Western Trip

I am planning a trip from Northern Illinois to Missoula, MT this summer. I would like go out by by of I-90 through Rapid City, SD but return by a different route possibly by droping down through Wyoming. I would like to avoid as many high passes and long grades as possible. Can anyone offer any suggestions as to which routes to take or avoid?

Thanks for all the help.

Dave

[G-V_Driver]

Not knowing what all you plan to do, I can only tell you that we took I-70 through Wyoming many years ago pulling a popup. I was impressed by the number of long grades on that stretch. We would top a hill and be able to see the highway descend for what looked like 20 miles, then see it wind back up the hill on the other side of the valley that looked at least that long (but I'm sure it wasn't). So I would avoid that stretch if I had to do it again.

If you're dropping down into Wyoming, it makes sense to go to Jackson and see Yellowstone and the Tetons if you haven't been there. Every time we visit that area I try to remember what it is about Texas that makes me want to come back; especially in August.

We pulled our TM from Dallas through NM and CO, ended up going to Black Hills then up to Spearfish last summer, and found that SH 18-85 were no problem nor was the I-25 stretch north-south all the way from Santa Fe. I-70 across CO and KS is easy, but not much to see.

A few years ago we drove the circle through Missoula up to Kalispell to see the glaciers, and then on up through Calgary and the Canadian Rockies throught Banff and up to Jasper, then cut off to Hot Radium Springs and down to Coeur d'Alene ID, then down to Lewiston and back across HW 12 to Missoula. All very enjoyable and would do it again.

Probably more than you want to know, but I know for sure the east side of Wyoming is pretty easy driving on a north-south route, just not sure where you will be.

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by dlkcub

I am planning a trip from Northern Illinois to Missoula, MT this summer. I would like go out by by of I-90 through Rapid City, SD but return by a different route possibly by droping down through Wyoming. I would like to avoid as many high passes and long grades as possible. Can anyone offer any suggestions as to which routes to take or avoid?

Thanks for all the help.

Dave

The terms "high passes" and "long grades" are very subjective descriptions...what a westerner (especially a Coloradan like me) considers a low pass and short grade may very well appear to be an enormously high pass or extremely long grade to someone from the midwest or southern states. For instance, I did a double take when reading G-V_Drivers comments about long grades while crossing Wyoming on I-80 (FYI, I-70 goes through Colorado and does have a number of high passes/long grades...even by the jaded standards of mountain dwellers). I've always thought of I-80 through Wyoming as a pretty-much flatland cruise.

Furthermore, unless you can tell us exactly what sights/attractions/towns you want to visit in Wyoming, it's nigh on impossible to specify what routes to take and what routes to avoid. After all, Wyoming is a pretty large state and can easily hold several midwestern states.

Therefore, the smart approach is to buy a copy of the Mountain Directory West. It can be ordered from the publisher ($15), from Amazon (about $13), and from Camping World (about $12 for President Club members). This book lists all significant highway passes for each western state and discusses the length and steepness (in percentage) of the grades on each side of each pass (for a midwesterner, consider anything over a 5% grade to be "steep"). Even though I have a tow vehicle that's got outstanding mountain towing capability, I always refer to this book when taking a new route so there are no surprises. Each state also has a full color map with all the key passes identified so that you can see at a glance if the route you have in mind will be crossing a pass that could be troublesome. In Wyoming, for instance, I certainly suggest staying off of Alt14 near the Big Horn Mountains...that road has miles of 10% (or steeper grades) including one stretch known as "Oh My God Hill".

Get this guide and start your route planning.

Thanks for the info. I have ordered a copy of the Mountain Directory West but have not received it yet. I intend to stop by the Badlands and Mt. Rushmore on the way out and would like to go by Yellowstone on the return trip.

Thanks Dave