Montana/Wyoming Loop

[Mobyduck]

Thinking about flying into Billings, Montana next June to attend the Custer reenactment battle. Would like to spend a couple of days there then make a circle and return to Billings at the end of the week. Would like to swing down through the Big Horn Mountains then head toward Yellowstone. It will be mostly a sightseeing trip with stops at various points of interest. What would be the recommended miles per day for a trip like this? We would like to get a motel wherever we ended up at the end of the day. Just starting our planning and appreciate any comments and suggestions. Thanks....

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

On a trip like this I don't think you should concentrate on how many miles per day you should drive, instead concentrate on what you want to see and figure out where to stay. So instead of averaging 120 miles per day for example, you may find it works to drive 2-300 miles and then stay in a 50/60 miles radius for a couple of days. Yellowstone is huge and the going is slow so you could work on a couple of locations within (or close by) the park to take a look. You could easily spen 3 days here and only scratch the surface and if I am reading your post correctly you will only have 5 days for the loop ? Heading to the Big Horn mountains and head into Yellowstone via the Grand Tetons and exiting via the Beartooth highway would quite the drive and sightseeing experience. You might decide to go through Cody into Yellowstone so I would start by sorting out what appeals to you and putting some dots on the map and then figure out joining the dots. Of course we are here to help and answer any questions you may have. Yellowstone is hugely popular and a place that can get booked up way in advance for the popular and decent priced lodgings. Early booking advised.

[DonnaR57]

SWDave is quite right - the Yellowstone area books quickly and finding something on the fly each day would be next-to-impossible. Gardiner on the north entrance, West Yellowstone on the west entrance, Silver Gate/Cooke City on the northeast entrance are all places that have lodging.

With recent natural events, keep up with the Yellowstone National Park website, particularly the sections about Current Conditions and Park Roads. Also, watch the website for the Beartooth Highway, if you plan to use it (you get there from I-90 at Laurel, just west of Billings).


Donna

[AZBuck]

"I been in the right place, But it must have been the wrong [time]." June is when tourists really start to flock to the Yellowstone area as the weather finally becomes tolerable and schools have let out for the summer. A single buffalo can (and does) cause a massive traffic jam, and as Donna has pointed out accommodations are usually fully booked well in advance. Since you'll be headed east from Billings initially, consider continuing east from there with a goal of Rapid City SD.

Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, the Black Hills, the Chapel in the Hills, Custer State Park, Badlands National Park, along with Wind and Jewel Caves are some of the attractions in the Rapid City area which will be less crowded than the Yellowstone area. Between Billings and Rapid City, US-16 into the Bighorn Mountains from Buffalo WY is a great scenic drive while the Buffalo Transportation Pierce_Arroow Museum offers a taste of driving in style.

Taking a more northerly route back would take you by Devils Tower, the Custer Battlefield Museum in Garryowen MT, and a memorial on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation to Chief Two Moons who fought at the Little Bighorn. All in all, I would certainly consider heading east onto roads less traveled rather than head into Yellowstone in June.

AZBuck

[Mark Sedenquist]

All good advice.

Contrary to the expected norms, I have been able to get cabin accommodations in Yellowstone in late June--but it was entirely luck-of-the-draw. I always check for cancellations a couple of times each day and in my experience the cancellations start popping up on the board about 4 pm. The last time that worked -- I had already driven 50+ miles past the location, but turned around and headed back.

But it is extremely iffy to get one that way.

Mark

[glc]

About 10 years ago I stayed in the Evergreen Motel in West Yellowstone. It's a wonderful old fashioned roadside motel, it was the cheapest in town at the time. I just checked current rates and they are now running around $180 a night. They only have 17 rooms. Everything in that area is expensive.

[landmariner]

Sticking to reasonable timeframe and trip outline you have suggested, Mobyduck, my suggestion would be to:

1) visit the Bighorn Medicine Wheel on US Hwy Alt-14 (you would need a couple of hours to make the walk to the Medicine Wheel and enjoy it). You could arrive from a night over Burgess Junction or further east in Sheridan. Spend the night in Lowell to the west is an option (Cody might be too distant if traveling from Sheridan unless you are an early starter).

2) enter Yellowstone NP from the Cody entrance.

3) exit Yellowstone NP via the Beartooth Hwy on your way to Billings, MT. Beartooth is a slow but very scenic drive so plan accordingly.

Yellowstone is easily a 3-day visit -- you might want to visit one or two sectors at a time. Visit the visitor centers (there are several with each one focusing on some specific topics).

There are also some historical sites in and around Billings, MT.

[Mark Sedenquist]

You could arrive from a night over Burgess Junction or further east in Sheridan.

Sheridan is a pretty spot, I just drove through there a couple of weeks ago. My recommendation would be to stay in Buffalo -- it's a fun little town.

Mark

[Mobyduck]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I will look into them....