Grand Loop Road

Grand Loop Road Historic District
	Grand Loop Road
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. Historic district
	Show map of WyomingShow map of the United StatesShow all
Location	Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Coordinates	44°38′16″N 110°36′54″W / 44.63778°N 110.61500°WCoordinates: 44°38′16″N 110°36′54″W / 44.63778°N 110.61500°W
Architect	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; National Park Service
NRHP reference No.	03001345
Added to NRHP	December 23, 2003

	Map all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap
	Download coordinates as: KML

The Grand Loop Road is a historic district which encompasses the primary road system in Yellowstone National Park. Much of the 140-mile (230 km) system was originally planned by Captain Hiram M. Chittenden of the US Army Corps of Engineers in the early days of the park, when it was under military administration. The Grand Loop Road provides access to the major features of the park, including the Upper, Midway and Lower geyser basins, Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Fall, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Yellowstone Lake.^[2]

A number of other historic districts adjoin the Grand Loop in Yellowstone, including Mammoth Hot Springs, North Entrance Road, Roosevelt Lodge, Lake Fish Hatchery and Old Faithful historic districts.

Grand Loop Rd. includes unsigned portions of US 20, US 89, US 191 and US 287, all of which traverse the park. The road was named by Harry W. Frantz in 1923, who served as the park's publicist before beginning a long career as a journalist.^[3]

Route[]

Beginning at the junction of the North Entrance Road and Grand Loop Rd. at Yellowstone National Park headquarters at Fort Yellowstone near Mammoth Hot Springs

44°58′34″N 110°42′2″W / 44.97611°N 110.70056°W, the road travels south, passing through Golden Gate Canyon on a viaduct and ascending the Gallatin Range, crossing Kingman Pass near Bunsen Peak. From the pass, the road descends into the Gardner River valley. At the south end of the valley, the road passes Sheepeater Cliff, a prominent columnar basalt cliff. After crossing the Gardner River, the road follows Obsidian Creek into Obsidian Canyon, passing Obsidian Cliff about halfway through the canyon. From Obsidian Canyon, the road continues south into the Norris Valley and the Norris Geyser Basin (44°43′38″N 110°41′47″W / 44.72722°N 110.69639°W). Here, the road meets the Gibbon River and follows it into the Gibbon Geyser Basin and Gibbon Canyon. Emerging from the canyon the Gibbon River merges with the Firehole River to form the Madison River. At this point—Madison Junction (44°38′43″N 110°51′29″W / 44.64528°N 110.85806°W), the road junctions with West Entrance Road which follows the Madison River west out of the park and to West Yellowstone, Montana.

Grand Loop Rd. continues to follow the Firehole River south and east. In a relatively short distance, the road travels through the three most notable geyser basins in the park: Lower Geyser Basin, Midway Geyser Basin and Upper Geyser Basin. The Old Faithful Historic District is located on Grand Loop Rd. adjacent to the Upper Geyser Basin. Turning east from Old Faithful the road crosses the Continental Divide over Craig Pass, and descends to the West Thumb Geyser Basin on the shore of Yellowstone Lake. West Thumb (

44°24′49″N 110°34′42″W / 44.41361°N 110.57833°W) is the southernmost point on Great Loop Rd. Here the road junctions with South Entrance Road which continues south to Grand Teton National Park.

Grand Loop Rd. continues north along the shore of Yellowstone Lake. Near the northern end of the lake it passes the Lake Hotel and the Lake Fish Hatchery Historic District. Just past the Lake Hotel area (

44°34′1″N 110°23′11″W / 44.56694°N 110.38639°W), the East Entrance Road turns right and crosses the Yellowstone River over Fishing Bridge and continues east to Cody, Wyoming. Grand Loop Rd. follows the western side of the Yellowstone River north into the Hayden Valley and past upper Yellowstone Falls near the mouth of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (44°44′9″N 110°29′35″W / 44.73583°N 110.49306°W). The road then crosses Dunraven Pass near Mount Washburn and descends to Tower Fall and Tower Junction (44°54′57″N 110°24′56″W / 44.91583°N 110.41556°W) where it intersects with the Northeast Entrance Road to Cooke City, Montana.

From Tower Junction, the road travels north and then west through the Gallatin Range to complete the loop at Mammoth Hot Springs.

Major junctions[]

Counterclockwise (CCW) reads down; clockwise (CW) reads up.

County	Location	mi^[4]	km	Destinations	Notes
Park	Mammoth Hot Springs	0.0	0.0	US 89 north (North Entrance Road) – Visitor Center, Campground, Gardiner	CW end of US 89 overlap
	Stretch of road closed December–April
		34.3	55.2	US 20 west / US 191 / US 287 north (West Entrance Road) – Campground, West Yellowstone	CW end of US 20/US 191/US 287 overlap; West Entrance Rd. closed December–April
Teton		50.2	80.8	Old Faithful	Interchange
	West Thumb Geyser Basin	67.8	109.1	US 89 / US 191 / US 287 south (South Entrance Road) – Grant Village, Lewis Lake, Grand Teton, Jackson	CCW end of US 89/US 191/US 287 overlap; South Entrance Rd. closed winters
	Stretch of road closed winters
		88.4	142.3	US 14 / US 16 / US 20 east (East Entrance Road) – Sylvan Pass, Cody	CCW end of US 20 overlap; western terminus of US 14/US 16; East Entrance Rd. closed winters
Stretch of road closed winters
Park	Tower Junction	122.0	196.3	US 212 east (Northeast Entrance Road) – Northeast Entrance, Silver Gate, Cooke City	Western terminus of US 212
Park	Mammoth Hot Springs	140.1	225.5	US 89 north (North Entrance Road) – Visitor Center, Campground, Gardiner	See above
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus

References[]

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
^ "Grand Loop Road Historic District". National Register of Historic Places. Wyoming State Preservation Office. 2008-10-24.
^ "Yellowstone Net". Archived from the original on 2008-05-13.
^ "Overview of Grand Loop Rd". Google Maps. Google, Inc. Retrieved September 11, 2016.

External links[]

"The History of the Construction of the Road System in Yellowstone National Park". National Park Service.
Grand Loop Road Historic District at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) documentation filed under Lake, Teton County, WY, except as noted below:
- HAER No. WY-24, "Yellowstone Roads & Bridges", 86 photos, 12 measured drawings, 255 data pages, 7 photo caption pages
- HAER No. WY-28, "Seven Mile Bridge, Spanning Gardner River at Grand Loop Road", 3 photos, 1 color transparency, 6 measured drawings, 23 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. WY-29, "Gibbon River Bridge No. 1, Spanning Gibbon River at Grand Loop Road", 6 photos, 3 measured drawings, 4 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. WY-30, "Gibbon River Bridge No. 2, Spanning Gibbon River at Grand Loop Road", 1 photo, 4 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. WY-31, "Isa Lake Bridge, Spanning Isa Lake at Grand Loop Road", 3 photos, 14 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. WY-32, "Otter Creek Bridge No. 1, Spanning Otter Creek at Grand Loop Road", 3 photos, 3 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. WY-33, "Tower Creek Bridge, Spanning Tower Creek at Grand Loop Road", 2 photos, 17 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. WY-34, "Lava Creek Bridge, Spanning Lava Creek at Grand Loop Road", 2 photos, 10 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. WY-47, "Otter Creek Bridge No. 2, Spanning Otter Creek at spur of Grand Loop Road", 1 photo, 3 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. WY-48, "Nez Perce Bridge, Spanning Nez Perce Creek at Grand Loop Road", 4 photos, 11 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. WY-55, "Grand Loop Road, Forming circuit between Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris Junction, Madison Junction, Old Faithful, Mammoth, Park County, WY", 6 color transparencies, 65 data pages, 1 photo caption page

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.

[2] "Grand Loop Road Historic District". National Register of Historic Places. Wyoming State Preservation Office. 2008-10-24.

[Yellowstone_Net-3] "Yellowstone Net". Archived from the original on 2008-05-13.

[4] "Overview of Grand Loop Rd". Google Maps. Google, Inc. Retrieved September 11, 2016.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t National Register of Historic Places in Yellowstone National Park
National Historic Landmarks	Fort Yellowstone Norris, Madison, and Fishing Bridge Museums Obsidian Cliff Old Faithful Inn
Historic districts	Grand Loop Road Lake Fish Hatchery Historic District Lamar Buffalo Ranch North Entrance Road Historic District Old Faithful Historic District Red Lodge-Cooke City Approach Road Historic District Roosevelt Lodge Historic District
Other properties	Fishing Bridge Museum Lake Hotel Madison Museum Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District Norris Museum/Norris Comfort Station Obsidian Cliff Kiosk Queen's Laundry Bath House US Post Office–Yellowstone Main
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Yellowstone National Park

v t National Register of Historic Places in Park County, Wyoming
National Historic Landmarks	Fort Yellowstone Heart Mountain Relocation Center Horner Site Norris, Madison, and Fishing Bridge Museums Obsidian Cliff Wapiti Ranger Station
Historic districts	Absaroka Mountain Lodge Anderson Lodge Downtown Cody Historic District Elephant Head Lodge Goff Creek Lodge Grand Loop Road Lamar Buffalo Ranch Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District North Entrance Road Historic District Red Star Lodge and Sawmill Roosevelt Lodge Historic District UXU Ranch
Other properties	Quintin Blair House Buffalo Bill Boyhood Home Buffalo Bill Dam Buffalo Bill - The Scout statue Colter's Hell Dead Indian Campsite First National Bank of Meeteetse Hayden Arch Bridge Irma Hotel Madison Museum Mummy Cave Norris Museum/Norris Comfort Station Obsidian Cliff Kiosk Pahaska Tepee Pioneer School Ralston Community Clubhouse Stock Center Paul Stock House T E Ranch Headquarters US Post Office–Powell Main US Post Office–Yellowstone Main
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Park County, Wyoming and List of National Historic Landmarks in Wyoming

v t National Register of Historic Places in Teton County, Wyoming
National Historic Landmarks	Jackson Lake Lodge Murie Ranch Historic District Norris, Madison, and Fishing Bridge Museums Old Faithful Inn
Historic districts	4 Lazy F Dude Ranch AMK Ranch Bar B C Dude Ranch Andy Chambers Ranch Historic District Cunningham Cabin Highlands Historic District Hunter Hereford Ranch Historic District Jenny Lake Ranger Station Historic District Kimmel Kabins Lake Fish Hatchery Historic District Geraldine Lucas Homestead-Fabian Place Historic District Menor's Ferry Mormon Row Historic District Old Administrative Area Historic District Old Faithful Historic District Rosencrans Cabin Historic District Snake River Ranch White Grass Dude Ranch White Grass Ranger Station Historic District
Other properties	Alpenhof Lodge The Brinkerhoff Cascade Canyon Barn Chapel of the Transfiguration Death Canyon Barn Double Diamond Dude Ranch Dining Hall Flat Creek Ranch Gap Puche Cabin George Washington Memorial Park Hardeman Barns Huckleberry Mountain Fire Lookout Huff Memorial Library Jackson Hole American Legion Post No. 43 Jackson Lake Ranger Station Jenny Lake Boat Concession Facilities Jenny Lake CCC Camp NP-4 Lake Hotel Leek's Lodge Leigh Lake Ranger Patrol Cabin Madison Museum Manges Cabin Miller Cabin Grace and Robert Miller Ranch Moose Entrance Kiosk Moran Bay Patrol Cabin Murie Residence Queen's Laundry Bath House Ramshorn Dude Ranch Lodge Snake River Land Company Residence and Office Squirrel Meadows Guard Station St. John's Episcopal Church and Rectory String Lake Comfort Station T. A. Moulton Barn Triangle X Barn Upper Granite Canyon Patrol Cabin Van Vleck House and Barn Wort Hotel
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Teton County, Wyoming and List of National Historic Landmarks in Wyoming

v t Yellowstone National Park - Tower-Roosevelt and Lamar Valley
Geography, historic structures and other attractions in the Tower Roosevelt and Lamar Valley areas
Structures and history	Grand Loop Road John F. Yancey Lamar Buffalo Ranch Northeast Entrance Station Roosevelt Lodge Historic District Yanceys, Wyoming
Geography and geology	Abiathar Peak Barronette Peak Beartooth Highway Cooke City, Montana Cook Peak Druid Peak Dunraven Pass Dunraven Peak Folsom Peak Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone Hedges Peak Lamar River Mount Hornaday Mount Norris Mount Washburn Overhanging Cliff Prospect Peak Silver Gate, Montana Slough Creek (Wyoming) Soda Butte Creek Specimen Ridge The Thunderer Tower Fall Trout Lake (Wyoming) Yellowstone Falls Yellowstone River
List of Yellowstone National Park related articles Media related to Nature of Yellowstone National Park at Wikimedia Commons

v t Yellowstone National Park – Lake and environs
Historic structures and other attractions in the Yellowstone Lake, West Thumb, South and East Entrance areas
Structures and History	Fishing Bridge Museum Grand Loop Road Grant Village Lake Hotel Lake Fish Hatchery Historic District Norris, Madison, and Fishing Bridge Museums
West Thumb Geyser Basin	Abyss Pool Big Cone Black Pool Fishing Cone
Geography and Geology	Barlow Peak Buffalo Bill Cody Scenic Byway Cody, Wyoming Colter Peak Eagle Peak (Wyoming) Factory Hill Hayden Valley Heart Lake Heart River (Wyoming) Jackson, Wyoming Lewis Falls Lewis Lake Lewis River Mount Chittenden Mount Doane Mount Hancock Mount Schurz Mount Sheridan Mount Stevenson Orange Mound Spring Shoshone Lake Snake River Sulphur Spring Sylvan Pass Yellowstone Lake Yellowstone River
Yellowstone National Park-related articles Commons

Grand Loop Road

Contents

Route[]

Major junctions[]

See also[]

References[]

External links[]

v t State of Wyoming
Cheyenne (capital)
Topics	Bibliography Governors Delegations History People State symbols Radio stations	Seal of Wyoming
Society	Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics
Regions	Black Hills Grand Teton Great Basin Powder River Country Red Desert Yellowstone
Cities	Buffalo Casper Cheyenne Cody Douglas Evanston Gillette Green River Jackson Kemmerer Lander Laramie Newcastle Powell Rawlins Riverton Rock Springs Sheridan Torrington Worland
Counties	Albany Big Horn Campbell Carbon Converse Crook Fremont Goshen Hot Springs Johnson Laramie Lincoln Natrona Niobrara Park Platte Sheridan Sublette Sweetwater Teton Uinta Washakie Weston
Wyoming portal