Best route for inexperience

[SRD]

We will be leaving our home around May 28 for a first time trip to Yellowstone/Tetons. So far our route plan has us hooking up with I90 in Sioux Falls SD.From Sioux Falls to Buffalo,from Buffalo take 16 to Worland, then 16-20 north to Greybull. From there take 14-20 to Cody. I have no experience towing in the mountains and weather conditions In late May are concerning. Our check in date at Yellowstone is June 1st, be there 6 days then to Tetons for 6. Any advice appreciated

[RollaMo]

Originally Posted by SRD

We will be leaving our home around May 28 for a first time trip to Yellowstone/Tetons. So far our route plan has us hooking up with I90 in Sioux Falls SD.From Sioux Falls to Buffalo,from Buffalo take 16 to Worland, then 16-20 north to Greybull. From there take 14-20 to Cody. I have no experience towing in the mountains and weather conditions In late May are concerning. Our check in date at Yellowstone is June 1st, be there 6 days then to Tetons for 6. Any advice appreciated

For really good advice, it might help if you listed more details.

From "Home" to Yellowstone/Tetons. Where is "home" (at least city/state)
Where kind of trailer? bumper pull, 5th wheel, model number
What are you pulling it with? Make, model, year, gas, diesel, etc.

[SRD]

Our home is east central Indiana. My trailer is a 2017 Passort Elite 19rb. 24’ long tandem axle. My tow vehicle 2016 Silverado 1500 Z71 2lt 5.3 liter with tow package including brake controller, transmission cooler, Lt tires

[locomech]

Leaving from central Indiana consider taking I-74 west to Bloomington, IL to avoid Chicago. You can pick up I-39 or I-80 from there to Sioux Falls. I live in northeastern Illinois and highly recommend that you avoid I-65 through the Chicago area. The construction, traffic and crime are not worth the aggravation, not mention if you should break down or have an accident.

Traveling through the mountains in late May you still may encounter snow in the higher mountain passes. Stay in the right lane, use the tow/haul feature if your truck is equipped with it, take it slow on the downhill using the lower gears to control speed. Be aware of where the runaway truck ramps are in case you have to use one.

The most important thing to remember when driving in the mountains is to conserve your brakes on the downhill stretches, and stay in the right lane.

[SRD]

Yeah we never go near Chicago on any of our travels. My wife wants to see the Sandhills in Nebraska as we were going to do that on the trip back. But we are considering taking that route on our way out. We are weighing our options

[notanlines]

Just out of curiosity, 1600 miles one way will be done in how many days? You might want a 2/3 day break in the Rapid City area on the way out.

[SRD]

We are planning on taking 5 days out. Right now we are planning our routes, finding places to stay on the way

[Wilco]

I would plan a couple of days at Mt Rushmore and the Black Hills.

I cannot give you any advice about Rt 16 because it has been too long since I went across it. I do not remember any issues with Rt 14 from Cody into Yellowstone Lake. You might check the park service site to verify that route is open.

An alternative is to stay on I-90 to Livingston MT and take Rt 89 to the north entrance. That route is open all the time.

Enjoy your trip

[tanglemoose]

Cody to Yellowstone is a good road, but you do have to cross Sylvan pass. Road does not open till first Friday in May, when in May? The road does close often, and the pass is a grunt up and over, but we pull our 30' often. But we live in area. Where are you staying in Yellowstone.

[2togoNebraska]

2023 the pass between Cody & Yellowstone was closed frequently in early June due to snow fall and landslide prevention activities. You might want to consider entering from the south via the Grand Tetons. We luckily were able to get in and out between the closures.

[notanlines]

OP, you might keep in mind that for day trips from Cody the only road to Yellowstone is highway 14. Both the north entrance AND the south entrance are 5 hours away.
We have been to Yellowstone a number of times in mid-May and not had Sylvan pass problems, but it certainly is something to consider.
I might also add that Yellowstone and Grand Tetons are very much alike where kids are concerned. Keep in mind that once you've seen three bison, one bear, two coyotes and a few elk their interests with wildlife are about shot. Picture the look on a 12 year old's face when you say "Look at that lake! Isn't that beautiful?" Generally parents know that it is a "I couldn't care less" look. My DW said just a few minutes ago that a week with kids is plenty to do both parks unless you have A LOT of other activities planned.

[dutchmensport]

My daughter lived in Iowa for a few years. We live near Anderson, Indiana.

When we went to visit her, we traveled from Anderson on Highway 32 and came out at Crawfordsville to miss the Indianapolis rat race.

From there, we hit I-74 and hit I-80 at Davenport. We always enjoyed stopping at the I-80 Truck stop and spending a couple hours there. If you never been there, stop in, it's well worth a visit at least once. .... um ... be prepared to spend some money there ... I promise you, you'll walk out with something in your hands! It's an awesome place.

Iowa City, Cedar Rapids (um... watch your speed ... it's 60 mph and they have photo enforced speed limits .... yep ... I got the speeding ticket in the mail about 2 months after we traveled through they .... they found me in Indiana).

Hit US 20 (good road).... straight, boring, and try to stay awake!

Take 29 North to Sioux Falls, SD.

From there, someone else will need to pick up the journey. Going this direction, you'll be within a few miles from where my daughter lived.

Good luck .... um.... as you probably know by living in Indiana .... Illinois is strict on the speed limit, and if you "carry",.... keep that thing in the camper when you travel through Illinois. Illinois is not 2nd Amendment friendly at all and absolutely not repository with Indiana. So keep that thing in the camper when passing through. DON'T speed in Illinois ... just don't!

[coastn]

Have stayed in Buffalo a couple times to get my "Longmire" fix. Think Busy Bee Cafe and the author's (Craig Johnson) wife's store on Main Street with memorabilia. Took 16 to quaff at the Ten Sleep Brewery both times. 16 is a scenic two lane mountain road up from Buffalo and down to Ten Sleep on the way to Worland. Just lettin you know what to expect, not to create any anxiety.

[rogerinamarillo]

With family in Cody, we've been to Yellowstone 30+ times, including twice in 2023 where we camped at Bridge Bay. A beautiful alternate route from Cody to Yellowstone is Highway 120 north out of Cody, then Highway 296 to Cooke City which is just outside the Northeast entrance. Highway 14/16/20 west from Cody is the most direct route to the park. Sylvan Pass is no big deal, just a several mile long uphill pull.

[notanlines]

Highway 296 towards Cooke City is named Chief Joseph highway, probably 50 or so miles of fabulous scenery with a wonderful history behind the name. This is a superb road trip by car or motorcycle, maybe fine for your passengers but not so hot for the driver towing a large RV. There are no services between Cody and Cooke City by this route so plan accordingly.