Missoula to Minneapolis

[Captain Bogart]

Hey ya'll! I am currently planning my first cross country tour.

We will be taking Amtrak from St. Paul, MN to Portland, OR, then heading out to Astoria to start in mid-May. The currently plan is to take the Lewis and Clark or TransAm to Missoula. We will be on road bikes, loaded up with food and gear (as we hope to camp as much as possible) so we want to stay on pavement.

After Missoula we will head to Minneapolis, taking the TransAm down to the PPP or connecting to the Northern Tier. My concern with the latter is that the Lewis and Clark trail east of Missoula seems to be a lot of gravel so we'd need to find an alternative route to connect with the NT. Additionally, I've read that biking through Montana on the NT can be really brutal with traffic. I'm hoping to see lots of natural beauty on this trip. I've read that Glacier NP is a highlight of the NT in that regard but we will have recently visited it so that holds less sway.

My top priority is safety, second is the opportunity for wild camping or free small-town park camping.

Do you recommend the PPP or the Northern Tier, east of Missoula? Which will feel safer to bike? Is there a paved and safe route connecting Missoula to the NT? Is the PPP fully paved?

Once we get to Minneapolis, we will take a detour to Duluth. Then I will head back down to Minneapolis, take the NT out to Maine to complete a Portland-to-Portland/Coast-to-Coast trip.

[John Nelson]

I have ridden the TA, the NT, the PPP, and the eastern half of the L&C. Given your stated desired, I would recommend against the NT. Glacier NP is by far the highlight of the NT, but you've just been there, so much of the NT attraction is lessened.

I would suggest taking the TransAm to Yellowstone and then continuing on the PPP, but I don't know much about the L&C between Astoria and Yellowstone. The PPP offers Yellowstone, Badlands, Bighorn Mountains, Devils Tower, Spearfish Canyon and the Mickelson Trail. The NT really can't compete with all that. Eastern Montana and North Dakota are pretty bleak. The TA and the PPP offer excellent camping opportunities. The NT not so much.

Now about safety. You are on a road bike. You will be mostly on roads shared with traffic. The amount of time you'll spend on traffic-less trails is pretty small. Sharing the roads with traffic can never be made safe, but the ACA has done as good of a job as is possible on a long route.

Yes, the PPP is fully paved, except for the Mickelson Trail, and some of the last day into Minneapolis.

[BikeliciousBabe]

Just saw this.  You can get from Missoula to Whitefish (on the NT) on paved roads save for a maybe 30' section that, the last time I rode it (2019), was dirt.  Yiu can get from Missoula to Columbia Falls , but the only safe way I know of involves some unpaved riding through a residential area.  (I would not NOT take Hwy. 206 north of the junction with Hwy. 35.  Lots of fast traffic and no shoulder for a segment.)

The problem with heading to the NT west of Glacier is that to get to W. Glacier you either need to do some dirt/gravel or brave a shoulderless segment of U.S. 2 between C-Falls and Hungry Horse.

What width tires do you plan to ride?  Keep in mind that you could hit roadwork that would force you to ride unpaved surfaces.  Back when I was on the tA from Missoula east I hit two extended section of road that were being repaved and had their paved surfaces removed.  I am glad I had 37c tires.  I was on the TA in Darby back in June.  The section of U.S. 93 through town was being repaved.

[jamawani]

Capt. B. -

Where you from? It don't say here.
You have an early-ish start and may encounter cool/wet/cold weather.
It's the Pacific Northwest and the Northern Rockies, after all.
Washingtonians have a term for June - "June-uary".
Some years the warm & dry season starts in early June, other years in late June.

The higher elevations of Montana - and esp. Wyoming - can get snow well into June.
I've gone cross-country skiing as late as June 22nd. On fresh snow.

If you look at elevations - it's counter-intuitive.
The lowest route is the NT in northern Montana.
Next lowest is the L&C (both options) in central Montana.
The highest route is the PPP in northern Wyoming - and thus the chilliest.

But, by mid to late June the wildflowers should be peaking in northern Wyoming.
Just sagebrush, snakes, and wind in eastern Montana.
If you are willing to risk a little bit of cold, the PPP east of Yellowstone is far more scenic.

To summarize:

US 12 Route - Astoria to Walla Walla
Lewis & Clark - Astoria to Walla Walla


Backing up from Yellowstone -
You can take the TransAm via Wisdom and Ennis.
Or if the weather is iffy, you can head east via Ovando to Helena
then south a number of way thru Ennis and to Yellowstone.

From Clarkston to Missoula on the L&C makes sense.
BUT do not remotely consider riding on US 12 from Lewiston to Kamiah.

The issue with the L&C east of Portland is construction.
The viaducts on the Historic Columbia Highway are being rebuilt.
So you would have to ride on I-84.
It's legal to do so in Oregon, but sucks.
The "Washington Option" of the L&C - Hwy 4 - has way too much traffic.

Not to mention that the L&C has you riding thru Portland.
Portland used to be the most beautiful city in the U.S.
Not so any more. The bike trails have major homeless camps.
Most people are fine, but drug/alcohol abuse is obvious.

But wait! There's more!!
The L&C has you on the Oregon side of the Columbia River out of Astoria.
It's mostly US 30, very busy, mostly with shoulders.
The Washington side is way, way more scenic and much less traffic.

I might suggest a route using US 12 over White Pass in Washington.
US 12 has much less traffic than US 30 or Hwy 4 and certainly I-84.
You get a few great views of Mount Rainier - if the weather cooperates.
There are quite a few Old Hwy 12 segments with almost no traffic.
The east side of the Cascades is much warmer - with great camping.
Then the Yakima Valley is quite nice in late May - maybe even early cherry season.

Reconnect with the L&C near Walla Walla.

To summarize:

US 12 Route - Astoria to Walla Walla
Lewis & Clark - Walla Walla to Missouia
TransAm - Missoula to Yellowstone
PPP - Yellowstone east

Pic - Bighorns in late June

[jamawani]

PS - Any relation to Humphrey?