Trip Out West

[Rinkydink]

My buddy and I are planning our spring/summer trip out west and are trying to set a good start date from central Arkansas. We are both retired and free to go anytime and at any pace. We want to leave early enough in the year to miss crowds as much as possible as a lot of Nat Parks are in our route. We also know too early and the passes could still be closed. I know in some places snowy weather is always a possibility. Tentative date is around June 1 if not a bit earlier. We are staying in hotels. I’ve always been a fly by the seat of my pants kind of guy but with Nat Parks setting reservation requirements it’s looking more and more like some kind of schedule is going to be required. 😡 Thoughts appreciated. 

[LBump]

You should try to make Torrey.  

Start from the South and head North.

[longjohn]

If you’re going s to n I’d do az191 and moki dugway. There still might be a bridge out tho in se ut. 

[TEWKS]

It looks like you’ll be traveling through the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. ****

Obviously you have Glacier NP. on the list. *****

A neat overnight is in Pray Mt. at Chico Hotsprings ****

[Rinkydink]

16 hours ago, longjohn said:

If you’re going s to n I’d do az191 and moki dugway. There still might be a bridge out tho in se ut. 

We are doing south to north. Moki on a fully loaded RT? South to north take us up or down Moki?

[longjohn]

2 hours ago, Rinkydink said:

We are doing south to north. Moki on a fully loaded RT? South to north take us up or down Moki?

You would be going up. I and others here have done it on an RT. 
 

Edit:  hey ya never know 

 

[RecentConvert]

AZ191 is interesting but the road surface is not very good on the southern portion.   Lots of crumbling asphalt in the switchbacks when I rode it in March.  The southern portion is not a place to be dragging the pegs.

 

The Moki Dugway looks like fun!   

 

Your route looks good, we've ridden most of it.

[Bill Murray]

Come prepared for temperature extremes. On one trip out west, around June 1st, we encountered high temps around 107 degrees near Escalante after leaving the north rim of the Grand Canyon. On a different trip, on June 2nd, I left Salt Lake City and it started to rain, and quickly changed over to snow for almost the entire trip to Jackson Hole and Yellowstone. The snow accumulated about four inches along the way. The snow quickly cleared the next day.

[Rob Nowell]

Is time much of a factor?  Is this primarily a "National Parks" trip?  How about Interstates:  Will you be trying to avoid them, or use them as a time-saver? 

I have been through Idaho and Western Montana dozens of times, so may be able to offer some insight (born & raised in NW MT).  Expect the worst in terms of weather; be adaptable.

You're gonna love this trip.

[Rinkydink]

2 hours ago, Rob Nowell said:

Is time much of a factor?  Is this primarily a "National Parks" trip?  How about Interstates:  Will you be trying to avoid them, or use them as a time-saver? 

I have been through Idaho and Western Montana dozens of times, so may be able to offer some insight (born & raised in NW MT).  Expect the worst in terms of weather; be adaptable.

You're gonna love this trip.

I’m retired and have plenty of time. Going Interstate from home to Amarillo then it’s 95% backroads from then on. Haven’t decided the route home yet. 

[lawnchairboy]

Have fun!

[lawnchairboy]

I strive to be you.  
 

a couple more years…

[Rinkydink]

It’s a fine line. Retire when you think you can afford to and are ambulatory or wait until you aren’t. Scheduled for a heart cath tomorrow morning at 6am. We shall see. 

 

You think you have time….

[lawnchairboy]

Best wishes

[Danny caddyshack Noonan]

Montana suggestion: Find your way thru the Big Hole Valley and up the Bitterroot Valley.  From Bozeman, west on 90, south on 15 for a bit and then west on 43 (Wisdom) thru the Big Hole Valley.  You could also go down to 41 Dillon on 15 and then west on 278.  There's an interesting Battlefield Monument on the west side of the valley.  43 will take you to Lost Trail Pass where ID and MT meet.  Go north on 93 (which is a really, really long highway) thru the Bitterroot.  In about 1/2 hour, you'll go past the Yellowstone show film location (Chief Joseph Ranch).  I recommend Nap's in Hamilton for a burger if not breakfast time.  You can stay on 93 all the way past Flathead Lake.  It is pretty, but traffic can really suck as most of it is one lane in each direction with a lot of people on it.  I suggest finding your way to Libby, via 200, to the northwest and then taking 37 up along Lake Coocanusa.  37 is posted 70 mph and it follows the ins and outs of the lake.  It is marked as a high value motorcycle road by Butler Maps and it deserves that rating.  Then pop out at Eureka, back on 93 to the south and then do Glacier.  This route should make the Glacier traffic palatable because you will still have a smile on your face from hooning 37.  Spring and early Summer should, hopefully, avoid the fires we had last summer.  Piss poor visibility and some road closures resulted.

[mickeym3]

Hopefully you get good news on the heart cath (and/or minimal intervention to your pipes). Outside of Phoenix we’ve always enjoyed a couple of nights at the Usery Mountain Regional Park (if you’re taking a tent just in case) and then ease up to 89A through Cottonwood and Sedona. Up in MT if you don’t mind a few miles of gravel pick up Little Joe Rd. in St Regis and when you hit Idaho the Joe River road on to Avery is really nice and scenic.  After Avery you can loop back north into MT. 

[scout6]

Looks like a fun trip.  If you have not done the Lolo Pass, on 12 west, it is worth the trip down and back.  Love the sign that says curves next 99 miles.

[Rob Nowell]

On 12/20/2021 at 6:48 PM, Danny caddyshack Noonan said:

Montana suggestion: Find your way thru the Big Hole Valley and up the Bitterroot Valley.  From Bozeman, west on 90, south on 15 for a bit and then west on 43 (Wisdom) thru the Big Hole Valley.  You could also go down to 41 Dillon on 15 and then west on 278.  There's an interesting Battlefield Monument on the west side of the valley.  43 will take you to Lost Trail Pass where ID and MT meet.  Go north on 93 (which is a really, really long highway) thru the Bitterroot.  In about 1/2 hour, you'll go past the Yellowstone show film location (Chief Joseph Ranch).  I recommend Nap's in Hamilton for a burger if not breakfast time.  You can stay on 93 all the way past Flathead Lake.  It is pretty, but traffic can really suck as most of it is one lane in each direction with a lot of people on it.  I suggest finding your way to Libby, via 200, to the northwest and then taking 37 up along Lake Coocanusa.  37 is posted 70 mph and it follows the ins and outs of the lake.  It is marked as a high value motorcycle road by Butler Maps and it deserves that rating.  Then pop out at Eureka, back on 93 to the south and then do Glacier.  This route should make the Glacier traffic palatable because you will still have a smile on your face from hooning 37.  Spring and early Summer should, hopefully, avoid the fires we had last summer.  Piss poor visibility and some road closures resulted.

Plan an hour or so to stop at Kootenai Falls, on Hwy 2 between Libby & Troy.  Short walk/hike down to beautiful river falls.  In early June,, the Flathead traffic shouldn't be very bad.  From Glacier NP, you can also go down the Seeley Swan highway in lieu of 93 (which would equate from Polson to Missoula and I-90).

[Rob Nowell]

On 12/20/2021 at 12:48 PM, Rinkydink said:

I’m retired and have plenty of time. Going Interstate from home to Amarillo then it’s 95% backroads from then on. Haven’t decided the route home yet. 

If you have time, consider going over Lolo Pass (US 12)  from caddyshack's US 93 into Idaho, then north on 95 toward Coeur d'Alene.

 

[Rob Nowell]

I visited Devil's Tower again this summer (my second time).  I find it fascinating, and the KOA there offers awesome views from all their cabins.

[chrisolson]

 

On 12/18/2021 at 10:16 AM, Rinkydink said:

Thoughts appreciated. 

 

Hard to tell from your map where you're crossing into Arizona, but if its 60, that' a good choice.  Take that to Show Low, then 260 out to Pine then north on 87 to junction of 209 or more well known as St Marys Rd.  Its a great run into Flag.  From Flag ... best scenic route to Utah is to take the 89A cutoff over the mountain to Fredonia and Kanab (don't go to Page)

 

Edit:  if you take the mountain route resist the temptation to wick it up coming out of the mountain on the long straight run into Fredonia ... there is almost always a Highway Patrol sitting there with radar.

[Dennis Andress]

2 hours ago, chrisolson said:

Edit:  if you take the mountain route resist the temptation to wick it up coming out of the mountain on the long straight run into Fredonia ... there is almost always a Highway Patrol sitting there with radar.

 

 

There is, and he was running K band! And he didn't stop us!  89A north from Jacob Lake has extremely nasty tar snakes!

 

Don't go to Page.

[Rob Nowell]

4 hours ago, chrisolson said:

89A

I love 89A, all the way.  Jerome, AZ, has a beautiful stretch of twisties heading north.

[Rinkydink]

6 hours ago, chrisolson said:

 

 

Hard to tell from your map where you're crossing into Arizona, but if its 60, that' a good choice.  Take that to Show Low, then 260 out to Pine then north on 87 to junction of 209 or more well known as St Marys Rd.  Its a great run into Flag.  From Flag ... best scenic route to Utah is to take the 89A cutoff over the mountain to Fredonia and Kanab (don't go to Page)

 

Edit:  if you take the mountain route resist the temptation to wick it up coming out of the mountain on the long straight run into Fredonia ... there is almost always a Highway Patrol sitting there with radar.

That is the route we are taking. Onward through Zion, Bryce Canyon, Torrey and on to Moab. Thanks for the radar tip. 

[chrisolson]

1 hour ago, Rinkydink said:

Thanks for the radar tip. 

 

In contrast, there are some great stretches on St Marys Rd  ** that have a nice opportunity to open it up.   This is really one of the nicer scenic roads in Northern Arizona with usually very little traffic.

 

** NOTE:  this should have read "LAKE MARY ROAD" which goes through Happy Jack toward Morman Lake and Upper Lake Mary

[Walsh3204]

Regarding National Park reservations,  if you're an early bird, you can enter some parks before they officially open (i.e., before they start collecting entrance fees) without a reservation. Did this at Glacier last year even though we had reservations just to beat the crowds. You can do this at Yellowstone too. Some parks get locked up at night, though, so you'll want to check the ones you are planning to visit before relying on this strategy. Enjoy!

[walton66]

I

[GSJOE]

Hey, I did a month-long trip last September In many of the areas you are going.  I received a lot of input from folks on this site.  If you can give me a little bit about the type of roads you most enjoy, I will send you Google links to these roads and you can use as applicable.

[GSJOE]

Totally agree with Bill Murray that you should start this trip in Late April Early May to avoid extreme temperatures in New Mexico Arizona and Utah.  By June it could be smoking hot

[mickeym3]

By June some of the passes will still be snowed in as well, timing is everything. 

[realshelby]

Glacier National Park. Look up West Glacier KOA. This is a really nice place to stay. Nice cabins for rent, nice facilities with breakfast and supper onsite. Right down the road from GNP entrance. Looks like you might come through Kalispell...so you have that side taken care of. Really nice ride as you leave GNP and KOA on route 2 then take 89 toward Great Falls. 

Riding the Highway to the Sun road is rather special. BUT...this year and probably next you have to get a permit ( to limit traffic). Cannot get this until 2 months before date you want. Also the KOA can get busy.

[MikeRC]

Lots of good suggestions above.   Other than some roads over 10,000ft you will be snow free for everything south of Yellowstone by Memorial Day.  Even Yellowstone will be mostly open, with Dunraven Pass (Tower Fall to Canyon Junction) and Beartooth having a projected opening of May 27.  Yellowstone Park Roads

 

You do not want to be in Yellowstone after about June 12th.  It becomes a complete parking lot and it is faster to get around on a bicycle.  And motorcycle vs buffalo/elk due to those traffic hold ups never works out well for the motorcycle. 

 

North of Yellowstone is hard to predict at this point.  I live about 150 miles away from the Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTTS) as the crow flies and we have had two weeks of very low temps and already have a high snowpack in the Rockies.  Great early season skiing, though.  Long-term forecasts are for high snowfalls and low temps until April.  Although the GTTS is usually open sometime in mid-June,  I wouldn't make a prediction this year until plowing starts in May.  Make sure you follow the plowing progress and reservation/ticketing at the Glacier Park Going-to-the-Sun Road General Info.

 

I would also use AZ 191.  Going through the Morenci Copper Mine site is a bit of an eye-opener to start.  Maybe not in a good way.  Have you considered visiting Gila Cliff Dwellings NM and Saguaro NP before that? Sunset Crater Volcano NM near Flagstaff?  Canyon de Chelly?  

 

It looks like you are going through Vernal, UT near Dinosaur NM.  You are getting into Dark Sky territory there with great night skies.  The Quarry Exhibit Hall is well worth a visit. 

 

Cheapest places to stay visiting Yellowstone?  There are still a few bargains in Jackson, West Yellowstone and Gardiner, MT.  But Driggs, ID lends itself to a nice loop Driggs -> Jackson -> West Thumb, WY -> West Yellowstone -> Island Park/Ashton, ID -> Driggs.  Just watch out for the leftover winter gravel on Teton Pass and Island Park. 

 

I have other suggestions for Yellowstone to Glacier NP, but will wait for a bit.

 

Mike C

[Rinkydink]

We moved departure date up to May 15th. We know that will jeopardize the mountain passes but I just can’t do the heat. If conditions aren’t favorable we will stay south and continue west towards Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, up PCH, OR, ID and wherever the weather allows us to go. Retirement is nice like that.