Hello all, the wife and I will be heading north from the Denver area on our 2nd leg of our trip. I'd planned on making it to around Thermopolis, WY, on our way to Beartooth pass. Is this a decent town to flop for the night? Any decent motels? From there we're headed to Beartooth and then onto Red Lodge and was hoping to see how far we can make it from Thermopolis area and still take in the sights of Beartooth yet make it fairly close to Glacier Natl park, and do it the next day.

Is this a doable plan or do we need to allow more travel time? Also, any recommended routes from the Beartooth area to Glacier? Scenic but not to slow and good roads? We're then heading through Glacier, west to ID on to WA and then home. Good places to stay west of Glacier?

In all, we'll have about 5 days to go from Denver to western WA.

Thanks for the help, Jon

 

White Fish MT just west of Glaicer NP is great town to stay in .You have to take the time to do the Highway to the Sun in Glacier .
Then head south to Missoula MT and take Lolo pass highway 12 to Lewiston ID and SE Washington it's one the best highways for MC I know of.Google it.
If you are camping it has some great camp sites up and down the Highway .

 

Been awhile, but I've stayed at the Holiday Inn in Thrmop, it was a good place to stay, but since I stayed there it's switched to a Days Inn, has a bar/res with as many stuffed heads as you've seen anywhere, still called the Safari Club I believe. I'd leave Red Lodge and head over west and go up 89 all the way up to Great Falls and then reconnect with 89 out of there. either that or if you don't mind I 90 head west on it and go 93 North out of Missoula, 93 is a good ride, scenic, and if your going to go Interstate, you can do a lot worse than 90. I really think you could throw another day into the trp up and have a much better time though.

 

You guys are great. A buddy of mine just told me about lolo pass. Sounds like a good one. Thanks for all the info, I think we will add a day. Once I hit Eastern WA, I can make good time home anyways. Gotta be home by the 13 th my daughter turns 18. Do I need to be worried about wildlife. I've heard bears are more prevalant in beartooth and glacier?

Thanks and keep the info coming.

 

How attached are you to doing the Beartooth Hwy? It's a scenic, but short ride. And you'll be missing so much just to get there and leave there. Red Lodge to Whitefish will be a haul!

In WY, you could take I-80 over to Rawlins, then up to Lander, go through the Wind River range and then continue to the Grand Tetons, then up to Yellowstone. Exit the Park at West Yellowstone, head over to Ennis, then up Norris on the way to I-90 at Three Forks. You'd see *so much more* that way.

Either way....

No matter from where you start in Montana, there is no easy way to get to Whitefish, Hungry Horse, etc. (any of the towns near Glacier NP). You can come from the east (Helena to Choteau (****. sho-do) to Browning to Glacier NP). Or you can come from the south (Missoula).

Taking US 93 up from Missoula is definitely the more scenic approach, through the Flathead Valley and along Flathead Lake.

But the construction on US 93 on the southern edge of the Flathead Res. is crazy. I was just in the area last week and we were stopped for 45 mins!

Instead of pushing all the way to Whitefish, try stopping in Polson. Beautiful spot. Then get an early start, cruise along the lake, and you'll be on the Going-to-the-Sun Road before lunch, and before the crowds.

To get home, there is no quick way to I-90. 1) Back down US 93; 2) take US 2 through Libby and to Bonners Ferry, then kick down through Sandpoint and hit I-90 at Coeur d'Alene (that'd be scenic!); 3) or keep going EAST out of Glacier to Cut Bank and Shelby, where you can get I-15 south to I-90.

 

We're coming from Estes Park north into WY. We'll be in Estes for 5 nights, so the second half of our trip will be the WY & MT part. I'm not married to the idea of Beartooth, just thought it'd be good to see from what I've heard. I'm now thinking of staying in the Casper area on fist night then the Cody area the second night. We did Yellowstone, Tetons and Jackson hole last summer, so we're ready for something different. Do you have anymore info on destinations from what I've told you?

Good info and thanks, Jon

 

So you really just want to get to Glacier.

Go from Cody to Red Lodge via the Beartooth Hwy, then to I-90 all the way to Missoula. Then follow what I said above.

You figure out your daily mileages, and where you think you want to stop in Montana. Then post your questions about those towns.

 

Well, I just google mapped Cody to great falls at 330 miles and great falls to whitefish at 236 miles. Is this doable? Mileage wise no problem, just wondered if it's enough time to see the sights. Once were past red lodge should I just make time? I'm not trying to hurry through but were coming back that way next year on the way to sturgis so I'm more on a "see some now and see more later" trip. Hope this makes sense.

 

Which roads best out of great falls 15 or 89?

 

How did you come up with those distances? Cody, WY to Whitefish, MT via the Chief Joseph & Beartooth Hwy is 620 miles. http://www.mapquest.com/mq/2-hmn9AL9Mw83MNzU2ZvxK

Cody, WY to Great Falls, MT (the quickest way) is 414 miles http://www.mapquest.com/mq/7-*y3AuhoO. It's still another ~150 miles to St. Mary, MT (east entrance to Glacier NP and end of Going-to-the-Sun Road). edit: just Mapquested it: it's another 171 miles to St. Mary from Great Falls. So, Cody to Glacier NP = 585 miles.

Why do you want to go to Great Falls now?

If you just want to blow through Montana, just do it. It's not like South Dakota with a zillion roadside attractions.