A Ride Through 4 Western National Parks

This 7 day ride winds through western backcountry roads taking in 4 national parks, 2 of which are famous for their volcanic activity.  The ride begins in Missoula Montana a western town of 75,000 located at the convergence of five mountain ranges and home to the University of Montana.  From this picturesque starting point the tour takes you through backroads to Yellowstone National Park, the nation’s first, and on through Grand Teton National Park and eventually Lassen Volcanic National Park and Crater Lake National Park.  In between parks the tour winds through big and small western towns including Helena Montana, Jackson Wyoming, Twin Falls Idaho, and Reno Nevada.  All told, your tires cross into 6 states and cover more than 1,885 miles. 

There’s a lot to see on this tour with many interesting places to stop and look around.  Keeping that in mind, we planned about 200 to 300 miles of riding each day.  It quickly become apparent just how big the United States actually are when we unsuccessfully tried to connect worthwhile destinations within that self-imposed limit.  So you will see that in a couple cases the best we could do was a 300 mile day and one that stretches nearly 500 miles.  Even so, we think you’re going to like the route we laid out.

This tour is full of good roads and great scenery right through to the conclusion in Roseburg Oregon.  We recommend enjoying every mile.  But some might yearn for coastal vistas and for them we suggest doing an American Sport Touring Mix & Match with the A Taste of California Coast tour.  Jumping over to this tour is an easy option from Reno NV.  Just wake up early and head to Red Bluff to take a fun ride down California Highway 1. 

Volcanic National Parks Tour Plan

Day 1 Missoula to West Yellowstone MT

Waypoint	Miles to Waypoint	Ride Time	Notes
Start at Missoula Montana	23.7	0:31
Potomac MT	29.4	0:35
Ovando MT	75.3	1:29
Helena MT	175.5	3:09	Stop for lunch & fuel, tour the Montana Historical Society Museum.
West Yellowstone MT			Find a nice place to stay, check out the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center.
Daily Miles & Riding Time	303.9	5:44

Day 2 West Yellowstone to Jackson WY via Yellowstone N.P. & Grand Teton N.P.

Waypoint	Miles to Waypoint	Ride Time	Notes
Enter Yellowstone National Park toward West Thumb	47.7	1:33	Enjoy the scenery following Grand Loop Road from the entrance, keeping left at West Thumb where the Grand Loop Road meets John D Rockefeller Jr Parkway.  You will have to turnaround to come back to the Parkway, but the ride along Yellowstone Lake is worth it.
West Thumb – turn left toward Old Faithful Loop Rd	19.4	0:29
Lake Yellowstone Hotel & Cabins	19.4	0:29	If you took your time to enjoy the scenery, here’s a great place to stop for lunch.
West Thumb WY	57.6	1:28	Sorry, but no way to avoid doubling back to West Thumb.
Jenny Lake WY	15.8	0:36	Enjoy Grand Teton National Park on your way to Jackson WY.
Teton Village WY	12.3	0:24	Nice place for a late lunch or snacks if you skipped stopping at Lake Yellowstone.
Jackson WY
Daily Miles & Riding Time	172.2	3:59

Day 3 Jackson WY to Twin Falls ID 

Waypoint	Miles to Waypoint	Ride Time	Notes
Leave Jackson WY toward Wayan ID	73.3	1:36
Wayan ID	92	1:49
Pocatello ID	113.3	1:47
Twin Falls ID			Be sure to walk across the Perrine Bridge over the Snake River Canyon.
Daily Miles & Riding Time	278.6	5:12

Day 4 Twin Falls ID to Reno NV

Waypoint	Miles to Waypoint	Ride Time	Notes
Leave Twin Falls ID	224.4	3:33	Leave early, this is one long day.
Crescent Valley NV	86.5	2:00
Austin NV	137.1	2:21
Silver Springs NV	41.9	0:53
Reno NV
Daily Miles & Riding Time	489.9	8:42

Day 5 Reno NV to Redding CA via Lassen Volcanic National Park

Waypoint	Miles to Waypoint	Ride Time	Notes
Leave Reno NV toward Milford CA	62.9	1:01	Mix & Match Route Option – If at this point in the ride you are pining for some California Coast, you could re-route to Red Bluff (02:38, 128 miles) and pick up the A Taste of California Coast tour toward San Francisco.
Milford CA	46	0:55
Westwood CA	43.8	0:54
Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center	22	0:50	Take your time through Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Loomis Museum near Shingletown CA	7.9	0:14
Viola CA	16.6	0:22
Inwood CA	25.6	0:30
Redding CA
Daily Miles & Riding Time	224.8	4:46

Day 6 Redding CA to Klamath Falls OR 

Waypoint	Miles to Waypoint	Ride Time	Notes
Leave Klamath Falls toward Burney CA	53.1	1:03
Burney CA	15.7	0:20
Cayton CA	15.7	0:26
Obie CA	14.5	0:24
Medicine Rd / Mccloud CA	46.3	1:12
Tionesta CA	24.1	0:38
Canby Cross CA	36.9	0:52
Klamath Falls OR
Daily Miles & Riding Time	206.3	4:55

Day 7 Klamath Falls OR to Roseburg OR via Crater Lake 

Waypoint	Miles to Waypoint	Ride Time	Notes
Leave Klamath Falls toward	61.6	1:13
Butte Falls OR	16.6	0:26
McLeod OR	25.6	0:29
Union Creek OR	9.5	0:14
Crater Lake National Park OR	15	1:00	Enjoy Crater Lake National Park from the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway.
Crater Lake N.P. North Entrance Station	1.1	0:07
State Hwy 209	27.4	0:30
Clearwater OR	43.3	0:50
Glide OR	16.7	0:19
Roseburg OR
Daily Miles & Riding Time	216.8	5:08

Enjoy the ride.  Let us know what you think.  We’re always looking for new ideas.