Beartooth Highway

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May 27, 2010 | 12:03 AM

#11

faber

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Joined: Sep 2007

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From: Nomad

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimclaypool

Thanks, Faber. We do plan to spend one night in Red Lodge, so will check out the Yodeler. Did plan to stay in a cabin in Yellowstone for two night, but looks like they are all booked up for June 13 & 14. You have any suggestions for a nice biker motel convenient to Yellowstone for touring the park for a day.

Yeah, the Yodeler in Red Lodge (or wherever--hard to go wrong in Red Lodge). You could also stay in Cooke City, but Cooke City isn't much of a muchness, as my grandfather used to say. You could also cough up the dough and stay at the Jackson Lake Lodge in GTNP. Expensive, but *beautiful*.

You could also stay in Gardiner, MT. It's a bit rough around the edges, but it's right on the Park boundary.

Quote:

We plan to enter from the south coming from Jackson on the 13th. Plan to spend one night in Red Lodge on June 15. Also, note that we will have to ride the Beartooth from Yellowstone to Red Lodge. I am heading on out from there on a trip to Alaska!!

Yeah, so heading down the Beartooth Hwy---same advice. Hit it before 2 pm.

Place to see in the Park: Hayden Valley, Lamar Valley, Canyon, Firehole Falls, Mid Geyser Basin, Old Faithful, Norris Geyser Basin, Mammoth Hot Springs, and tons of other stuff.

May 27, 2010 | 10:41 PM

#12

dynamac

Road Captain

Joined: Mar 2005

Posts: 567

Likes: 11

From: San Diego

What would the gas station situation be. I plaln on leaving Yellowstone and riding the Beartooth butam worried about having enough gas?

May 27, 2010 | 11:00 PM

#13

adlerx

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Joined: Oct 2007

Posts: 619

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From:

Quote:

Originally Posted by dynamac

What would the gas station situation be. I plaln on leaving Yellowstone and riding the Beartooth butam worried about having enough gas?

No problem, Cooke City to Red Lodge less than a tankfull. Nice watering hole in Cooke City gave us a chip good for a free drink in Red Lodge. Great ride!
Whoever built that road wanted to get to Red Lodge pretty darn bad!

May 28, 2010 | 12:36 AM

#14

faber

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Joined: Sep 2007

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From: Nomad

Quote:

Originally Posted by dynamac

What would the gas station situation be. I plaln on leaving Yellowstone and riding the Beartooth butam worried about having enough gas?

There are two gas stations in Cooke City. Another on the Beartooth Hwy once you cross into WY and get off the pass. There are also gas stations in the Park at Fishing Bridge, Canyon, Tower Jct, Old Faithful, and Mammoth (prepare to pay!).

Also a gas station just south of the Park boundary in the no-man's-land between GTNP and YNP at Flagg Ranch. In GTNP, there are gas stations at Jackson Lake Lodge, Moose, and Colter Bay.

In short, plenty of places to get gas. Don't get fooled into thinking it's the wilderness

May 28, 2010 | 12:41 AM

#15

faber

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From: Nomad

Quote:

Originally Posted by adlerx

No, it's about getting to Cooke City.

In the summer, the Beartooth Hwy is the only way to get to Cooke City from the eastern side of the Beartooth plateau.

In the winter, Beartooth Pass is closed, which means the only road to Cooke City is in the Park, from Mammoth. And so the Park Service has to plow it, at great expense.

But, it is the only road open in the Park in winter, which means you can see the gazillion animals in the Lamar Valley including the Druid Peak wolves, as you dodge the fuel trucks and UPS vans going to Cooke, that is.

May 28, 2010 | 06:40 PM

#16

AtticusFinch

Road Warrior

Joined: Aug 2009

Posts: 1,926

Likes: 185

From: Utah

Quote:

Originally Posted by faber

In short, plenty of places to get gas. Don't get fooled into thinking it's the wilderness

But also don't be fooled into thinking you can get gas late at night. Hopefully you'll plan better than I did on my first motorcycle ride to Cooke City. We left home late, kept going when we should have stopped for the night in Jackson, and rolled into Cooke City on fumes. Of course, now I have a 6 gallon tank on a bike that almost never gets less than 40 mpg.

The number of things I did wrong on that trip are too many to count.