Best Airport To Fly Into For Yellowstone
The most common way to visit Yellowstone National Park is by driving. However, more and more travelers are interested in flying into a regional airport to visit. The park is in a remote section of Wyoming, but to one’s surprise, there are a handful of nearby airports with easy access to the park!
Why You Should Fly Into Yellowstone
As Yellowstone locals and tour guides, we can’t recommend flying & taking a tour to Yellowstone enough, because traffic in the summer months is becoming quite a problem in the park. For many visitors, especially those driving motorhomes/RVs, driving is stressful. It’s not uncommon for parking lots to be maxed out, traffic to be heavy, and mountain passes to have snow far into June.
Those who fly in often skip the rental car and instead book a Yellowstone tour. Booking a tour = less stress, more time to explore, and knowledgeable guides who take you to all the best spots for wildlife and scenery. It’s by far the best way to see the park while ensuring it’s a vacation and not a stressful road trip!
Best Airport To Fly Into For Yellowstone
There are numerous options for flying into Yellowstone, the most common being:
1. Cody/Yellowstone Regional Airport, Wyoming
The Cody/Yellowstone Regional Airport is our pick for the best airport to fly into for Yellowstone due to its easy access to the park and DIA & SLC airports. The main flight operator is United, with three flights/day directly to Denver. In the summer, an additional Delta leg is added that connects through Salt Lake City. It’s a tiny airport, but is easy and efficient for arrivals & departures!
The airport is conveniently located just a couple of miles outside of Downtown Cody, with hotel shuttle pick-ups and easy rental car access. Cody, Wyoming, is considered the ‘gateway to Yellowstone’ from the east and is a scenic and wildlife-packed 50-mile drive to the East Entrance. The east entrance is one of the best places in the region to spot grizzly bears – so keep your eyes peeled!
The best part about flying into Cody/Yellowstone Regional Airport is that you don’t even need to have a rental car to visit Yellowstone! Simply grab the shuttle to town & book a Yellowstone tour through our tour agency – Covered Ground Tours! We specialize in group & private tours into the park and can tailor the itinerary based on exactly what you want to see & experience.
Cinnamon Black Bear
2. Billings International Airport, Montana
Billings is one of the best airports to fly into Yellowstone because of its affordable ticket prices and scenic drives into the park. Located two hours north of the Cody/Yellowstone airport, Billings is a few hours away from the entrance to Yellowstone, but the scenic way from Billings to Yellowstone includes driving one of the most beautiful highways in the lower 48, the Beartooth Highway.
The mountain roads and drives are stunning, but we understand if you’re nervous about navigating them – some passes are above 9,000ft, with the Beartooth Highway maxing out at almost 11,000ft! Covered Ground Tours can arrange pickup and tours beginning in Billings that include a drive of the Beartooth Highway – simply contact us to arrange your custom tour!
Views along the Beartooth Highway
3. Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, Montana
If you’re looking to fly into a bigger city, Bozeman Airport in Montana is another choice for airports to fly into for Yellowstone. It offers more flights & airline operators than Cody, and is slightly bigger with more amenities. Bozeman’s airport is located about 15-20 minutes from downtown Bozeman, and Uber to the city center can be quite expensive. If you plan to visit Yellowstone from Bozeman Airport, we recommend renting a car directly from the airport.
From downtown Bozeman, you’ll head south through Big Sky to West Yellowstone to enter the park. It takes about 1 hour and 48 minutes to get to West Yellowstone, and then another 30 minutes of driving in the park to reach the main loop.
4. Jackson Hole Airport, Wyoming
Located south of Yellowstone National Park, Jackson Hole Airport is the only airport in the country that is located within a National Park. The catch is – that park isn’t Yellowstone National Park. Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park are quite close and this airport can be a possible choice if you plan to visit both. Once you land, Yellowstone National Park is about a one-hour drive.
Because Jackson Hole is a popular airport in the summer for anyone visiting Jackson, Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park, rental cars are often limited and flight rates can be sky-high. Carriers out of Jackson Hole include United, American, and Delta.
Contact Covered Ground With Questions or to Book Your Yellowstone Tour
Here at Covered Ground, we eat, sleep, and breathe Yellowstone. If you have questions about the best airport to fly into Yellowstone, accommodations, where to see wildlife, and more, give us a call! We offer day tours of Yellowstone, wildlife tours, private tours, and more directly from Cody. We offer hotel pickup in town and in the park – just let us know where you want your adventure to begin!
Yellowstone Upper Loop Day Tour
Yellowstone Full Day Guided Tour