Billings Montana to Great Falls via Neihart MT ?????

[TenOC]

We have a 36 foot 5th wheel.

From Billings Montana to Great Falls Montana my GPS wants to send me by way of Highway 191 to Moore Montana and then Highway 87 to Great Falls.

Why not take US Highway 89 through Neihart MT????? which I think is a more scenic route. Are the mountains to steep for my 5th wheel?

[valhalla360]

Just plugged it into Google Maps:
- Suggested Route: 219 miles
- Your suggestion: 231 miles

Unless you have some sort of RV specific routing, it's assuming a passenger car that will typically hold to the speed limit, so fewer miles is faster and less fuel burn.

I've never seen a routing that considers scenery and most don't consider hills or curves.

[TenOC]

enblethen wrote:
What are your route settings on your GPS?

I have an old Garmin 270 (?) and use BaseCamp set for RV to do my planning.

[enblethen]

What are your route settings on your GPS? I have been both ways. US 89 is more scenic to me but much slower for us!

[paulj]

I drove 89 throug Neihart some 20 years ago. I thought it was a nice scenic interval in an otherwise flat and open route. But I was in a SUV, so can't say whether it's too steep/curvy for an RV. Google maps has tools to explore that yourself - zoom, streetview, even the bike routing gradients.

Routing progams don't choose by easiest - unless you have some sort of rv/truck option. Usually the choice is based on time - distance and estimated speed. Sometimes a mountainous route may have a slower estimated speed, but I think that's more based on road type than some sort curve or gradient measure. The route through via 89 is both longer and shorter.

Atleast on a full computer interface it's easy to explore alternative routes - just drag a point.

(The gradient option for bikes isn't much help here; it recommends something totally different, using a lots of local roads rather than the main highways.)

Kings Hill Scenic Byway