"Visiting Deadwood/Little Big Horn/Yellowstone" Topic

All,
I've seen threads that answer some of this question, but I cannot seem to find them today (search not working?). I plan on a trip to the above area this July and would like those that live or have been in the area to give me an idea of how to go about it. Ill have about 6 days (two for airline travel from the central east coast).
-best "base of operations." I've heard Billings, MT was good.
-where did you stay? Anyone been to Deadwood and stayed there? What's the better places?
-How long do you need in each place to enjoy?
I understand I may not have the time to see it all in that period, so just let me know.
Thanks

I'm partial to Sheridan Wyoming as base of operations

Lots of options in the Black Hills, Custer and even Rapid City are still close to Rushmore and Deadwood.

LBH is roughly half way from Billings and Sheridan, @ 60 miles from each.

Black Hills are about 4.5 hours East of Sheridan, Yellowstone is about 5 hours West (across the Big Horns and the Basin). Cody is worth a day just for the Buffalo Bill center.

Rushmore and the other Black Hills (Wind and Jewell caves, Crazy Horse) attractions are a solid day (all are fairly close). Devil's Tower is just north of I-90 and east of Gillette WY.

Yellowstone is HUGE, you just the major loop road is a full day, with various stops. Best is to try "chunks" of @ a day for each of the various "zones".

10 days should get it all, more for a relaxed pace. Yellowstone really should not be shorted, try to get as much time there as you can. LBH is a couple of hours if you do a couple of the walks and the Visitors Center.

Prepare for LOTS of driving. Pack lunches

Do not under-estimate the vast distances between things. The three destinations you listed in the time allotted sounds like an awful lot for this westerner. Sounds like a lot of windshield time.

+1 Snafu

I agree w/Sheridan..and yes ,,it is a lot of windshield time…

I agree w/Sheridan..and yes ,,it is a lot of windshield time…plus don't forget Winchester museum in Cody/Wyoming.

Sheridan, WY is a good place to stay while visiting Little Big Horn. You are also fairly close to the Fetterman Massacre site, Wagon Box fight, and the Rosebud. Sheridan has hotels, and last time I was there, was cosmopolitan enough to have a Chinese restaurant!
On the way from Little Big Horn to Yellowstone, consider a stop in Cody, WY, to see the Buffalo Bill Museum. It has four parts: William F. Cody and his career, Western wildlife, Western art, and a gun museum. Also a large bookstore.

Grelber
I need to go up there again.

And if you let me know when I can have a game set up!

I'll say you can't adequately do it in 6 days, especially from a central location.

With what you've posted, I'd skip the Black Hills.

Fly into Billings, and drive to Sheridan. You can see the Fetterman site, LBH, and the Wagon-box site in one day. Then I'd drive to Cody the next day and go to the Buffalo Bill museums. 2 days at Yellowstone, then drive north to Red Lodge and on to Billings to head home.

Avoid the base of operations idea- you are going to be spending quite a bit of time just driving.
Yellowstone has a lot of traffic hold ups and a 25 mph speed limit for much of it so plan on spending two nights adjacent to the park or pretty close. I usually do a night in Livingston or Cody, then a night in the other for a long 13 or 14 hour day. Staying in Red Lodge and going up the Beartooth Hwy/Cook City road makes for a longer day but beautiful drive.
West Yellowstone has an interesting wolf and bear center with live animals, it might be worth visiting as both are something you are unlikely to see in the park in July.

As others have said, the museum in Cody is impressive and worth the trip alone.

Be aware this is tourist season. Rooms are pricy, especially around the park and in Deadwood. I normally don't look for hotel rooms until about 1, then estimate where I'll end up for the night and make reservations.
I'd plan on a day from the Billings to the Park, a long day in, and then a day to Sheridan with time to hit the Battlefield and other stops.

Also – take Saber6 up on his offer, he hosts a hell of a game.

You didn't say what you wanted to see on your vacation trip – battlefields? – museums? countryside? historical sites? I don't think you can go wrong by staying in Sheridan (quick and easy trips to multiple battle sites). Personally, I don't care much for Deadwood as it is now primarily a gambling town and seems to have lost the historical site feel.

All,
thanks for the replies. Saber 6, I remembered you had spoke on this topic in another thread and implied you lived in the area so I'm glad you took the time to chime in as a "resident expert." I finished reading "The Earth is Weeping" in the last year and it rekindled my desire to see these places first hand. I got to visit Tombstone and Ft. Bowie in Arizona a few years ago and really enjoyed that area and its now on the high end of my places to retire to.

I think we are going to do something as TheWhiteDog mentioned.
Now, my wife is not going to tolerate low end hotels that the rest of us might be okay with. Do places such as Sheridan, Red Lodge and Cody have relatively nice places? She's looking at the maps now to get a clue, and I think we will solidify and book travel plans in the next week or so.

At Cody, try "The Cody" hotel. It's on the West side of town, and it's the nicest place to stay short of renting a house. Ask for a room with a balcony, and it is very relaxing.

If you stay near Jackson, there are tons of nice hotels, though the condo I rented in Teton Village 2 years ago was amazing.

In Billings there's a few, but the La Quinta is brand-new, and optimized for business travelers.

Sheridan, I usually stay at the Holiday Inn, but there's lots of nice rentals between there and Buffalo. You might want to check out VRBO (Vacation Rental by Owner).

That's a few, just off the top of my head.

6 days, with 2 for travel you will have very limited options for anything significant. I have done this trip several times in recent years. Trips were camping/hotel along the way 10 days to 2 weeks.

Last time went to the Badlands first (2 days one night camping) then went to Deadwood (2 days, 2 nights). Deadwood has lots of summer events. From Deadwood day trips to Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse monument.

Driving to Wyoming went to Buffalo and the Jim Gatchell museum which has great history on the Johnson County Cattle War (Nate Champion statue is outside the museum).

From there on to Fort Phil Kearney (about half way between Buffalo and Sheridan). Small museum run by the state, but very nice with good information. Fetterman Massacre sight and Wagon Box sight are short drive (mostly back roads). Did both Buffalo and the Fort in a day, including nearby sights.

From Fort Phil Kearny, we drove on to Crow Agency and to Custer Battlefield. The visitor center is right near last stand hill, but to see other areas of the battle you'll need to do some driving around. With driving it's a full day.

From there, to Billings, south on route 212 back into Wyoming. Went over the Beartooth Highway which is the most scenic road I ever traveled, and on into Yellowstone. 3 days and 2 nights camping there. Could have stayed longer to see more.

From there started a return trip cross state to Cheyenne than the long boring drive home.

If you have to fly in consider Rapid City, or Billings and plan on driving from there, staying overnight as you travel in a car rental. You're going to have to prioritize what you want to see and do as you'll find there is so much to take in.

I hope to go again in the next few years!

Good Luck

All,
just wanted to let all the responders know that my trip was a success. I did the Billings-Sheridan-Cody and back triangle. Seeing Little Big Horn battlefield in person, as well as Ft. Phil Kearny (and Lodge Trail Ridge) really speaks volumes more than what you can read. Great scenery, but lots of driving. I drove almost 200 miles a day visiting different sites, museums and parks in the area. Yellowstone was 8 hours of driving for just 3 hours of sightseeing; the Shoshone forest and Bighorn mountains were just as scenic. Visited Sheridan, Cody, Thermopolis and just about every site you could see in that "triangle" in the time allotted.
Again,
thanks for the suggestions, a good time it was.