.

Nashville is the capital and most populous city in Tennessee, as well as one of the music capitals of the United States. Affectionately nicknamed “Music City USA”, it is especially prominent in the production of country music.

Whether you want to take tours of historic music venues or simply spend time frequenting the countless bars, where you can enjoy both live and pre-recorded music, Nashville is a music fan’s dream.

Even if you aren’t that interested in music, attractions like the Tennessee State Capitol building, its wonderful collection of museums, or one of the many professional sports teams that call Nashville home will provide something to keep you entertained.

The Sheraton Music City is a beautiful, spacious, 4-star hotel, set in building boasting incredible Georgian architecture.

All guests receive comfortable rooms that include amenities like a flat screen cable TV, refrigerator, coffee machine, and a private balcony or patio.

The property is pet friendly and has Wi-Fi throughout, while also boasting both indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a sun deck, fitness centre, bar, restaurant, and banquet, business, laundry, and meeting facilities.

A gift shop and vending machines are also present, while a free airport shuttle service is offered to all guests.

Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, St. Louis is the 2nd most populous city in the state of Missouri.

It was considered the “Gateway To The West” during westward expansion, as it was the last major city before the frontier. This moniker is reflected in modern St. Louis by the city’s most famous attraction, the Gateway Arch.

Located right by the river, this marvel of engineering and its surrounding area are both classified as a national park. At 630 feet (192 metres) tall, it is the tallest man-made monument on Earth.

During the 1950s and 60s, St. Louis was also one of the major hubs of the American music industry. The city was particularly prominent in the blues genre. St. Louis is even home to the second oldest symphony orchestra in America.

Historic bars and locations like Blueberry Hill and Gaslight Square still let you experience and enjoy the rich musical history of St. louis to this day.

For those who aren’t interested in music or history, you also have attractions like botanical gardens, museums, and zoos to enjoy.

The Hyatt Regency St. Louis At The Arch is a beautiful, pet friendly, 4-star hotel, located right across the street from the Gateway Arch.

The rooms all feature the height of luxury and modern technology, with amenities including 50 inch flat screen TVs, iPod docks, refrigerators, and tea and coffee making and ironing facilities all coming as standard.

Many rooms will also boast incredible views of the Gateway Arch itself.

Throughout the property, fitness and business centres are available for all guests, while a bar, a choice of two restaurants serving steak or American cuisine, and a branch of Starbucks should take care of all your needs.

There is also Wi-Fi available throughout the site.

Rapid City is the second most populous city in South Dakota, located on the eastern edge of the Black Hills National Forest.

It is a beautiful, natural city, which is also perfectly situated, as there are an insane number of sights and attractions located within 50 minutes of the city.

You have two national parks, a historic wild west town, wildlife safaris, the home of the world’s largest motorbike festival, the Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore monuments, and various other sights, activities, and attractions.

Those willing to drive a little further also have the site of the infamous Wounded Knee Massacre within 90 minutes of the city. This all combines to make Rapid City one of the best places in the United States to stop on a road trip for people interested in nature or history.

The Rushmore Hotel & Suites is a beautiful hotel, set in the heart of Rapid City’s historic downtown area and named after one of the country’s most famous monuments, which is located nearby.

Rooms all feature unique stylings and comfortable furniture, as well as amenities like a 40 inch flat screen TV and tea and coffee making facilities. The property offers business and fitness centres, as well as an electric car charging station.

The Enigma Restaurant serves organic cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, while guests can also order dishes to be enjoyed as room service.

Meanwhile, the 445 Martini Lounge boasts a menu of drinks that includes more than 90 martinis, while live music is performed on weekends.

Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the property, while free parking and a free airport shuttle are both offered to all guests.

The best time for a road trip from Great Smoky Mountains to Yellowstone National Park is from early June to mid-September.

For starters, this is the period when Yellowstone National Park features its most pleasant temperatures. This means you will be able to enjoy everything that the park has to offer, without constantly worrying about trying to stay warm.

However, perhaps even more importantly, it is during the period when all of the roads will be open. Many of the park roads will be closed to regular vehicles from the beginning of November to the end of April, due to the heavy snow that the region receives each year.

Visiting during the suggested period means you won’t have to worry about any of Yellowstone’s iconic sites being closed off when you arrive.

A road trip from Great Smoky Mountains to Yellowstone National Park takes you through some of the most beautiful and culturally significant lands in America, which are simply brimming with things to do and see.

In order to try and help you plan a perfect travel itinerary, which contains just enough to keep you entertained but not too much to make it drag, we have complied a list of what we feel are the top attractions to see along the way.

The Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area is an iconic natural recreation site that straddles the border between Kentucky and Tennessee. It is surrounded on three sides by the waters of Lake Barkley, Kentucky Lake, and the Cumberland River.

It was previously designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, although it was removed from the program by Donald Trump in 2017, along with 16 other sites.

The aim of Land Between The Lakes is not only to provide an option for fans of natural recreation, but also to preserve the natural landscape and the wildlife that inhabits it.

There are also attractions like a museum and planetarium, to provide more inquisitive guests with a little extra information.

Kansas City is a unique destination, in that, rather than being a single city, it is actually two separate cities that neighbour each other on each side of the state line, Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri.

Between them, the two Kansas Cities would have the 25th largest population in the Unites States and 15th largest land area if they merged into a single city.

While the cities are full of exciting things to do and see, they also provide the perfect opportunity to see how many differences there can be between two neighbouring states, most of which normally go unnoticed.

Founded in 1854, Omaha is the most populous city in Nebraska and second most populous in the entire Great Plains region. Despite covering less than 1% of Nebraska’s 77,358 square miles (200,356 square kilometres), it is home to a quarter of the state’s population.

Set on the banks of the Missouri River, Omaha is known for its rich history, and boasts over a dozen historic districts, with more than 100 individual buildings listed on the National Register Of Historic Places or as National Historic Landmarks.

Sioux Falls is the largest, most populous city in the state of South Dakota. Located on the banks of the Big Sioux River, it takes its name from the beautiful waterfalls located in the city’s Falls Park.

Sioux Falls is well known for its arts and culinary industries. While the former provides sculptures, exhibits, and festivals for visitors to enjoy, the latter has helped earn the city the distinction of “America’s healthiest city”.

With museums, science centres, zoos, and an abundance of amazing architecture and entertainment options, Sioux Falls is a great city for all to enjoy.

Badlands National Park is a destination brimming with sprawling prairies and rugged canyons, which create a truly iconic landscape. It is best known for boasting one of the largest and most diverse collections of fossils in the world.

History buffs will love the opportunity to see these incredible artefacts in the flesh, while on-site palaeontologists will happily take you through everything you’re seeing and explain every detail.

Badlands also has an abundance of wildlife for nature lovers to enjoy as well. The bison and bighorn sheep are the most iconic animals in Badlands National Park, while various species of birds and deer ensure there is a wide range of creatures for you to discover.

Wall Drug is a famous “wild west” shopping centre in the town of Wall, South Dakota.

Originally opened as a drug store in 1931, the complex has expanded through the years and now covers 76,000 square feet (7060 square metres), which is home to souvenir stores, eateries, and more.

An art gallery and a selection of sculptures of historical and mythical creatures, like a brontosaurus and a jackelope, adds both an entertainment and educational element to the site as well.

This helps visitors to better appreciate the culture and history of the area, while still having fun.

Wind Cave National Park features the 3rd longest cave in the United States and 7th longest in the world, with 154.2 miles (248.16 kilometres) having currently been explored.

It is known for its distinctive boxwork formations and takes its name from the winds that occur in the cave as air pressure changes.

Aside from the cave itself, Wind Cave National Park also features sprawling forests and prairies, filled with animals like bison, cougars, elk, ferrets, and prairie dogs.

The Crazy Horse Monument is an in development monument that was conceived as a Native American alternative to Mount Rushmore. When completed, it will feature legendary Lakota war chief Crazy Horse on horseback and be the second tallest statue in the world.

The head on the statue is roughly 50% larger than those seen on Mount Rushmore.

Visitors are offered a free piece of the rubble that has been removed from mountain with dynamite during construction.

This offers the dual benefit of giving visitors a unique souvenir, while helping the people building the monument to avoid any additional construction costs.

Mount Rushmore is one of the most iconic and symbolic monuments in the United States. Carved into the Black Hills, it depicts the faces of four of America’s most famous Presidents, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson.

Carved over a period of 14 years, between 1927 and 1941, Mount Rushmore is designed to represent the birth, growth, development, and preservation of America.

Bear Country USA is an out of this world experience that is an absolute must for nature lovers. This drive through wildlife park gives you the chance to see the park’s eponymous black bears, as well as buffalo, cougars, elk, reindeer, and countless other animals and birds.

The animals all roam freely around the park, giving you the opportunity for an up close and personal experience, as well as the chance to take some breath-taking photos.

A small town named after a Union Civil War General Samuel D. Sturgis; Sturgis was founded in 1878. However, it remained relatively unknown until 60 years later, when the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was created in 1938.

The largest annual motorcycle rally on Earth, Sturgis is held on the first weekend of August.

Its organised rides, live music and entertainment, and ample local produce and delicacies draw around half a million people each year, who come to bask in the scenic surroundings and festivities.

Having been founded in 1876, Deadwood is the second oldest “Wild West” town remaining anywhere in the United States. The epicentre of the Black Hills Gold Rush, it was filled with legendary names during its heyday.

Informative historical markers are abundant throughout the town, allowing you to take self-guided tours, finding out more about the likes of Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok, and Calamity Jane, on the very spots that some of the most iconic events in their lives took place.

The Black Hills National Forest covers more than 1.25 million acres of South Dakota’s western border with Wyoming. Roads and trails weave through landscapes consisting of mountains and pine trees, all filled with incredible wildlife.

One of the most beautiful, natural locations in the United States, it is equally suitable for explorers and photographers alike.

The Devils Tower is one of the world’s most iconic buttes, a type of geographic rock formation defined by its steep, almost vertical sides and flat top. It has been used in countless paintings, photos, movies, tv shows, and other forms of art for more than a century.

At roughly 867 feet (267 metres) tall, Devils Tower was the very first United States National Monument, having been designated by President Theodore Roosevelt in September 1906.

At over 500,000 acres, the Thunder Basin National Grassland is among the largest grassland areas in the United States. It is an equally popular destination among both conservationists and ranchers.

Its untouched, prairie landscapes are abundant with wildlife that includes badgers, bats, black-tailed prairie dogs, cotton tails, coyotes, deer, foxes, jackrabbits, pronghorns, rats, squirrels, and over 100 different species of birds. Perfect for nature spotting or hiking and exploring.

Bighorn National Forest is one of the oldest protected forests in the United States, having been established in 1897. Located around 5,000 feet (1525 metres) above sea level, in the Bighorn Mountains, it covers more than 1.1 million acres.

Known for its incredible views, nature, and wildlife, Bighorn National Forest is also home to the Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark, a structure made of white limestone that is around 80 feet (25 metres) in diameter.

While the wheel’s exact origins remain unknown, it is a sacred ceremonial location for numerous Native American tribes and has been for more than 10,000 years.

Known as the “Rodeo Capital Of The World”, Cody was founded in 1896 by the man it is named after, legendary frontiersman William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody. The town is one of the best places in the world to learn about the old west.

Of particular note is the Buffalo Bill Center Of The West, a museum complex that is ranked among the world’s most comprehensive collections of wild west artefacts and information, as well as being considered one of the most remarkable museums in the Unites States.

Rodeo fans will be equally thrilled, as Cody hosts the largest rodeo in the United States every July 4th weekend, the Cody Stampede Rodeo, as well as presenting nightly rodeos every evening from the start of June to the end of August.

That concludes our guide to planning the perfect road trip from Great Smoky Mountains to Yellowstone National Park. Hopefully, this will have given you plenty of ideas for things to do and places to stay, to help you fill out an exciting travel itinerary.

If you need help planning what to do when you arrive, we also have an article covering the best ways to explore Yellowstone National Park , to make sure you are covered there as well.

That means all that’s left to do is start getting everything booked, so you can look forward to seeing all of the wonders this incredible route has for yourself, as soon as possible.