Help: Roads / route suggestions for 8 Day trip from Seattle to Minneapolis/Chicago

Sunny

Sunny

Joined
Apr 18, 2018
Messages
357
Location
NJ
Bike
NT700VA, R1150GS
Me and My friends are planning a bike trip in Aug from Seattle to Minneapolis to NJ.

Plan is to do:
Section 1: scenic roads (like Glacier National Park, Bear Tooth, Devils Tower, Mt. Rushmore, bad Lands etc.) till Minneapolis/Chicago (8 days)
Section 2: Highway from Minneapolis/Chicago to NJ (2 days).

Looking for suggestion for roads / routes for Section 1.

Will try to avoid the Sturgis Bike Week is August 1st thru the 10th

We ideally want to keep section 1 to about 2000 miles.

We plan to ship our bikes form NJ to Seattle, so it will be one way trip for us ...

TIA
 
If you find yourself near Sturgis on I90 during bike week, if you stay on the Interstate the traffic isn't bad at all and once you are 15 miles on either side of the Pirate Fest you won't encounter heavy biker traffic. It's also better if you can navigate thru Sturgis on a weekday. Two years ago my son and I found ourselves (unplanned) travelling thru Sturgis during bike week and it wasn't bad. Since we were there, we decided to see what it was all about and we hopped off of I90 and onto Main street. After about six or eight blocks of stop and go traffic we hopped on a side street and got back on I90.

Mike
 
MHO ... YMMV. I am sure others will chime in.
Things to consider: Fires in the West are common in Aug. There can be road closures, area closures, smoke and unhealthy air. Prepare for Plan B.
I am not sure what roads thru Yellowstone are now available after the 2022 500 year flood took many out.
National Park reservations are a PITA. If you get there early enough, you just ride thru the entry.
If you use Google Maps for planning, it will not let you plan a route on closed roads. The Going To The Sun road sometimes is not open until July. Beartooth Pass is likely closed for winter weather.
Don’t do the curvy mountain bits too early in the morning. The early low sun thru trees and passes can be distracting at the wrong times.

North Cascades Highway
Pick up State Rt 20 (amazing North Cascades Highway) at or before Rockport WA, take and enjoy thru Diablo to Winthrop (cowboy ish town) continue to Twisp at that point either head south to US 2 and pick up route below or stay on Rt 20 to Newport and then pick up US 2 to West Glacier MT. I have not ridden the last part of Rt 20 since I always head to Spokane.
or
Pick up US 2 at Monroe WA (or Everett if you want to do Boeing Plant Tour) US 2 to Leavenworth (Bavarian Tourist town ... Hmmmm Brats) Stay on US 2 thru Spokane, Sandpoint ID, Columbia Falls MT. Spend night in Columbia Falls (or near) enter Glacier NP thru West Glacier Entrance. Get to the entrance before the park opens to avoid reservations or whatever they are thinking up now. Head for Going To The Sun Road. You can stop at the Lake McDonald Lodge for an excellent dining room buffet breakfast, but the earlier you go on the Going To The Sun Road, the less chance of traffic. Exit the Park at St Mary’s MT. Pick a route to Gardiner, Montana and Yellowstone. Find a way to Hwy 212 and ride the Beartooth to Red Lodge. From there you might double back and add the Chief Joseph highway and Cody WY. Then to the Black Hills.

I don't think there is anything east of Spearfish??? :)
 
1. To do justice to your ride you'll need 20 days not 10. On most all of my trips I rode too fast to see the "good stuff".

2. Once you cross the Missouri River I'd stay north or go way south, avoiding the Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Toledo madness. Crossing the plaines states is all about the same no matter which road you take and interstate highways are all about the same too (my opinion). But if you must get from MN to NJ in 2 days you'll just ride the Interstates, burn gas and wear out your tires while fighting traffic and not having much fun. I'd go north of Minneapolis and follow the south shore of Lake Superior, cross the UP of MI, and then ON and QC, on the northern route, or swing south through northern NB then MO southern IL and IN, OH, KY, TN, WV, and then up to NJ (if you must go there). And hope for good weather because putting on mega miles in bad weather isn't that. much fun.
 
Frosty said:
From there you might double back and add the Chief Joseph highway
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Beartooth is an obvious must, but Chief Joseph (WY 296) might be my favorite ride in the lower 48. Easily tied with Million Dollar Hwy in CO and riding 12/24 across Utah.

US Route 14/14A across Bighorn National Forest is worthwhile too.


Some Pacific Northwest:

Oregon 218 Fossil to Shaniko
Old Spiral Highway out of Lewiston
Windy Ridge to Mt. St. Helens
WA 129 South out of Lewiston, turning to OR 3.. to Hell's Canyon
 
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Sunny said:
We plan to ship our bikes form NJ to Seattle, so it will be one way trip for us ...

TIA
Click to expand...

Frosty said:
I don't think there is anything east of Spearfish??? :)
Click to expand...

Nothing really until you hit the Appalachia foothills in eastern OH. If you don't feel like doing I-70 slab all the way, you could do an epic ride through WV.

I would recommend making your way to Woodsfield, OH. Take 78 to 536 to Hannibal, OH. South a bit on 7, cross over the Ohio river into WV at New Martinsville. Just south of New Martinsville off 7, make the turn on WV 20 (Shortline Hwy). Just west of Lumberport, make the right on 9 (Gregory Run) heading south . To Wilsonburg turn east to US-Route 50 through Clarksburg. I-79 south for a few miles, get back on WV 20 at Quiet Dell. 20 south to 57 to Philippi. Take US route 250. Check out old covered bridge there in Phillipi. Right next to a Sheetz, so good stop point for fuel. 250 eastward, few miles out of Philippi take the left on 38. Run 38 east until you get to the Cheat River. Right on 72 for a second, and then cut across the Cheat River to St. George. Holly Meadows Rd east out of St. George. Stay straight to continue on Sugarlands Rd. Sugarlands Rd to US Route 219/48. 48 through Thomas and Davis. (More stop points here, small shops, breweries, tourist stuff.) Take US Route 48 to Moorefield (another Sheetz here), then to Wardensville. Davis to Wardensvlle is probably the greatest 60+ miles of highway slab you'll find in the east. Grand sweeping views, this road was built up over ridgelines you can see forever. Kind of feels like you're flying. Follow 48/55 out of Wardensville, you'll cross into VA and hit I-81 at Strasburg, VA. From there, do whatever to Jersey.
 
Wow .. thanks everyone .. so many gr8 sugestions... :thumb:

Good that the ride is planned for august as I have time to take in all the inputs and prepare the route ... :bump:
 
Mellow said:
I think it would be better to start in NJ.. head west then do SD/WY/CO/UT/ID/OR/WA and have the bikes shipped home...
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The biggest caveat with a westbound trip is prevailing winds (westerlies). Most of my westbound rides have been somewhat brutal. Especially once you start getting into the plains. Bike MPG will plummet and it can be very fatiguing so physical stamina is a must. Heading back east the westerlies become a friendly push instead.

If the plan were to ship bikes, and do a one way ride to enjoy. Sunny's original plan in post 1 is what I would recommend. The westerlies solely being the reason. The NT isn't the ideal weapon for fighting westerlies on the Interstate. I saw my windshield mechanism lower itself heading west across TX. I saw the MPGs drop into the 30s. In NM I was at wide open throttle in a full tuck trying to maintain speed passing a big rig enroute to Albuquerque. Enjoy your time out west refreshed stepping off the plane. Arriving possibly feeling whooped to explore the area having spent hundreds of miles fighting wind is not what I'd advise.
 
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If you have the time to detour for a day trip, The Buddy Holly Crash Site and the Surf Ballroom in Clear lake are two sites to see.
 
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