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<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nWe left Coram, Montana and followed the shoreline of Flathead Lake on US Hwy 93 to Polson and on through Kicking Horse, Post Creek and St Ignatius. Off to the left we were passing Goat Peak, Mt. Calowahcan, McDonald & McLeod Peaks enroute to the Interstate at Missoula. A short drive on I-90E to the Garrison exit for US Hwy 12 where we would be following the Little Blackfoot River, the MacDonald Pass and down the slope into Helena.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nOn our way up to Glacier we stayed here on the Missouri River for a few days and since we were heading east, it only made sense for a pit stop for a couple of days in order for us to see a little more of the area.\u00a0 Riverside Campground below the Canyon Ferry Dam is spectacular. Another waterfront site with a gorgeous view of the dam and spillway.\u00a0 I fished on the river without success, but it was nice to be able to feed them again. One of these days I will provide a long-winded, bitter rant about non-resident fishing license costs for old people but for now I will move on.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nLots of camping areas around Canyon Ferry Lake. Deb did a google map check to see if there were any canyons or off roads we could explore\u2026. J-A-C-K-P-O-T\u2026 she found Magpie Gulch Road to sooth our off road addiction so we meandered on aimlessly for hours seeing geological features and climbed up to the mountain peaks over miles and miles of switchbacks. Atop nearby Hedges Peak, we decided to turn around and save the remainder of this adventure for another day, upon returning to Canyon Ferry Road, it was only a short drive to Hellgate Gulch Road.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nSo, tell me, just how in the hell can you NOT want to go see what THAT is all about? It was a good day to have a Jeep. The canyon was rocky and narrow. The steep, sheer walls blocked the afternoon sun. We walked the dogs, let Zeus play in the creek for a bit then called it a day.<\/p>\n
Soon we were back on the road and bound for Red Lodge, Montana. We exited off I-90 at Columbus and took a scenic route Hwy 78 through Absarokee and Roscoe and the green rolling hills into Red Lodge. This area is famous for its northeast entrance into Yellowstone National Park.<\/p>\n
(Brief Geography lesson) The Beartooth Highway<\/a> a is 68-mile byway winds its way through SW Montana and NW Wyoming and leads into Yellowstone National Park at its Northeast Entrance. It is the section of\u00a0U.S. Route 212\u00a0between\u00a0Red Lodge\u00a0and\u00a0Cooke City, Montana. It provides steep zigzags and\u00a0switchbacks, along the\u00a0Montana-Wyoming\u00a0border to the 10,947\u00a0ft high Beartooth Pass in Wyoming. The approximate elevation rise is from 5,200\u00a0ft to 10,947\u00a0ft. in 12\u00a0miles\u2026 it clearly exceeds any and all descriptive superlatives.<\/p>\n An early morning departure, we were off to Beartooth Hwy and it did not disappoint. Beautiful forests and campgrounds dotted the roadway before we began scaling the switchbacks to the summit. Overlooks and vista views were mind-numbingly awesome with deep blue lakes below and snow-covered peaks on the nearby horizon. \u00a0With good reason it has been called “the most beautiful drive in America,” by late\u00a0CBS\u00a0correspondent\u00a0Charles Kuralt. At some point in time Deb and I will provide our own Top Ten Scenic Drives and a bonus list of our 10 favorite Off-Road adventures.<\/p>\n Coming down was much easier than going up. Driving past Frozen Lake, Long Lake, Island Lake and Beartooth Lake just to name the ones that are right on the highway. A snack stop at Top of the World Store to get the Obligatory Sticker \u201cI survived the Beartooth Highway \u2013 10947 feet\u201d and we were on to Yellowstone National Park.<\/p>\n Of course, we had to detour off the main road to see Lily Lake and the Rock Island Butte off in the distance, then a short stop at Crazy Creek Falls to walk the puppies and validate (via a short hike), how these falls had gotten their namesake.<\/p>\n Our destination in the park was Tower Junction. Due to a landslide on the Grand Loop Road, somewhere between there and Canyon Village we would NOT be able to loop back out through the East Gate of the park. The drive on US Hwy 212 or NE Entrance Road was yet another OMG, WTF, Holy Cow drive along the Soda Butte Creek and then the Lamar River. Lamar Valley had the largest concentration of buffalo that we had ever seen. Total number, easily in the thousands, with herds in the hundreds throughout the valley.<\/p>\n Somewhat disappointed we had to return the way we had just came, it just meant we got to see all those buffalo again. A pit stop in Cooke City for some huckleberry fudge and Montana\u2019s version of a caramel turtle.<\/p>\n Our return trip did not require us to again challenge the Beartooth Highway. Instead we took SR 296, the scenic \u00a0Saint Joseph Highway<\/a>. \u00a0It is a 46-mile-long journey and follows the route taken by\u00a0Chief Joseph\u00a0as he led the\u00a0Nez Perce Indians\u00a0out of\u00a0Yellowstone National Park\u00a0and into\u00a0Montana\u00a0in 1877. This was a gem that we knew little about and we were overwhelmed at the canyon & mountain views and the glimpses of the Clarks Fork Yellowstone River below. Be sure to stop at Sunlight Bridge<\/a> and take a walk out to see gorge floor, 285 feet below. This was another scenic stop that we weren\u2019t aware of. With afternoon skies slipping away, we still had to get through the Absaroka Range via Dead Indian Pass. The switchbacks and overlooks provided even more spectacular views before we descended to the intersection of SR 120 where we headed north to Belfry then west on SR 308 back to Red Lodge.<\/p>\n After a couple of days lounging around the campground and Red Lodge, we were off to complete one of our ALWAYSONDAFLY travel goals; to go through EVERY entrance of Yellowstone Park.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/alwaysondafly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/0711200828b_HDR-300x225.jpg\")
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