Road Trip Help

I%26#39;m planning a GNP trip this Aug with the family (wife %26amp; kids 9,7,5) and will be travling from Minnesota. As far as getting there goes, should I drive it straight through (some friends have done it overnight as the kids slept) or do it during normal hours with stops along the way? Any suggestions for spots in between would be great.

Road Trip Help

It depends on whether you want to just get there and back or if you want to educate your kids on what is in between. I prefer to educate. It%26#39;s about 1200 miles from St. Paul to St. Mary at the east end of the Going to the Sun highway. That seems too far without stops, even with 2 drivers. Why not look at what is along the route and make a game for the kids, like what can you see. Your youngest may get bored, but it may surprise you what the little ones remember years later.

Assuming that you have taken them places near home before, make the first part of the trip pretty quick, but as you get to less familiar territory, find things of interest for them. A (short) tour of the capital of North Dakota, a stop at the rest area just east of Medora to see the badlands and look for bison. A little longer stop at the dinosaur museum in Dickinson, ND might be worthwhile. Even little things like the metal sculpture on I-94 between Bismarck and Dickinson may pique their interest.

We also let the kids take books along to read. You may want to guide their choices to let them feel part of the planners and choose books about Glacier National Park or the wild west. Cowboy stories could be another good choice.

Road Trip Help

I agree with RM-MN. When I was a kid, my brother %26amp; I had lots of fun on the family trips to Montana. Great suggestion to include the kids in the planning. You%26#39;ll be going thru some really scenic areas, so daylight hours for traveling would be best. Also at night, the chance of having a deer run out in front of you is greater. There is a lot of flat or rolling grassland between western MN %26amp; Dickinson, and my husband would just as soon drive that part at night, but I have some favorite stops along the way, plus I actually like that part (esp. the old homesteads).

Jamestown: I think it is the second exit - there is a pioneer town, visitor center %26amp; they have a buffalo herd there, including a white buffalo cow (White Cloud). I had heard that she had a white calf last summer. There is a giant sculpture of a buffalo you can see from the Interstate (it%26#39;ll be on the north - right side). Take the very next exit %26amp; go right, then I think it%26#39;s right at the next stoplights, there should be signs.

Lots of things to see around Bismarck, but don%26#39;t know that you%26#39;ll have a whole lot of time. Besides the Capitol %26amp; Heritage Center, their are old Indian villages %26amp; Fort Abraham Lincoln (this is where Custer %26amp; the 7th Cavalry started their fateful trip to the Little Bighorn).

The giant metal sculpture that RM-MN mentioned is the north end of what%26#39;s called the Enchanted Highway which runs from the I-94 exit at Gladstone, ND, down to Regent, ND. A farmer from down by Regent started making these giant metal sculptures several years ago %26amp; they are placed along the road, I think about 9 or 10 total scenes. The one by I-90 is Geese In Flight, and then the next one is either Buck or Deer Crossing. Some of the others are Giant Grasshoppers; a Pheasant family; Teddy Roosevelt on a horse; a Farmer, his wife %26amp; son. These are all made from scrap metal, oil drums, barbwire %26amp; they are HUGE. You can Google ';Enchanted Highway, North Dakota'; for more info. I think the kids would really like these.

Just west of Dickinson %26amp; Belfield, you%26#39;ll start coming into the badlands, and a stop at Painted Canyon Overlook is a must-see. That is the rest area RM-MN was talking about. Then the town of Medora would be next, and you%26#39;ll want to keep your eyes peeled for wild mustangs, buffalo, elk %26amp; deer on the north side of the road where the really high fence is thru this stretch. Hopefully you will have time to drive up into the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt Nat%26#39;l Park. You probably want to allow at least an hour for this, tho, if not longer.

The North Unit of the Park is very scenic as well, but you need to exit at Belfield (or before) to get there, and it%26#39;s about 50 miles or so north on US Hwy 85. If you had time to visit the north unit, I%26#39;d actually recommend going north from Dickinson on Hwy 22 to Killdeer, then over to US 85 on Hwy 200. This will give you a good view of the Killdeer Mountains (not really mountains, but big hills) where a battle was fought back around 1866 between the US Army %26amp; the Sioux (or Lakota %26amp; Dakota Indians). I believe Sitting Bull might have been at this camp, as well as Inkpaduta - both chiefs were at the Little Bighorn fight in 1876. This was a peaceful village, and they were attacked pretty much without warning. The army opened up on them with cannon, and attacked pretty much unmercifully. Several of the soldiers were ';galvanized yankees'; - Confederate prisoners of war that were given the choice of prison or enlistment in the Union Army to fight Indians in the west. The warriors %26amp; older boys ran for their horses %26amp; tried to hold the soldiers off until the women, children %26amp; elderly could escape, but there was nowhere to go except up the Killdeer Mtn - very steep %26amp; dangerous climb. The Indians who were able to escape ran along the top of Killdeer mtn to the east end where legend says there is a cave called the Medicine Hole which is like a place where an underground river once ran. Supposedly, the Indians escaped thru the mountain, coming out on the back or north side, then up toward Canada. My mom%26#39;s brothers checked this out back in the 1950%26#39;s, and they said it%26#39;s there all right - a big hole in the ground. One of them lowered the other one down on a rope, but it was really dark %26amp; he coudn%26#39;t touch the bottom, %26amp; I think they got creeped-out %26amp; left. My mom%26#39;s cousins own the ranch that surrounds the part of the battlefield where the monument is %26amp; the two soldiers are buried (The Diamond C Ranch), and they have found many artifacts (around 5000) which have been put into a display at the ND Heritage Center in Bismarck.

Anywho, there are a bunch of shops in Medora, also the ND Cowboy Hall of Fame Museum which also has some Native American displays. One of Teddy Roosevelt%26#39;s cabins (I think it%26#39;s from his Maltese Cross ranch) is located near the entrance to the South Unit. I don%26#39;t know what is left for buildings on his Elkhorn ranch site, and I don%26#39;t think it%26#39;s easy to get to, either. There%26#39;s also the Chateau de Mores, home of Teddy Roosevelt%26#39;s friend the Marquis de Mores %26amp; his beautiful wife Medora (after whom the town was named). It%26#39;s a big ol%26#39; house. Can%26#39;t remember how much the tour cost, but it was neat seeing all those antiques. There is a place on the east side of town near where you come in from I-94 that offers trail rides. If you%26#39;re at Medora in the evening, they have a musical that is put on by mostly college kids that is really good (The Medora Musical). Great family show. Might want to bring jackets as it can get cold in the evening - the show is put on in a natural outdoor amphitheater.

Somewhere here you%26#39;re probably going to want to look for a motel. I don%26#39;t know how many days you have for your trip, but if you can take two days to get to Glacier, then Medora or Glendive or Miles City might be good stopping places. I%26#39;ve heard it can be noisy in Medora (train whistle blows during the night???), and probably pretty pricey. We%26#39;ve stayed at the Motel 6 in Miles City several times over the years, %26amp; it%26#39;s always been adequate (%26amp; within walking distance of 4-B%26#39;s %26amp; Gallagher%26#39;s Restaurants). Miles City is home to the Range Riders%26#39; Museum located on the west side of town near old Fort Keogh. Lots of info about the Indian wars, cowboys %26amp; cattle trails, railroad, etc.

I should mention that if you wanted to leave home really early in the AM, or even midnight, with 2 drivers you would get a lot farther than Miles City the first day, unless you go up to the North Unit of TR Park. But keep in mind that some of these places may close by 5 or 6pm.

If your kids are into dinosaurs, they may enjoy a stop at Makoshika State Park south of Glendive. Ma-KO-shi-ka means bad land or bad spirits live here in Lakota (I think they mostly stayed away from this place). Last summer we drove thru Glendive to the entrance gate, but were pinched for time, so didn%26#39;t actually drive in. They are supposed to have dinosaur bones/skeletons on display at the visitor%26#39;s center, plus I think they have actual dinosaur digs where your kids could excavate some old bones (don%26#39;t know if they get to keep anything they find). Probably have to allow at least two hours here, tho. I%26#39;m sure there is a website you can check out (google Makoshika State Park, Montana).

If you have time to go down to the Little Bighorn Battlefield, that is an amazing place. I%26#39;d recommend heading south off I-94 at the Colstrip exit which will take you past their big coal mine. I%26#39;m not sure how much you can see from the road these days, but there are slides %26amp; shutes %26amp; cool-looking things to see as you drive thru that go under or over the highway. This route will take you thru the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, and it%26#39;s easy to imagine back into the 1860%26#39;s %26amp; see the warriors on their ponies looking down on you from the rocky pine-covered hills. As you go thru Busby, that%26#39;s where Custer%26#39;s men camped before going thru the little pass to the Little Bighorn River. This reservation joins the Crow Indian Reservation just west of Busby, and if you look to the southwest you should be able to see the Bighorn Mountains (that%26#39;s looking into Wyoming). Plan on at least an hour at the Battlefield, if not more. There is a visitor center/museum, interpretive talks by Native Americans, and you can walk around the battleground. There is also the National Cemetery where several of the survivors were buried when they died. I believe Custer%26#39;s 4 Crow Scouts (Goes Ahead, White Man Runs Him, Hairy Moccasin %26amp; Curly) are all buried there.

If you don%26#39;t go down to the Little Bighorn, you may want to stop at Pompey%26#39;s Pillar, located between the town of Custer on I-94 %26amp; Billings. This is a huge rock beside the Yellowstone River where the Corp of Discovery stopped on their way home in 1806, and Capt William Clark wrote his name in the rock. Clark named the place for Sacajawea%26#39;s baby boy whom he had nicknamed Pompey.

There are pictograph caves south of Billings. I%26#39;ve not been there yet, but heard they were interesting.

I%26#39;m not sure which route you would want to take to Glacier, but since this post is getting pretty long, I%26#39;m going to direct you to my past post replies where I have several different routes listed, as well as some things to see %26amp; do along the way. I did want to mention that if you wanted to take a more northern route to get to Glacier (maybe Hwy 2?), you could always come home on I-94 to see some of these places. You could also go out %26amp; back to Billings on the interstate, then take I-90 home thru South Dakota (seeing Little Bighorn Battlefield at this time instead of on the way out). One time we went home by turning south off I-94 at the Enchanted Hwy in North Dakota, then into South Dakota, thru the Standing Rock Indian Reservation to Mobridge, then followed the Missouri River down to US Hwy 14. We took that to Rochester, then home thru LaCrosse. We were able to stop at DeSmet, SD, and Walnut Grove, MN, to visit the homes of Laura Ingalls Wilder. That was really nice, and your kids might really enjoy that if you haven%26#39;t already been there. Be sure to bring binoculars and cameras (the bigger the zoom the better). I sure hope you guys have a great trip - Glacier is so beautifully breathtaking, you%26#39;re going to love it! Look for the mountain goats on Logan Pass - we almost always see them there, and there is usually one little one in the bunch.