what roads would you take and/or avoid doing this ride? want to do hwy. 212...where would you pick it up?
from red lodge most scenic route to GNP? supposed to do the hwy to the sun from east to west?
back down to sturgis--what are scenic routes and places to see?
your help and local knowledge is greatly appreciated. just some ol' south texas boys trying to figure out the best way to do this. thanks.

 

No bad way around Yellowstone and Bear Tooth to Red Lodge. Every road is awesome. I am not familiar with much between there and Sturgis though, other than Custard and the Black Hills obviously. Going to hit plains one way or another.

FYI - This was Bear Tooth on the 3rd weekend of June last year:

 

This may not fit into your plans since you're planning to do Jackson but, I'll tell you the route I took.

I took I-25 from Cheyenne up to Casper then got off on Hwy. 20 to Shonshoni. You would then continue on Hwy. 20 out of Shoshoni past the Boysen Reservoir and through the Wind River Canyon to Thermopolis.

I stumbled across the Wind River Canyon because it happened to be on my intended route to Cody. However, I'm glad I didn't miss it. It's really pretty phenomenal. You're riding pretty much at the bottom of the canyon right next the the river and the canyon walls are towering above you. Supposedly, the canyon is 2500 feet deep in spots.

From Thermopolis, I took Hwy. 120 through Cody to Hwy. 296 (Chief Joseph's Scenic Hwy). The Chief Joeseph's ranks second on my list of most beautiful roads I've ridden behind the Beartooth. BTW, there's a very popular hot springs in Thermopolis. Next time I go, I'm going to try and plan an overnight stop there to take advantage of the springs.

Hwy. 296 runs into Hwy. 212 right about the point where it becomes the Beartooth Hwy. If you take a left onto 212, it will take you to Cooke City which is very near the northeast entrance to Yellowstone. Cooke City was one of my overnight stops. From there you can go into Yellowstone and then back track to Cooke City to hit 212 (Beartooth Hwy) to Red Lodge and on to Billings.

Hwy. 212 actually runs into I-90 just before Billings and runs with I-90 south through Billings for while. Most folks will just take I-90 all the way down to Sturgis. However, I elected to get off if I-90 onto Hwy. 212 and follow it to Hwy. 79 coming into Sturgis from the north side past the Broken Spoke campground and Bear Butte. The reason for this is that Hwy 79 ends at Hwy 34 on the east side of Sturgis near the Full Throttle Saloon and the entrance to the Buffalo Chip (which is where I was staying). That way you avoid having to deal with traffic in Sturgis.

BTW, right were Hwy 212 heads east off of I-90 is the Little Bighorn Battlefield. You might want to check that out also.

Hope this helps.

 

Don't overlook the Bighorn Mountains(rt. 14 I think). This was surprisingly a fun ride. Take a look at Devil's Tower and then on to Sturgis. Lots of rides in the Black Hills.

 

+1.

Devil's Tower is one of the places I missed this time around that I regret not getting to see.

 

Devil's Tower / Mid-September 2011

 

So much depends on how much time you have to spend in the area. The most direct route from Jackson to Red Lodge via the Beartooth is probably to just head north on 89, through Teton National Park, into Yellowstone National Park. My favorite ride in Yellowstone NP itself is around the lake, so if I was in something of a hurry to get to Red Lodge I would head east on 20 when I got to West Thumb and continue east (still on 20) when I got to Fishing Bridge, heading towards Cody.

From Cody you'll want to get on the Chief Joseph scenic highway, state highway 296, which will take you up to 212, the Beartooth Highway.

If I was in less of a hurry, the options are wide open. Spend a day or two riding around inside Yellowstone. Head out of the park through Cooke City, MT and just stay on the 212 to Red Lodge. Heck, head out through Gardiner and ride up to Livingston, then go east on I-90 to Columbus and go south to Red Lodge, then ride over the 212 the other direction. Go either to Cooke City or down Chief Joseph to Cody. Head back through the park, out the west gate through West Yellowstone. From there you can go straight north to Bozeman, or go a little west and ride up through Ennis and then head further west through Virginia City to Dillon, MT. If you go the Dillon route, you can ride through the Big Hole and over to Hwy 93 and take that north, through Missoula, all the way to Glacier NP.

I'm not helping, am I? I guess I'm just echoing what was said earlier. There are a LOT of good roads in that area and you are going to have a blast no matter which way you go.

As for which direction to ride Going to the Sun, my vote is (I'm sure you've already guessed) BOTH! Ride it from west to east and then turn around and go back. You will not get tired of riding in that area.

 

We did this ride in 07', everything listed above are great roads. We went at the end of June and stayed in Cody Wy over the 4th of July. The rodeo was in town, and a must see. I would stay in Yellowstone, it takes to long to get in and out and check out Yellowstone, if i remember correctly, 25 mph speed limit. Hope this helps and have a safe trip.

 

If you can most definitely ride The Bighorn Mountains Scenic Biway in Wyoming. It's not that far from Beartooth Pass.

 

I have done the Missoula to GNP and Jackson to Yellowstone to Missoula on two different trips. Jackson to Yellowstone is a great ride but get off the main highway and go into the park to the west. It's slower but less traffic and it is closer to the mountains. From Yellowstone, you have to go northwest to get to GNP. I took the Ennis/Viginia City route and really enjoyed it. Eventually, you are likely to get to Missoula. I recommend going east just before Missoula on MT200 to MT83 north through Seely Lake. The road and scenery are pure Montana. MT83 hooks back up with US93 and US2 (the road to GNP) up in Kalispell. Remember that the Rockies angle to the northwest so if you stay too far east the scenery is less than thrilling.