Seattle to Yellowstone Road Trip
A week week ago, for Memorial Day, Ali and I decided to set out on a road trip to see Yellowstone. We've been wanting to go for a while now, so we figured it was a great opportunity. And to make it a little more of an adventure, we decided to drive the whole way there and back.
The trip was 6 days total: 2 days to get there, 2 days in Yellowstone, & 2 days to get back. Here's what our journey looked like on a map.
6 Days. 5 States. 2 People. 1 Car. Here's what I journey looked like.
Day 1: Seattle, WA to Baker City, OR
This day was all driving. We didn't make any major stops, but did stop at many scenic views. If you're not in a rush, I always recommend a scenic view or two.
After our long day in the car, we made it to Baker City. Not much going on in town, so we settled in for the night.
Day 2: Baker City, OR to West Yellowstone, WY
Most of the morning of day to was driving. We did get to take a quick break in Boise, ID for lunch
The major stop of the day was Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. This has to be one of the most unique national parks I've visited. The landscape is very other worldly. Take sunscreen if you go, little to no shade on the trails.
No other stops for the day. Our final destination for the day was West Yellowstone.
Day 3: West Yellowstone, MT to West Yellowstone, MT
This was our first complete day in Yellowstone. We spent the whole day driving around the lower loop. We saw Old Faithful, The Grand Prismatic Springs, and the Mud Volcano, just to name a few things. I'm planning on writing a post soon that goes into more details about everything we saw in Yellowstone, so stay tuned for that.
Day 4: West Yellowstone, MT to West Yellowstone, MT
Our second full day in Yellowstone. For this day, we drove around the upper loop, which included Mammoth Hot Springs and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
Day 5: West Yellowstone, MT to Spokane, WA
We said goodbye to Yellowstone early in the morning day 5, and made our way to Spokane, WA. The only stop along the way was at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park.
After a looooooooong day of driving after the caves, we made it to Spokane in time for dinner, so we grabbed some poke & rolled ice cream. Then, we headed to the riverfront to walk for a bit before heading back to the hotel to conclude day 5.
Day 6: Spokane, WA to Seattle, WA
The final day of the trip! The final stretch! Before we left Spokane, we took some time to check out Manito Park.
We left Spokane and started our drive across Washington. Our next stop was at the Wild Horses Monument (a.k.a. Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies).
Our next stop was just a few minutes away: Gingko Gem Shop! Silly dinosaur statues and pretty rocks!
Next, we grabbed some lunch at the Yellow Church Cafe in Ellensburg. If you are ever passing through that area, I would highly recommend a stop here. Best chicken sandwich I've ever had.
The next stop was home! That was our trip! We clocked in just under 2000 miles in 6 days. We had a ton of fun!
