happytrailstoyou

I am planning a two- to three-week road trip to Montana and Wyoming from Seattle. We have been to Glacier, Yellowstone, and Grand Tetons several times and are hoping on this trip to include scenic drives we have not made before and to stay in quiet places with outdoor spaces that provide views of mountains, lakes, rivers, etc.

Any ideas?

summerlover333

I have absolutely no ideas. I'm here to ask you a question since you planted a seed in my small mind when you commented on my summer expedition plan. Since I don't know how else to contact you I'm trying this!

We have a loop planned that I know includes some backtracking. You suggested going from MV to Bryce via Boulder, Escalante, Hwy 12. Is it really worth while? It would avoid doubling back on 163 from MV to Page and avoid doubling back on 89 from Bryce to LV. Not sure this makes sense to you but I'm interested in the idea and your comments.

thanks.

happytrailstoyou

Good to hear from you.

As I recall, the routing I suggested from Monument Valley starts on 163 and 261, on which you will encounter an amazing little stretch of unimproved road the climbs up from the valley floor and then continues on 261.

The drive doesn’t get really interesting until 95, which passes Natural Bridges National Monument and goes through Hanksville and Torrey where you then head south on 12 through Boulder and Escalante to Bryce Canyon.

This is a wonderful drive—as beautiful as any drive I’ve taken in the USA, and I’ve roamed all over WA, OR, CA, AZ, MT, WY, and ID frequently and other parts of the US less often.

Somebody on this forum suggested this routing to me. I took it, and I gladly pass it on to you.

Enjoy, HTTY

starrs

I ordered the Fodors' Montana & Wyoming book as well as their Compass Guides (each state in a separate book). All three books are gorgeous.

The Destination guides on this website are very helpful too.

happytrailstoyou

I have the new Fodors' Montana & Wyoming guidebook, which is a great resource.

I'll check out the other guides, of which I was unaware.

Thanks, starrs.

1JAR

My Dad lives in Cody Wy area and we have to travel to Sheridan to the VA a couple of times a year...the trip over the Big Horn Mountains is pretty nice. Lots of little lakes and stuff to see..of course you don't see the mountains cause your on the mountain...you can fly into Billings, drive down I 90 into Sheridan. Drive from Billings into Greybull is kind of boring desert like...

The road over the mountains from Sheridan to Greybull has some pretty intersting stuff: miles are marked by the prehistoric era. On the Greybull side there is an amazing nice waterfall and a very intersting dinasour track:
here is a link.

http://www.bighornmountains.com/

Pat_in_Mich

We drove Beartooth Highway last year. It was gorgeous!

http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2281/

kureiff

Have you looked into staying near or in Ennis, MT? Ennis has a lot of fly-fishing, if you like to do that. It's also not that far from West Yellowstone. It's a small town, and it's on a fun loop to drive (Ennis to Virginia City, Nevada City, Sheridan, Twin Bridges, Whitehall, then up through Harrison and Norris and back to Ennis. The road between Cardwell and Ennis is very beautiful with amazing views of the Tobacco Root Mountains. The road between Sheridan and Whitehall is also very pretty and prime fly-fishing ground. It's kind of off the beaten path and all of these towns are quite small, but it's a beautiful drive. You'd be very near Bozeman and Butte if you wanted to stay in a larger town or combine visits.

happytrailstoyou

Thanks for these great suggestions.

NCPat

I second the votes for the Beartooth Highway and Ennis. Also the drive north from Gardiner, MT through the paradise valley. We stayed at Chico Hot Springs along the way. Quiet area, hot springs pool, horseback riding. Worth checking out.

happytrailstoyou

kureiff,

Thanks for the loop drive starting at Ennis, which I have worked into our plans.

Do you have similar drives for other parts of MT or WY? For instance from Red Lodge, Bigfork, or Sheridan WY.

Is Bannack State Park worth a detour?

HTTY

kureiff

I haven't been to Bannack for a very long time, so I don't have up to date information.

There's a pretty drive from Big Fork south through the Swan Valley. You'll pass by several smaller lakes (Salmon, Seeley, Holland, etc.). You can hike to waterfalls (Morrell Falls) or to other lakes.

The Double Arrow Resort is a fun place to stay along that highway. They have a nice golf course and a good restaurant. There are also homes for rent along the different lakes. And I've heard the Holland Lake Lodge is a nice place to stay, but I haven't stayed there.

When you head south from Seeley Lake, you'll hit Clearwater Junction and then you can head west to Missoula and you could check out Garnet Ghost Town. Also, the Paws Up Resort is located between Clearwater Junction and Missoula. It's "luxury" camping and it costs a lot of money. I've never stayed there, but the pictures look nice. On the other hand, I can't quite wrap my head around paying several hundred dollars to sleep in a tent, either. I can do that for free all summer.

You could also head east from Clearwater Junction towards Lincoln (former home of the una-bomber) or Great Falls. Or as you head east you can then cut south towards Helena and pass through Avon. This is also a beautiful drive through wetlands and then through farm country.

When you look at the Ennis loop, consider a stop at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park. It's on a highway 7 miles east of Cardwell and you can junction back up with the highway to Harrison. The caverns are spectacular. A tour takes two hours, but it does include some strenuous walking.

You might also wish to check out the Virginia City Players and the Brewery Follies in Virginia City. The Players do a vaudeville type show most nights of the week. The Follies are more adult oriented, and they're very funny. But they're not everyone's cup of tea.

happytrailstoyou

Thanks so much.
Any more ideas....anybody?

mlm59

I highly recommend the Little Big Horn. We were there on a warm, windy day. It is a bit eerie. My daughter swears you could almost hear the horses galloping across the hills and valleys. From there we drove south to north of Sheridan and took highway 14 through Greybull to Cody. The drive across the mountains is beautiful. We loved Cody. You could spend days at the Buffalo Bill Center. If you are there in the summer, go to the rodeo.
We then drove to Yellowstone, went out the north entrance, and drove the Bear Tooth Highway to Red Lodge. The Beartooth is the most beautiful drive we have ever taken. Red Lodge is a cool town. We enjoyed looking through some of the shops and getting goodies at a locally owned bakery.

annieO

My family has really enjoyed our visits to Bannack. Many of the buidings are open to go in & on some weekends there are guided tours. There is a primitive campground, but no lodging close by.

I had friends who liked to go to Jackson to the hot springs but have never gone there. Big Hole Nat'l Battlefield is not far from Bannack and the drive from Sula to Missoula is nice and scenic.

If you're on I-90 and plan on going north to Helena, you can take Road 69 from Whitehall to Boulder. It is a beautiful drive through farmland. Years ago, my family stayed at the Boulder Hotel/Hot Springs but I have no idea what's it's like now.

A few years ago, we did the loop of Great Falls to Helena, then White Sulpher Springs and back to Great Falls. There's a hot springs pool/motel in White Sulpher Springs & I remember having a great steak birthday dinner at a local bar there.

Three Forks is an interesting little town with lodging available. I also reccommend Lewis & Clark Caverns. It's about a mile walk up to the entrance and you end up at the bottom of the mountain. Tickets sell out fast in the summer, so go there as early as you can.

If you get on the Montana state travel site, you can find out when little towns are having events. One summer, we went to a wonderful Lewis & Clark outdoor play in Whitehall. Another summer, we went to the Three Forks rodeo parade and watched fireworks on the 4th of July in Virginia City.

Deer Lodge has the old prison & car museum. The prison tour is interessting & DH loves to wander around the old cars for hours. There's also a lot of antique stores in Deer Lodge. Another scenic drive is from Avon to Helena on Highway 12.

I lived in Montana as a child & love to return there, especially since there's still many small towns, beautiful scenery and not a lot of people. Have a great trip!

kureiff

Hi annie, Great recommendations! I grew up in Townsend and Whitehall, and I used to tour guide at Lewis & Clark Caverns during the summers when I was going to college. Where did you grow up?

Whitehall doesn't have the Lewis & Clark play anymore...lack of funding. It's too bad because the setting was gorgeous.

Boulder Hot Springs is interesting. It seems like it's always under new management, and the current management eschews any alcohol on the premises which may not be a big deal for everyone, but I kind of like a beer.

White Sulphur Hot Springs is still open. They have a small motel attached (very small), and the owner does spa treatments.

Annie's idea to take a drive through the Big Hole Valley is a wonderful recommendation. Look into the drive because the valley is just so beautiful! It's a high prairie with mountains and a river. It's gorgeous, and you can link up from Hwy 43 to Hwy 93 and explore the Bitteroot Valley around Darby and Hamilton.

annieO

kureiff, my family moved from Alberta, Canada to Helena, where we lived for six years before moving south to Salt Lake City when I was a teenager. I have so many fond memories of all our adventures in Montana and now my family gets to explore Montana on our way to visit relatives in Canada.

karens

I am writing this from the perspective of family travel (with two young boys), so my thoughts may be different than what you are looking for.

We were detoured out of the way because the East gate of Yellowstone had closed. On our drive, we discovered the town of Thermopolis. We really liked the hot springs pools, and the boys enjoyed the slides and the dives. We only spent a few hours here, but it did look like there were some other interesting things to do.

We liked Cody, and the Wind River Range area appeared to be quite scenic.

OTOH, we were disappointed in the Livingston area and Chico Hot Springs. We didn't think there was much to do here, and hot springs pool was basically a rectangular shaped hot pool. But you indicated that you like quiet, so this might work for you.

happytrailstoyou

Thanks. We will be in Thermopolis. Following is our itinerary. An asterisk indicates places where we will spend a night or two:

Seattle
Spokane*
Bigfork, MT*
Glacier NP
Holland Lake
Seeley Lake
Avon
Helena
Ennis*
Bozeman
Livingston
Gardiner*
Yellowstone NP
Cook City
Red Lodge*
Cody, WY
Greybull
Sheridan*
Buffalo
Worland
Thermopolis
Shoshoni
Cody*
Yellowstone NP
Grand Tetons NP*
Pinedale
Atlantic City
Lander
Dubois*
Yellowstone NP
Big Sky, MT*
Kellogg, ID*
Seattle

Dayle

happytrails,

I love the Paradise Valley and spent a week there a couple years ago. Fodors just informed me I was quoted which was a big surprise.

I had planned to spend 3 nts at Chico Hot Springs, but left after the first night. I thought it was an awful place. No a/c which is a problem in 90 degree summer weather, no views because they are down in a gulley, marginal rooms far overpriced, and for some strange reason full of smokers everywhere. I was a very small non-smoking minority! But they do have a very good restaurant!

Two places I stayed that I would highly recommend:

Yellowstone River Cabins - just at the north end of the Pradise Valley about 7 mi. south of Livingston. Charming little cabins and divine front porches literally right on the Yellowstone River. They have a nice website.

Also, rather than stay in Gardiner, think about:

Paradise Gateway B&B. To die for views of Mt. Emmigrant, right on the river also, killer breakfasts. Carol and Pete are wonderful people and great hosts. Osprey nest you can view from the deck. Close enough to Chico Hot Springs that you can drive over for dinner, which is what I did after I checked out and found the B&B.

The Paradise Valley is about 60 mi. long (north/south) and Paradise Gateway is about half way. Not too long of a drive to Yellowstone.

Gardiner is VERY touristy and not nearly as scenic.