The first week of August a group of us are meeting in Jackson, WY for a trip through the Tetons, Yellowstone NP, and Red Lodge (Beartooth Pass).&nbsp\\; I am riding up from LA and they are riding from Iowa.&nbsp\\; I plan to ride up to Salt Lake City in one day (10 hours of butt busting interstate riding) and then meet them in Jackson, WY the next afternoon.
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I am looking for suggestions and tips for the trip on which routes to take and places to see and stay while there.&nbsp\\; We plan on spending 4 to 5 days in the Yellowstone / Tetons area.
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Initial thoughts for the trip...&nbsp\\; Jackson, WY the first night.&nbsp\\; West Yellowstone the second night.&nbsp\\; Red Lodge the third night.&nbsp\\; Cooke City the fourth night.&nbsp\\; Does this sound like enough time in the area?&nbsp\\; Not sure how long it takes to get through Yellowstone or if we have enough time to see it all.&nbsp\\; I have made reservations at the places above, but would rather ride without the reservations so we can just ride and stop wherever we end up at the end of the day instead of have a destination that we have to make it to each night.&nbsp\\; Rooms are available now (a month prior), but would it be too risky to cancel them and just ride?&nbsp\\; I'm afraid of getting there and then not being able to find a room anywhere.&nbsp\\; Your thoughts?
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Thanks for your input!

 

I just got back from that trip, it was great. Just take your time and enjoy the sites. We did 5,712 miles on a 2 week trip, stayed 4 nights in yellowstone, did tetons and then bear tooth pass, which was great, still had 15 foot snow banks on both sides of the road. You can't go wrong on any road, plenty to see&nbsp\\;everywhere.

 

You should try to go to Cody WY and see the Buffalo Bill Museum (awesome gun collection) and the Remington collection (the artist, not the gunmaker). It's not that far from Cooke City.

 

In Jackson check out the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar.&nbsp\\;

In Yellowstone plan on slow moving traffic due to slow speeds and many stops due to animal sightseers.&nbsp\\; The typical hot spots in the park are Old Faithful, Yellowstone Falls, Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Falls, etc.&nbsp\\; I would recommend a good day or two to see the majority of sights in the park.

Beartooth Hwy is amazing, will probably be the highlight of your trip.

I would also recommend keeping your reservations, vacancies can be hard to come by during the summer months in the Tetons/Yellowstone area.

Have a great trip!

 

Sounds like a great trip!!&nbsp\\; Remember that Sturgis&nbsp\\;will be going&nbsp\\;on&nbsp\\;and bike traffic will be up.&nbsp\\; West Yellowstone to Red Lodge is a long stretch.&nbsp\\; There will be an awful lot of scenery for that leg.&nbsp\\; The Bear Tooth is a windey road with a lot of elevation change.&nbsp\\; One possibility would be to change your nights around with Red Lodge and Cooke City.&nbsp\\; That would allow you a day in the park then the Bear Tooth the next day.&nbsp\\; You have to be careful about travelling around the Yellowstone without reservations at that time of year.&nbsp\\; It could get real dicey trying to find a room last minute.&nbsp\\; Hope that helps and have a great time!!!&nbsp\\; It is beautiful country and the Bear Tooth is rated on of the country's best bike rides!!

 

I would second JUSTloafin's comments.&nbsp\\; I've done all of those rides.&nbsp\\; First if you are in Jackson Hole for only one night and then riding out you already missed some great rides i.e the pass over to Idaho and down into Driggs and others.&nbsp\\; The ride from Yellowstone up to Beartooth is one of the prettiest rides you will ever take but it is a long day&nbsp\\; if you are returning to the Yellowstone area. (I know I did it).&nbsp\\; Yellowstone to me is not a place you just pass through, it is worthy of a few days. Take the time to smell the roses.&nbsp\\; My trip was 10 days through those areas however I came up through Breckenridge and the Independence pass area. I rode everyday and I feel I missed many things.

 

While in Jackson Hole, go eat at the Gun Barrel Game House for dinner. Don't waste your money on the Elk or Buffalo steak there. Get the Cheyenne Sirloin.....quite possibly the greatest steak I have ever eaten. &nbsp\\;You probably want to keep your reservations in Jackson Hole. I was there two weeks ago and there were a lot of "no vacancy" signs in town.
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If you stay in Cook City, try the Ore House for lodging. Dated rooms but reasonable prices. If you stay there, be wary of the restaurant directly across the street. I don't recall the name but the manager tried to charge my group a 40 dollar tip on a 100 dollar ticket. The food was great-just double check your bill.
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On a side note, the manager of the joint nearly caused a fight with a patron because he accused the customer's wife of stealing a salt shaker. This happened while we were arguing with the manager's wife about our bill at the register. Either way, the food was pretty good and not to pricey.

 

Our group is planning a similar trip. We are meeting in Nemo, SD (just outside Sturgis) on July 28th.
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The plan is week from that point, but heads towards Glacier National Park taking in Beartooth Pass on the way. Nothing is set in stone.
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We have no reservations, but will camp where ever we end up each day.
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The circle comes back to Sturgis sometime during bike week.