Texas to Montana

[Quicksand~]

The family and I will be making a drive from south Texas to Montana. I was hoping I could get some insight on trails/attractions that we may come across. Mainly up I25 through Denver/Wyoming and we'll hitting Yellowstone. Looking to fill up some time with adventure. We're driving with a 2 & a 4 year old. May god be with me.... Hoping to maybe come back down 15 through Utah, but we'll see how the drive up goes. Thanks in advance!

Cheers!

 

[Mr.Rick]

It would be about 2ish hours out of your way to Kremmling, CO but the North Sand Hills OHV park is worth the trip. Its the only sand dunes in Colorado that vehicles are allowed to drive on.
https://www.recreation.gov/recreationalAreaDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&recAreaId=1693
Might be worth a look especially if you are going to drive to Yellowstone. The kids would get a kick out the sand, and there are rivers that they could mess around in too.

 

[Quicksand~]

Awesome, thanks for the link... 2 hours isn't too bad. I figure it'll be every bit of a two day drive. Thank you for your input


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[Ryan1975]

Awesome, thanks for the link... 2 hours isn't too bad. I figure it'll be every bit of a two day drive. Thank you for your input


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Texas is rather large. What is your starting point? I've got a few suggestions.

Edit: I see you're in San Antonio. Drawing up a route suggestion now.

 

[TBBrewer]

Montana

In Montana I'd suggest the old 1860s gold rush town of Virginia City and the general locality. It has a lot to offer, from the robber's graves on boot hill to the unique old stores. And don't miss nearby Bannack State Park, with many well preserved homes and businesses, including the saloon where the well organized robbers used to hang out. The whole area is quite fascinating. - Ted

 

[Ryan1975]

I've driven from Ft Hood (Copperas Cove) to Denver more times than I can count. Also have driven from Denver to Coeur d'Alene, Id just last month (and a few other times as well) so I'm familiar with your route to say the least.

- I assume you'll want to hightail it out of Texas - but first there are some places to take a peek if you haven't. Standard I-10 to SR83 to Sweetwater (I-20) route. I-20 for a few miles and bail northward again on 84 to Lubbock. Not much to see here, keep north on I-27 to Amarillo.

First potential side trip - two options. First, ignore Google Maps and take exit 116 to 335. Follow 335 around to the west of Amarillo. Driving through Amarillo sucks unless you have a specific need to go into town.

Option 1 - Do the tourist thing and see Cadillac Ranch. Follow 335 around to I-40 west of Amarillo. Then drive briefly on RTE 66 to Vega before heading north on 385.

Option 2 - I always take FM1061 from 335. But there's an option that does exist but I've never had time to explore. Take 335 to 87/287 - stop at the Canadian River. There are millions of trails on each side of the Canadian River and theoretically you could drive these trails between 87/287 and 385 on the other side. You'd pop back onto 385 just north of FM1061.

More to follow next post.

 

[Ryan1975]

385 is going to meet back up with 87 in Dalhart. I'll give you two possibilities from this point: Speed or Cool Factor.

Speed Route: This route is going to be pretty straightforward all the way out of Texas - follow 87 into New Mexico. You can stop at Capulin Volcano just outside of Raton, NM to make yourself feel better about not taking the next route.

Cool Factor: Continue North out of Texas into Oklahoma. When 385 turns towards Boise City at 412 - go straight on N0260RD to 325. Follow 325 into Kenton, Ok. In Kenton, google Dinsaur Tracks and go see the Dinosaur Tracks with the kiddos. There's other dinosaur things in the area. After the tracks, continue on 325 into NM (becomes 456). At Toll Gate Canyon, take 551 north into Colorado. There's an old Wagon Toll Station in the Canyon. Kinda cool to see. Work your way into Branson, Colorado and back west towards I-25 circa Trinidad, Co.

 

[Ryan1975]

I'll stop at this point. I'm functionally deficient for not noticing that you will be driving with a 2yo & 4yo. It's at least a three day drive without any side trips from San Antonio and with kids that young, you're subjecting them to a whole lot of pain driving up to Yellowstone.

 

[Quicksand~]

In Montana I'd suggest the old 1860s gold rush town of Virginia City and the general locality. It has a lot to offer, from the robber's graves on boot hill to the unique old stores. And don't miss nearby Bannack State Park, with many well preserved homes and businesses, including the saloon where the well organized robbers used to hang out. The whole area is quite fascinating. - Ted

I will look that up and check into it, sounds pretty cool. We'll be going through Billings and over to Bozeman


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[03_4x4Runner]

Yellowstone is overcrowded, overrun with foreigners and tour busses this time of year. Also it takes 2 or 3 days to see the park, it is a long ways between the attractions and there is usually construction in the summer. Also anytime anyone spots any wildlife the traffic really backs up. I enjoy the drive on the mountain roads in the area more than the park itself. The small kids will quickly be bored.

 

[Quicksand~]

I'll stop at this point. I'm functionally deficient for not noticing that you will be driving with a 2yo & 4yo. It's at least a three day drive without any side trips from San Antonio and with kids that young, you're subjecting them to a whole lot of pain driving up to Yellowstone.

Badass! Tons of info... I'm looking forward to getting out of Texas. NM and CO should be a nice. I'm going to pull up the maps now and check it out. For me I'd drive straight through if I could, the kids will be a different story. That's why I want to make plenty of stops and keep them busy and out of their seats. Either way they like going and tearing up mud with me so they'll like the trails. Im taking plenty of time off for the trip. I'm going to leave at night and hopefully be in CO before they give me too much trouble, then it's just vacation time. Thanks again for taking the time, very much appreciated


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[Ryan1975]

Yellowstone is overcrowded, overrun with foreigners and tour busses this time of year. Also it takes 2 or 3 days to see the park, it is a long ways between the attractions and there is usually construction in the summer. Also anytime anyone spots any wildlife the traffic really backs up. I enjoy the drive on the mountain roads in the area more than the park itself. The small kids will quickly be bored.

lol - we drove straight through last month. We did stop at a few key locations but by and large we were only in the park for a few hours.

 

[Ryan1975]

Badass! Tons of info... I'm looking forward to getting out of Texas. NM and CO should be a nice. I'm going to pull up the maps now and check it out. For me I'd drive straight through if I could, the kids will be a different story. That's why I want to make plenty of stops and keep them busy and out of their seats. Either way they like going and tearing up mud with me so they'll like the trails. Im taking plenty of time off for the trip. I'm going to leave at night and hopefully be in CO before they give me too much trouble, then it's just vacation time. Thanks again for taking the time, very much appreciated


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I've got you at 11hrs before you hit Colorado, FYI. Fastest route:

I-10 -> SR83 -> I-20 (4mi) to SR84 -> I-27 -> 335 -> FM1061 -> 385 -> 87 -> I-25.

 

[Quicksand~]

Yellowstone is overcrowded, overrun with foreigners and tour busses this time of year. Also it takes 2 or 3 days to see the park, it is a long ways between the attractions and there is usually construction in the summer. Also anytime anyone spots any wildlife the traffic really backs up. I enjoy the drive on the mountain roads in the area more than the park itself. The small kids will quickly be bored.

We are actually going up to Montana for a wedding but I've always wanted to see Yellowstone so we'll take a quick peak. We do a lot of camping and outdoors stuff they handle it well. As long as I get them out of the car every so often. I appreciate the info


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[Quicksand~]

I've got you at 11hrs before you hit Colorado, FYI. Fastest route:



I-10 -> SR83 -> I-20 (4mi) to SR84 -> I-27 -> 335 -> FM1061 -> 385 -> 87 -> I-25.

I was doing some work in Colorado Springs last year just didn't have time to take in the sights. It was a nice drive though. It gets a little flat and dry here in south Texas. Thanks again


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[DanMan]

Definitely stop by Grand Teton NP too. It will be chill compared to Yellowstone.

As far as activities you could do with a 2 & 4 year old:

• Jenny Lake visitor center / boat ride (runs constantly throughout the day). They also have boat rentals. Also, this is the most crowded spot in GTNP.
• String Lake. Just north of Jenny. Perfect lake to play in or flat water kayak (shallow and clear).
• Jackson Lake Lodge. Nice place to sit down and enjoy the view. Plus they usually have a moose tethered down there.
• Rockefeller Preserve. Good place if you're looking for wildlife. You can also just drive through on Moose-Wilson road.
• Iconic photo spots - Oxbow Bend, Mormon Row.
• Outside of the park, but you could take a ride on the gondola at Jackson Hole mountain resort.
• Food - Dornan's Pizza, Leek's Marina pizza. Both have excellent views while you enjoy pizza.
  
  Have a nice trip!

 

[03_4x4Runner]

We are actually going up to Montana for a wedding but I've always wanted to see Yellowstone so we'll take a quick peak. We do a lot of camping and outdoors stuff they handle it well. As long as I get them out of the car every so often. I appreciate the info


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Most of the campgrounds will probably be full so you may want to make reservations. Any lodging at the last minute in the summer is hard to come by.

 

[Quicksand~]

Definitely stop by Grand Teton NP too. It will be chill compared to Yellowstone.

As far as activities you could do with a 2 & 4 year old:

• Jenny Lake visitor center / boat ride (runs constantly throughout the day). They also have boat rentals. Also, this is the most crowded spot in GTNP.
• String Lake. Just north of Jenny. Perfect lake to play in or flat water kayak (shallow and clear).
• Jackson Lake Lodge. Nice place to sit down and enjoy the view. Plus they usually have a moose tethered down there.
• Rockefeller Preserve. Good place if you're looking for wildlife. You can also just drive through on Moose-Wilson road.
• Iconic photo spots - Oxbow Bend, Mormon Row.
• Outside of the park, but you could take a ride on the gondola at Jackson Hole mountain resort.
• Food - Dornan's Pizza, Leek's Marina pizza. Both have excellent views while you enjoy pizza.
  
  Have a nice trip!

Thank you! Greet information, we were just looking at cutting across Wyoming and going up through that area. Very helpful!


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[MissouriBreaks]

Yellowstone is one of my favorite places to go and I have been there many times.

Rather than going all the way to Billings and over to Bozeman (unless there are other reasons to go there), I would suggest getting off I-25 at Buffalo, Wyoming and going to Cody, Wyoming. In Cody, there is the Buffalo Bill Center, a great museum, and they have a nightly rodeo that the kids may enjoy (although the younger one may be a bit too young).

When leaving Cody, there are two options for driving to Yellowstone. You can go in the east entrance or a more scenic drive would be to go via the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, that takes you to the northeast entrance.

As for trails in the Yellowstone area, there are a couple of gravel roads in the park. I recall one being named Blacktail Plateau Road (or something similar). The other one leaves from the Mammoth Hot Springs area and goes toward the northwest entrance. They are so-so.

Not sure if you are planning on going to Teton National Park (your pass for Yellowstone will get you into Teton also), but there is a great 4x4 only road in Teton NP. It is so good that Toyota has filmed commercials on it. The road has great scenery and is not too difficult. I suggest taking it North to South in the park. It is shown on the Park Map as being 4x4 only, and is on the west side of the Snake River. The road takes one along the edge of the bluff overlooking the Snake River and on the other side you see the Tetons. The drive was fantastic.

If you happen to get further into north central Montana, I drove the Missouri Breaks Back Country Scenic Byway last summer. I drove it from West to East and got 20 miles in and found a washed out creek crossing and had to turn around. There was no complaints on turning around as I only missed 3 miles of the end of the route and the scenery on the first 20 miles was superb.

 

[Quicksand~]

Yellowstone is one of my favorite places to go and I have been there many times.



Rather than going all the way to Billings and over to Bozeman (unless there are other reasons to go there), I would suggest getting off I-25 at Buffalo, Wyoming and going to Cody, Wyoming. In Cody, there is the Buffalo Bill Center, a great museum, and they have a nightly rodeo that the kids may enjoy (although the younger one may be a bit too young).



When leaving Cody, there are two options for driving to Yellowstone. You can go in the east entrance or a more scenic drive would be to go via the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, that takes you to the northeast entrance.



As for trails in the Yellowstone area, there are a couple of gravel roads in the park. I recall one being named Blacktail Plateau Road (or something similar). The other one leaves from the Mammoth Hot Springs area and goes toward the northwest entrance. They are so-so.



Not sure if you are planning on going to Teton National Park (your pass for Yellowstone will get you into Teton also), but there is a great 4x4 only road in Teton NP. It is so good that Toyota has filmed commercials on it. The road has great scenery and is not too difficult. I suggest taking it North to South in the park. It is shown on the Park Map as being 4x4 only, and is on the west side of the Snake River. The road takes one along the edge of the bluff overlooking the Snake River and on the other side you see the Tetons. The drive was fantastic.



If you happen to get further into north central Montana, I drove the Missouri Breaks Back Country Scenic Byway last summer. I drove it from West to East and got 20 miles in and found a washed out creek crossing and had to turn around. There was no complaints on turning around as I only missed 3 miles of the end of the route and the scenery on the first 20 miles was superb.

Exactly what I'm looking for! Sounds great and I'm looking forward to the trip. I've been really impressed with the responses and I can't be more appreciative of your time, thank you!


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