Travel in ID, MT, ND, SD, WY in begining of May

[daannzzz]

I am heading on my non WDW vacation the first two weeks of May. We are going from Oregon to Glacier Ntnl Park in Montana and then across Montana to North Dakota then Down to South Dakota and over to Devil's Tower in Wyoming and then to Jackson and the Grand Tetons and then up to Yellowstone and then over to Craters of the Moon in Idaho and then home.
I see it is still snowing up there and will continue into next week. I see many places have snow showers and such. I am from the Californian / San Jose area. We don't have snow!
For those of you who live in these areas am I going to have travel problems or restrictions in the first two weeks of May? I am expecting possible problems getting between the tetons adn Yellowstone but how about across Montana or between ND and Rapic City? I plan of bringing chains, will that suffice? Any advice would be helpfull. Thanks.

 

[jsmith]

Do not count on Glacier Park being completely open before memorial day. Some areas of Yellowstone may also be inaccessable. Come prepared for winter driving conditions. you will not have trouble in the majority of areas, but northern Wyoming and Montana-and colorado for that matter have unpredictable spring weather-we had six inches of snow in Denver on Satuerday. Its gone now but that is spring in the Rockies. Tire chains are useful only if you have experience driving in winter conditions. since you are from Southern California i would recommend not traveling in very harsh conditions. The other side of the coin is that we have been fairly dry and you could infact have absolutely spectacular weather for those two weeks. The standard adage is -if you dont like the weather wait five minutes-it will change-come prepared for that and you will have a great time

 

[daannzzz]

At Glacier Park we are only hoping to get up to Lake McDonald. I do not expect the Going to the Sun road to be open.
Thanks for the information. If the weather gets bad (whether it be snow or thunderstorms) I will be pulling over and having coffee somewhere. I am expecting some possible waiting around but also some awesome views!

 

[Deb & Bill]

We went to Yellowstone a few years back over Memorial Day weekend. Lake Yellowstone was just breaking up after having been solid ice. The road in the NE quadrant of the park was still closed because of snow and you couldn't go between Canyon and Cooke City and Mammoth. There was lots of snow on the sides of the roads (they had been plowed). Road between Cooke City and Red Lodge doesn't open until after Memorial Day (maybe mid June). There has been a blizzard in the Bear Tooth Mts in July.

We lived in Eastern Montana in Miles City for 5 years. The road between Rapid City and Miles City should be passable. Latest snow we had when I lived there was mid-May, but it didn't stick much.

We're headed to Glacier in July. We're heading to Sperry Chalets and they don't clear out from the snow until early July.

Going to the Sun Road probably won't open until Mid-June. Same with Lake McDonald Lodge.

 

[daannzzz]

Thanks for the information. I probably should have looked into access before planning the trip! I am used to just heading down to Orlando in May.

 

[mtblujeans]

You won't have any problem getting to Lake McDonald. You are correct about not being able to get thru Going To The Sun. They have not yet begun blasting through. There are no services open in that area, yet, but there may be something open by the time you get here (I am thinking of McDonald Lodge). If you have been here before, you will be amazed at the fire damage around Lake McDonald!! It may take more than 50 years for that to grow back fully. The fire went over the hills and all the way down to the lake!!! (Everything above "the loop" seems to be OK)

If you follow Hwy. 2 to East Glacier, that is a good site-seeing location, too. The Lodge there is beautiful! There is an old, small train station there that is fun to check out for a quick stretch of your legs before you head on. Again, I don't know what will be open by the time you drive through.

Our weather is unusually warm this Spring (68° - 70°). We are having temps we normally have in June! May would be the perfect time to come through here as everything is turning green and we may have fires again this Summer - not much fun!! You might miss road construction that time of year, too. That has become an "annual event". There has been a major road-widening project going on for a couple of years here.

The Kalispell City has a Chamber of Commerce web site you might check out for any activities or news of when you will be passing through. (http://www.kalispell.com/) There is also a link to the Glacier Park site from there.

Originally posted by daannzzz
At Glacier Park we are only hoping to get up to Lake McDonald. I do not expect the Going to the Sun road to be open.

 

[Mary Ellen]

Years ago I took DM to Yellowstone in early May. If I remember correctly, the road between Grand Teton NP and the junction near Old Faithful was closed (among other roads). We had to take the long route to the Old Faithful Inn from Cody I remember. If you belong to AAA, I'd check with them for road closure info.

 

[daannzzz]

We will be arriving in Polson Mt. on May 2nd. On the 3'd we will head up to see if we can get to Lake McDonald lodge. I pretty much planned on driving Highway 2 along the southern boundry. I have never been into this portion of the U.S. so it will all be new to me.
We are suppose to leave the Tetons on May 9th and head north to Yellowstone. This is (supposedly - we have reservations) the day the Old Faithful Inn opens. Last year the road between the Tetons and Yellowstone opened on May 9th, according to records. It will be interesting to see how this all works out!

 

[binny]

Im in Boise and there is NO snow here! It was 80 yesterday!


I always check www.accuweather.com when I travel maybe it will help you?

 

[mtblujeans]

Polson has a Chamber web site at http://www.polsonchamber.com/ that might be helpful as the time gets closer.

For that drive on Hwy. 2 to East Glacier....take your camera and plan on stopping once in awhile. It is a BEAUTIFUL drive. There are waterfalls coming down to the road in the Spring and early Summer. When you get to Marias Pass, and you come upon it quickly and fairly unexpectedly, it will take your breath away!! I love that drive between the two Park entrances!!

On the downside, Marias Pass has high winds and there are warning signs, but there can be REALLY high winds for about 10 miles through there.

Past Essex, there is a Goat Lick on the right side. I think there is a sign. There is a place to pull over and park and you can walk down and get a good view, if there are any Mountain Goats there to see. It is a good spot to take pictures of them.

It has been years and years since we have been to Yellowstone. We always went in the Spring. It is green and animals are starting to move around so you can see them from the roads. Boy, if you want peace and quiet, you can't beat Yellowstone Lodge!!

 

[daannzzz]

I have been keeping an eye on the weather in Id, Mt. and Wy. I noticed it was 69 in Polson yesterday. Thats warmer than it was here in Silicon Valley!!!! Thanks for the accuweather site. I have bookmarked it and will check it out.
Thanks for all the driving tips along Highway 2 mtblujeans. Those are the types of things I want to know. I will have my still camera and camcorder. I am traveling with my 76 year old Dad and he has a digital camera ( he is ahead of me with all the technical stuff). I am printing this thread out and taking some of it with me in the travel folder.

 

[mtblujeans]

I am thinking of tons of stuff I could tell you about this area!! I hope it is helpful and not boring......

Just before you drive into East Glacier, there is a HUGE "statue" display of two Blackfeet Native Americans on horseback that is made entirely of junk welded together. There is one as you enter and one as you leave the East Glacier area. It does not sound like it, but it is really beautiful!! You must stop and get a picture of yourselves standing beside them. You will never see anything like that again!!

If things are starting to open up around East Glacier, the Red Buses park in an arrea beside the train station. Even if you cannot take a tour, they are fun to see! The train station is walking distance from the Lodge.

http://www.glacierpark.net/index.cfm?action=tours.buses

Even if the Lodge is not open, if you can get to the Lodge, to the right (when facing the Lodge) is a golf course. You cannot see it from the road. Just standing at the entrance of that golf course is a wide open view of mountains that make a great picture. The scene is so vast that I have not been able to get it all in with my camera lens. It is one of those things that a panoramic camera is made for!

Also, if you go to: http://travel.state.mt.us/

you can order some visitor travel info, including maps and city info. We even use these things when we travel across the state for business or pleasure every year. It is very, very helpful.

We love Montana and certainly hope you enjoy your visit through our area!

 

[daannzzz]

Golf Course? Oh No. Dad will get all excited about that!!! We won't have room for his clubs!
This is not boring information. It is good to know. I know how much a person can miss when they don't have information. I would like to see the Train Station and Lodge. i have seen pictures of the red buses but suspect there will be no tours when we are there as there will be no place for them to go!!

 

[mtblujeans]

If you are coming up from, say, Missoula to Kalispell on Hwy. 93 North, there are things to see along that way, too.

The National Bison Range is a drive-thru tour. You may or may not see animals but the Visitor's Center is a nice stop, too.

http://www.gonorthwest.com/Montana/northwest/bison_range_ta.htm

A little town called St. Ignatius has a memorable mission with a facinating history. The church is open to walk through and murals painted on the walls are definately memorable!!

http://www.lakeshorecountryjournal.com/daytrippers/stignatius.html

Depending upon the time you have to visit these types of sights, you can make stops all along the way from the southern edge of the state through the top and over to the east!

 

[Idaho]

I live in south eastern Idaho about 90 miles from West Yellowstone and about an hour or so from Jackson. We have no snow here, and it was 70 today. I mowed lawns, actually. However, we are going to be cooling off in the next 10 days and are supposed to get rain showers and that will probably mean some snow in the mountains. However, the roads should be fine. This is the link for the Idaho Road Report so you can check on the status of certain roads you will be traveling on. http://164.165.237.41/apps/roadreport/ You can also just type "Idaho Road Report" in a search engine to find this website. It is pretty up to date. I believe most of the snow through Island Park is gone. According to the Yellowstone National Park website, most roads will be open by the middle of May, weather permitting, of course. We have been very dry, so it shouldn't be a problem. This area is beautiful and by mid May, you should have the trees budding and such, but not lots of crowds. Most people don't visit until summer. Just out of curiousity, which route are you taking to Craters of the Moon? I hope you enjoy our beautiful state!

 

[janette]

Thanks for all the information mtblujeans. I'm originally from Montana (Fort Peck). We to a camp near Yellowstone / Livingston in the summer but my girls haven't been to Glacier or even Fort Peck!

We are planning a longer trip in 2006, I'd thought of staying at the cabins by Lake McDonald. Stayed there several years ago with my DH and we loved the cabins. I hadn't realized the fires were so close Would Many Glaciers be a better spot? Sperry Chalets also sounds great but I'm not sure we'll do that.

A huge selling point for my 12yo DD was that the Edmonton Mall is only 6hrs from Glacier. We'll have to plan a day there too.

Someday I'll have a summer place in Montana Can't take the winters but it will always be home!

 

[mtblujeans]

The fires roared over the North Fork, too. DH says you might want to consider St. Mary's (East Glacier).

However, if you have been here before, and if you get the opportunity, you should drive through the Park and see what the fires have left behind. For us, it was very sad but made us appreciate the wonderful beauty of the Park (that we might have been taking for granted).

When the fires roared through Yellowstone all those years ago, we made a point of driving down the following summer and driving through just to see what it had done to the Park. We were amazed! So much more was burned than we could have imagined and the remains of animals who had not made it through the winter were everywhere. We were very saddened but we could also see signs of the Park rejuvinating so soon!

It will be very interesting to see what develops in the Park this summer. By the time you would be coming around, you could be seeing a real 'work of nature'!

 

[mtblujeans]

I have put two pictures of the burn area past Lake McDonald at "The Loop" on Going To The Sun Road on the 'net at:

http://www.glacierpics.homestead.com/

They were taken last October. Even though the fire spread all summer, some spots were still smoldering last Fall!

 

[daannzzz]

We will be leaving Portland Oregon in the morning and driving to Polson. I am hoping to take (according to mapquest.com directions) 90 to 135 to 200 and then hit 93 north of Missoula. If the road isn't open we will have to drive down to Missoula and go north. In either case we will not be arriving in that area until late in the afternoon or early evening.
Idaho...thanks for the website on road conditions. Is the road from Idaho Falls to Jackson kept open most of the time? When we leave Jackson after our two night stay, to head to Yellowstone, if the south entrance isn't open I was planning on going to Idaho Falls and then North up to the west entrance.
I actually have been to Idaho before. Way back in the mid 70's we traveled to visit relatives. I have been to Jerome, Twin Falls and Boise and a lake somewhere north of Boise. We will be leaving Yellowstone by the west entrance and heading down 20 to Idaho Falls and then over to Craters of the Moon via Arco. Is Atomic City worth a visit? I looked it up and it seems like it might be a place for a quick look.
Thanks again everyone for all your advice and tips. More is welcome. Will we hit any thunderstorms this time of year?

 

[Idaho]

Sorry it took me so long to see this message. Yes, the road from Jackson to IF is almost always open. It is a main road and a good road. It is also a pretty drive. However, if you are looking to save time, then it is faster to go over the Jackson Pass to Driggs and over to Teton, then Sugar City and then hit Highway 20, north to the west entrance. The only problem with that is that there aren't lots of places to stay overnight like there are in IF. Rexburg has lots of eating places though and one new hotel to stay in and it is only about 5 miles from Teton. Also, going to the West Entrance will take you through Island Park like I mentioned in my previous post, and the road is good through there as well, and also a pretty drive.
Also, just as an FYI, Arco is a VERY small town. I am not even sure how many places there are to eat there.
I'm sorry to say that I have never even heard of Atomic City, but I don't ever get out towards Craters of the Moon. I will see if my husband knows about it, though. He has worked out at the INEEL.
Finally, you shouldn't run into too many thunderstorms and if you do, they won't last long. We are in a drought right now so lots of rain is VERY unlikely. The mountains do see more than we do here in the valley, but thunder and lightening are uncommon. And if you are on Highway 20, you are going to drive right past my hometown of St. Anthony. We are in between Yellowstone and IF. Let me know if you have any more questions. Have a great trip.