Road trip plan

West Yellowstone to Ashton Scenic Drive

Bounded Route 20 connector outing built around West Yellowstone, Island Park, and Ashton just west of the Yellowstone gap.

Bounded route plan Usable starting point

West Yellowstone to Ashton Scenic Drive

This scenic connector carries travelers from the park gateway at West Yellowstone through the forests of Island Park to the agricultural gateway at Ashton.

Uses these segments

• West Yellowstone, Island Park, and Ashton for the park-edge re-entry, the Idaho continuation through Island Park, and the gateway town at Ashton

Best anchor towns

• West Yellowstone is the clearest west-side re-entry town after the Yellowstone gap
• Island Park is the calmer continuation town once the route resumes in Idaho
• Ashton is the practical Idaho gateway base west of the forest corridor

Yellowstone handoff note

Route 20 reaches Yellowstone from Wyoming, crosses the park on roads that require their own conditions and access planning, and resumes westbound at West Yellowstone. This trip begins at that western gateway and carries the drive back into Idaho.

Best fit

This trip is a good fit for travelers who want to understand where Route 20 resumes west of Yellowstone, keep the outing scenic and bounded, and reach a practical Idaho town without committing to a longer drive toward Rexburg.

Yellowstone planning options

This is the west-gateway planning lane: West Yellowstone is the practical base, Island Park is the calmer continuation, and Ashton is where the Idaho side starts to feel like a fuller stop. When a traveler wants help choosing between a guided Yellowstone day, a self-guided audio drive, a scenic flight, or a simpler reset after the park, the Yellowstone Approach store keeps the broader decision shelf compact.

Browse Yellowstone Approach Bookable Activities by category

Choose the Yellowstone approach by the kind of gateway day you need: before the park, West Yellowstone tours, east-gateway planning, self-guided driving tools, wildlife and geyser days, scenic flights, or an after-the-park reset.

This is not a normal metro store. It is the transition zone where before-the-park, West Yellowstone tours, east-gateway planning, self-guided driving tools, and after-the-park reset choices deserve a tight edit.

Before the parkUse a guided day when the park itself is the anchor and the whole plan needs a steady hand. Wildlife + scenic toursWildlife, geysers, waterfalls, and the big payoff that makes the gateway worth planning. East-gateway planningCody-facing tours, trolley, river, horses, and western reset energy. Self-guided driving toolsAudio tours and lighter tools when you want structure without a full guided day. After the park resetUse the gateway to recover, simplify, and reconnect with the road.

Keep going

• Use Wyoming for the east approach into Yellowstone
• Start shorter with West Yellowstone to Island Park Scenic Drive
• Continue west with Ashton to Rexburg Route 20 Weekend
• Use Idaho to plan the full east-to-west state crossing