Yellowstone Highway

Yellowstone Highway. Grows into the longest road in the U.S., The National Park-to-Park Highway. This Welcome Center's entrance axis aligns with and pays tribute to the Yellowstone and National Park-to-Park highways. The Yellowstone Highway was an unpaved "auto trail" established in 1915 that was mapped, maintained, and promoted by local businesses and Good Roads Clubs. It ran from Denver, Colorado, to Yellowstone National Park by way of Rocky Mountain National Park, plus Cheyenne, Douglas, Casper, and Cody. Connecting two national parks, this historic route sparked the idea of linking all national parks of the western United States with one, scenic road. Inaugurated in 1920, the resultant National Park-to-Park Highway absorbed the old Yellowstone Highway, bringing more national park tourists along the axis preserved at this site. , "See America First" , Yellowstone was established in 1872 as the first national park. By 1919, eleven other western national parks had joined its ranks. Since rich Americans traditionally vacationed in Europe, several western destinations and railways began promoting travel to the wonders of the West with the slogan, "See America First" -- especially during World War I. By the 1920s, as the growing middle class had more time, money, transportation (thanks to Henry Ford), and destinations provided by the national parks, the American road trip was born., Follow the Yellow-stone Road , Yellowstone Park gave access to automobiles in 1915, the same year Rocky Mountain National Park near Denver was established. The two events lead to the development of Yellowstone Highway, which connected the parks and their state capitals, and was called "the leading road in the State of Wyoming." Stephen Mather -- who was the energy behind many of the national parks being created and behind the establishment of the National Park Service -- enthusiastically endorsed extending Yellowstone Highway to connect all the western national parks. , The National Park-to-Park Highway , The 600-mile Yellowstone Highway extended into the almost 6,000-mile National Park-to-Park Highway thanks to park promoters and the Good Roads Movement, which was initiated by bicyclists in 1880 and adopted by motorists to advocated quality rural roads. Completed in 1920 at almost twice the length of the transcontinental Lincoln Highway, the National Park-to-Park Highway was the longest automobile project to date. A 20-car caravan made the landmark journey along it in a 76-day dedication tour. Though mostly unpaved when completed, the road was described as "the master motor road of the country."