Maryland to Montana Road Trip

[AJ Nealey]

Hey folks, planning a last minute road trip to Montana to actually pick up a new to me roof top tent. Looking to hit some cool sites along the way and would love some feedback/suggestions for the route.

My plan on the way out there is to stop about every 8ish hours to rest my head as I'll be headed that way by myself. I'm looking at Gaia/Roadtrippers/Overland Bound map for ideas. I think my main focus is to get out there efficiently, so I'll be using the Interstates but looking for unique places to stay that isn't say more than 30 miles for the interstate. Dispersed camping is what I'm interested in and also areas away from the lit campgrounds as I want to focus on some astrophotography at night.

• Day One
  • Depart Maryland
  • Possible stops include
    • Wolf Run State Park in OH
    • Atwood Lake Park in OH
    • Cuyahoga Valley National Park in OH
    • I'm open for other suggestions as I head west
• Day Two
  • Possible stops include
    • Apple River Canyon State Park - Illinois
    • New Wine Park Campground - Iowa
    • Grant River Campground - Illinois
• Day 3
  • I think I'm seeing only one major option
    • Badlands National Park - South Dakota
    • I would like to know which forest roads to explore here possibly
• Day 4
  • Should arrive near Bozeman on this day
    • Yellowstone
      • I'll have a couple days to explore this area
      • Would also love suggestions on sites that are a "must see"

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

AJ

 

[M Rose]

Wen are you planning on coming out west. We have a snow front setting on top of us for the next week or so. My best friend in SD said they are getting hammered and had to shut down his farming operations for the year already (typically they run until the first week of December).

 

[AJ Nealey]

Oh yea, didn't think about the weather you guys must be getting out that way. I will be leaving next Tuesday or Wednesday.

 

[M Rose]

Just be mindful of the weather, check with the park services for those areas... some parks shut down on October 31st. Some forest roads close to automobiles in November 1st. So check weather conditions, make sure places you want to go are open, and lastly be prepared for the unexpected. Have a plan and stick to it. Get in touch with the regional directors for the regions you are traveling through and ask if they have a member representative in those areas you can add to your contacts in case something goes wrong, or just to catch up with another OBer.

 

[USStrongman]

Gardner entrance to Yellowstone outside Bozeman is open but only to Mammoth. It does run east out to Cooke City in the NE entrance year around, but Beartooth Pass is closed for the season and its the only way back out towards Red Lodge, MT. Due to Covid, it looks as if they shut Old Faithful Geyser Hotel down for the season. It is normally open year 'round. Once there, tune into 1610AM for current conditions and info. Everything else is closed:

Current Conditions - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Current weather, road, stream, news in Yellowstone National Park.

www.nps.gov

 

[AJ Nealey]

Ah bummer but thank you for the heads up! I had Beartooth Pass on the map to see. I'll just have to make another trip back out to see at some point haha.