Salt to Stone Description
Salt Lake City >> Pinedale >> Yellowstone
- Season(s)
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Year Round
- Trip Facts
An enjoyable 3-5 day trip.
Driving Directions
Upon crossing the Wyoming State Line from Salt Lake, you'll pass through the railroad town of Evanston. From Evanston, head to Bear River State Park where you can stop for a break to see a small head of bison and elk kept for public viewing and three miles of foot trails to stretch your legs.
Continue east on I-80 to head toward Highway 189 to Kemmerer. Not far from Kemmerer is Fossil Butte National Monument. As Wyoming's newest national monument, it contains more than 8,000 acres and protects a portion of the largest deposit of freshwater fish fossils in the world.
Once you've stopped in Kemmerer, choose Pinedale as your next stop. Pinedale is nestled on the western flank of the Wind River Mountain Range with Fremont Lake, Wyoming's second largest lake and the seventh deepest in the nation (at 12-miles long is just three miles from town).
Pinedale is surrounded by the Bridger Teton National Forest and connects to Jackson Hole by the Hoback Canyon making it a gateway to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. This is a remarkable drive from Pinedale to Jackson on the Centennial Scenic Byway route—one you'll be glad to take again if you choose. The Pinedale and Jackson Hole areas are encompassed on all sides by mountain barriers, allow yourself extra time for outdoor photography and wildlife viewing in route.
From Jackson you're not too far from Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Grand Teton National Park protects stunning mountain scenery and a diverse array of wildlife. Rising more than 7,000 feet above the valley of Jackson Hole, the Teton Range dominates the park's skyline.
And not far from Grand Teton National Park is Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone has more than 2 million acres of sprawling wilderness to explore. The park's vast network of trails take hikers to hundreds of secluded places where vehicles are prohibited.