Northwest Passage - Whitehorse Gear

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312 Motorcycle Journeys Through North America

YELLOWSTONE, THE GRAND TETONS, GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, CRATERS OF THE MOON, BEARTOOTH PASS, THE CHIEF JOSEPH HIGHWAY, THE GOING TO THE SUN HIGHWAY, THE SALMON RIVER VALLEY, AND THE SCENIC SAWTOOTH MOUNTAINS. AND NO TRIP TO THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY WOULD BE COMPLETE WITHOUT DINNER AT HELEN
’S, HOME OF THE HATEFUL HAMBURGER.
14 NORTHWEST PASSAGE
Three of the nation’s most renowned national parks and some of motorcycling’s
most famous roads are included in this 2,270-mile grand tour through Montana,
Wyoming, and Idaho. While this tour includes the big names, such as
Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and Glacier National Park, it also uncovers the
lesser-known, such as the nation’s first experiments with nuclear power
including (believe it or not) nuclear aircraft engines. You’ll also visit Craters of
the Moon, Beartooth Pass, the Chief Joseph Highway, and the Going to the Sun
Highway. You’ll also enjoy unknown gems, including the Salmon River Valley
and the scenic Sawtooth Mountains. And no trip to this part of the country
would be complete without dinner at Helen’s, Home of the Hateful Hamburger.
Searching for a title for his anthology of stories,
poems, and essays about Montana life,
well-known western writer William
Kitteredge came up with The Last Best Place.
As a colleague, I’m both envious of
Kitteredge and grateful to him because
those four spare words sum up what I might
take paragraphs to explain.
While Kitteredge was referring to
Montana exclusively, this tour does range
into Wyoming and Idaho. I hope that’s okay
with any Montanans who happen to read
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Though it doesn’t get as much press as US 212 through Beartooth Pass, the Chief Joseph
Highway between Cody and US 212 has some incredible stretches of twisties.
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US 93 through the Salmon River Valley in Idaho is a free-wheeling, memorable ride.
this. Your next-door neighbors share much
of the beauty and wildness of your state.
Every region of the country has its scenic
byways but none surpasses this region’s
combination of soaring mountains and limitless
vistas. Oh, and they happen to be strung
together by roads that evoke such a visceral
riding reaction, you might just bend your
handlebars. As the road lying ahead comes
into view, anticipation swells. Countless
sweeps and turns return such a pleasurable
riding experience, you want to dig into your
seat, lean harder, and ride faster.
Traversing eastern prairie lands is an entirely
different experience when you tour by
bike. Four-wheelers are heavy and stable
enough that you don’t feel the effects of
high crosswinds, save for an occasional gust.
On a bike, you’ll frequently find yourself
holding a straight line only by leaning the
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Date taken: June
21st. Bring your
thermals. And
some very good
sunglasses.
314 Motorcycle Journeys Through North America

ike well into the breeze. Just when you
think you’re stuck in that position permanently,
relief comes. The road drops into a
crease in the earth and you fall into another
world, just like Alice. The winds fade as you
dip below the lip of the canyon and the sun
regains its strength. Golden fields give way
to green forests. And this is where the people
are. Small towns hover in the crevices
here, protected from ceaseless Chinook
winds.
Mountains and prairies eventually give
way to the volcanic plain where Earth’s crust
bubbles and spews, forming geysers,
fumaroles, and mud pots that hint at the
heat just below the surface. Remnants of
volcanic flows turn the landscape into something
so alien you can easily visualize what it
might be like to land on another planet.
But here, in a region laced with the roads
we riders crave, the joy of following the
pavement pales in comparison to the grandeur
of the mountain ranges—the Tetons,
Absarokas, Beartooth, and Sawtooth ranges,
and of course, Glacier National Park. John
Muir, the famous conservationist named
Glacier “the best care-killing scenery on the
continent.” The Blackfeet Indians named it
the Backbone of the World. When you’re
standing at an overlook with verdant alpine
valleys framed by 10,000-foot snow-capped
monoliths, there’s no reason to argue with
them.
In the prime riding season of midsummer,
Turn left for an excellent ride through the Sunlight Basin, stay right for an epic run through the
Beartooth. Decisions, decisions!
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US 2 runs just to the south of Glacier National Park. It’s an easy detour to ride up to St. Mary
on US 89 and run through the park from east to west. You’ll encounter less traffic on this
approach through the park.
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316 Motorcycle Journeys Through North America

St. Mary Lake frames the eastern portion of Glacier National Park.
dusk arrives late here in the higher northern
latitudes, as if the sun itself is reluctant to
see the day end. That gives you all the more
time to enjoy the after-ride, recounting the
day’s adventures with your riding companions
on the terrace at a local watering hole.
Here in the golden sunlight of late evening
you come to fully understand what Kitteredge
meant. The Last Best Place. That’s exactly
where this journey has brought you.
Ride here in July and August. If you arrive
a month on either side of the height of summer
you’ll want to stay keenly attuned to
current and forecasted weather. Bring layers.
Connections
The Northwest Passage tour connects to the
Evergreens and Canyons tour by way of US
12 over the famous Lolo Pass. You’re also
not far from the Badlands tour by way of US
14 through the Bighorn Mountains. The
Rocky Mountain Way tour through Colorado
can be joined by following US 191 south out
of Wyoming to US 40. The beginning of the
Canadian Rockies loops isn’t far away either;
just catch US 89 north and cross into British
Columbia.
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Afoot and light-hearted,
I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me,
leading wherever I choose.
—Walt Whitman, Song of the Open Road
Northwest Passage 317

Segment One
Great Falls to Red Lodge, Montana
Often when a town grows into a city, traffic
and noise and a palpable sense of urgency
replace the charm once defined by quiet
neighborhoods and streets lined with momand-pop
shops and restaurants. That hasn’t
Route Details – 279 miles
➤ From Great Falls, Montana, follow
Rte 3 south to Billings. (219 mi.)
➤ In Billings, pick up US 212 south
and follow it to Red Lodge. (60 mi.)
happened in Great Falls (www.gfcvb.com).
Tidy, tree-lined streets invite you to enjoy an
evening stroll where anyone will nod a
warm greeting. Even a downtown festival in
full swing feels subdued. Folks around here
would never think of whoopin’ and hollerin’
like they might at a comparable Texas
shindig.
The grand loop through this part of the region
departs Great Falls on Route 3, a signed
state road that runs exclusively to Billings,
Montana’s largest city. There’s no half-hour
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It was a crazy
idea, building a
road through
the Beartooth
Wilderness. But
we can be
thankful
someone did.
slog to get through urban traffic here in
Great Falls. Five minutes and you’re on the
outskirts of town headed into the rolling,
grassy hills and long flat plains of the high
prairie. Occasionally the horizon is broken by
small renegade hills or isolated mountain
ranges, remnants of geological events unrelated
to the formation of the Rockies to the
west.
Route 3 runs directly through downtown
Billings and ends on I-90, which is co-signed
with US 212. It’s a short run on I-90 west
when 212 departs southwest toward Red
Lodge, the conclusion of segment one.
It’s apparent immediately upon entering
Red Lodge that tourists are welcome here.
Of course, that’s what we are, so that’s a
good thing. Colorful and varied restaurants
and shops line the main street at the foot of
the Beartooth Mountains. You’ll find no
shortage of lodging. Plan to stay for an extra
day because the next segment loops back
into town before heading on to the next
destination.
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