Western Mountain Routes

[MtnGuy]

Hi All,

My wife and I are planning a trip to South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and Alberta next August and September, hopefully getting out of there before the snows fall. I am totally unfamiliar with the roads in that area, but I do reference Google Maps, a Rand McNally Motor Carriers Road Atlas, and a Western Mountain Directory. I would like input from those that have actually traveled some of the routes that we plan.

Our equipment: A 2017 F350 diesel with engine brake. A 2017 Grand Design 337 RLS.

My driving experience: I live in the northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east, and the Massanutten and Shenandoah Mountains to the west. I have driven the mountain roads around here for 50 years. I towed a 5500 lb, 28' trailer behind an F150 with the 5.4L for 8 years, and the last 2 years I have towed with our current equipment..........no problems with either setup over many of the mountain passes around here. Most of the mountain passes have 6-8% grades with 35 mph curves, and 1 set of mountains we did in the F150 and bumper pull was 7-10%, again without a problem.........although I think I could see my own trailer tail lights on some of the curves.

1st question of many on this thread: We will be crossing the Bighorns from either Buffalo or Sheridan, Wy to Cody (depending on which route we take). The 2 routes shown are Rt 14 and Rt 16. Rt 14A seems a bit hairy with a grade called "Oh, my god hill" by the locals.......I think we will take that route off of our list. So between Rt. 14 (main route) and Rt. 16, it looks like Rt. 16 might be the better route according to the Mountain Directory West. Both routes appear to be STAA authorized routes.

Thoughts ??

Thanks, Chap

[Dick Noble]

Most of the Rocky Mountains start higher than the highest ones back east. I find that up is not a problem. Going down the other side is.

[DougW9876]

The mountain roads in West Virginia are more nerve racking than the majority of the roads out west.

[orbiker]

I have not had our Momentum out there yet. I have traveled across ID, WY, SD and ND many times on motorcycle. You don't want to be in any of those states during the 2019 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The prices for everything get jacked up. RV parks included because of all riders that trailer their bikes.
Stay off the auxiliary roads like 16A and 14A with the 5'er.
Buffalo, WY is an interesting town.
The major snow storms should not happen till late Sept.

Reservations near the NP's will be necessary very soon.

Safe travels, KEN

[Ditchdigger]

Don't try to stay inside Yellowstone or Glacier national parks with your trailer. Best to plan to camp outside the park and drive through the park. I drove though Yellowstone with my 25' 5er about 10 yrs ago and it was hairy, in some places. You will enjoy it more if you are not towing. And last I head there is a 30' max on trailer, for camping. I would not take a trailer through Glacier at all, over the Going to the Sun highway. You are lucky you don't a DRW truck through Glacier. The two interstate highways in Montana are good 80mph / 65 towing over 5 axles (2 on truck 3 on trailer) that is what I have. Most main highways are good also, it is when you get on back roads you really have to watch it.

[orbiker]

Here is a link to the scenic roads in WY.

When I travel, I like to take the less crowded route. I would take 16 out of Buffalo to Worland and then 432 to 431 to 120 to Cody. That's 180 miles and 3 hours according to Google map.

Wy State Highway Map KEN

[Likes to tow]

Something to consider about the Rockies. Many passes are 10 to 12 K in elevation but you may already be at 6K when you start over them. Denver, the "mile high city" is at 5000 feet and crossing the Rockies on Interstate 70 is not much more of an elevation change than what you will find in the East. Another thing to remember is that in the East you may go up or down for 4 or 5 miles at most. In the Rockies you may be on a steep grade for 10-15 miles or more!! Just don't ride your brakes, use lower gears and take your time. We never use campgrounds near or in the major national parks. We base camp outside the park and unhook our 5th wheel for a few days of adventure. Many western states simply do not use guard rails. Colorado especially uses nothing. You go off the road you're dead! Look on youtube at "Million dollar highway" and you will be shocked. The white line along the edge is 3 inches from the edge of pavement and then nearly straight down for 300 to 500 feet!!! We use the Western Directory and find it helpful. You can also use this forum and others to ask locals about roads you are considering. Pulling a big rig is not that big of a deal but it requires some planning.

[MountainFolk]

Look thru previous pages in this thread for info on where you are heading,
there is a lot of info. This link has some of the better info for towing
around Yellowstone area. http://www.rvtechmag.com/travel/4_yellowstonebyrv.php

I am going to be in the South Dakota/Yellowstone area this summer and plan on taking
Hwy 16 west from Buffalo to Hwy 20 north to Hwy 14 West all the way to Hwy 191
thru the park.

As mention earlier, watch the long down hills and don't overheat the brakes.

[sande005]

As for the Bighorns - 16 is a little easier, but 14 is doable too. I think 14 is more scenic, but both are great in that regard. 14 has many 15 mph hairpin curves going up east to west. But nothing scary. Wide road, easy to stay in lane. Going down the other side is still twisty/turny, but not as bad. Seemed like the descent is longer though. I was pulling the old 5th in my sig. with the f150. Did have to brake a lot, even though I stayed in very low gears and depended on engine braking. With your F350, and previous experience (it was our first time towing big over such terrain), you won't have any issues. But, as you noted - don't even think about 14A!

[ksbowman]

Best advice I can give is make sure the brake controller is set up right. You can overheat your truck brakes real fast if the trailer brakes aren't doing their fair share.