Many popular Yellowstone tours start in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, travel through Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and end at Mount Rushmore near Rapid City, South Dakota.
The drive from the center of Yellowstone to Mount Rushmore is about 9 hours. Yellowstone Bus tours do this with an overnight in Cody, followed by a 3 hour drive to Little Big Horn, site of Custer’s Last Stand, and from there, a 4 hour drive to Mount Rushmore.
Knowing that the Little Big Horn history lesson wouldn’t hold much interest for G, we decided to find different and more kid friendly stops along the way.
From Yellowstone East Entrance to the South Dakota State Line
An Evening in Cody, Wyoming
Cody is about two hours from Yellowstone National Park East entrance, and has enough interesting things to do that you could stay a few days here. We arrived mid-afternoon, checked into the Hampton Inn, and found the pool before going into downtown Cody.
We strolled up and down Main Street, soaking up the Wild West vibe, picked up a few souvenirs, and headed for dinner at the historic Irma hotel.
Sensory: Just as we arrived for our dinner, a (staged) gunfight broke out right in front of the restaurant! Most kids would love this, but for G, the unexpected gunshot noise was a huge problem. It turns out this happens every Monday to Saturday night right at 6 PM.
Once G recovered, we were able to go inside, where we had a great meal in what used to be the Saloon.
After dinner, we headed to the Cody Night Rodeo. G absolutely loved the beginning of the show, and especially enjoyed watching the Queen of the Rodeo! After about 20 minutes, the excitement wore off for G, and she decided the noise wasn’t worth it anymore, so we called it a night. Sensory: Rodeos are loud. Really loud.
Wild Horses or Dinosaurs?
We had two possible routes, and a choice to make, on the way to our next stop in Buffalo, WY. The northerly route would take us to the McCullough Wild Horse Area, due east of Cody, and give us a chance to stop at the Red Gulch Dinosaur Track Site. The southerly route would bring us to the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis and through the Bighorn National Forest.
Since G was ten times more interested in dinosaurs than horses, we took the second route!
Before leaving Cody, we paid a visit to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, which houses 5 small museums under one roof.
G especially enjoyed the Raptor Encounter at the Natural History Museum and some of the circus oddities from the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show.
The Whitney Western Art exhibit was great for the grown ups, and small enough to hold G’s interest.
We arrived in the small town of Thermopolis just in time for lunch, then stopped at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center. Inside, you’ll find about 70 dinosaur skeletons in a wide open, well lit area.
If you make a reservation in advance, you can participate in a real, full-day or half-day dig. Otherwise, you can join the one hour tour tour of the live digs! Click here for details.
If you have some extra time in Thermopolis, take a swim at Hot Springs State Park.
Rest and Relaxation in Buffalo, Wyoming
After leaving Thermopolis, we drove through the Bighorn National Forest on the Cloud Peak Scenic Byway. We were amazed by the stunning views of the rugged peaks and lush valleys of the Bighorn Mountains. The byway hits elevations over 9,000 feet, winding through alpine meadows and dense forests. We were very much on the lookout for bighorn sheep, but didn’t meet any on or off the road. We also didn’t meet any restrooms that had running water - plan accordingly!
We finally made it to the the Holiday Inn and Suites in Buffalo in the late afternoon, ready to enjoy our hotel pool with some pizza and a few cold beverages!
Are We There Yet?
Our route (yellow on the map) kept daily driving to a little over three hours, and included both swimming for sensory regulation and some highly preferred activities for G. The blue routes (which we didn’t take) would bring you to the McCullough wild horses, Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracks, and Devil’s Tower, featured in the 1977 classic movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
The final section of this trip brought us to the South Dakota border. We saw ranches, oil rigs, towns whose welcome signs showed total populations under 100 people, and lots of empty highway. The difference between life out here and our life in the suburbs of Boston couldn’t possibly be more different!
Some Baaaad Jokes are Udderly Hilarious
G wasn’t very interested in our observations about life in rural Wyoming. Luckily the cell signal on the highway between Buffalo and South Dakota was very strong, so G was able to keep busy looking up jokes about Bighorn Sheep and Cows. Here are a few good ones:
Where do sheep go on vacation?
To the baaaaaa-hamas
Where do sheep get their wool cut?
The baa-baa-shop
What do you get when you cross an angry sheep with a grumpy cow?
A baaaaaad mooooood
Why did the farmer buy a brown cow?
He wanted chocolate milk
How do farmers count their cows?
With a cow-culator