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Rocky Mountain / Re: Route Suggestions for Glacier NP to Yellowstone NP next July
« on: March 04, 2016, 06:29:39 am »
I live in Kalispell, Mt just a few miles from GNP. I haven't ridden the routes you're planning but I can tell you that traveling SW down the Swan highway would be my choice to head south from GNP. It will be beautiful. Traveling the east side of the mountains would be miserable in my opinion, the wind blows hard almost all the time and once you are past East Glacier You'll be looking at nothing but prairie unless you dirt road it along the Rocky Mountain Front.
Traffic in July will be very heavy, a lot of roads have little to no shoulder, and campgrounds are probably already mostly booked by this time of year. Especially for Yellowstone because I think there is some kind of anniversary this year. I am familiar with almost all of the campgrounds r/v parks around GNP/Flathead Valley so if you have any questions about a particular campground I might be able to answer them.
Wayfarer's State Park in Bigfork MT has some cycling specific camp sites that will probably be less heavily booked than other camp sites.
If you find yourself without a place to camp in the Flathead Valley I can find you something, even if it's just pitching a tent in someone's yard.
Keep in mind that the Sun Road is only open to bicycles certain hours of the day. I think it's closed from 11am-6 or 7pm. If you can plan your trip to be in GNP for a full moon you'll never experience a more beautiful ride than the Sun highway under a full moon. Bring bear spray. Another thing about campgrounds in Yellowstone, a lot of them only permit hard sided campers because tents offer no bear protection. If you do choose to go SE I can hook you up with a place to camp in Choteau, MT.
Looking at the route you asked about in a previous post, once you get to Bigfork and head towards Swan lake you'll be riding 2 lane highway with little to no shoulder and speed limits of 70mph pretty much all the way to the Clearwater Junction. From there to Ovando and Lincoln is nice wide road, then from Lincoln over to Helena is gonna be narrow without much shoulder in parts. It's been a few years since I've driven some of this so it may have improved in recent years.
If you need a bike shop while in the Flathead Valley, Wheaton's Cycle in Kalispell is the best around. They have a Hostel above the bike shop for lodging if you're interested.
Traffic in July will be very heavy, a lot of roads have little to no shoulder, and campgrounds are probably already mostly booked by this time of year. Especially for Yellowstone because I think there is some kind of anniversary this year. I am familiar with almost all of the campgrounds r/v parks around GNP/Flathead Valley so if you have any questions about a particular campground I might be able to answer them.
Wayfarer's State Park in Bigfork MT has some cycling specific camp sites that will probably be less heavily booked than other camp sites.
If you find yourself without a place to camp in the Flathead Valley I can find you something, even if it's just pitching a tent in someone's yard.
Keep in mind that the Sun Road is only open to bicycles certain hours of the day. I think it's closed from 11am-6 or 7pm. If you can plan your trip to be in GNP for a full moon you'll never experience a more beautiful ride than the Sun highway under a full moon. Bring bear spray. Another thing about campgrounds in Yellowstone, a lot of them only permit hard sided campers because tents offer no bear protection. If you do choose to go SE I can hook you up with a place to camp in Choteau, MT.
Looking at the route you asked about in a previous post, once you get to Bigfork and head towards Swan lake you'll be riding 2 lane highway with little to no shoulder and speed limits of 70mph pretty much all the way to the Clearwater Junction. From there to Ovando and Lincoln is nice wide road, then from Lincoln over to Helena is gonna be narrow without much shoulder in parts. It's been a few years since I've driven some of this so it may have improved in recent years.
If you need a bike shop while in the Flathead Valley, Wheaton's Cycle in Kalispell is the best around. They have a Hostel above the bike shop for lodging if you're interested.