Glacier National Park and Yellowstone – Should You Do Both in the Same Trip?
Being from Montana, one question we get asked a LOT is – should we visit Glacier National Park and Yellowstone in the same trip? There are some serious pros and cons that should be evaluated if you’re wanting to combine both of these massive parks into one trip. In this post, we’ll give you our honest opinion after we’ve visited each park many times!
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Should You Do Both Glacier National Park and Yellowstone in the Same Trip? The Quick Answer
Our answer to this question might be different than lots of other posts about this topic. My opinion is probably not, especially if you’re visiting with kids.
Both parks have a TON to explore and even though they are both (partially) in Montana, they are really far apart.
So my overall answer is, no you probably should do these on different trips. However, if you want to explore the cases where it does make sense to combine the two – I’ll outline it all below. We’ll also share all the reasons we think they each deserve their own visits!
How Far Apart are Glacier and Yellowstone?
Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park are actually pretty dang far apart even though they are both Montana National Parks.
Montana is a HUGE state – the 4th biggest in the country. So driving across it is no joke. Trust me, I spent most of my life living in Montana and I am still surprised by how long it takes!
Driving from Yellowstone to Glacier will take you 6-7 hours and is almost 400 miles. This also doesn’t include road construction (an unfortunate Montana summer tradition).
Depending on how hardcore you are, you may even have to add another hotel in the middle just to get there so you’ll want to factor that into cost as well.
Why Everyone Tells You to Just Combine Them
This is actually a great question and one I haven’t totally figured out the answer to. But I do think sometimes that bloggers or influencers tend to romanticize these big trips without being realistic about the downsides or slowing down a bit to enjoy the small moments.
There’s a nice ring to all the “EPIC Glacier and Yellowstone road trip” posts, which I could (and maybe will write someday!) but I think it’s important to talk about the real pros and cons so you can have the best vacation without sacrificing your sanity.
Since having kids, we’ve really learned to enjoy exploring one area more deeply while we minimize our time spent sitting in the car. It’s made our travel a lot more meaningful and we really leave each trip with a wonderful understanding and appreciation for the place we visited.
We rarely do guides that explore things like “5 National Parks in 5 days” because we prioritize really getting to know the area. Slowing down a bit allows us to see more wildlife, explore the hidden gems, and leave a little time for last minute roadside stops or additions to our itineraries.
Both Glacier and Yellowstone are parks that Dane and I have been exploring for our whole lives, and we still haven’t seen all we want to in the parks.
Visiting both is definitely possible, but you’ll have a bit more of a shallow experience at each, rather than a really meaningful and in depth exploration of one. They are both truly two of the best parks in the USA!
The Case Against Doing Both in One Trip
In my opinion there are a lot of reasons to not do Glacier and Yellowstone in the same trip. I’ll outline all my reasons here and you can make a decision for yourself.
- They are far apart! You will spend 6-7 extra hours in the car ONE WAY. I would personally rather spend those hours exploring a new alpine lake in Glacier, or watching a pack of wolves through my binoculars in Yellowstone!
- Each park can keep you busy for a week on its own. There are so many incredible things to do in Glacier and things to do in Yellowstone. You definitely won’t get bored in either park by spending a little extra time exploring there.
- Planning both would be pretty overwhelming. I’m literally a professional trip planner and the thought of planning a first time visit to both of these parks at the same time is a lot. They both have crowds, are really big, and an almost overwhelming list of highlights to see.
- You won’t have any downtime if you spend all of your energy moving from place to place to place to “see it all”. Some of our favorite National Park memories are made by roasting s’mores at our campsite, sunbathing by a mountain lake, or just enjoying a card game in a National Park lodge.
- They each deserve their own trip. It is my opinion that these are two of the BEST National Parks in all of the country. The magnificent lands and wildlife are worthy of a little extra time and care to get to know the history, the challenges, and the beauty all around you.
How Much Time You Need to Do Both Well
If you want to visit both parks and give each park justice, you would need at least 8 days to explore both. Even that would be cutting it a bit close because you’ll have at least 2 full days of driving built into your trip.
10-14 days would be the perfect amount of time to do both parks and be able and to enjoy them at a bit more reasonable pace.
If you’re like me, you will be TIRED at the end of that trip (and it might still be a bit much for some kids), but that amount of time will allow you to see a good amount of each park.
When it Does Make Sense to Combine Glacier and Yellowstone in the Same Trip
As I said above, if you have 10-14 days on your trip you can DEFINITELY explore both Glacier and Yellowstone on the same trip.
It also makes sense (if you are okay with extra driving), if you traveled from across the world and you won’t easily be able to make a vacation back to do each on their own trip.
If that’s the case, you should make the long drive so you can experience both the magic of Yellowstone (make sure to look at our first timer’s guide!) and the epic vistas of Glacier. Just try to build in a few extra days if you can!
What We Would Recommend Doing Instead
What I would recommend doing instead of Yellowstone and Glacier is combining Yellowstone and the Tetons!
Grand Teton National Park is the perfect add on to your Yellowstone trip for several reasons:
- Grand Teton National Park is much smaller than Glacier so it’s easier to add on with 1-3 days in the Tetons!
- The Tetons are WAY CLOSER to Yellowstone. The south end of Yellowstone is nearly connected to Grand Teton National Park so it makes a lot of sense to add in the same trip.
- The wildlife are similar so you can still get a deeper understanding of the area while exploring two parks!
If You Are Going to Both: Tips to Visit Glacier and Yellowstone in the Same Trip
If you’re set on visiting both in the same trip, it’s definitely possible. Here are a few tips on how to make your trip as enjoyable as possible:
- Extend your trip as long as you can – 2 weeks would be amazing!
- Prepare for some extra driving time and hit some cool stops on the way – Lewis and Clark Caverns, Helena, Bozeman, Canyon Ferry
- Do a lot of trip research so you can make the most of your trips and minimize the extra driving while in each park (we can help you with this!)
Final Verdict: Should You Visit Yellowstone and Glacier at the Same Time?
My recommendation is to NOT visit Glacier and Yellowstone in the same trip. Unless you will truly not be able to see the other on an additional trip or if you have two weeks – I would explore each park separately.
Let me know if you have any questions and combining Glacier and Yellowstone and leave a comment if you agree or disagree!
