Montana

A collection of 39 posts

Shamrock Tour® Premium Content

Billings, Montana Shamrock Tour®: Exploring Montana’s Trailhead

"Is your bike running and in gear?” I said nervously to Luke, one hand on my camera and one hand on the clutch lever. We watched the grizzly make its way toward us, just a few feet away at this point. This was one of the many moments on

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

The Boys of Summer, Part 3: Illinois to Washington

Although baseball is a beloved pastime on the East Coast, the age-old American sport is merely an echo that travels gently toward the Pacific Ocean. There are no obstructions along its path, so it might resonate with the people trapped in the noise. After Wrigley and Guaranteed Rate fields (the

Reader Ride Premium Content

Three Texans, Four Strokes, Five States

I’ve really gone and done it this time. Idaho is not an easy feat to pull off from Central Texas. I had mulled over various scenarios—shipping, flying, staging, renting, begging, borrowing. I even tried to talk myself out of it and pick a different trip that was easier

Destinations

Drop Your Kickstand in Billings, MT

Montana sits atop every motorcyclist's bucket list of destinations with its vast, scenic terrain from Rocky Mountain peaks to sandstone bluffs. The picture-perfect routes winding their way through Big Sky Country are incentive enough to prioritize visiting Montana, but spending time between rides in the state’s largest

Classic Roads Premium Content

Curves for the Next 99 Miles—Lolo Pass & US 12

“Winding Road Next 99 Miles,” declares the famous sign just outside Kooskia, ID. Those five words tell you exactly what you can expect from Lolo Pass. Located in the Bitterroot Range at an elevation of 5,233 feet, Lolo Pass connects Idaho and Montana. US 12 traverses this high mountain

Travel Guide

10 American Roads That Should Be On Your Riding Bucket List

American roads are legendary for a reason. Long and wide, they wind through this county, offering unforgettable motorcycling experiences to both homegrown and visiting foreign riders. But with so many fantastic roads in the U.S., their sheer number can be intimidating. How can you know which road to ride

Travel Guide

Visit Billings: Where All Roads Lead to Pure Montana Experiences

The mountain passes and wide-open highways of eastern Montana offer some of the purest, most breathtaking views you can find on two wheels. The only sounds you’ll hear for miles are the rumbling of motorcycles echoing from within the deep canyons, the calls of migratory birds, and the shutter

Travel Guide Premium Content

Ride This Loop in Central Montana

Where a rugged past meets a vibrant present, Central Montana remains an authentic experience unlike any other. With Glacier National Park to the north and Yellowstone National Park to the south, Central Montana is the perfect route to travel between two of America’s gems. This route covers the area

WEB Exclusive

Glaciers to Geysers: Ride the Best of Montana

Some of the most stunning scenery in the world lies in the landscapes between Glacier and Yellowstone national parks. Montana's open highways, scenic byways and backroads of discovery offer the two-wheeled trip of a lifetime. The best riding in Big Sky Country can be found on a “Glaciers

Travel Guide

10 Best Places for a Moto Stargazing Trip in America

The night sky has always fascinated us. Our ancestors saw the constellations and signs from ancient gods in the stars, while our modern knowledge and technology lets us gaze at distant planets—or look for flying saucers. Motorcycles are excellent vehicles for accessing fantastic stargazing spots. But where should you

Jul/Aug '23 Premium Content

Kalispell, Montana Shamrock Tour®

Kalispell, MT. Population, 26,000. Like me, you may have never heard of this small town just 34 miles south of Glacier National Park. It’s known as a hub town for the park, but it is so much more. After spending a week in the area on a Shamrock

May/Jun '23 Premium Content

ZenMoto Part 2: Montana to Idaho

Motorcycle travel is, conceptually speaking, very simple—wake up at Point A, aim for a bed or campsite at Point B, and refuel the bike and the body along the way. It’s not always easy but, compared to the complexities of adulthood, this rhythmic simplicity may be part of

Mar/Apr '23 Premium Content

ZenMoto Part 1: Minnesota to Montana

It takes about an hour before I leave behind the exurbs of Minneapolis, MN. The riding is easy—lots of straight roads and not a lot of traffic or navigating. There is space in my head to scroll through the 50 million things that one thinks about on the first

Destinations

Yellowstone National Park

Its natural magnificence inspired the United States Congress to establish Yellowstone as the world's first national park in 1872. Kathy and I were so thrilled by the area that we decided to return for an extra day after completing our tour of US 191. There's so

Nov/Dec '22 Premium Content

Snowbiking Serenity in Kalispell, Montana

I felt the crunch of compacting snow under my boot and before I knew it, I was face down—sunk to my hip in fresh powder with a Husqvarna TE 300 towering over me. The snow around my leg instantly solidified like concrete, locking my boot into place some 33-odd

Classic Roads

Classic Roads: US 12 Through Montana and Idaho

WEB Exclusive Premium Content

Riding from Mexico to Canada along US HWY 191

A little north of Tombstone, the coyote (Roadrunnerus digestus) emerges from the low scrub brush on the dusty shoulder of Arizona's SR 80. He stops mid-trot and watches with apparent nonchalance as our RoadRUNNER Gold Wing (Burn-em-upus asphaltus) breezes by. But I'm not fooled by his

Destinations

Explore West Yellowstone, Montana

For the next great ride, head for West Yellowstone, Montana, the scenic entry point to Yellowstone National Park. Not only are the views of the Montana skyline and mountain range from a bike epic, there also is plenty to do during the warm months (and year round!) when it’s

Classic Roads

Classic Roads: US 212 & Beartooth Hwy

If you’d like to ride through America the Beautiful, you can’t do much better than the Beartooth Highway. But don’t take just my word for it—this roughly 70-mile stretch of US 212 has been called “the most beautiful road in America” by both Charles Kuralt and

May/Jun '22 Premium Content

Scramblin' Through the Floods, Part 2: Flood-Scoured Motorcycle Wonderland

In Part 1, I traveled from Portland, OR, to Missoula, MT, and northwest to Sandpoint, ID, where our Ice Age Floods Tour picks up. These ancient floods profoundly shaped the landscape of the Pacific Northwest. As the last ice age was ending about 10,000 years ago, there were a

Mar/Apr '22 Premium Content

Scramblin’ Through the Floods, Part 1: A Tour in the Pacific Northwest

The first trip with luggage on a new motorcycle is always interesting. I’ve owned my 2019 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE for nearly two years, but this was the first fully packed excursion. With the “mono pannier” setup, I don’t have as much storage space as with the previous

Nov/Dec '21

City Escape: Missoula, Montana

> Missoula, MT, is located in a green landscape where five valleys converge in the northern Rockies. With three rivers running through town, Missoula was the ideal shooting location for the 1992 film A River Runs Through It that featured Montana fly-fishing. Riding north from Missoula, you’ll encounter a

Jan/Feb '19 Premium Content

Billings, Montana Shamrock Tour®: Touch the Sky

I land in Billings and meet Cameron at the moto-inspired MoAV Coffee House. We’re both eager to spend time in Big Sky country, and brand-new 2018 Gold Wings await us at Montana Honda & Marine. The next morning we start with breakfast at Stella’s for strong coffee and

May/Jun '18 Premium Content

Expedition Idaho: Where Memory Lane Isn’t Paved

Going the distance can mean so many different things. For wanderers, it typically refers to making a trip longer than expected, by choice, or sometimes, by forces beyond our control. For others, it just means that you’ve gone, or are going, as far as you can. Last year I

Sep/Oct '16 Premium Content

Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming: Continental Divide, Part 1

A rugged adventure awaits those who seek it. Remote mountain passes, picturesque views, and diverse, often challenging, terrain—where every mile is a feast for the senses—can all be found on a cross-country journey along the Continental Divide. Our tour starts on a sunny July morning just a couple