The first couple of times that I toured Yellowstone Park I entered and departed from the Wyoming gateways. Hey, on the initial trip I was a little kid in the back seat of my grandfather’s Chevy and the second time, a clueless college kid driving an old school bus, kind of converted into a camper. Montana was an unexplored presence, an untapped dream that I had not gotten around to yet. Once I made it here I have never really left.

In fact, though the bulk of the Park is located within land that later became the state of Wyoming, three of the five entrances to Yellowstone are in Montana. But before this tumbles into a booster rant about my road being better than your road, it may be worth listing all the options and their attractions.

The good news is that there are five entrances to choose from. There is no best, no worst. Many National Parks have had to restrict visitor numbers and usage based on crowds. This has not yet occurred in Yellowstone, even though the Park accommodates millions of people each year. This is due to the number and variety of entry choices and the layout of the Park roads in an efficient and flowing figure eight design. The possible routes are endless. Drive in one gateway and out another with no backtracking. Or in and out from the same place, seeing scenery early and again later in different directions and light.

Moving clockwise, here are descriptions of the five Yellowstone Park entrances and their nearby attractions, beginning in the north. The north entrance to the Park at Gardiner is arguably the most historic, and the official gateway. Many of the exploratory expeditions into Yellowstone originated in Bozeman or Livingston. (Some set out from Virginia City and entered near West Yellowstone.) The Paradise Valley route was the most convenient for early travelers. Gardiner was founded in 1880. When the U.S. Army administered Yellowstone, their fort was located at Mammoth Hot Springs; it has remained the Park Headquarters ever since.

Since Gardiner is also the location for the YPSS service stations and for Xanterra, which serves park hotels and other facilities, it has always seemed to be a company town, with many of its citizens working in the Park. Yet it has also grown into a tourist mecca, with touring companies, Yellowstone River rafting, motels and restaurants, and a new parking and entrance complex. After the catastrophic floods three years ago, a new road was opened up the mountain to Mammoth Hot Springs.

Mammoth is the headquarters of the Park. The old stone buildings also hold the museum. There are lawns and parkways, but it has the feel of an army fort, which it was a hundred years ago. The huge travertine terraces of the hot springs, and the ring of mountains give the impression of an outpost of civilization on the edge of the wilderness. Mammoth is unique among the entrances in that there are two roads into the Park from there.

One road leads northeast to Tower Junction and through the Lamar Valley to Cooke City. This is the only road that is open year round in Yellowstone. The other road climbs a thousand feet through the Golden Gate and into the interior of the Park. (The traveler has already ascended one thousand feet from 5000 feet of elevation at Gardiner.) This road provides the best feeling of arriving on the Yellowstone Plateau.

The northeast entrance at Cooke City, Montana is the most spectacular gateway. There are two ways to get to Cooke City: from Cody, Wyoming along the Clark Fork River, and from Red Lodge, Montana via the Beartooth Highway, which is always included in lists of the most scenic routes in the country. Cooke City and Silver Gate are great little western towns right on the edge of the Park, with towering peaks all around. Nearby, the wildlife mecca of the Lamar Valley provides viewing of elk, bison, and regularly, wolves.

People who are not from our area of the country are often puzzled that Yellowstone is closed from November until April. Temperatures well below zero and many feet of snow are the reasons. In fact, most of the Park is above 7000 feet in elevation and it could snow any day of the year. Mammoth and the road to Cooke City are the only facilities open in winter. Wildlife is concentrated in areas like the Lamar, and viewing opportunities occur daily.

The east entrance to Yellowstone is one of two wilderness gateways. The nearest town is Cody, Wyoming, 52 miles away. The drive takes about an hour and follows the scenic Shoshone River. This road is mountainous, and heads over Sylvan Pass. The main attraction nearby is Yellowstone Lake. The road follows the shore of the Lake for several miles before reaching the locations of Fishing Bridge, the Lake Hotel, and Bridge Bay Marina and campground. This entrance and route is one of the least used (and thus least trafficked) areas in the Park. The Lake is an amazing sight from any pullout, especially from the front door of the Lake Hotel. Also, it is a short drive north to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. This road is heavily used in the high season, but well worth the drive.

The south entrance is the other wilderness gateway. The nearest town is Jackson, Wyoming, 60 miles south. This road passes through Grand Teton National Park and then follows the Rockefeller Parkway to Yellowstone. Many people will begin a tour in Jackson and make it a twofer: two spectacular national parks—Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Both Parks have great wildlife viewing, both have beautiful lakes and seemingly endless forest. But there are no mountains like the Tetons in Yellowstone (or anywhere else). And the Tetons have no thermal features or dramatic canyons as does Yellowstone, so they make a great pair. Entering the park from the south, the Lewis River Canyon and Lewis Falls come first, then Lewis Lake. Yellowstone Lake is encountered next. At West Thumb, the road forks to the Lake locations to the east, and Old Faithful to the west.

The fifth and final entrance is also the busiest—West Yellowstone, Montana. It is accessed from Bozeman, Ennis or Idaho. West is a great tourist town, and proud of it. The town features many motels and RV parks. Restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, ice cream stops, and a food truck or two showcase delicious local food. There is an Imax Theatre and a bear and wolf refuge that is very dramatic and educational. A couple of museums, a visitor center and quite a few souvenir shops round out this busy gateway.

Once a traveler is inside the Park, the road is scenic but mellow. It heads up the banks of the Madison River as it makes its way slowly downstream. In the riverside meadows, elk and bison are common. At Madison Junction, the Firehole and the Gibbon form the Madison River. The road forks north to Norris Geyser basin and south along the Firehole to Old Faithful.

My own favorite one-day survey drive through Yellowstone leaving from and returning to Bozeman involves 310 miles of driving. It takes a long time, but covers the highlights. Begin early; traffic in Yellowstone does not become severe, even in the high season, until afternoon. Drive east to Livingston, then turn south through Paradise Valley. This pastoral scene along the Yellowstone River with the high Absarokas to the east and the Gallatin Range to the west provides drama enough, but it is just the beginning.

Enter into Yankee Jim Canyon. There is history here from its toll road days, and wild whitewater rafting on the Yellowstone. Gardiner is a few miles south, a good coffee and snack spot. The park entrance is dramatic, spanned by the Roosevelt Arch, a commemorative monument to our foremost ‘National Park’ President. The new road to Mammoth is steep and winding, so take your time. Trying to rush through Yellowstone is both futile and dangerous.

After taking in the charms of Mammoth, drive south up to the plateau and on to Norris. The geyser basin there is less crowded than the others around Old Faithful. At Norris Junction, turn east for a short jaunt to Canyon, where you’ll find a dramatic new visitors’ center, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone with overlooks on both sides, and the Upper and Lower Falls. Click away.

Next, stop at the Lake Hotel for the veranda view of the vast expanse of Yellowstone Lake. There are many other facilities here also. The drive to West Thumb hugs the lake for most of the route. Turn toward Old Faithful and over Craig Pass. At Old Faithful, park in the huge lot behind the Old Faithful Inn and stroll around the Inn, Visitors’ Center, and the General Stores. There are signs giving the time of the next eruption. From there it is 30 miles to West Yellowstone along the Firehole and Madison Rivers. Drive back to Bozeman through Gallatin Canyon.

How long should one spend in Yellowstone? Well... you can see a lot in this one day trip, but you could not see all of it in fifty years.