Northern Rockies Road Trips

The gorgeous Red Mountains of southern Yellowstone National Park run beside US 89 with the Pitchstone Plateau rolling out on the other side. In Grand Teton National Park, the white-topped mountains line up behind beautiful Lake Jackson creating an exquisite, postcard-worthy sight, and in the southern part of the park Snake River winds in and out of view.

The Flathead Indian Reservation consists of open, grassy rangeland interspersed with pine tree-dotted hills along US 93. Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, and Flathead National Forest offer hiking, camping and swimming. Bald eagles, falcons, deer and bears are just some of the wildlife that inhabit this area.

The journey begins at Gallatin Gateway and ends at the west entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Surrounded by dense forests and skyscraping mountains, the US-191 byway offers breathtaking scenery and access to the wilderness. Towering old-growth forests, the Gallatin River, and the Gallatin and Madison mountain ranges are panoramas perfect for photographs.

Montana's SR 56 winds through heavily forested foothills and lush meadows surrounding the Bull River and tranquil Bull Lake, with nearby mountain peaks visible above the pines. White-tailed deer, black bears, grizzly bears and mountain lions are a few of the many mammals that call this forest home.

Take this byway past high mountain peaks and soft grassy valleys into a number of towns along the route. I 15 landscape features austere beauty as it travels along the western edge of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest and passes through Indian Rocks State Park between Marsh Creek and the Portneuf River.

Pinedale is flanked by three mountain ranges: the Wind River Range, the Wyoming Range and the Gros Ventre Range. Three miles east is Fremont Lake, a deep blue glacial lake with a backdrop of soaring peaks. From Pinedale SR 352 follows the course of the Green River to the ghost town of Cora. Backtrack to US 191, which provides access to Grand Teton National Park.

Beginning in the Shoshone National Forest, which has more than 150 retreating glaciers, this journey through western Wyoming passes forested hillsides and sagebrush-textured plains set against a backdrop of gargantuan mountains. Cross the Continental Divide at Togwotee Pass, then traverse the Sweetwater River Valley, a route once used by trappers and traders.