Idaho/Montana 2022 trip

[Raider Bill]

Planning out our trip this year which was  postponed the past 2 due to covid and surgeries.

Looking for suggestions for places/areas to overnight on our way to Glacier NP. We plan on a night in Victor, Idaho then want to split up the trek north from there into 2 nights before hitting Glacier/Whitefish.

Not West Yellowstone. May hit that on the way back south.
Maybe Big Sky area the first night and Deer Lodge the second..

After Glacier we will have 5 days to wander before having to head back home so any suggestions in Idaho/Montana area will help.

[PoginyHill]

If you want to learn about copper mining, visit Butte. Once was the copper capital of the world. Now home to one of the largest toxic lakes in the world - Berkley pit. But the copper mining history is very cool. Abandon mine heads scatter the city and there is a mining museum there as well.

[sawguy21]

Take I-84 to Boise, miles and miles of potato fields, then go north. The Snake River is one rough untamed wilderness, really worth seeing, then over Whitebird past a battlefield site and on to Grangeville. Drop down to Kooskia, you can then head toward Lewiston or over the beautiful Lewis and Clarke route to Missoula. Idaho is one of my favorite states, so much to see.

[WV Sawmiller]

  Have a great trip. If you have not been in that area before one piece of advice is when traveling is, if you see a gas station - stop and fill up. It may be 200 miles to the next one if traveling between towns.

   Our daughter and SIL got married there in Glacier nearly 7 years ago. The day before their wedding while scoping out a spot with the right background for their outdoor wedding by the lake there behind Glacier Lodge, my wife tripped, fell and broke her nose. It was 90 miles to Cut Bank to the hospital/clinic to get it checked out. She looked like a racoon in the wedding pictures. We left the day after the wedding for Yellowstone and had a good trip there too.

   Take care and have a great visit. Post plenty of pictures and let us know what you enjoyed the most.

[barbender]

WV, wouldn't Kalispel have been way closer? I hope you didn't make her travel twice as far, just to get a cheaper hospital or something like that!😂 
  RB, we made a big loop out there last year. Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton. But we came from the east. A couple places near Glacier worth seeing, IMO, are the Hungry Horse Dam and reservoir, and we also spent a couple of nights at Seelye Lake. I had read about the town and area in the Norman Maclean stories (A River Runs Through It) it mentioned a grove of ancient Western Larch at the campground, and across the bridge the largest living Larch, "Ol' Gus". I wanted to see those, so we dropped in there. I was surprised, that area reminded more of northern MN than other areas of Montana I've visited. Not the typical arid mountain west. Looked like MN, except there's mountains in the background😊 Beautiful area.

[Raider Bill]

We did the east side in 2019.
May end up there hitting Bear Tooth Pass again.

Trip will start a couple days before labor day and planing on 2 weeks or a bit more.
Trying to get hotels reserved for the first week then play by ear.

[beenthere]

Lolo Pass would come to mind. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolo_Pass_(Idaho%E2%80%93Montana)

[barbender]

One thing you will find different out there from 2019 is the amount of people. It has been crazy since Covid hit. We always go after Labor Day, just so it's after peak tourist season. The last couple of years, that has made no difference. Pulling the 5th wheel camper, we could barely find camping spots. Lines of vehicles going into some of the attractions in Yellowstone. Glacier has instituted a lottery system for the Going To The Sun Road, you have to win a ticket to go through from Memorial to Labor day iirc, you can also go in after 5 in the evening I think. We've been consistently shocked by the number of people out there, but the sights keep bringing us back😊

[WV Sawmiller]

Barbender,

   The manager of the Glacier lodge said Browning was the closest but that we were the wrong ethnicity to go there (Apparently it is used almost exclusively by the Indians there). He did not mention any hospital in Kalispel so off to Cut Bank we went. I assumed since he was the man in charge of the lodge and he lived there he knew where the appropriate medical facilities were located. We first checked with him to see if the lodge or park had a doctor or nurse on staff. They did not but he did give us a couple of neat purple (I kid you not, Tom, they really were purple) band-aids and told us Cut Bank was the closest hospital with a doctor and X-ray capability.

[WV Sawmiller]

  There may be a hospital in Kalispel now but as far as I can see there was not 7 years ago.

[barbender]

Kalispell is a pretty good sized town, I can't believe they didn't have a hospital until 7 years ago😁 I get what your saying though, if the local says "go here" that's what you do. On the hospital in Browning, that would likely be an IHS, or Indian Health Services facility. They may take a non-Native patient if it were a life or death emergency, I'm not sure. I don't know if a Native from another tribe could even get service there, they are all Federally run. I can go to the one up here on the Leech Lake Reservation. My non-Native wife cannot, unless I get her pregnant then she can get pregnancy care their. I doubt she would take me up on the offer though😁

[reride82]

barbender,
if they were on the east side(St Mary's, Two Medicine, East Glacier) of the divide, Cutbank is closer.

Raider Bill,

From Victor, ID are you coming up I-15? If so, I'd detour east through the Red Rock wildlife refuge, up through Virgina City and catch the Brewery Follies, and tour the Lewis and Clark Caverns on your way to Butte. As was mentioned it has a long history of mining and timber. It's said that there is more timber under Butte than on the surface. Depending on what you're looking for as far as tourist stops, I can recommend more. If you're staying in Butte the Finlen, Copper King Hotel, and various others are nice but I recommend Fairmont about 15 miles west as it is a Hot Springs resort/golf course/restaraunt/pool. Deerlodge offers the Old Prison tour and Auto museum. From Deerlodge there are two ways to get to Glacier: Missoula and Highway 93 up to Kalispell or up highway 200/83 through Seeley Lake to Bigfork. Highway 93 is a better road but higher traffic but it has the National Bison Range near Ravalli, Kerr Dam, and better lake views. Highway 200/83 is a slower road but is my favorite in daytime hours as the deer after dusk are aggressive. Seeley Lake and that corridor is beautiful and the Clearwater Game refuge usually has elk within view of Hwy 83. Ideally, I'd head up 93 and return on 83/200. PM me if you'd like.

Levi

[goose63]

If you get to Deer Lodge go to the old Montana prison the car museum that is some thing to see

[Crusarius]

I want to make a trip like this, I am now subscribed

[Machinebuilder]

Its not for most people but I went to the Upper Missouri Breaks last year and really enjoyed it.

It is REALLY remote though.

[petefrom bearswamp]

Wow sounds like a wonderful trip Bill.
We visited friends in Great Falls way back in '95 and visited Glacier with them on that trip.
Had a great time.
Ate in a little restaurant called  The Rose Room in the minuscule town of Pendroy on our way to Glacier.
Probably not in existence anymore.
Went thru Browning on our way to Glacier and our friend said to take notice of all the roadside crosses near there.
Evidently a lot of drunk driving crashes near the Res.
One spot had about a dozen crosses.
Fond memories of Glacier.

[barbender]

Unfortunately that is the case on many reservations, Pete. It's just Montana marks all fatalities with a cross, I think. One reservation town near me has a ton of fatalities out on a 4 lane highway, most of which are drunk people getting hit by cars.

Machine builder, we drove by the breaks last year and I really wanted to stop for a few days, but it didn't work out. Some other time, hopefully.

[Machinebuilder]

Barbender you when to the breaks it would be best to have a 4x4 and be willing to drive long distance on dirt roads.

There is a homestead loop tour near where 191 crosses the river and a loop through the NWR that are easier (beware if wet)
The backcountry byway is a bit more difficult in a few spots especially crossing 2 calf creek

I'll try to put a couple pics later, I can't do it at work.

I wanted to spend more time in Minnesota but started running out of time. I missed visiting the Prarie education center in Fergus Falls, it was closed the day I got there.

[goose63]

@Raider Bill if you take I80 to eastern Iowa the I8o truck stop has one heck of a old truck museum its the I80 truck museum.com

[Raider Bill]

Been taking notes guys thanks!

We will be coming up from Salt Lake City and want to try to stay west of the Tetons in Utah and Montana.

We will not be on the bike as I have been unable to pull the clutch since having hand surgery in Dec. so flying in and out of SLC and grabbing a rental car.

Looking to stay on secondary roads like we'd do on the bike and move every day or two after exploring the area. We call it meandering.

We have reservations so far in Victor for a night and Whitefish for 4. Also have a 3 day Road to the Sun pass.

Need 2 places to hang on the trip to Glacier after Victor, then the second week will be wide open.

Just need to be back in SLC for the flight home.

Everything else is still in the "planning" mode.



 

[kylehamlin]

If you spend a night in Deer Lodge our family stayed at Warden Inn last summer. It's a nice little motel, and a neat town to stay in.

[barbender]

Bill, that looks painful😬

MB, I only looked at pictures of the breaks but what you are describing is what I was seeing. And that's just my kind of adventure😊 We drove past the breaks, but we were all starved for some mountains so we ended up spending a night on the Bear Paws mountains south of Havre. It's another out of the way place, pretty area.

[Ron Scott]

Yes, the Old State Prison and Car Museum in Deerlodge, MT. are worth a visit. Also, the Dinosaur Museum at Montana State College in Boseman. You will be in some excellent stream fishing country. Also visit the Norris Hot Springs between Bozeman and Ennis, MT. There are also the Chico Hot Springs south of Livingston, MT. The Rib House in Livingston is worth a meal. 

[Machinebuilder]

a couple pics from the backcountry byway

the crossing at 2 calf creek



 



 

a couple from the homestead tour



 

 

 

 

[barbender]

Beautiful!

[thecfarm]

Yes it is!

[Machinebuilder]

Thank you for the comments

That was my trip last year, I took the last 2 weeks of August and the first week of September.

It was nice to not rush as much as a shorter vacation.

I spent 1 week camped at Outlaw Cave campground (south end of the Bighorn Mountains in WY)
Wandered in the bighorns a couple days, then the Breaks for a few, across MT to Teddy Roosevelt NP, across ND, MN, and WI to Curtis WI.
My Grandpa was born and raised in Curtis, and I was able to find several ancestors graves there.
Then I went over to the Mississippi and drove the Great River Rd to about Rock Island where I headed home.

If you ever get a chance it is worth visiting Teddy Roosevelts Elkhorn Ranch site.
It is well off the beaten path, and all that's left is some foundation stones, but I could see why it was his favorite place.

I don't want to load all the pics to the forum, and am not sure if posting a link to my online gallery is allowed.

There are an awful lot of beautiful places in this country, Ive been to alot of them but enjoy finding the out of the way places most.

[Magicman]

All pictures posted on the FF have to be in your FF Gallery.  A link to your offline gallery would not be allowed.  

[Raider Bill]

Looks like western Wyoming and Montana is getting hammered with floods.
Read they closed yellowstone, bear tooth pass and surrounding areas.
 Not sure when it will reopen if at all this year.

[barbender]

With all if the bridges and road getting washed out, I'd be very surprised if anything on the north end opens up this year. Very sad!👎

[customsawyer]

They sure are getting hammered. I've been through that area twice on a bike and it was awesome both times.

[Walnut Beast]

Sounds like all three bridges into Yellowstone are washed out from what they said 

[reride82]

I have a cousin in Red Lodge and it seems they are opened back up and roads are being cleared. I also heard that Gardiner is accessible again, but the road between Gardiner and Mammoth is gone in several places so it'll be closed for a while. The farther west you go, the less the flooding is. A friend of mine in Big Sky saw flooding but nothing like the Yellowstone Basin. Engineers in the Yellowstone corridor are calling it a 500 year flood event as it has surpassed the 100 year floodplain in most study areas and since the Yellowstone river has very few dams it is uncontrolled. Butte and the surrounding areas are normal as we missed that memorial day snow storm that dropped feet in Yellowstone and the Beartooth Mountains. I'm not sure what happened on the Idaho side as my news doesn't cover that area. When were you thinking of making this trip Bill?

Levi

[Raider Bill]

We're starting labor day weekend for 2 weeks.

[reride82]

I wouldn't be surprised if they don't have everything outside of the park repaired by then, and a fair amount of the roads inside of the park stabilized except for the Gardiner entrance. I haven't heard how bad the Beartooth Highway is yet though.

Levi

[blackfoot griz]

 Bill, just my 2 cents worth. From SLC, I'd take 15 north to 84 to Twin Falls. 93 north to 75 to Challis, ID. This will take you through Hailey/Ketchum/Sun Valley, Stanley  and Challis and back to 93. From Challis to Salmon, ID you'll go over a pass and into Montana and the Bitterroot Valley. You will miss your scooter on this run.

93 will take you from Challis to Whitefish. 93 can get a little chaotic through Missoula.

In my opinion, this is a much more scenic run than 15-90-93. The Junkyard Bistro in Salmon  is one of my favorites...a dive bar with amazing food. For a burger, you can't beat Naps in Hamilton. You'll go by the ranch house where Yellowstone was/is filmed near Darby...you'll see it from 93. Ruby's Cafe in Missoula is where they filmed a shoot out scene. It used to be a popular place for cops!

If it works, I'll get you out on my boat on Flathead Lake. It's beautiful...the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi. 

[Raider Bill]

Tick tock, tick tock,.

T minus 30 days!!

Still undecided about our 2 days between Victor and Whitefish. Thinking we'll just play it by ear once on the road.

Heard they got the Bear Tooth fixed in record time. Not sure about getting through Gardnier yet though if we decide to mosey that way.

Thinking on the way back we'd swing west some maybe hit Oregon, Washington a bit.

Craters of the Moon, Devils canyon and LOLO pass are high on the list.

[Raider Bill]

This trip is on!
Spending tomorrow night in Victor, Idaho!!

[beenthere]

Glad to hear it. And hope the weather is great and you both have a great time. Will look for pics and return info when/if available.  8)

[customsawyer]

Enjoy. You'll be seeing some great colors in the aspens.

[thecfarm]

I see you decided on Victor.
Have fun!!!

[Raider Bill]

Holy airport! I think everyone is flying this morning.
Tonight is victor, Idaho. Then, 2 nights with no set plans wandering north.
4 days in whitefish then 8 days with no  plans, more wandering.

[newoodguy78]

No plans can be the best plan. Don't remember where in Idaho it's located but Bear lake is worth seeing if it's around you. Saw it about 30 years ago, most incredible blue green water I've ever seen. Looked like something out of the Caribbean only nestled in the mountains.
Camped right near it on fire access roads and fished for native brookies. Only visitors we had were free roaming beef cows. Stuck my head out of the tent one morning and was face to face with one still not sure who was more surprised.   :D
Good times and beautiful country.

[reride82]

Enjoy. You'll be seeing some great colors in the aspens.

Not yet anyways, we have been seeing some really hot days this August and it doesn't look like it'll break for a while unless they've changed in the high country. I was up to 7000' this weekend and they were still unchanged.
Levi

[customsawyer]

ReRide that makes since. I grew up in southern CO. at 7,600' elevation. Most of the mountains on both sides of the valley were 11,000' or higher. Leaves always changed there in late Aug. to early Sept.

[chet]

So, Raider Bill are you still out der wandering?    ;D