Best Route from Rapid City, SD
Class A, towing. Headed to St. Mary, Montana via Hwy 2. In June. Factoring in elevation, road conditions, what's best route please?
Forum Discussion
My opinion is that US 2 is the least scenic way to get from Rapid City to Glacier NP, unless you love rolling plains interrupted by a few big coulees. The only reason I can think of for choosing St. Mary is to continue up to Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada. Other than that, there are better places in Glacier to visit and to stay, like East Glacier and the Going-to-the-Sun Highway.
I have taken US 87, US 191, US 287, US 89, I-15, I-90, and US 93 when going to or coming back from Glacier, Banff/Jasper, or Alaska. They are all good roads so "road conditions" aren't a problem, but they are not all "fast roads."
If you want the most scenic route and aren't worried about schedule, take US 14 from the Black Hills to Devils Tower, then through the Bighorn Mountains to Cody, WY. From Cody, stay on US 14 into Yellowstone NP, take US 191 to Bozeman, then US 287/US 89 to Helena, East Glacier, and St. Mary. This route could take 4 days to two weeks, depending on how long you spend at each of the scenic areas and at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody.
If you just want to get there in a hurry, take I-90 to Butte, then I-15 from Butte to US 287, and at Choteau take US 89 to St. Mary.
I have taken US 87, US 191, US 287, US 89, I-15, I-90, and US 93 when going to or coming back from Glacier, Banff/Jasper, or Alaska. They are all good roads so "road conditions" aren't a problem, but they are not all "fast roads."
If you want the most scenic route and aren't worried about schedule, take US 14 from the Black Hills to Devils Tower, then through the Bighorn Mountains to Cody, WY. From Cody, stay on US 14 into Yellowstone NP, take US 191 to Bozeman, then US 287/US 89 to Helena, East Glacier, and St. Mary. This route could take 4 days to two weeks, depending on how long you spend at each of the scenic areas and at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody.
If you just want to get there in a hurry, take I-90 to Butte, then I-15 from Butte to US 287, and at Choteau take US 89 to St. Mary.
