Roadtrip West: Any camping suggestions? Montana?

[Fedyschyn]

Some friends and I are planning to drive west for a week long camping trip at the beginning of July. I've been to Colorado, Yellowstone seems like it would be too crowded/touristy at that time (am I wrong?), and Montana just seems like a cool place to visit. That being said with a 2,300 mile trip ahead of us I don't want to just show up and be disappointed because a lack of planning. Does anyone have any suggestions for some primitive camping that would allow fishing and some scenery? I found Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF online but it is so massive I don't know what to think. ANY advice would be appreciated and even if it isn't in Montana we are pretty much ready to drive 3k miles to see some more of North America. Help some east coast college kids out

[Bogo]

There are many state and local parks in Montana that don't fill up except on holiday weekends. Get a state parks pass. I haven't explored the state as much as I'd like. I usually do my trip after school starts in the fall to avoid the crowds and visit stuff in Montana on the way to or from Yellowstone.

Official State of Montana Vacation, Recreation, Accommodations and Travel Information Website
National Park Service - Experience Your America
US Forest Service - Caring for the land and serving people.

I seam to have lost all my links to places in MT. Need to find them again. The state has lots of lesser national and state parks and forests.

Check the fishing regulations. For the national parks you may need both fishing permits for the park and state. I don't fish, but I remember something about that.

In Glacier NP the main Going to the Sun road area is often filled, but northern and southern ends have spaces available. Also you can make reservations online.

If you haven't been to Yellowstone, it is worth stopping. If you do visit Yellowstone,
enter or ext via the north east entrance road and go over the Beartooth Pass. Just make sure the weather is good that day. Storms can be real fun up above the tree line. One evening I went over it and they had the big snowblowers sitting there idling at the turnouts. That wasn't a night to get stuck on the pass. It ended up being closed for a couple days due to snow.

[MTJohn]

In the Beaverhead-Deerlodge forest, a real pretty area is the Wise River. The road up the Wise River (Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway) is very pretty (not the first few miles) and the fishing in Wise River is decent. This is also by the Big Hole river that is very well know for its fishing. Lots of camping in this area and I have never seen the campgrounds full. If all else fails, just pull of the road a ways and pitch your tent. Tell me what you want to do/see and I can give you some advice.

Glacier and Yellowstone are pretty and worth seeing, but be prepared for the crowds. I think you need to make advance reservations for camping.

[83 chif]

awesome idea, i went to Big Bend National Park in texas over winter break a few months ago, nothing beats a good road trip. you should check out Banff National Park, that is on the top of my list of next road trip destinations.

and as far as camping and all that, i found that just calling the park ranger office of national and state parks can get you a lot of info. even if you're not asking them about their camping or regulations, they usually have a good idea of what else is going on nearbye as far as private camp grounds, cheap motels or good fishing spots. they're a good resource, and you can find the numbers online.

[Sno bored]

Glacier National park is INCREDIBLE, you should check it out. It may be a little crowded around then, but see if you can book a campsite now.

[Fedyschyn]

So glacier and yellowstone should be good stops. I'll keep that in mind and make some calls. It think for the majority of the time we will be looking for some where low key in the mountains with some decent fishing.

[PHBeerman]

Originally Posted by Fedyschyn

So glacier and yellowstone should be good stops. I'll keep that in mind and make some calls. It think for the majority of the time we will be looking for some where low key in the mountains with some decent fishing.

Even during peak season, Glacier and Yellowstone are not as busy as one may think.

I would hit Glacier. Head down and through Yellowstone. And then through Teton and into Jackson Hole.

[Corbet]

Glacier is spectacular as is Yellowstone. However both are very different. Most of Yellowstone is set up to be toured by car, Glacier needs to be seen by foot IMO.

Both are continuing to get busier every summer. I'd try to get reservations in advance if possible. But I've had good luck walking into campgrounds in both places too.

[C6H12O6]

If you want to get into the good fishing with fewer people a little quicker, spend the money on a decent guide. It will be the best money you spend on the trip. I used to work in the fly fishing business in MT and it was really sad to see people come out on their big trip and waste 90% of their trip fishing a stretch of river they aren't familiar with, with flies that aren't right, at a time of year when the fish aren't even around, with gear that won't get the job done. Split it with a buddy and it's only $200 a day each. Cheaper than a couple tanks of gas driving around trying to figure out where to go.

Glacier's fishing isn't as good, but it is beautiful, so worth the trip. If you want to fish up there, look at the Big Creek Campground. It's just outside the park on the West edge, easy to find, not too crowded, cheap, and is right on the North Fork of the Flathead River. The fishing is pretty good and the cutthroat are predictably dumb. Attractor dries and any nymph presented well will probably fool a few. Lots of bears around, so be smart about making camp. Some moron left a bag of dog food out in the campsite next to us and had a visitor in the middle of the night. Good thing we had that mesh tent to protect us.

[splitshot]

If you've got the time you need to go over Beartooth Pass into Red Lodge. One of the most impressive roads in the country, It blew me away. Just head Northwest from Cody Wy. and follow the map. I think at the top your looking at somewhere around 13,000 feet. Just west of redlodge is a town called Rosco, just a post office and a great steakhouse out in the middle of nowhere. Some good lakes just south of there.
If your in the Dillon area, try Minneopa Lake, nice pack in lake with nobody else to bug you and excellent fishing.

Here's a pic of Beartooth Mtn.

[brew8]

Yellowstone Park isn't too bad till little league is out in mid July then it's really crowded, the best fishing in the park is closed till after the spawn, I think it opens about the 20th of July, there are some great lakes north of Cooke City and lots of them, the Bighorn river is great maybe the best in Montana but it needs to be floated, you can rent a guide or a boat, it's not difficult to float, the upper yellowsstone south of Livingstone is a great floater but the runoff is late this year and you will have to wait for the water to go down, if you know when you will be here give me a shout my son in law has a drift boat and maybe we can do something, Larry

[boze_man]

if u coming out on I-94 be sure to visit theo roosevelt NP in ND...awesome and un-crowded...even better u can primitive camp on the nearby national grasslands, need to get a plat map from the local "forest service" office...lots of cool areas in western ND...think about 1mil acres of public lands...medora is a cool little town out there and teddy had his early days ranch out there....

prob best to google and start calling the local offices for info...they usually pretty helpful

good luck
bill

[Gold Boy]

the Similkameen Valley BC Canada is breathtaking this time of year, this valley will not disappoint you!

here is a pic of the Similkameen valley..............

[Randy88FJ62]

You MUST go to Glacier national Park!
It is some of the most beautiful country I have seen in my life. I have gone to GNP every year for the last 12 years with my family. We do lots of day hiking and camp. It’s great temperatures in July and there is no snow except up on the mountains. I highly recommend you make it there. PM me for any information whatsoever. I can go on for days about how beautiful it is. I will be there this year around July 20th for a week. If anyone wants to come up I can take you on off trail hikes and climbs where tourists can’t get. There are mountain goats, rams, grizzly bears and more. Anyone is welcome to join me and I will give anyone advice about GNP. Please take a look at my following pics that I put together for you. Consider it a teaser. I only have these few pics on this computer so they are not the best.
-Randy

[Fedyschyn]

Originally Posted by Randy88FJ62

You MUST go to Glacier national Park!
It is some of the most beautiful country I have seen in my life. I have gone to GNP every year for the last 12 years with my family. We do lots of day hiking and camp. It’s great temperatures in July and there is no snow except up on the mountains. I highly recommend you make it there. PM me for any information whatsoever. I can go on for days about how beautiful it is. I will be there this year around July 20th for a week. If anyone wants to come up I can take you on off trail hikes and climbs where tourists can’t get. There are mountain goats, rams, grizzly bears and more. Anyone is welcome to join me and I will give anyone advice about GNP. Please take a look at my following pics that I put together for you. Consider it a teaser. I only have these few pics on this computer so they are not the best.
-Randy

Thanks for those awesome pictures Randy. I cant wait to go and that campsite sounds absolutely awesome.

[Bogo]

Originally Posted by Fedyschyn

I cant wait to go and that campsite sounds absolutely awesome.

I've also had that campground mentioned to me as a wonderful spot.

[sirenmoses]

The most inspiring place I ever camped was here: Dinosaur National Monument - Echo Park Campground (U.S. National Park Service)

Watching the gas gauge drop below the red on the way out might've had something to do with it. Mooched a couple gallons at the ranger station so I could get back to town and fill up.

Next nite was here: Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area | Utah.com

All on the way here: Grand Teton National Park & John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway - Grand Teton National Park & John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway (U.S. National Park Service) for a 3 day rock & ice school w/summit attempt. Rode my motorcycle the entire way. :sigh: Would do it again in a heartbeat.

[MyCrush]

..from Chesapeake, huh ?
I moved from Norfolk to UT a little over 1yr ago....you are taking one awesome trip ! I drove all over the US for 5mos b4 settling out here < put 15k miles on my Cruiser ! >

I'll also weigh in on GNP....unreal scenery and the best night sky.......I even chartered a Heli tour and one night saw two UFO's !

Have a gr8 trip !
< come to UT and see this 3rd pic >

[Mike S]

Montana is a marvelous place. On your way west I recommend that you take the Highline route (Highway 2) and detour slightly South at Malta, MT for a couple of days to the Charles M Russell NWR - the last unspoiled stretch of the Missouri river. Good camping, lots of wildlife, and a taste of what Lewis and Clark saw on their Voyage of Discovery.

Also the Blackhills are on the way here, and well worth stopping for...

Mike S

[calamaridog]

Originally Posted by splitshot

If you've got the time you need to go over Beartooth Pass into Red Lodge. One of the most impressive roads in the country, It blew me away...

x2

Beartooth All American Road - Cooke City Montana, Cody Wyoming, Red Lodge Montana

Honestly, you guys are doing too much driving already to be trying to drive from Yellowstone to Glacier and actually really enjoy both in a week.

[Randy88FJ62]

Originally Posted by calamaridog

x2

Beartooth All American Road - Cooke City Montana, Cody Wyoming, Red Lodge Montana

Honestly, you guys are doing too much driving already to be trying to drive from Yellowstone to Glacier and actually really enjoy both in a week.

I agree with calamaridog,
You can't see so much in one week. Pick a destination drive there and back in 2 days and use the other 5 days to enjoy whichever place you pick. A road trip is useless if you stay in the car the whole time.

[Marc311]

Originally Posted by Randy88FJ62

I agree with calamaridog,
You can't see so much in one week. Pick a destination drive there and back in 2 days and use the other 5 days to enjoy whichever place you pick. A road trip is useless if you stay in the car the whole time.

x1000000
A couple friends and I did the cross country thing after college (CA to DC). We spent three weeks and it still felt like we were always driving. That advice is spot on - get where you want to be and then spend some time.

We only ventured into that very SW corner of Montana on our way to Yellowstone. We camped in a National Forest not far from Yellowstone, but in Montana. We saw a porcupine and had a couple moose (meese?) walked through out campsite. I have to say, that night camping was actually better than the next day we spent in Yellowstone. Of course, we just saw the main sights (i.e. Old "not so" Faithful) then drove on through - I'm sure Yellowstone had more to offer than the 15 minute traffic backup so the line of cars could see a buffalo rolling around in the dirt beside the road. I'm sure the other 99% of Yellowstone, where there are fewer people, is better.

Have fun!

[webelk6]

Originally Posted by Mike S

Montana is a marvelous place. On your way west I recommend that you take the Highline route (Highway 2) and detour slightly South at Malta, MT for a couple of days to the Charles M Russell NWR - the last unspoiled stretch of the Missouri river. Good camping, lots of wildlife, and a taste of what Lewis and Clark saw on their Voyage of Discovery.

Also the Blackhills are on the way here, and well worth stopping for...

Mike S

X2 on Malta. 12 yrs. ago hunted on the Oxentenko Ranch. Beautiful area. And not many people. Also did the chs. russell. No motorized vehicles IIRC...

[Bogo]

If somebody in your group has a laptop computer I'd get a copy of one of the topo map programs and use it in trip planning. I personally use TopoUSA from Delorme. If you decide you want to hit a few national parks then a national parks pass may be the way to go. It'll cover entrance fees for your car and everybody in it and they are good for a year. I never recoup my $ on my Yellowstone trip, but always recoup it by the end of the year.

As for trip time, I always figure two days minimum to Yellowstone as I tend to stop off at places when I get into the high country. I'm only starting from Iowa. If I have planned stops I'll add a day for each. Starting from VA, I'd be tempted to drive through till I got to Wall, SD if going by I-90 or Laramie, WY if going by I-80. I-94 I don't know where the interesting stuff starts.

If you are driving on I-90 past Wall, SD then stop there at Wall Drug. It is a must see tourist trap. Also take a side trip through the Bad Lands NP there. Coming from the east you can get off at Cactus Flats and make a loop through the Bad Lands and come up out at Wall SD. Along I-90 the Black Hills, Mt Rushmore, and Crazy Horse will also be on your way. Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse can be seen by taking a moderate length detour off of I-90. Devils Tower NM is a bit off I-90 to the North. For a rock climber or geologist it is a must see stop. Devils tower looks just like it did when the first humans saw it. They know this from studying the lichen on the rocks. None of the fracture columns have fallen in many centuries.

Along I-80 the first real interesting thing is the pass you cross just before Laramie, WY. It is up over 8,600 ft. Then you drop down into Laramie. At Laramie I often take Highway 130 west up over the Medicine Bow mountains and the Snowy Range Pass (10,847 feet). If you do go up over the Snowy Range Pass, travel down the west side and drive some country roads for awhile. Before catching I-80 again. There is some interesting ranch country back there. You'll also see some huge McMansions too. All that is within sight of the west side of the Medicine Bow Mountains.

Beyond Laramie you have a choice. You can enter Yellowstone from the south or east. Both have their pluses. Entering from the south brings you by Grand Teton NP. Entering from the East brings you through Cody, WY. Cody has an excellent cowboy museum. They also have a rodeo that is put on often during the summer. The park entrance road (US 14) to the east was just rehabbed and is maybe the most interesting entrance to Yellowstone. You enter through a big deep river cut. If you go to Cody from I-80, go through the Wind River Canyon just south of Thermopolis. Highway 20 goes through it. I've taken state route 120 from Thermopolis to Cody. Sometime I want to take US 14 to or from Cody tothe east see what it is like along it. I hear the mountains east of there are interesting. When driving the back roads of the west, fill up on gas when you can. Also don't be surprised if there are only credit/debit card pumps and no attendant. There is a lone gas station at Muddy Gap Junction that I have yet to see an attendant at. Not to far west of there (along 287) is Split Rock which is a famous spot on the Oregon Trail. I've often left I-80 at Rawlings and taken various routes off of highway 287. I stuff the tank and my jerry cans in Rawlings and wind my way north or north west depending on where I'm headed. Oh, yeah, I also stuff my water jerry cans. This is very dry parched country. It is all in the rain shadow of Yellowstone and the mountains around it. Not much water falls from the sky there. It will look very different than what you are familiar with. If you decide to drive country roads, be mindful of the cattle. This is open range country. The cattle have access to the roads and them black ones are very hard to see at night. If there is a gate across a road, close it securely after you pass. Most have been converted to cattle guards now, but you may be in sheep country every now and then. Highway 287 leads to Moran Junction in Grand Teton NP. South from Moran Jct is the south half of Grand Teton and Jackson, WY. North is the north half of Grand Teton and Yellowstone NP. From my point of view Grand Teton NP is best at sunrise on a clear day. That is when you get the golden rays of the sun shining on the mountain faces. The rivers in Grand Teton are fishable, I just don't know how good they are.

On going to Yellowstone from Cody. You could go north to the NE entrance. That will bring you close to the Yellowstone end of Highway 212 and the Bear Tooth Pass. State route 296 from State Route 120 to Highway 212 is supposed to be a fun road or so says a lady who lives up in the Colorado Rockies. I haven't been on it yet, but it is flagged as one to travel some day.

You can also get to Cody via highway 14/14A from I-90.

On fishing in Yellowstone, check the notices. Sometimes sections of rivers are closed due to being to warm.

There were many things I was going to do on my first trip to Yellowstone, but I found myself spending many hours ogling and photographing the various landscapes.

I think the most important thing is to know what is along your planned route so you can decide along the way if you have time to do XYZ or not. You got such a long post tonight as I'm working on roughing out possibilities for my next Yellowstone trip this fall. I'm a photographer rather than a fisherman so I tend to look for photographable sites.

[Bogo]