Yellowstone Road Trip From California
/7 states, 10 days and over 3,000 miles!! One big loop from California on our adventure to Yellowstone and back! It was such a fun filled trip with lots of scenic stops along the way. You may or may not be coming from California, but whatever way you’re coming from these stops were all so fun that I wanted to share them all with you…especially the places we ate and where we stayed along the way!! So let’s go!!
First Stop: RENO, NEVADA
We had about 24hrs in Reno and didn’t even need to leave out hotel/casino once. Staying at the Peppermill gave us everything we were looking for in a quick fun filled relaxing day. We loved every minute of it. The Peppermill has so many different restaurants, a spa, a gym bigger then most, a fancy pool, and lots and lots of gambling!! As soon as we checked in we headed to eat lunch at their Oceano Seafood restaurant. So delish! I had a salmon salad, Scotty got the Mixed Seafood Ramen and we shared edamame and a delish roll! After lunch we had a spa date in the Hotel for massages that were so relaxing!! Dinner was at their Romanza Italian restaurants where we shared the pasta trio and steak, along with and a delicious bottle of Duckhorn wine. Prepping ourselves for the Longest stretch of driving we’d be doing the next day of driving called for room service breakfast and a quick workout. Breakfast was also amazing and the staff at Peppermill were so friendly and attentive! Highly recommend staying here if you are heading to Reno (fun fact, Scotty’s grandparents always stayed at the peppermill when they use to travel to Reno. So sweet!)
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Second Stop: BOZEMAN, MONTANA
I already talked all about this hip little mountain town on my Bozeman post so I wont bore you again. Head to the blog post -here- to see more info!
Third Stop: YELLOWSTONE
Short hour and a half drive to the North entrance of Yellowstone National Park. We chose to stay in Bozeman for lodging instead of in the Park because it was an off season for their hotels and employees. We pre planned a map of our travel path through the park and tried to research if any roads would be closed along the way. Most of our planned stops we got to see, however, we had to do them in a bit of a different driving order because of some unforeseen closures. When you pull up to the Park the Rangers will tell you where you can and cannot go. If you power through the Park in a day like we did you can still have plenty of time to pull over, take plenty of pics, and do the quick hikes around some of the famous springs, falls, etc. We planned stops in Mammoth Hot Springs, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, the Yellowstone Lake, the Grand Purismatic, Morning Glory, and of course the famous Old Faithful Geyser. However, along the drive there are so many perfect turn offs that you could stop for a scenic picture or for a potential animal sighting. We actually stopped with a group to see what their excitement was and got saw a grizzly bear in the wild across the street and up the hillside just about 100 yards away from us. The park is so full of different vibrant colors and peaks and valleys and Rivers and Falls and amazing Springs that we have yet to see in any of our past travels to National Parks. This place is a must visit in your lifetime to unwind and take in the beauty of Mother Nature.
Stop Four: JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING
This cute little ski town village is a MUST stop when on this trip. Full of charm and beauty nestled right alongside the mountain with lots of cute spots to eat, shop and drink! Biggest tip I can give you on this one is.. a good part of the businesses in town basically close down during their “off season” so if you are wanting this to be a main attraction for your trip don’t come during the months April or November. We of course went during April so a lot was closed but we still got to shop and eat at a couple of the cutest and most popular restaurants. Dinner at Gather in Jackson Hole was delicious. We shared pork buns, red wine marinated bison and pork belly fried rice. Everything was really good but portions were smaller then we expected (just to prepare you) I wont complain tho because that left room for dessert! Their best local ice cream spot is Moo’s Gourmet Ice Cream where the flavors change throughout the year and they have signature local favorites like wild huckleberry, which was delicious!
Day two we went and visited the beautiful Grand Teton’s and explored the roads that were open throughout the village of Moose. Unfortunately, even though we gave it some time pulling over and parking in the moose habitat, we didn’t actually see one. Still though, the drive was so worth it and lead us to some great pics for memories. Before starting our Tetons day we ate at the famous Cafe Genevieve’s. A perfect little place for breakfast or Lunch and a must stop when in Jackson Hole! We both had two different varieties of delicious egg’s benedicts. We made sure to eat breakfast every day and that was actually the third time I chose eggs bennys on the trip and this was by far my favorite!!
Stop Five: SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
We spent two nights in Salt Lake and did lots of driving around the city to see so much more the area has to offer. We decided to go to the ski village of Park City for the day and we are so glad we did!! It was one of the best parts of our trip and may be our favorite town we stopped in. Park City is Such a cute town to see with the best strip of downtown including great shopping, dining, and entertainment. It’s surprising close to Salt Lake as well being only 30 mins away. Highly recommend..especially for some Winter fun! Another drive we made was to the Bonneville salt flats. This drive took a while to get to, but it was beyond worth the drive to see. We also of course pulled over on the way for the best views of the Great Salt Lake. Once we made it to the flats that Pure white sandy salty floor goes on for miles and miles and it is so rare and gorgeous. Definite must see for its rarity.
Places we ate at:
Red Iguana- a highly recommended Mexican restaurant all over the online searches. The food was good, the portions were huge, and the staff was so sweet.
Valter’s Osteria - Italian at its finest! The menu is a bit all over the place but you are sure to find something you love! They bring your food and plate it from the pan right in front of you! Personal touch! I couldn’t decide what to order so I went with the pasta sampler. I loved the ravioli the most, so if you go back try that!
Sweet Lake Biscuits & Limeade - Best Limeade I have ever had! Perfectly sweetened with cane sugar and all the different flavors you could imagine!! I went with eggs benedicts again and Scotty got a huge breakfast sandwich. Biscuits were amazing!
HSL Restaurant - Such a hip little place for dinner! We went for the burger but let me tell you… I had a few biscuits on this trip (Scotty reminded me haha!!) and this was by far the best!! Also, I got the cauliflower appetizer and that was surprisingly amazing. Recommend calling with a reservation ahead of time if you want to eat inside at a table. We were outside which was fine because it was a gorgeous night!
Stop Six: ZION NATIONAL PARK
Such a gorgeous park! A beautiful windy drive, with lots of scenic varieties of red rock anddddd super crowded full of hikers! I think we got used to how spacious Yellowstone was that we didn’t expect so many people getting out there enjoying nature and getting in their exercise. However, even though the crowds were bigger, the park offered a completely different but beautiful landscape that we had yet to see on our trip. Highly recommend the drive through and we made a couple stops to get out and snap some very unique photos. I would highly recommend doing this park but maybe on a weekday to avoid crowds. It’s a must add to get out of the hustle and bustle of a Vegas trip and the Vegas strip.
Stop Seven: LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
We regularly visit Vegas as it’s about a 5 hour drive or the quickest flight from our hometown, but it was a much needed last stop. We made a quick 1 night 2 day stop out of it but really enjoyed the luxuries of a nice hotel..Vegas style! We stayed at Aria this time and chose to stay and eat at the hotel (I really don’t like walking the strip as much as some). We had breakfast at the Salt & Ivy and dinner at Bavette’s and both were really delicious and adorable places! Only thing I wanted to do in Vegas was stop in and shop for a new hand bag and Scotty wanted to golf so we hit up Royal Links for golf Monday! Both were a success and made for a happy cap to our trip and a happy ride home!
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