Montana · Yellowstone · Wyoming

Montana Backcountry

This isn't a highway tour. It's gold-rush ghost towns, a night at Old Faithful, the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, the Beartooth Highway at 10,947 feet, and a night at the hotel Buffalo Bill built.

6 riding days · 7 nights
~1,000 miles
Fly into Bozeman, home from Billings
Best: July–early September

Two touring bikes parked at the top of Beartooth Pass, with snowfields and the highway behind them

Along the route

What you'll see

The stops and roads on the Montana Backcountry ride.

Beartooth Pass, 10,947 feet (Day 5)
The switchbacks above Red Lodge (Day 5)
Grand Prismatic Spring (Day 2)
Old Faithful (Day 2)
Lower Falls, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (Day 3)
Bison in Lamar Valley (Day 4)

The route

Day by day

6 riding days, 7 nights. Best time: July to early September.

Day 0
Fly into Bozeman, transfer to Livingston
Evening
A 30-minute transfer, then orientation. Livingston was the original gateway to Yellowstone.
Overnight
The Murray Hotel (1904)
Day 1~170 mi
Livingston to Virginia City
Roads
MT-2 to the Jefferson River canyon · US-287 through Harrison and Norris · the ridge road over to Virginia City.
Stops
Missouri Headwaters State Park, where Lewis & Clark camped · Nevada City and Virginia City, preserved 1860s gold-rush towns.
Paid tours
Lewis & Clark Caverns tour
Nevada City Open Air Museum
Overnight
Fairweather Inn, an 1860s gold-rush hotel
Day 2~140 mi
Virginia City to Old Faithful
Roads
US-287 up the Madison Valley past Quake Lake · into Yellowstone at West Yellowstone · Firehole Canyon Drive.
Stops
Earthquake Lake Visitor Center · Grand Prismatic Spring · Old Faithful eruptions.
Paid tours
Yellowstone National Park entry
Overnight
Old Faithful Inn (1904)
Day 3~100 mi · park pace
Old Faithful to Lake Yellowstone
Roads
Over Craig Pass on the Continental Divide · along Yellowstone Lake · Hayden Valley · out to Artist Point and back.
Stops
West Thumb Geyser Basin · bison herds in Hayden Valley · Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Lower Falls.
Overnight
Lake Yellowstone Hotel (1891), the oldest hotel in the park
Day 4~200 mi
Chief Joseph Scenic Byway to Cody
Roads
Dunraven Pass (8,859 ft) · Lamar Valley · out the Northeast Entrance to Cooke City · Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (WY-296) over Dead Indian Pass · WY-120 into Cody.
Stops
Tower Fall · wolves and bison in Lamar Valley · Dead Indian Pass overlook · Cody Nite Rodeo (June–August, on your own).
Overnight
The Irma Hotel (1902), built by Buffalo Bill and named for his daughter
Day 5~140 mi
Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge
Roads
WY-120 and MT-72 north to Belfry · MT-308 through Bearcreek · Beartooth Highway (US-212) up to Beartooth Pass at 10,947 feet and back down into Red Lodge.
Stops
Top of the World store · switchback overlooks above Red Lodge.
Paid tours
Buffalo Bill Center of the West
Overnight
The Pollard Hotel (1893)
Day 6~230 mi
Little Bighorn and Billings
Roads
MT-78 through the Stillwater valley to Absarokee and Columbus · Old US-10 into Billings · I-90 to Crow Agency and back, the only real interstate on the tour.
Stops
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Last Stand Hill.
Paid tours
Little Bighorn entry
Overnight
The Northern Hotel
Day 7
Fly home from Billings
Morning
Breakfast, then a 15-minute transfer to the airport. Your bike goes back on the trailer and follows you home to Des Moines.

$9,650 per rider

One Price. The Whole Trip.

Included

Motorcycle transport there and back from Des Moines, Iowa
Round-trip flights from Des Moines
Airport transfers
Historic hotels every night
A planned route on the best roads in the region
A lead guide
A support vehicle for luggage and tools
Every paid tour and admission on the itinerary

Not included

Food and drinks
Fuel
Bike repairs and parts
Your riding gear
The spare emergency bike, if you need it ($50/day)

Good to know

Yellowstone lodges book about a year ahead, so Montana dates are set early.
Season: July to early September. The Beartooth Highway and Dunraven Pass are closed the rest of the year.

Group: 3 to 6 bikes

How It Works

No two rides are the same. Every tour is built around the group that books it: the pace, the stops, how early you roll out, and whether the afternoon is one more pass or a hot spring. And we pay attention to who rides with whom. We've spent a lot of years around riders and have a good sense of who will mesh, so we match up groups that get along. Most people go home with new friends.

Every tour needs three bikes to run. Got your own crew of three to six? Book the whole tour for your group and we'll set dates that work for you.

Step 1
Reserve your spot for $200
Pick a tour and put down a $200 deposit. It holds your place, counts toward your tour price, and is refundable any time you ask. Change your mind about which tour? Move it to another one.
Step 2
We set the date
Once enough riders have signed up for a tour, we set the dates with the group. Every tour runs with three to six bikes. The balance is due 30 days before the tour starts.

Reserve your spot for $200 See all the steps

6 more rides

Other rides

Iowa · Illinois · Wisconsin
Mississippi River
4 days · Round trip from Des Moines, Iowa · 3–6 bikes
4 daysRide from Des Moines
$3,850
per rider · +$500 passenger
$200 deposit
Missouri · Arkansas
Ozarks
5 days · Round trip from Des Moines, Iowa · 3–6 bikes
5 daysRide from Des Moines
$5,050
per rider · +$400 passenger
$200 deposit
Kentucky
Kentucky Bourbon Trail
4 days · Bourbon country · 3–6 bikes
4 daysFly to Louisville
$6,300
per rider · +$1,100 passenger
$200 deposit
North Carolina · Tennessee · Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains
5 days · The Parkway, the Smokies, and the Dragon · 3–6 bikes
5 daysFly to Asheville
$8,250
per rider · +$1,050 passenger
$200 deposit
South Dakota · Wyoming
Black Hills
4 days · South Dakota & Wyoming · 3–6 bikes
4 daysFly to Rapid City
$6,050
per rider · +$1,100 passenger
$200 deposit
Front Range · San Juan Mountains
Colorado
4 days · The Rockies and the San Juans · 3–6 bikes
4 daysFly to Denver
$6,850
per rider · +$1,100 passenger
$200 deposit