Trip starts in south jersey and ends in Montana. Planning on leaving 4-15 or so. No set time to return but I figure I’ll spend a couple months out there checking things out. The reason for the trip is to look at a place to buy, hike, fish, wander the mountains and hopefully run across a bear during the spring season. I figure I’ll take the scenic route on the way out and back. I’m looking for any recommendations to make the trip more enjoyable. Great places to eat. Attractions to see....even if it’s just a drive by of the largest rubber band ball in the world or anything strange like that. It’s just me and the dog. I’m hoping to avoid major metro areas even if the detour adds time to the trip. I haven’t traveled thru much of the Midwest so I’m looking forward to it.

Rushmore

Time an arrival in Sheridan Wyoming to have breakfast at the Silver Spur Cafe. And in Bozeman at the Western Cafe. Great places for breakfast.

Some of the neat places will still be closed off in April, like the Beartooth Highway, and the Lamar valley in Yellowstone. Where in Montana are you planning to look? It’s a big place...

Blus mesa reservoir CO

Pintado canyon CO

Dinosaur natl monument CO/UT

Flaming gorge Reservoir UT/WY

Red desert WY

Wind River, WY

Yellowstone

Big Hole River MT

Schedule yourself a float trip or 2 on the Wind and big hole rivers...

The property I’m most interested in is around the Superior area. it’s not currently on the market but I think it’ll relist in the upcoming months. I’m keeping my options open. I may find something else I love on the way there or back

All of the above occur on what would be described as a big loop starting in colorado and ending up in montana. you'll want some time to do it all justice

Take the drive up to Copper harbor MI, and then back south and across the Superior shore of WI.
At houghton MI, on your way through you can get on a seaplane and be delivered to Isle Royale for a visit.
Be sure to Kayak out to the Sea Caves at Meyers beach near Cornucopia WI
The north shore of Superior up 61 from Duluth is spectacular

If you make it down to Sheridan, WY; go to King Ropes - quite a display of western "stuff" in there!

Superior, MT. I believe Ill be taking the northern route on the return trip. I’ve driven thru that area on the way to Canada to hunt but always in the fall. I’d like to check it out in summer. Beautiful area

Anything you run across outside of South Jersey is going to look like heaven.

I wouldn't sweat it.

Hunter4623: Be sure to do the Badlands National Park in South Dakota, then Custer and next do Mt. Rushmore and Chief Crazy Horse Monuments then do Devils Tower in eastern Wyoming, then spend a FULL day (before sunrise to after sunset!) on both "roads" in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming then a full day in Cody, Wyoming and the wonderful museums there. Then for sure try to do the Beartooth Highway in Montana (if it is open on your way out or your way back).
For sure do Yellowstone Park if open and right next door is Jackson Hole, Wyoming which is blisteringly beautiful in spring times and is open year round.
Eat at Bubbas in Jackson Hole, Wyoming (breakfast, lunch and dinners!).
Once done in Jackson Hole be sure to mosey over to "the Wind" - stunning, this area of Wyoming, and do some road exploring or short hikes.
Watch for shed horns in your travels and good luck on the spring Bear Hunting.
If you are a gun-nut type be sure and stop in at Shedhorn Sports in Ennis, Montana (just north 75 miles or so of West Yellowstone).
Enjoy the scenery in the Madison River country between West Yellowstone and Ennis.
Have fun - drive careful and steal TP along the way!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Clearly you haven’t been to north jersey. This place is heaven compared to there. South jersey is the reason we’re called the Garden State

.Come to Casper Wyoming. we have a couple of great museums on the Westward movement. The National Historic Trails Center and Fort Casper If you would like I can take you out on a covered Wagon trip on the Oregon and California trails. historictrailswest.com. If you just want to visit call me and we can meet for coffee or a drink.

I second that. Take US-2 west from St Ignace. Stay off the interstates as much as possible.

I can hardly drive a half hour anywhere in the region I outlined (CO/UT/WY/MT) without finding a place I'd love to live in forever.

OP, I hope you realize that what passes for spring for most people does not occur in the high country until sometime in June. If you could postpone your trip, you could see and do a lot more. I expect a lot of cancellations this summer in usually hard to get lodging in the national parks, so you could luck out if you want to spend the bucks.

Lots of great suggestions. Thank you

Cheyenne
I plan on staying out there until at least july. This should give me plenty of time to see quite a bit. I figure the experience of this group will ensure nothing slips thru the cracks which is likely if I just fly blind in this.

Take the West Virginia route. PA turnpike is about as scenic as a bobsled run.

I think the American Motorcycle Association museum is along the way in Ohio.

A good chance to stretch your legs.

Steer wide south of Chicago if you can. The traffic is killer.

Rapid City ?

In that case, given the amount of time you have, I would recommend that you read Stephen Ambrose's book Undaunted Courage, buy the journals of Lewis and Clark, and take in as much of the route as you can, much of which should be in the lower elevations. There are a lot of L&C historic sites in Montana. You could venture into Idaho a bit as well. You can do things like the Beartooth Highway, Yellowstone, the Tetons, and Cody on the back end. I am sure the Montana folks can give you insight on Glacier N.P. Have fun!

+1

Cody Wy museum. Plan on a full day, at least.

Cody Wy museum. Plan on a full day, at least. Also Devils Tower, in NE Wy.

Will you be taking the "Southern Route" on the way out? How far south? Spring hits the NM/AZ area a bit earlier than further north and there are interesting things to see in either or both States before heading north.

Of course, if you plan it wrong you might have to drive through....................Texas

Of course, you will be posting updates, right?

Good travels to you.

Geno

Eaten at the Western Cafe man many times. Some sober, some not so much.

I would HIGHLY recommend the Storm Castle Cafe in Bozeman.

I travel a lot with my business. And the Storm Castle is THE BEST cafe/restaurant in this part of the world.

One of a kind places and sites.

Largest Ball of Twine in Minnesota---Darwin Minnesota
Corn Palace--Mitchell, South Dakota
Wall Drug--Wall, South Dakota (Just follow the signs)
Mount Rushmore South Dakota

PM incoming

Oh, man, you got it made. Plenty of time to see a lot of the west. Beartooth is usually open the first week of June, but reliably by the middle of the month. Spectacular by July. First week of June will see tall snowbanks Either side of the road where they plowed through to open it. By July, it’s all open and beautiful up there. Lamar Valley too, which is what you go through getting to the Beartooth from the west. Glacier Park, Going to the Sun Road is awesome too, not usually completely open until late June or July. The Big Hole Valley in SW Montana is one of my favorite places on earth. Amazing. Hyalite Reservoir and Fairy lake near Bozeman are nice too.

If Superior interests you, go further north of Missoula, run 200 up the Clark Fork river valley through Thompson Falls and Noxon. Follow it to Sandpoint, ID, then head north to Bonners Ferry and cut back across 2 through Libby to Kalispell. Beautiful country. A side trip to Yaak would be neat, too. From Kalispell, you can head south through the Swan Valley, several little lakes you can drive up to along there, Van lake is a really nice one. You can cut across through McDonald Pass to Helena, then south to Townsend, and over to Judith Gap. Might check out Lewistown, it’s a nice little town at the foot of the Big Snowies. East and a bit north of there, you will find the Peck Reservoir and the Missouri Breaks. All of it beautiful in different ways. What I laid out after Kalispell sets you up for the northern route back home, too. Cut across North Dakota to Minnesota, or cut south from the Peck Reservoir to Billings and catch 90.

Other suggestions on Wyoming are spot on. Grand Teton is a beautiful place, should try for a sunrise at the Snake River overlook there. Spectacular, but gotta be there before sunup, the colors are quick to change as the sun rises. Hope you have a good camera. Highways 14 and 16 through the Bighorns are awesome. As are museums at Cody. Saratoga in the south part of the state is neat, hot spring pool open to the public 24/7/365, good base from which to explore the Medicine Bow area. Beautiful and easy access. Going out, cut off 70 onto 40 north for Steamboat Springs, pretty drive, and it takes you west to Irish Canyon, or farther to the Flaming Gorge. Skip Salt Lake City, traffic is horrendous there, instead take 191 up to Rock Springs, then 90 west to 30 west. Take that to Montpelier, ID and catch 89 north through the Star Valley, then to Alpine, and into Jackson Hole from there.

Should be a lot of county fairs and rodeos in season while you are out there, you oughta hit a couple of those. In fact, the big rodeo at Cheyenne might fit your schedule. They call it Frontier Days, tickets sell out early. You want to sit on the J stand if you go. Aluminum bleachers cook ya on the other side if it’s sunny.

It would be well worth your time to visit the Little Bighorn Battlefield SE of Billings while you are close. Take the time to read the plaques and signage about the battle. It helps paint a picture of what happened there.

The big western stuff is in Kings' Museum, walk thru the back door of the tack store, cross the alley and you're there. Across Main St from Kings' is the Mint Bar, always worth a visit.

Are you bringing a varmit gun? I found some P-dogs in 2 walk-in areas at the Acme exit between Sheridan and Ranchester

A lot of time could be well wasted in the Sheridan area

How do you think this virus will affect the trip? I read the US Forest Service closed a bunch up in Washington and Oregon. Any betting odds Montana will do the same? I’d hate to get stuck on the road traveling or locked in/out with closures. It feels like the universe is throwing curveballs my way...

I had a spring fishing trip to Az. planned and I cancelled. No way I would go, too many places closed. I am in NW Montana and they pretty much have things shut down.
If you do get sick you will be quarantined where you are at. Stay home

That’s kinda what I was thinking.....It’s hard to be heartbroken about cancelling the trip when people are dying. I’ve been planning and prepping for this for awhile.

Stop by Douglas, Wyoming.......take a GPS.

Go south of Douglas....zone 7 elk.....and do some elk shed hunting.

They are dropping right now.

Think Wagonhound......hunt the public land bordering those properties.

You may see me out there. It’s getting boring around these parts.

No virus in the truck or Casita.

Fishing at LaBonte Canyon too....as well as Toltec Reservoir. Cutt-bows.

Not sure about closures, but I suggest you see the following in California:

Yosemite National Park

If you can park at Yosemite creek campground and hike the 5 miles to the rim of the canyon. You will see square miles of glacier carved granite.

Hearst Castle

Unlimited money built something amazing.

Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Good, clear weather. Your 300 feet above the water and the bay would be full of sailboats. Beautiful and lots of fresh air. Don’t wear shorts or short sleeves.

I'm afraid your fun trip is going to be severely compromised. I hope rescheduling is an option for the vacation.
It will be a lot more satisfying when this blows over.

I heard there is this virus thing going on somewhere. Most of the places that have been mentioned are CLOSED. Yellowstone is slated to open the west side road from Mammoth to Old Faithful on 4/17. Ain't gonna happen. As of right now Yellowstone is closed until further notice. It will be lucky to be open by Memorial Day. The eaterys mentioned are CLOSED. You're gonna have a tough time finding anything on the above lists open.

Stay home, be safe', don't endanger others.

WORD!

This would be a great time for a road trip if all you wanted to do was get gasoline and be alone. But then you might get caught out in some state that decides to force quarantines on travelers because there's no generally-available tests. Or someone sneezes on you.

Great suggestions all, but the best suggestion is to just stay around home at least until there's testing.

My job involves a lot of travel around Montana. Things are shutdown everywhere. Finding something to eat is a pain. I’ve pushed back all of the work I can, for stuff that can’t wait I’ve been dragging my camper instead of staying in hotels and eating out. I’d put your trip off if at all possible.

Your going to be lucky to drive through some states at this time the way they are stopping travel bans!

This is the time period we most like to roam the west prior to Memorial Day. Unfortunately this year is truly different and I wouldn't expect folks to be very welcoming. This is a novel situation stay home and don't stress the system.


mike r

I’m glad I’m getting firsthand reports. I’ll be postponing the trip until things clear up. The main reason for the trip was to look at property to buy and I’m guessing real estate agencies are closed now too. Damn it’s a kick in the nuts. I was pretty excited to make the trip in a few weeks. Thanks for the info. I’ll bring this back up when things settle and get some more intel.

Some great suggestions here. I grew up in western South Dakota and currently live in 👥 Bozeman so I know many of the places people are suggesting. I don’t think I would cancel the trip if I were you, but I would definitely postpone it for a few weeks until things stabilize a bit. As varmint guy said, take a few days in the Black Hills. Definitely see Mount Rushmore and the Badlands and Crazy Horse, but also take a little time to spend in some of the smaller towns like Custer and Hot Springs and Hill city. Camp on lake Angostura during the week and you will have it to yourself; ride the 1880 train between Hill City and Keystone; First Stop Guns in Rapid City is an amazing gun store, if you’re a gun guy definitely check that out.

In Montana, the Little Bighorn Battlefield is pretty moving. Plan on spending an afternoon there. Beartooth Pass and Cooke City if you can get to them are also pretty impressive places. White water rafting on the Yellowstone or the Gallatin in May or early June when the run off is fast and high is also a gas. A guided flyfishing trip on the Yellowstone or the Madison or the Missouri would be a lot of fun too. Lots of fish. Good bear hunting south of Livingston too.

Lots of places to eat around Bozeman: Storm Castle and Western Cafe are both great breakfast places. Feast is my current favorite restaurant; Squire House is also excellent. Both are pricey. Back country burgers is not, and is a great burger joint. Café Zydeco is a Cajun place in Bozeman that is excellent and reasonable. I’ve had gumbo ppl in New Orleans that isn’t as good.

In short, there is more to do out west than any 1, or 10, people can advise you on. Come with some hiking gear, come with your bear rifle, come with a varmint rig, come with your fishing gear and just explore.