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

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

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!

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.

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.