Things have mellowed.

 

Agree with CR2 on 191....nice ride and you won’t miss a thing in Billings. Led some folks one year out of Red Lodge on 78 to I90. Then over to Big Timber and up 191 to Harlowton and over to White Sulphur Springs. Then, up 89 to Great Falls and on to Glacier NP. If you end up overnighting in White Sulphur, there are some hot springs/pools you folks could lounge around in. Funky little town. Otherwise, Great Falls is a decent overnight.

 

If it were me. I'd leave Yellowstone out of the east gate. Then you can head to Cody and ride Chief Joseph then take a right on Bear Tooth and go to Red Lodge that way. All the roads in Yellowstone are fun.

 

 

Bradley, after reading both of mtgriz and cr3999, maybe run this through your map.

Go in the South Entrance of Yellowstone, then go clockwise around the Park on the Grand Loop Road, and out the SE Entrance into Cody. That way you get Old Faithful, Mammoth and the pass over Mt Washburn. You don't miss much on the connector road, but will miss a a bit of Yellowstone Lake, but the bit from the Junction to the SE entrance is a nice ride.

Then from Cody, up and over Chief Joseph and the Beartooth and on your way North. It will add some time to your journey North, but because you will not be doubling the Beartooth, you will save some time on the back end heading back to the Truck.

As mtgriz says, you will miss the Lamar Valley, and Cook City which is pretty cool place to stop for a break, and the road from Cook City to the Chief Joseph junction is a nice ride.

.... man, there just are not enough days..... so just take ALL of August off, I will meet your crew in Sturgis and we will go from there, I know ALL the good places to eat.....LOL

 

Sounds like a plan!

 

Looked the the suggestion... the guys are already concerned about traffic in Yellowstone, I think I will keep it where it is for now.

We usually camp on these trips, but we are adding a new rider and he is pushing for hotels (and has the money to push it)


Just for fun, I will attach maps that i created from trips over the last couple of years.

First map: Tail of the Dragon, Great Smokey Mountains.

Second map: Circuit run around the Colorado Rockies.

We do like the mountains!

 

Ya, Yellowstone can be slow. I figure on 30 mph average but that includes quick stops.
Nice maps! I did a bit of Colorado a few years back. I want to go back.

 

Wife and I did Glacier from Ft Hood area this past late July early august and rode the whole way.

Lampasas to Dumas,TX stop for night
Dumas to Laramie, Wy (385N to 287 thru Denver/Ft Collins)
Laramie to Red Lodge MT (30n to Medicine Bow to 26N Shoshoni up thru Thermopolis to Cody then 120N to Belfry then West on 308 in Red Lodge)

Red Lodge take 212 West (Beartooth Pkwy) to Cooke City, then 89S (entrance to Yellowstone) to West Yellowstone then 191N to 287 to Ennis and then west into Virgina City for the night.

Virginia City on 287 to Butte, MT then 15 to Helena then Wolf Creek and take 287N to Choteau and 89N to St Mary's.

St Mary's into Glacier and Going to the Sun Road. across to Kalispell then 35S around the back side of the lake and past all the Blackberry Farms, to 93 to Missoula for the night..

Missoula to West Yellowstone for the Night.
Next morning enter Yellowstone, down to Grand Tetons and stop for night in Jackson Hole.

Jackson Hole 191S to Kemmer to Vernal Utah

Vernal to 40 to 139 to Grand Junction 50 to Montrose to Ouray (550)

Ouray to Silverton to Durango to MAdrid, NM

Madrid and start heading back to Dallas..

 

I absolutely do not like I-70 West of Denver until you get to Glenwood Canyon. I wouldn't worry about visiting Vail, either.