re: Road Trip to Montana: Need Advice Along the Way

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I just had reservations canceled at a state park near Cody, WY for mid July.

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They were doing a phased open, where only state residents would have access to state parks. I don’t know why they cancelled a reservation in July, but I think it was panic.

The gas station in Grand Teton opens on May 22nd, the park itself should be open for Memorial Day weekend. Once that happens the entire state will be open for business.

We took a similar route on our road trip last summer.
We ate lunch in Kansas City and spent the night in Sioux City, Iowa. Then we went to Rapid City for 3 nights.
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Since we were just going to RC from SC we took the scenic route through Nebraska rather than the interstate to Sioux Falls.
We connected with I-90 at Chamberlain which has two attractions; a Lakota Sioux museum and the Dignity statue which is at a rest stop on the interstate. The museum in town takes a couple of hours.
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Dignity statue at the rest stop and there is a small museum there as well and an information desk.
We exited I-90 at Wall and drove through the Badlands. But you can get off at an exit further east at Cactus Flat; drive south to the Ben Reifel Visitor Center at Interior on Hwy 240 and then north to Wall, SD & I-90 before heading to Rapid City.

There are a lot of things to do in and around Rapid City besides Mt. Rushmore. Google Custer State Park and South Dakota scenic highways.
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When we left RC we went to Billings for 3 nights and again took the scenic route most of the way. We got off I-90 at the WY visitor center and drove up to Aladdin and connected to Hwy 24. We took that to Devils Tower NM but you could take I-90 to Sundance and exit there to go to DTNM.
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DTNM as seen from WY Hwy 24.

After seeing Devils Tower we backtracked to Hulett, WY and took Hwy 112 to Montana and connected to Hwy 212 to Crow Agency and got back on I-90 to Billings. Little Big Horn is at the junction of 212 and I-90.
One day at Billings we drove to Cody, WY to the Buffalo Bill museum which has 5 sections; western art, wildlife, fire arms, Buffalo Bill and Plains Indians. It is a great western museum.
When we left Billings we went to Yellowstone via the Beartooth Highway.

After seeing DTNM you could get back on I-90 at Sundance and go to Cody and then make your way to the northeast entrance of Yellowstone near Silver Gate, MT. You could drive through Lamar Valley, where wildlife is frequently seen and then exit Yellowstone through the northwest entrance. There are some unusual hot springs near YS's nw entrance. But traveling through YS will take some planning and I would think you should have hotel rooms or campsites figured out. It takes longer to get around YS than you might think due to low speed limits and animals on the road.
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This is our loop from and back to KC; we drove to KC from NC. When we left YS we went to Rocky Mountain National Park and then to Denver.

We had a great time on this trip and were gone for 3 weeks; had planned to be gone 4 but came back early due to Hurricane Dorian.

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According to the call I got they are saying no nonresidents for the whole season.

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Ugh. Those morons.

I did a quick search and it seems like they’ll open them when they feel it’s appropriate.

So anytime between tomorrow and Christmas.

Not that you or anyone should make plans on it. But I think they’ll open them shortly after the Grand Teton and Yellowstone open.

Personally, and my father in law has a place in Jackson hole (subtle brag I guess), I would spend 90% of your time in a couple hundred mile radius of Yellowstone. That area is just phenomenal in the summer. The wildlife, the food, the scenario, the hiking, it’s just amazing. Not just Yellowstone Park, but southwestern Montana is incredible, Glacier is incredible, all the towns around there are incredible. There’s a Grizzly and Wolf Park in the town of West Yellowstone. Some solid diners and Cafe’s all around. Some of those people are 50-100 miles from any decent town and you imagine their winters and off season and it’s just an insanely remote life but incredible.

I wouldn’t personally worry about Closures, just go and make do. Take a left instead of a right. Sounds like a great trip.

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It's the same drive either way as far as time. I'm leaning towards the northern route so that we can do Mt. Rushmore and Devil's Tower and the Black Hills

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understood but theres NOTHING to see on that route until you get to SD. the other way, TX sucks but once you get to CO & WY theres tons to do and see. however, because of that, the southern route will take longer, inevitably