Cody, WY to Mills, WY is 212.3 miles and takes about 4h 4m via WY 120 and US Highway 20-26, with a fuel budget near $38 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within the Mountain West region, primarily traversing Wyoming. It's a straightforward, mostly highway drive suitable for a single day. Expect a relatively easy cruise with minimal complexity, making it a practical choice for getting from point A to point B efficiently.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
106.2 miles from Cody, WY
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 2h 1m into the drive
.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
WY 120
81.5 mi
1h 29m
West US Highway 20-26
62.2 mi
1h 11m
East 2nd Street
33.1 mi
37m
US 20
31 mi
36m
Greybull Highway
1.4 mi
1m
Southwest Wyoming Boulevard
0.8 mi
1m
Shoshoni Street
0.7 mi
1m
17th Street
0.7 mi
1m
Longest stretch:
WY 120
— 81.5 mi, about 1h 29m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Cody, WY and Mills, WY.
1
Start on US 14A; WY 120
504 ft·22 sec·16th Street
2
Turn left onto Beck Avenue
493 ft·17 sec·Beck Avenue
3
Turn right onto US 14; US 16; US 20; WY 120
0.7 mi·1 min·17th Street
4
Continue on US 14; US 16; US 20; WY 120
1.4 mi·1 min·Greybull Highway
5
Turn right onto WY 120
82 mi·1 hr 29 min·WY 120
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
Turn right onto South 8th Street
0.5 mi·2 min·South 8th Street
7
Turn right onto US 20; WY 789
0.7 mi·1 min·Shoshoni Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
8
Continue on US 20; WY 789
31 mi·36 min·US 20; WY 789
Use the straight / right lanes.
9
Turn left onto US 20; US 26
33 mi·37 min·East 2nd Street
10
Continue on US 20; US 26
62 mi·1 hr 11 min·West US Highway 20-26
11
Turn right onto WY 258
0.8 mi·1 min·Southwest Wyoming Boulevard
12
Turn left onto 1st Street
0.2 mi·26 sec·1st Street
13
Arrive at destination
1st Street
Trip Plan
Given the 4-hour drive time, departing Cody, WY in the morning allows ample time to reach Mills, WY before evening. With only one recommended stop, you have flexibility in pacing your journey. Keep an eye on your fuel gauge, especially during the 81.5-mile stretch on WY 120, as services might be spaced out. A fuel cost estimate of $38 suggests checking current prices closer to your departure date.
Morning Departure
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Evening Departure
A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 106.2 miles from Cody, WY, or about 2h 1m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 81.5 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 47 miles or 52m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 106.2 miles or 2h 1m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 3h 19m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Mills, WY than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Cody, WY so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Cody, WY
This is one driving day of about 212.3 miles and 4h 4m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 47 miles from Cody, WY.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on WY 120 for about 81.5 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 8
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 84.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip|~0m in|Beck Avenue
Turn left onto Beck Avenue
Navigation decision point
4
0.2 mi into trip|~0m in|US 14; US 16; US 20; WY 120 / 17th Street
Turn right onto US 14; US 16; US 20; WY 120 / 17th Street
Navigation decision point
5
2.2 mi into trip|~4m in|WY 120
Turn right onto WY 120
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
83.8 mi into trip|~1h 33m in|South 8th Street
Turn right onto South 8th Street
Navigation decision point
5
84.3 mi into trip|~1h 35m in|US 20; WY 789 / Shoshoni Street
Turn right onto US 20; WY 789 / Shoshoni Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$38.24 one way
$76.48 round trip
$4.58/gal25.4 MPG avg74 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.78
$39.94
$79.87
premium
$5.11
$42.68
$85.35
diesel
$6.18
$51.65
$103.29
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$38
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$63–$88
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 74.3 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-10-12.
Driving Electric?
About $22 in charging
· 0 stops
· 66% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
63.7
0
$22.29
$10.19
Efficient EV
53.1
0
$18.58
$8.49
EV Truck/SUV
84.9
1
$29.72
$13.59
Gas CO2
74 kg
EV CO2
25 kg (66% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Forecast as of Oct 19, 2026
Origin
Cody, WY
Morning
in Cody on Tuesday
Local time
6:26 AM
MDT
Current temp
44°F
Mostly Clear
SSW 6 mph0% chanceLive forecast
Destination
Mills, WY
Morning
in Mills on Tuesday
Local time
6:26 AM
MDT
Current temp
40°F
Mostly Clear
ENE 6 mph0% chanceLive forecast
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
4 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
4h 4m on the road
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
This route is 82% highway, with the longest continuous stretch covering 81.5 miles on WY 120. You'll experience extended periods of rural cruising before transitioning to surface roads like East 2nd Street as you approach your destination. Expect a consistent highway pace for the majority of your drive, with a clear shift in environment as you enter more populated areas.
82% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 81.5 mi on WY 120.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on WY 120 and West US Highway 20-26. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Beck Avenue.
Driving Effort3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 4h 4m drive. You will face about 8 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Beck Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (US 14; US 16; US 20; WY 120 / 17th Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.2 miles (WY 120): Lane positioning matters here.
Cody is in Northwest Wyoming, close to the east side Yellowstone National Park. Unlike Jackson, with its pet spas and high-end shopping, Cody is more authentically cowboy. Cody is famous for its rodeo, which occurs nightly during the summer, and for its proximity to fantastic wilderness adventures in Yellowstone and in the national forests surrounding the park.
The longest stretch is about 81.5 miles on WY 120. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 3 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
Yes, with realistic expectations. Build in a stop roughly every 2 hours, have snacks and activities ready, and check the Nearby Places tabs for kid-friendly stops along the way.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through WY can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Beck Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (US 14; US 16; US 20; WY 120 / 17th Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.2 miles (WY 120): Lane positioning matters here.
Possible but tiring. At 4.1 hours each way, an in-and-out day trip would put you behind the wheel for 8.1 hours — manageable with a long break at Mills, WY, but most travelers stay overnight.
