My one time to the rally (I have been to the area several times) my group of four Army buddies and three wives spent a week and timed it so we left on the first day of the rally.
I’m in Wyoming now visiting relatives, waiting for the crowds to clear for a quick visit before I spend two to three weeks exploring Montana and Idaho until I “take the long way home” to Texas.
Enjoyed riding the Black Hills on a sportbike with my wife. I saw Sturgis from a distance. Even without the rally, that was probably close enough. It must be an amazing event.
You have 3 wives? I am struggling with one!
“exploring Montana and Idaho”
We are in North Idaho and regularly do that.
* Bitterroot Valley, especially the southern end. Trapper Peak juts up from the Divide. Fantastic fishing. Super hiking. Hike to Baker Lake for spectacular alpine scenery. Stop into Mr. T’s Mercantile in Darby to see the most amazing Elk mount ever with a huge mountain lion bringing him down. Amazing taxidermy work!
* Skalkaho Pass. Maybe 10-15 miles of dirt road from Bitterroot Valley over to Philipsburg, but well maintained. Spectacular waterfall at the pass.
* Phillipsburg, Anaconda and Wisdom. Sapphire hunting on Skalkaho road near Phillipsburg.
* Big Hole Valley. We must missed the closing time at the Big Hole National Battlefield. The movie at the visitor center is reported to be very good. Look for the big hay-stacking system used in the valley. It’s unique in the USA, but was the main way hay was stored before bailers were invented. HUGE 20 ft x 20 ft x 40 ft. stacks of hay! You can see a working model of it in the Phillipsburg museum.
* Lolo. Be sure to have steak at the Lolo Creek Steakhouse
* Across the street from the Lolo Creek Steakhouse is the “Traveler’s Rest” state park. It was a stopping point for the Lewis & Clark Corps of Discovery going west and coming back east. It was a huge area for Indian Potlatches and fur trappers. Great museum. This is the ONLY known area with archeological proof that Lewis & Clark stopped there! Be sure to watch the show on Amazon “Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery” before you go. What those men accomplished is breathtaking. The whole area in Montana and Idaho is filled with their history. The major river “Clark Fork” used to be named the possessive “Clark’s Fork.” It was named by Merriweather Lewis but was purportedly never seen by Clark!
* The St. Ignatius Mission, in St. Ignatius, MT. It is a landmark Catholic mission, founded in 1854 by Jesuit priests Pierre-Jean De Smet and Adrian Hoecken. De Smet worked in missions in Idaho. Visit the Cataldo Mission just off I-90 close to the Montana state line in Cataldo, ID.
* The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in Missoula. Amazing elk mounts.
* The “Bison Range” run by the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes. There’s a 10 mile loop over the top of a high ridge and you’ll see LOTS of bison. We spotted about 60 a couple weeks ago.
* St. Regis, MT on I-90. Stop at the “St. Regis Travel Center” for the best milkshake and grilled cheese. We always stop there. Head north from St. Regis on MT-135 along the Clark Fork River. Be sure to enjoy the natural hot springs at Quinn’s Resort.
* Head NW to Plains and Thompson Falls. Hike the Four Lakes Loop west of Thompson Falls. Head up to Libby, MT on MT-56 through the spectacular Cabinet Mountains, some of the most rugged, most remote mountains in the USA. There’s an easy hike over the Kootenai River on a suspension bridge just west of Libby.
* At Libby, head north on MT-37 that follows Lake Koocanusa for many miles. Stands for “Kootenai - Canada - USA”! Very remote, little traffic, and spectacular.
* At Eureka, MT you are just 6 miles south of Canada. Head SE to Whitefish and Glacier NP. Glacier has a driving reservation system if you want to drive into the park. Either get a reservation, do a tour in the park (like the Lake McDonald boat tour - recommended) or arrive at the entrance before 7 am (check the time). Drive the “Going to the Sun Road.” Amazing road!
That’s enough for now. And I didn’t even cover any of Idaho. Have a great trip!
* Or head up the east side of Lake Pend Oreille to Sandpoint, ID.