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rbpru's avatar
rbpru
Explorer II
Jul 08, 2014

Driving the Rockies

All this talk about mountain driving has prompted me to ask about the Rockies.

We are going to Glacier National Park and parts West so I have had the bearing packed and the brakes adjusted. We expect to take the Interstate as much as possible as I assume it has the most reasonable grades. We will be coming though Great Falls.

Depending on our arrival time and camp sight availability we will camp in the park with no hook ups or in one of the nearby RV parks.

I am pulling a Dutchmen Lite at about 6000 lbs. with my E-boost F-150 4x4. We will do the tour bus thing in the park.

Just wondered if anyone is familiar with this area.

9 Replies

  • I can confirm the absolute beauty of Glacier, and I can confirm that the "going to the sun" road is breathtaking, and not one I would want to pull anything over...
  • We were out there back in 05. no major mountains to speek of. just the Rockies! and that was a piece of cake with my old conversion van and TT. I`m in Myrtle Beach right now. we stopped in Mt Airy NC. and took the WV Turnpike here. The Turnpike was way worse than what I drove going to Glacier NP! don`t worry about the drive, just think about the destination!

    Enjoy Glacier. things to do
    Take a trip up to the top of Big MTN (ski resort)
    Get some Huckleberry ice cream at Apgar in Glacier NP.
    obviously Going To The Sun Road
    and when you get to the top at the visitor center, do a hike. we did the Hidden Lake Hike. very easy 2 mile or so hike with awesome views!

    Enjoy the trip!
  • Aluminum Siding wrote:
    Wow! This is why I frequent the forum and this community. Great replies guys!!! I love reading this kind of support!

    Agree with you on this particular thread. All good on-topic replies. Quite the exception (IMO) for this forum in general.

    I too am planning a trip 'out west' to the north LA area and then maybe coming back through Utah and Colorado, so the replies I am seeing are reassuring for me also.
  • I live about 20 minutes from the West entrance to Glacier. If you don't have reservations you probably won't get a sight in the park. But there are tons of RV parks in the area.
    Coming up through great falls is a good way to go, you'll be skipping the steeper passes in the state.
    You won't be able to pull your trailer over Logan pass/Going to the Sun Highway. Vehicle lengths limited to 21'. Once you get here you'll see why.

    I encourage you to check out more of the Flathead Valley than just the park. This is the most beautiful area in the lower 48 hands down.

    Whitefish Mountain (it will always be Big Mountain to the locals) has great hiking, biking, ziplining, and an alpine slide.
    Check out the Hungry Horse Dam, they are actually doing tours inside the dam again. This is the first year in about 10 years since they have done tours.
    Flathead Lake is amazing, rent a boat for a day and check it out.

    Lots to do here.
  • Wow! This is why I frequent the forum and this community. Great replies guys!!! I love reading this kind of support!
  • We "workamped" at Glacier NP 5 summers and Yellowstone 3 and going back to visit in Aug. Your question isn't too specific about what you need. Glacier is our favorite place in the country. I've towed a 5000-6000 lb 5th wheel all over the Rockies with a half-ton truck and you will encounter some fairly steep grades where you will definitely downshift and go slow. however the steepest grade I have pulled was on a main road blacktop in Colorado. You can't tow a trailer on th main road through Glacier and the road around is not real steep. The main roads in Yellowstone are no problem. Almost none of the great campgrounds within those parks have hook-ups.
  • Love my area, You might have a little problem in the hills, depending on how your traveling. "Helena Hill" just north of Helena to Great Falls, is about the worst on that road. Till you hit Browning...but as for the interstate, not many "tough" grades. Let me know the travel plan and I'll let you know what to expect on the roads. Im in Great Falls, and have pulled from here to the NAT park to both sides, West and St Marys. It is a really nice trip and hope to help you along your way.
  • We had a truck camper rally there last summer. I pulled my Avion trailer which was about the same weight as yours. I was pulling it with a F-350 diesel, but the grades aren't so bad that you should have any issues. Just take your time and you should be fine. The campground right outside the west gate was the one that we used and it was good. The red bus ride was fun and I think everyone at the rally had a great time.