Every year I work with the guys and we plan a motorcycle trip. Colorado, Tennessee/North Carolina, Arkansas, Black Hills, New Mexico - we have run some fun trips.

This year I pushed for Glacier National Park so we can hit Going to the Sun Road. They guys agreed and it is time for me to get the route planned out.

For the love of god that is a long way! We are going to be saddle sore before we are done.

I am recommending one of two options.

1) Home base Kalispell. Starting in Dallas, we would drop the truck and Trailer in Rock Springs and run north on the bikes quickly running past Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. Spending thee days in Glacier before making it up into Canada.

2) Or, a large circuit. Dallas to Durango, co in the truck. Drop three of the four bikes, (short straw runs the chase truck) and drop the truck and trailer in Provo. Then a big loop...

Either way, this is a lot of miles and a lot of miles before we even put butts in seats.

This will be challenging for both riders and bikes!

Any thoughts?

 

If you are going to ride quickly past Grand Teton and Yellowstone why not drive to Kalispell? Then you can plot out a circular route to include Banff and Jasper and you will have time to explore other areas i.e. the east side of Flathead Lake etc.

 

Two full days in Kalispel is a lot. One day for the Road to the Sun. Do it in both directions. But you will see a lot on the way to Kalispel on the way in, and the way out.

Other than that, I like plan A.

 

I don't understand Durango to Provo... looks 2 hours and 60 miles too long... I have done that trip a number of times on the bike without getting tired. If you are going to stop at Arches or Canyonlands then maybe... but it's only 350 miles. When I am traversing to where I am actually headed I usually do about 500 miles... which is why I got rid of my softail and went to an RK <grin>.

What is the software that you were using, by the way. Garmin doesn't break down day to day very well.

 

This is just me and google maps so far...

 

Ponder this..... Rock Springs, Jackson, West Yellowstone, The Beartooth, Helena to Kalispel (via 12-141-83), Road to the Sun, 89 to Great Falls, 87 to 89 and over the Little Belt Mountains, 12 and 3 to Billings, Cody.... back to Rock Springs.

You will have to see the miles, but there are no disappointments in this route. I have done most of it.

 

Sitting in front of the map and I like it! I am going to map it out and see if I can break it down into days.

 

The trip we made to Kalispell are we stayed at the Travelodge in town. If your are doing two days in Kalispell spend one on GNP and maybe a days run to Coeur d'Alene, that's run in a valley along a river. We had snow up in GNP on Aug.1st that year.

 

That’s a good map.

 

We live on the Flathead during the summer. Don't do Glacier both ways come out of St. Mary go down and see the lodge at East Glacier, Two Medicine and take Highway 2 back to Kalispel it follows the middle fork of the Flathead back to Kalispel. The ride up into the Yak is awesome also. Lots of great riding in NW Montana.