I-90 West Road Trip: Badlands, Yellowstone & More

I don’t think I could have picked a better trip for my first venture out into the “new normal” Covid-19 world! My dad, boyfriend, and I drove from Chicago, IL through Wisconsin and Minnesota to South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana in early July. We didn’t see much of Wisconsin or Minnesota, so this post is broken up to show you where we stopped in the western states. South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana are so beautiful and have so many outdoor activities to offer now, for a Covid-19 friendly vacation. This trip was mainly planned around visiting Yellowstone National Park, but we experienced many other amazing places along the way.

All spots are listed from East to West, even though we did some things on the way out and some on the way back. Follow along this post to find great spots to stop and explore along and just off Interstate-90 in the Western and Mid-Western United States!

If you have 2-4 weeks to road trip, check out my new post How to Visit 10 National Parks in 1 Epic Road Trip for more National Park Road Trip planning info!

South Dakota

Wall, SD

After driving a long 12 hours from Chicago, Wall, South Dakota was our first stop. Wall is famous for two things:

1. Being the closest city to Badlands National Park
2. The 2 million billboards advertising Wall Drug Store posted along I-90

There are many decent hotels and restaurants to chose from, all located right off of the Interstate and just a few miles north of Badlands. I wouldn’t recommend spending more than one night in Wall, unless you wanted multiple days in the park.

Badlands National Park

You will not believe the landscapes in Badlands National Park are in the United States, or even on planet Earth! I have never seen anything like it, especially compared to the flat farmlands in the eastern park of South Dakota and the rest of the Mid West.

I would recommend coming into the park twice; once at sunset and once in the morning to hike. The views during sunset are amazing and the landscape turns orange, pink and purple. Some people even bring camp chairs to sit for awhile and really take in the amazing scenery!

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Badlands Hiking

Badlands doesn’t have as many hiking trails as most of the other National Parks so the few they have can get pretty busy. We chose to hike the Notch Trail, which is the most popular hike in the park. Be sure to get there early to get a parking spot and avoid heavy crowds. The hike is short, but it can get really hot and there’s not shade, so pack water and sunscreen.

The Black Hills

The Black Hills and Rapid City are full of activities to keep you busy for a few days. There are National Monuments, State Parks, a National Forest, and a National Park! I also noticed a lot of touristy family activities like water parks, petting zoos, and museums.

Mount Rushmore

It just so happened that the day we were passing by Mount Rushmore was the 4th of July. There was a crazy miles long backup to turn into the parking lot, so we opted to just view it from the road. We pulled over at two separate points to take photos, and I think that was enough for me. If it wasn’t so busy we probably would have gone into the park, but I’m not sure there’s a whole lot more to do than just take photos of the monument.

Crazy Horse Memorial

The Crazy Horse Memorial is located a few miles away from Mount Rushmore. The carving of the monument has been going on since the 1930’s and is still many years away from being completed. There is an entrance fee for the memorial and museum that is used to continue construction on the memorial.

Deadwood, SD

If you like gambling, Deadwood, South Dakota is your place! This small town is located just a few miles south of I-90 and has too many casinos to count. The downtown has an Old Western, gold mining, saloon vibe, and it definitely worth an overnight visit!

Wyoming

Devil’s Tower National Monument

Located about 30 minutes off of I-90, Devil’s Tower is a must on your road trip! It is America’s first National Monument, and was used for years as a marker for Native Americans and settlers on their journeys out west.

The tower is a popular spot for both hiking and climbing, and I enjoyed hiking the 3 mile trail loop around the monument. Although, watching people scale the side of the 867 foot tower is also worth the stop. It truly looks crazy watching several people climbing that high all at once.

Sheridan, WY

Sheridan was a quick overnight pit stop for us, after driving over the Big Horn mountains. It’s a large town (for Wyoming) right off of the interstate with a lot of restaurants and hotels to chose from. Unfortunately for us, their big draw in the summer is the rodeo which was not going on due to Covid-19. However, I did get to enjoy a walk down the main street which has several western shops and many western themed statues and storefronts. Sheridan is also home to several breweries, including Smith Alley Brewing Company where my dad and I had dinner and enjoyed a couple beers.

Big Horn National Forest

Big Horn National Forest is located in north central Wyoming and is home to the Big Horn Mountains. I-90 turns north just before the mountains and goes around them. If you want to drive over the mountains and through Big Horn National Forest, you will need to take US 14 across the Northern section of the mountains or US 16 across the Southern section of the mountains. We drove both roads, one on the way out, and the other on the way back.

There is so much to do in Bighorn National forest, including camping, hiking, ATV trails, horse trails, and wildlife viewing. We saw the moose in the photo above standing just off of US 14; it was so cool! Also make sure you are prepared for some of the most windy and steep roads you have ever driven on! I was so glad my dad drove through Big Horn both times so I didn’t have to.

Cody, WY

Cody, WY is truly a Western cowboy town. Named after Wild Bill Cody, a famous American cowboy, and known for its rodeo, it doesn’t get much more western than that! Unfortunately we did not get to attend the rodeo on this trip due to Covid-19, but I hope to go back someday and experience it.

Other attractions that draw people to Cody are its proximity to Yellowstone National Park and Shoshone National Forest, its large Wild Bill Cody Western Museum, and its many western style shops and restaurants.

Shoshone National Forest

This national forest is located between Cody, WY and Yellowstone’s eastern entrance. The drive is gorgeous and there are many spots to pull off and fish, or just admire the views and picnic next to the Shoshone river.

My dad packed his fishing pole for the trip and caught a trout!

Beartooth Highway & Chief Joseph Highway, WY

We drove this highway after exiting Yellowstone from the northeast gate and heading southeast to US 14. The bridge pictured below had the most wild drop down into a gorge I have ever seen. There is a parking lot area to pull off and sidewalks across the bridge to experience it on foot.

After you cross the bridge you have to drive up and over “Dead Indian Hill” mountain. If you are scared of heights or don’t like driving on the edge of a cliff for miles, this road is not for you! The road is narrow and the curves are very sharp, and the grade is steep! Once you get to the top there is an overlook where I snapped the photo below.

Yellowstone National Park

The highlight of the whole road trip was getting to experience Yellowstone for the first time. The geothermal features and abundant wildlife are what make the park so special and unique. There is steam rising from stinky holes in the ground, bubbling mud pits, herds of bison, wolves, bears, and so much more!

There is so much more to say about Yellowstone National Park, that it has its own blog post [Yellowstone Post coming soon.] So in this post I will simply give one piece of advice and then let the photos speak for themselves: plan AT THE VERY LEAST for two full days in the park! We spent one full day and two partial days and it was not enough time to explore everything. Three or four full days should be enough to see everything and do a couple short hikes.

Montana

Big Sky & Bozeman, MT

On our second day in Yellowstone, we drove from Cody, WY through the park and out of Yellowstone’s West Gate to West Yellowstone, MT. From West Yellowstone we drove north through Big Sky to Bozeman. Big Sky is known for its skiing and other winter sports but has many summer activities available as well. There are hundreds of hiking trails as well as white river rafting and fishing.

We stayed over night in Bozeman and got to explore the downtown area a little bit. My dad and I were expecting another western town like Cody or Sheridan, but it was much more similar to any other mid-sized college town such as Boulder, CO, or even Bloomington, IN (go Hoosiers!) Either Bozeman or Big Sky would make a great stop on your road trip.

Cooke City, MT

Cooke City is located just outside Yellowstone’s Northeast Gate. We stopped for lunch and browsed in some shops before continuing our drive back to Wyoming. Cooke City is much much smaller than the cities at Yellowstone’s North and West gates, so if quiet and quaint appeals to you, this would be the perfect place to stay during your trip to Yellowstone.

Road Trip Tips

This trip involved A LOT of driving. We had two days of over 12 hours of driving per day, and most other days we averaged 4 to 8 hours a day. If you’re looking for an East Cost road Trip, check out my post on driving the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina! Here are 5 tips to make your road trip great!

1. Pack food! We saved so much money (and calories) by packing enough food for our breakfasts and lunches and only eating out for dinner. We packed a large cooler in the back of the truck and a smaller one in the truck with snacks and drinks.
2. Pack small/ inexpensive camp chairs. This helped us with tip number 1. Whenever we got hungry for lunch we would find a place to pull over and eat. The best place we ate lunch was next to a river in Yellowstone. There are plenty of picnic areas, but they can get a little crowded. We also ate at a few rest stop picnic tables.
3. Don’t make all your plans set in stone. We had a good idea of what we wanted to do each day, and reserved some Airbnbs and hotels, but beyond that we didn’t have much of plan. Leaving your plans open allows you to take the scenic route, even if it’s longer, and just enjoy the drive.
4. Always take the scenic route! I know this is an I-90 road trip post, but get off of the interstate when you can. You will have much better views from a US Highway or State Road, and I find all the small towns so interesting to drive through.
5. Pack paper maps. You never know when you’ll lose cell service. Paper maps also show you routes that your phone won’t suggest, because they are longer or go through National Parks, but these routes are the best routes!

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