DC to Yellowstone: how long does it take?

My boyfriend and I are going to be working at Yellowstone this summer, and we've obviously decided to drive there. We're coming from Boston, MA.

Are there any must-sees in between Boston and Wyoming? Maybe some that aren't so well known? Landscapes? Even sweet cheap motels, or classic truck stop diners?

Anything anyone can remember loving that's in between Boston and Wyoming that's worth checking out?

So far, we're stopping in:
Arlington, VA to see family and sleep/shower
Cedarburg, WI to see family and sleep/shower
Omaha, NE...just because it's Omaha, NE

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

A couple things stand out to me.

First of all, How much time do you have to make for this trip? Right now you've got a bit of a zig-zag route that will add at least a full days drive to your trip.

With the stops you've laid out, you're going to need a full day to get to Arlington. From there it is really a day and a half drive to Cederburg. Its 800 miles which would require about 15 hours on the road.

I guess I really don't understand why you're then going all the way to Omaha. Its more than a 200 mile detour from Milwaukee to Yellowstone, which is fine if you've got a reason that you want to go there, but it doesn't make much sense otherwise. If you do go that route, its a full day to Omaha and then 2 days to Yellowstone from there. Personally, I would just take I-90 all the way there and use that extra time instead to spend some time exploring the Badlands and/or Black Hills.

Hey Michael,

We have to be there May 10th, and we really can leave anytime after April 22nd. Not that we're going to do that, but that's how much leeway we have to play around with. We're going to try to make it in a week.

The only road trip I've been on was Boston to Virginia beach; so I'm really itching for a longer one; and I definitely want to see as much as I can.

Omaha isn't a must, but I've heard great things about it, so I thought we might want to check it out.

However, that's why I posted in this forum. Because we have so much time, we really would like to see as much as we can on the way there. However, on the way home in August, we will need to take the most direct route due to too little time.

I've heard great things about the southern route, though, so we might try to do that instead.

Basically, I'm just looking for some ideas, then with those, I'll plan the most fun, but also smartest route to Wyoming.

Western Nebraska has some natural formations, etc. But, between I-80 and I-90, I definitely suggest I-90 to Buffalo, WY and then west through Cody to Yellowstone.

If you really want to go to I-80, here's a route I came down through Wyoming.

I-80 west to US26 to Scottsbluff, NE. Follow through to I-25 to Casper. Go west on US20 to Shoshoni, head north towards Thermopolis. You get to pass through the Wind River Canyon (quite striking as you drive along the river in a beautiful canyon). Then, in Thermopolis you can see many of the natural hot springs, including the World's Largest Mineral Hot Springs just north of town. Head up to Cody and then west to Yellowstone.

But, I do agree, I-90 has more to offer. Thermopolis is a cool surprise, as is the Wind River Canyon. But, if you've never seen the Badlands, it's really a 'must see' in life to me. So glad my parents took me when I was younger.

Sykotyk

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Originally Posted by onlyapassenger

Omaha, NE...just because it's Omaha, NE

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Since you are going to be in Nebraska, you - or more likely your boyfriend - might be interested in checking out Carhenge, Alliance.

Highway 385 would take you from there to Mt Rushmore, and I definitely would take a trip through the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming, on the way to Yellowstone.

Hey everyone!

So my boyfriend and I are going to be working at Yellowstone this summer, and we've decided to obviously drive there. We'll be leaving from DC.

We need to be in Yellowstone May 10th, and we can leave anytime after April 25th. We want to take our time and "see the sights", but we also don't want to give ourselves too much time.

So I was wondering what you guys thought. Who's made a similar drive? How long did it take you? How many times did you stop?

Also, if we did leave April 25th, and that gave us the option for a longer route, what route should we take? Would staying south and looping up towards Texas take way too long?

That sounds like a great job to have for the Summer!

The drive will take you roughly four days, about 550 miles each day.
When I last did this drive, I traveled from my home in central Massachusetts to Middlebury, IN the first day; to Ponca State Park in Nebraska the second; Mt. Rushmore on the third; Yellowstone on the fourth. We made more stops during the 3rd and 4th days. At the time, I was still of the mindset of "covering ground" and "making time".

The first day was over 800 miles, which was a bit too much.

I would take the Southern route on the way out and the Northern route on the way back. I wager you're going to be returning to Washington, DC at the end of August?

What kind of things are you looking to see on your way out? If you left on April 25th, you could definitely head South and through Texas and still have plenty of time to mosey on up to Wyoming.

Hey!

Actually, we will be heading to Boston when the summer is over. So yeah, taking the northern route then makes more sense, because we probably won't have as much time as we do on the way out there.

I keep hearing different things. Like, that we could get out there in 5 days, but then I hear that we need to give ourselves like a week and a half. So, we're not really sure what to go by!

But thanks for your input, I'm beginning to think that leaving April 25th is a little too early. However, if we have the $$ to take longer, than why not?

Thanks for your response!

Sure, you can get out there in 5 days (in fact just driving there on the most direct route is a fairly easy 4 day drive), but how much do you want to see and how much time do you want to spend exploring things?

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Originally Posted by glc

Sure, you can get out there in 5 days (in fact just driving there on the most direct route is a fairly easy 4 day drive), but how much do you want to see and how much time do you want to spend exploring things?

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Well, we'll be giving ourselves two weeks to get there.
We are really open to anything, and love exploring as much as possible.

I'm a photographer, so anything "photo-worthy" would be great.
I'm also a western outlaw buff.