13-Day Adventure: Denver to Jackson Hole

Thirteen days from Denver, Colorado to Jackson Hole, Wyoming — five national parks, the Black Hills, the North Dakota Badlands and a string of historic Western towns. The route works its way north from Denver through South Dakota to Medora and the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, west into Yellowstone, and south to the Tetons before turning back toward Colorado.

Here is a day-by-day plan. Distances and drive times are approximate; check seasonal road and park closures before you go.

Days 1–4: driving directions in Google Maps
Days 5–7: driving directions in Google Maps
Days 8–13: driving directions in Google Maps
The stage and red sandstone formations of Red Rocks Amphitheatre outside Denver, Colorado

Red Rocks Amphitheatre outside Denver.

The Beaux-Arts front of Denver Union Station under a blue sky

Denver Union Station, the restored rail terminal in Lower Downtown.

The angular titanium-clad Hamilton Building of the Denver Art Museum

The Denver Art Museum's Hamilton Building, designed by Daniel Libeskind.

Day 1: Arrive in Denver, Colorado

  • Explore Denver’s art, history and culture — the Denver Art Museum, Union Station and Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
  • Stay / eat: The Crawford Hotel; Guard and Grace.

Overnight in Denver, CO

The painted exterior of Evans Plunge, the warm spring-fed pool in Hot Springs, South Dakota

Evans Plunge, the spring-fed pool in Hot Springs, South Dakota.

Red sandstone commercial buildings lining a street in Hot Springs, South Dakota

Hot Springs' historic district is built of the pink sandstone quarried nearby.

Sepia historic photograph of Hot Springs, South Dakota, seen from a railroad bridge

Hot Springs, South Dakota, in an early photograph taken from the railroad bridge.

Day 2: Travel to Hot Springs, South Dakota

  • Relax in the warm spring-fed pools of Evans Plunge and stroll the Freedom Trail.
  • Stay / eat: The Red Rock River Resort & Spa; Whiskey River.

~6 hours, 370 miles · Overnight in Hot Springs, SD

A herd of bison grazing beside the Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park, with a car stopped among them

Bison on the Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park.

The enclosed dig site at the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, South Dakota

The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, an active dig still yielding mammoth bones.

The unfinished Crazy Horse Memorial carving on a granite mountain in the Black Hills

The Crazy Horse Memorial, still being carved from Thunderhead Mountain.

Day 3: Fossils & caves

  • The Mammoth Site fossil beds and Wind Cave National Park.
  • Wildlife spotting at Custer State Park.
  • Visit the Crazy Horse Memorial.
  • Stay / eat: K Bar S Lodge; The Powder House.

~1.5 hours, 60 miles · Overnight in Custer / Keystone, SD

Aerial view of the Mount Rushmore carving in the granite of the Black Hills, surrounded by ponderosa pine

Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills.

A waterfall dropping through pine and spruce forest in Spearfish Canyon

Spearfish Falls, a short hike from the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway.

Brick storefronts along Main Street in Deadwood, South Dakota

Main Street in Deadwood, a National Historic Landmark district.

Day 4: Rushmore & Deadwood

  • Marvel at Mount Rushmore.
  • Drive scenic Spearfish Canyon.
  • Step into Old West history in Deadwood.
  • Stay / eat: Historic Bullock Hotel; Jacobs.

~2.5 hours, 95 miles · Overnight in Deadwood, SD

Devils Tower rising above the pine forest of northeastern Wyoming, the first national monument in the United States

Devils Tower above the pine forest of northeastern Wyoming.

Devils Tower rising above pine trees along the Tower Trail

The Tower Trail circles the base of Devils Tower in about 1.3 miles.

Open grassland and ponderosa pine on the Red Beds Trail at Devils Tower

The Red Beds Trail loops through grassland and pine below the tower.

Day 5: Devils Tower to Medora, North Dakota

  • Explore Devils Tower National Monument, the nation’s first, established by Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.
  • Continue north to Medora, ND.
  • Stay / eat: Rough Riders Hotel; Little Missouri.

~5.5 hours, 310 miles · Overnight in Medora, ND

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library on the butte above Medora, with the badlands below and storm clouds overhead

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library on the butte above Medora.

Drone view of the Burning Hills Amphitheatre in the Badlands at twilight

The Burning Hills Amphitheatre, carved into the hillside in 1958.

Medora Musical cast performing in front of the MEDORA set

The Medora Musical cast.

Day 6: Medora & the Roosevelt legacy

  • Tour the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library; explore the exhibits and the landscape they sit in.
  • Enjoy a Pitchfork Steak Fondue dinner, followed by the Medora Musical.

Overnight in Medora, ND

Two children hiking a trail at Painted Canyon in Theodore Roosevelt National Park at sunset

Painted Canyon in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Hikers on the Wind Canyon Trail above the Little Missouri River

The Wind Canyon Trail, a short walk to a bend in the Little Missouri.

Fossilized logs at Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

Roosevelt stretched the Act well beyond ruins, using it to protect natural wonders too — among them Arizona's Petrified Forest, safeguarded in 1906. (National Park Service)

Day 7: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

  • Wildlife, scenic drives, Painted Canyon, Wind Canyon Overlook and the Petrified Forest.
  • Take a boxed lunch from the Library into the park.

Overnight in Medora, ND

The Yellowstone River winding through open valley below snow-capped mountains near West Yellowstone, Montana

The Yellowstone River below snow-capped mountains near West Yellowstone.

Storefronts along the main street of Gardiner, Montana, below dry hills

Gardiner, Montana, the gateway town at Yellowstone's North Entrance.

A spring creek winding through a snowy meadow in Paradise Valley, Montana

Armstrong Spring Creek in Montana's Paradise Valley, on the drive south to Yellowstone.

Day 8: Journey to Yellowstone

  • A scenic drive along the Yellowstone River to the park’s North Entrance.
  • Stay / eat: The Roosevelt Hotel Yellowstone; Iron Horse Bar and Grill.

~7 hours, 450 miles · Overnight in Gardiner, MT

Aerial view of Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, its blue centre ringed with orange bacterial mats

Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone's Midway Geyser Basin, seen from the air.

The stone Roosevelt Arch at the North Entrance of Yellowstone National Park

The Roosevelt Arch at Yellowstone's North Entrance. Theodore Roosevelt laid its cornerstone in 1903.

Old Faithful erupting a column of steam and water under a blue sky

Old Faithful erupting in Yellowstone's Upper Geyser Basin.

Day 9: Yellowstone wonders

  • The Roosevelt Arch, Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris Geyser Basin, Grand Prismatic Spring and Old Faithful.
  • Stay / eat: The Old Faithful Inn, the iconic 1904 log-and-stone lodge, with classic dining service.

Overnight in Yellowstone / West Yellowstone, MT

A waterfall plunging into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone between steep canyon walls

A waterfall plunging into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

A herd of bison grazing in the grass of Hayden Valley

Bison grazing in Hayden Valley, one of the best wildlife valleys in Yellowstone.

Yellowstone Lake seen from the shore at West Thumb

Yellowstone Lake from the West Thumb Geyser Basin.

Day 10: Canyon & lake region

  • Discover Yellowstone’s Lake Region, the abundant wildlife of Hayden Valley, and the cascading waterfalls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
  • Stay / eat: Old Faithful Inn; Wylie’s Canteen at Lake Lodge.

Overnight in Yellowstone / West Yellowstone, MT

The Teton Range reflected in the Snake River at Oxbow Bend, Grand Teton National Park, in autumn

The Teton Range reflected in the Snake River at Oxbow Bend.

Jenny Lake below the mouth of Cascade Canyon in the Teton Range

Jenny Lake and the mouth of Cascade Canyon in Grand Teton National Park.

The small log Chapel of the Transfiguration with the Teton Range behind

The Chapel of the Transfiguration near Moose, Wyoming.

Day 11: Grand Teton National Park

  • Jenny Lake, Teton Park Road and the Chapel of the Transfiguration.
  • Stay / eat: The Wort Hotel, with its western art collection and the Silver Dollar Bar & Grill.

~2.5 hours, 100 miles · Overnight in Jackson Hole, WY

The Snake River bending through pine forest with the Teton Range on the horizon, seen from Snake River Overlook

The Snake River below the Teton Range.

An arch built of shed elk antlers at the corner of the Jackson Town Square

One of the elk-antler arches on the Jackson Town Square.

A raft of people splashing through rapids on the Snake River

Rafting the Snake River south of Jackson.

Day 12: Snake River & Jackson Hole

  • Take a scenic float trip on the Snake River, surrounded by the towering peaks of the Teton Range.
  • Explore downtown Jackson Hole’s shops, galleries and western charm.
  • Optional: end the day with the Bar T 5 Covered Wagon Cookout — cowboy music, hearty food and laughter.

Overnight in Jackson Hole, WY

The Denver skyline at sunset above a green city park in Colorado

Denver at sunset.

Brick storefronts along a street in downtown Rawlins, Wyoming

Downtown Rawlins, Wyoming, on the drive back to Denver.

The stone Wyoming Frontier Prison in Rawlins

The old Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins, now open for tours.

Day 13: Return to Denver

  • A scenic drive through southern Wyoming via Rock Springs and Rawlins.
  • For a more relaxed pace, overnight at the Hotel Wolf in Saratoga, a classic western inn, and dine at the Aspen House Restaurant in a restored Victorian home.

~8 hours, 510 miles

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