| Information on Yellowstone | Rate Topic |
| Moderators: redbaron, MDKramer, Flyone, AZgl1500 | Page: 1 2   |
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| Posted: Sat Mar 6th, 2010 12:53 am | 1st Post |
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Wife and I are planning on taking our bike from central Missouri up through Rapid City SD and then continue west into Yellowstone. We are going for 2 weeks during the last week of June and the first week of July. Never been in this area. Just wondering if you have been here on a trip, what should we plan for. Guess the temperatures can range from chilly to hot this time of year and we should just be prepared. Wife is concerned driving through the area with the wildlife and being on the bike. I don't worry about those things too much. Maybe I should be. If you can provide us some advice, I would appreciate it. Areas to avoid. Areas you just have to see. Challenges on a bike in this area, etc. Thanks for your help.
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| Posted: Sat Mar 6th, 2010 01:18 am | 2nd Post |
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Don't be concerned about driving through the wildlife. Anywhere there are animals (Buffalo and Elk) the traffic is going to be completely stopped! People stop right in the middle of the road and get out of their cars to take pictures. Nina and I had the most fun watching the tourists trying to walk right up to the animals to "get a closer shot" despite all the signs saying not to. The crowds were so large we couldn't wait to get out of there. If you make it to Yellowstone, don't miss the Grand Tetons. One of the prettiest places I have ever seen. . Last edited on Sat Mar 6th, 2010 01:19 am by norton |
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| Posted: Sat Mar 6th, 2010 01:27 am | 3rd Post |
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" Challenges on a bike in this area, etc. " Only challenge I can think of is, .... not enough time!! Be prepared for daily mid-late afternoon thunderstorms. Plan to get an early start each day, as the traffic gets heavy in the afternoon. Temps can be cool in the mornings/eves and at higher passes, but not cold. Bring a good rain suit and riding gear that you can adjust layers to suit the temps/conditions for each of you. Plan to spend a day at the Buffalo Bill Museum, in Cody Plan on riding the Medicine Wheel, Chief Joseph and Beartooth Scenic Highways. Keeping an eye out for wildlife is always a good idea, but don't be overly concerned with it while in Yellowstone. The speed limit within the park is not that high and you won't(shouldn't) be 'barreling' along. When you see vehicles pulled over, alongside the road, there will be wildlife in the immediate area. Be watchful for people running out in front of you!  If you are planning on staying within the Park, make reservations NOW !! Check out the NPS for road construction details, which are ongoing, within the park. They can lead to fairly length delays. Jackson is a real Tourist Trap, but the wife will probably like it(Uber Trendy= expensive) Have fun!!
____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Darksider 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to |
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| Posted: Sat Mar 6th, 2010 02:19 am | 4th Post |
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I forgot to mention, but with you mentioning staying at Rapid City, I think you already plan on checking it out .... Although Yellowstone/Grand Tetons are a worthy destination in their own right, don't overlook the 'ride there', especially the Black Hills Region. Rapid City makes a good and inexpensive base. The Motel 6(A) there(yes, Dusty does stay in motels on occasion) can be had cheap, is close to the Black Hills/Badlands NP/Wall Drugs, is close to the Golden Corral(B) and good, cheap gas(C) The Black Hills Region takes a good 3 days to explore http://tinyurl.com/yzh3fep
____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Darksider 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to |
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| Posted: Sat Mar 6th, 2010 04:06 am | 5th Post |
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Grew up in Billings, Montana, now living here in the Rapid City area. Bring warm clothes for the Y-stone trip. I have been fishing at lakes in the mountains in that area and I have been caught in freak snow storms in July. At night it gets a little cold at that elevation, even in summer. There is a concern for deer crossing the roads out here any time during the year. Though it is more likely to happen in the fall, those rascals can jump out in front of you without any warning. You just need to be aware of the potential for a mishap. Every year during the Sturgis rally at least one bike goes off the road while trying to avoid a deer. Lots of tourists out here during that time of year, but nothing compared to the crowds at Yellowstone. The scenery in the Rocky Mountains will more than compensate for the crowds though. Be sure to bring a good camera!
____________________ Kevin 85 GL1200-I USMC, (Retired) |
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| Posted: Sat Mar 6th, 2010 03:34 pm | 6th Post |
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Two years ago the wife and I made that trip from Virginia (16 days) at the same time of year you are going. Be prepared for cool to cold weather. Yellowstone is cold when the sun goes down that time of year (high 30's low 40's). I purchased a good pair of gloves for the cold weather that were also water proof in addition to my regular summer gloves. Space is a premium on a long trip. We rode out I70 through St Louis to Denver. Late day thunder storms are typical but we usually stopped before they started and still managed 5-600 miles a day to Denver. Not much to see. We didn't get wet the whole trip. From Denver we rode thru Rocky Mountain National Park via Estes Park. Herds of Elk at the higher elevations and some snow still on the ground. We left RMNP and headed for Grand Tetons National Park stopping in Saratoga, WY. (WY130) at Saratoga Inn, Hot Springs. We stopped just short of Tetons staying at Togwotee Mountain Lodge on US 287. We saw grizzly bear in GTNP and Yellowstone because the snow hadn't melted at the higher elevations yet. A lot of Bison in Yellowstone, not much elk. If you haven't made reservations to stay in the park by now you won't unless there have been cancelations or for only one stays at the various hotels in the park. We stayed one night at the Old Faithful Inn. Even if you can't get a night at the Inn it's still a must see. They do have a full dining room. A rider we met put onto Beartooth Highway. Leave the park at the northeast exit, US 212, to Beartooth Pass. The views are breath taking. Plan to ride through the pass in the middle of the day when it is the warmest. We left YSNP at 8:30am and arrived at the pass around noon. We made stops at Custer Battlefield, Devils Tower, Sturgis, Deadwood and Crazy Horse. Ride the Needles Highway in Custer State Park to Mount Rushmore. And finally before heading east for home we rode through the Badlands National Park. Rice Honda in Rapid City provided excellent service with a oil change and new tire while we waited.
____________________ 2006 Gold Gold Wing 2001 Valkyrie Standard Two Wheel HotRod The past: 1977 750K gone but not forgotten 197? Yamaha 100cc we walked around on it's license plate |
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| Posted: Sat Mar 6th, 2010 04:49 pm | 7th Post |
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What Dusty Boots said and more The Museum in Cody id unbelievable plan on a full day there!!! There is a rodeo every night there Kinda hokey if you've seen the stampede but fun anyway so much to see in the park List would be long just google it and go to Gov'nt site If camping tie your tent down we helped rescue or neighbors from a 1/4 mile away ( Strong afternoon winds at time) kinda freaky having a buffalo sidle along a foot away while you sit on your bike!!! Could have scratched this giys ear as he went by Attachment: yellowstone dakotas_20080828_0377 [800x600] [800x600].jpg (Downloaded 105 times)
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| Posted: Sat Mar 6th, 2010 04:52 pm | 8th Post |
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If you have time stop at the Museum of the Rockies on the Montana State University Campus in Bozeman. Here is a pic taken last year on 28th of July while we were visiting Bozeman. PS: that isn't snow, it's 1" hail  These are leaves stripped off the trees in the storm  This picture was taken at 2 PM (1400 hrs)  20 minutes later the sun was shining bright, be prepared for anything.
____________________ USAF Veteran 67-79 VVA 69-70 USPHS Retiree (LCDR) NRA Life BSN,RN, Montana State U. Certified NRA Firearms Instructor Freedom Cruisers Riding Club member GWRRA #328349 Patriot Guard Member (MI) |
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| Posted: Sat Mar 6th, 2010 05:17 pm | 9th Post |
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to me the biggest thing that I was not prepared for was the disillusionment of the actual park itself. It has always been described as a crown jewell, but to me it is only a minor 1. We didnt get to the teton park but from what I saw it is more desirable and we will try to get there this year. yellowstone was actually not very presentable, still remnents of the big fires, lots of construction and stop and go. Old faithful was spectacular, but the rest ??, the pots all smell of sulfer, some of them just not very pretty. Now we did not go into the back country, just the typical tourist spots and its been a couplpe of years since we were there so things may have changed. The encounters with the wldlife is not that big a deal to us, the wichita wildlife refuge in oklahoma gets you in herds of buffalo and longhorns while driving through, bears can be seen in most back country areas such as the smokies, elk herds in eastern AZ and west NM. Pronghorn antellope in wyoming just driving down the highways. i dont mean to be disourageing but dont go in over expective of what is actually to be seen.
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| Posted: Sat Mar 6th, 2010 09:10 pm | 10th Post |
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wrich479 wrote: Two years ago the wife and I made that trip from Virginia (16 days) at the same time of year you are going. Be prepared for cool to cold weather. Yellowstone is cold when the sun goes down that time of year (high 30's low 40's). I guess cool/cold is all relative to where you live and how much you are exposed to it. Us 'northern' fellas do cool/cold better than you 'southern' fellas!  She was cool/cold in the higher passes, but only for the short time it takes to ride through it/them Bighorns ...  Beartooth ...  Mountains create their own weather and can change at the drop of a hat. Not unusual to run into a small drop of snow, or have hail in the higher elevations at any time of year. Having lived in the mountains, that is nothing new to me, but I guess it is for you 'flatlanders'. Like I said, bring along a riding outfit that you can layer to suit the conditions, or heated gear, if you have it. Think I only used it 3 times out of the 11 days of my Tetons/Yellowstone/Glacier tour last year and only for a couple of hours each time. Actually, I only had a pair of nylon shorts on underneath the waterproof liner of my mesh riding pants, in the Beartooth Pass photo above and I was comfortable. Ya, it's only natural that you will smell sulphur when near natural hot springs etc, as this is a 'Natural Wonderland/Park' ... not something made ...... 'antiseptic'  As to the fires .... fires in the late 90s(?) burnt something like 60% of the park and were only extinguished when the winter snows arrived. It takes decades for the scars from fires to abate somewhat, but does make for an overall healthier environment and is all part of 'the natural cycle' of nature. Still a beautiful area, despite all the 'snags'. ...   I found Yellowstone much more geographically diverse/richer, than the Tetons, not to put down/diss the Tetons, by any means. The Tetons come the closest of any American mountain range, that I have seen, to that of the Canadian Rockies.(only on a smaller scale) I saw more wildlife in Yellowstone , than I did in the Tetons region Griz   Bison   Elk   Etc ..... Etc ..... Etc ..... Like I said before, while Yellowstone/Grand Tetons are a worthy destination, it's the ride to/from, not just the destination, that makes for a great trip/tour. Make sure to allot extra time to check out the other sights en route Last edited on Sat Mar 6th, 2010 09:38 pm by Dusty Boots ____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Darksider 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to |
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| Posted: Sat Mar 6th, 2010 09:33 pm | 11th Post |
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I'm with Dusty Boots on the Beartooth pass and Chief Joseph Highway. The two most impressive things we saw on our trip was Beartooth pass and Yellowstone Canyon. Both are a must see!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Last edited on Sat Mar 6th, 2010 09:35 pm by SETHAN12 ____________________ Yesterday is for memories! Today is for making memories! Tomorrow is a concept that does not exist! What are you waiting for? ... Sam-n-Elaine Just livin' the dream!!!!! Just another day in paradise!!!!! Honor above all else!!!!! Thank you Dylan Saunders for the layout of my greeting!!!! |
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| Posted: Sat Mar 6th, 2010 10:30 pm | 12th Post |
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I by-passed Yellow Stone and the Tetons just to ride the Beartooth. At the time, I didn't think I had time for them,,,,,,oh well. But,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Anyone that is within,,, um,,,,, 500 miles of the Beartooth,,,,,,,, should not pass it up,, IMO. Good ole Cousin Jack gave me the advice to ride it into Red Lodge, Mn. ,,,,stay the night,,, and go back over it again. I did just that,,,,, and am forever greatful for his advice.
____________________ The things I liked,,,,I've tryed em twice! |
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| Posted: Sat Mar 6th, 2010 11:46 pm | 13th Post |
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Wow. I appreciate all the information, suggestions and pictures. I knew that several of you had been out that way and would have good advice. This trip planning started out with plans on just going to the Black Hills SD area. Then a buddy at work said if we were going there we should just go on to the Yellowstone area. So now a week trip is expanding into two weeks. The wife and I are detailed planners and were thinking of just driving and stopping as we pleased but knowing we needed hotel reservations around the 4th somewhere or we might be homeless a night or two. This is out of our box to not schedule every hour of every day. We both like and enjoy the pictures of the suggested areas. It helps in at least planning where to go. Some of the areas look spectacular. Keep them coming. I've been on bikes most of my life but never bought any layered riding pants. We've been looking at the Olympia's on line and are now even more committed in getting something like those for this trip. I just never owned a touring bike like the wing before. Again thanks to all who have taken the time to help provide ideas.
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| Posted: Sun Mar 7th, 2010 12:33 am | 14th Post |
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Danimal wrote: Wow. I appreciate all the information, suggestions ....
Go ahead .... step outside the BOX!! You'll be glad you did .... Can you say ..... Freedom   Touring, just like life, sometimes has .... mid-course "corrections" - Go with the Flow!  You may find an area that you want to explore further .... DO IT! - the old saying - "I'll check it out another time" is just that - a saying and you never do get around to being in that area again, so check it out NOW !! You may find an area that you thought would be more interesting, only to find out it's not, but you had booked accommodations there and now wish you hadn't as there's nothing really worth staying for..... MOVE ON! ... you may add an extra day or 2 to spend somewhere else more worthy! I personally have never made a reservation while touring(other than for accommodations at NASSIR 3 which were basically mandatory) and have never been left 'out in the cold'. It eliminates that strict itinerary/rigidity, that we experience in our everyday work life ... who needs/wants that when out on a bike, touring?  There's no "Freedom'', when you are a slave to a schedule.  As for riding gear, you might find this interesting. Might even save yourself some money by buying just one outfit, that with adding/subtracting layers(or heated gear)will keep you comfortable throughout the entire riding season! Don't be afraid to ask questions. - Riding Gear Keep researching on what all there is to see, en route/destinations and on possible, 'alternative , course correcting' routes.  Last edited on Sun Mar 7th, 2010 12:36 am by Dusty Boots ____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Darksider 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to |
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| Posted: Sun Mar 7th, 2010 04:35 pm | 15th Post |
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You're going to love that trip. Last time we were there was in '07. Never been on a bike, only RVing. Late June, early July should be an excellent time of year. We went in mid June and only rain we caught was a light drizzle during the day we were at Mt. Rushmore. In Yellowstone, critters can be a problem sometimes. See the first two photos below. The traffic jam was probably over 3 miles long by the time the rangers showed up to move them off the road. Wouldn't move out on their own. Glad I wasn't up front as several of them were fighting right there by the vehicles. Other photos are just to wet your appetite a little more. Have fun and ride safe. Hoss Photos are thumbs. Click to see larger view.           Last edited on Sun Mar 7th, 2010 05:05 pm by cvhoss |
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| Posted: Sun Mar 7th, 2010 05:09 pm | 16th Post |
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Sometimes ya just gotta stop and smell the roses. I love the views of spectacular countryside, animals and bodies of water but there are things of beauty literally under your nose. These were taken in Grand Teton and YNP in late July    Last edited on Sun Mar 7th, 2010 05:24 pm by 45/70fan ____________________ USAF Veteran 67-79 VVA 69-70 USPHS Retiree (LCDR) NRA Life BSN,RN, Montana State U. Certified NRA Firearms Instructor Freedom Cruisers Riding Club member GWRRA #328349 Patriot Guard Member (MI) |
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| Posted: Sun Mar 7th, 2010 05:14 pm | 17th Post |
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____________________ USAF Veteran 67-79 VVA 69-70 USPHS Retiree (LCDR) NRA Life BSN,RN, Montana State U. Certified NRA Firearms Instructor Freedom Cruisers Riding Club member GWRRA #328349 Patriot Guard Member (MI) |
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| Posted: Sun Mar 7th, 2010 05:44 pm | 18th Post |
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If you go to the east entrance and cody, you will undoubtedly travel through a lil town called Greybull. I lived there for four years. Not much there, but you need to hit Lisa's restaurant if you have time. It was great while we were there...
____________________ http://www.pow-miafamilies.org/League/Status_of_the_Issue.html Proud Member of the Patriot Guard Riders-Id: 79170 http://www.spiritone.com/~sirius/pow-mia/Echanis.htm http://www.taskforceomegainc.org/e002.html http://smartlight.rudysproducts.com/ Ya, my only hope was Betty Lou,she was the one,a combination AK 57 oozie radar laser triple-barrel double-scoped heat-seekin shotgun. |
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| Posted: Sun Mar 7th, 2010 10:27 pm | 19th Post |
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Should be a great trip Attachment: P1010023.jpg (Downloaded 50 times)
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| Posted: Sun Mar 7th, 2010 10:35 pm | 20th Post |
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Do you suppose that fella is a Hunter?  
____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Darksider 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to |
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