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Guided or organized GS rides at the Rally?

Will there be any guided GS rides for the Great Falls rally? At most rallies in the past, I was on my RT and did my own routes but now that I have a GS and I am hoping to see some of the back country around the Great Falls area. I have done a bit of searching on Google Maps for some interesting riding, but I am hoping that a local or two may suggest some good morning or afternoon rides.

Thanks,
Dave
 
Thanks bigjohnsd,

Those routes look fun. Which restaurant in White Sulfur Springs would you recommend?

Only 2 months until I head west. I am still in the planning stages for my routes out and back; I keep finding new points of interest, national parks and forests, campsites and restaurants that keep changing my potential routes. I will have a lot of options for the ride; now to figure out what to ride during the rally!

Dave
 
A great alternative to eating in White Sulphur Springs is to continue on to Martinsdale and eat at the Crazy Mountain Inn. When you get to WSS Hwy 89 will intersect with HWY 12. Head east for 34 miles to Hwy S-294 on your right. Go 2 miles on S-294 to a T intersection and take a left and you are in Martinsdale. If you want to head back to GF the way you came just reverse course. If you want to continue on the longer route thru Townsend, then go straight out of Martinsdale on S-294 for 27 miles to a T intersection with HWY 89, go right for 8 miles to HWY 12 and go left to Townsend.
 
Which restaurant in White Sulfur Springs would you recommend?

The one I've gone to which was quite good is right across Main Street (to the south) from the Conoco. Sorry I can't remember its name.

But the one Kevin recommends looks real good too, and is close by.
 
Thanks bigjohnsd,

Those routes look fun. Which restaurant in White Sulfur Springs would you recommend?

Only 2 months until I head west. I am still in the planning stages for my routes out and back; I keep finding new points of interest, national parks and forests, campsites and restaurants that keep changing my potential routes. I will have a lot of options for the ride; now to figure out what to ride during the rally!

Dave

I've eaten here twice, good food and service both times. Branding Iron Cafe
 
Thanks for the info. I think that route will have to be one of my Montana rides especially with a choice of eating spots!
 
Gravel\Dirt Rides close to Great Falls

I maintained the land ownership data for the State of Montana until I retired a few years ago (Montana Cadastral website). Since I worked as a geographer\cartographer I got to travel the state from one end to the other many times over. And, a lot of this travel was by GS.

One of my favorite day trips from Great Falls would be to ride to Choteau - Gibson Reservoir - Benchmark - Augusta - Bean Lake - Wolf Creek and back to Great Falls: https://goo.gl/maps/MNJrfeLNgDi7eTEo9

This ride takes you through some incredibly wild country - quite often you'll see elk, deer, many different raptors and possibly a grizzly bear (especially between Gibson Reservoir and Benchmark). And, ride down from Augusta to Highway 200 past Bean Lake is considered by my friends and I as one the most scenic roads in Montana.

Approximately 60% of the ride would be gravel and the road conditions would rank from fair to good, however, if the weather is wet I would highly not recommend the route because roads will turn to gumbo (extreme mud conditions).

Another nice ride is to travel 30 miles to Cascade and take the Cascade - Simms Road and then turnoff to Saint Peters Mission (established in 1877 by Jesuit missionaries). From the mission a person can make their way to Highway 434 to the west or wander north to Highway 200. Once you leave Cascade the roads are gravel or dirt (fair to good as far as the mission and poor to fair going further. Once again, do not ride the gravel roads when wet.

Some other routes that are really fun: Highwood to Geraldine past Lost Lake (formerly a waterfall) or going south out Utica to Checkboard and then over to White Sulphur.

Keith BlountLost Lake Dry Falls.jpgThe Front.jpg
 
One of my favorite day trips from Great Falls would be to ride to Choteau - Gibson Reservoir - Benchmark - Augusta - Bean Lake - Wolf Creek and back to Great Falls:

My late wife and I hiked the Chinese Wall (96 kilometres!) in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, from Benchmark, a long time ago. That was the hike of a lifetime.

What are the names of the lakes (reservoir?) in your images?
 
GPX routes?

Will there be any guided GS rides for the Great Falls rally? At most rallies in the past, I was on my RT and did my own routes but now that I have a GS and I am hoping to see some of the back country around the Great Falls area. I have done a bit of searching on Google Maps for some interesting riding, but I am hoping that a local or two may suggest some good morning or afternoon rides.

Thanks,
Dave

I would like to see some GPX routes with descriptions. Gravel- Easy, Medium, Difficult, water crossing? ...
 
Leaving the rally I was going to drop south on 89 to WSS, then east on 12. But a few miles south of WSS is Hwy 294 which also goes east and eventually joins 12. Which of those would be the more scenic option?

Pete
 
My late wife and I hiked the Chinese Wall (96 kilometres!) in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, from Benchmark, a long time ago. That was the hike of a lifetime.

What are the names of the lakes (reservoir?) in your images?

The upper image is Lost Lake - it's located between Highwood and Geraldine (northeast of Great Falls). During the last glaciation period the Missouri River was forced to move south and it created several temporary river channels. Lost Lake is remains of a very large waterfall. The waterfall was at the east end and contracted back over several thousand years creating the lake and the headwall - the lake is what would be referred to as the plunge pool.

The small lakes in the second image are just prairie potholes along the Augusta - Bean Lake road. As I mentioned before, the road is extremely scenic.
 
Leaving the rally I was going to drop south on 89 to WSS, then east on 12. But a few miles south of WSS is Hwy 294 which also goes east and eventually joins 12. Which of those would be the more scenic option?

Pete

I would say that both roads are scenic. When my friends and I ride east we generally take 294 (just north of Ringling) to Martinsdale and if we're going west we take Highway 12 back to White Sulphur (I was skiing north of White Sulphur yesterday at Kings Hill - lots of snow).

Highway 294 is a little more remote with very little traffic except for locals and it follows the route of the former Milwaukee Road Railway. Highway 12 has slightly more traffic including some semi truck traffic.

I strongly suggest visiting the Charles M. Bair Art Museum in Martinsdale - it world class!
 
Thanks again for all the info.
Lost Lake is a beautiful sight. I tracked it down on google map and it appears to be on a cattle ranch. The road to the lake runs through the middle of a bunch of building and sheds. Being from the East, I am not familiar with the protocols of crossing through someone's ranch. Would I just ride on through (which might get you shot at in some parts of the Appalachians) or ride up to whoever I see and ask if I could see the lake?
Info on this would be appreciated.

Dave
 
Thanks again for all the info.
Lost Lake is a beautiful sight. I tracked it down on google map and it appears to be on a cattle ranch. The road to the lake runs through the middle of a bunch of building and sheds. Being from the East, I am not familiar with the protocols of crossing through someone's ranch. Would I just ride on through (which might get you shot at in some parts of the Appalachians) or ride up to whoever I see and ask if I could see the lake?
Info on this would be appreciated.

Dave

Dave, the road is public and goes around the ranch house and buildings. However, I just learned the property owner in the summer of 2020 started restricting access to the lake because of vandalism and property damage - it's too bad, I've been taking friends there for over 30 years.

The ride from Geraldine to Highwood is still very scenic and remote. Parts of the road go pass several alkaline lakes and the right-of-way of the old Milwaukee Road Railway branch from Lewistown to Great Falls. And, the road is located in the abandoned river channel when you're near Highwood (the Shonkin Sag).
 
Dave, the road is public and goes around the ranch house and buildings. However, I just learned the property owner in the summer of 2020 started restricting access to the lake because of vandalism and property damage - it's too bad, I've been taking friends there for over 30 years.

The ride from Geraldine to Highwood is still very scenic and remote. Parts of the road go pass several alkaline lakes and the right-of-way of the old Milwaukee Road Railway branch from Lewistown to Great Falls. And, the road is located in the abandoned river channel when you're near Highwood (the Shonkin Sag).

Thanks for the info. It is too bad that a few have spoiled it for the rest.
I still look forward to the rides and the Geraldine to Highwood looks like a great ride. I am looking forward to seeing a bit of the "off the main track" sights in Montana and other parts of the west on this trip. I know that I will have to get back home before I'm done exploring, but I hope to see as much as I can.
 
For those looking to explore Montana before, during and after the Rally, I highly recommend "Motorcycling Montana - Second Edition" http://www.motorcyclingmontana.com. This book, eritten by a Montana native addresses both paved and ADV routes throughout Montana and is an excellent detailed reference. Note, they also have a "Motorcycling Idaho" available. The author, Cole Boehner, passed several years ago, but the book is still current and his wife Marilyn continues to promote it. The FJR community honored Cole's memory and Marilyn at their 2016 "Red Lodge Rendezvous".
 
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Gravel\Dirt Rides close to Great Falls

If you’re riding to the Great Falls Rally from the direction of Rapid City and traveling on a GS there’s a very remote route across the southern tier of Montana you might want to consider.

One way to start is just north of Biddle, MT on Baking Powder Road and ride west to Moorehead on the Powder River – Moorehead is no longer a populated place. From the Powder River Valley the route takes you to the former town of Quietus and unto the Tongue River Reservoir (a great place to camp). Another way to access the route would be start at Broudus, MT and ride up the Powder River to the turnoff to Quietus. Both routes are extremely scenic and remote. You’ll be lucky to encounter another vehicle and make sure you have plenty of gas. The roads are generally ranch road surfaces and consist of dirt\sand\gravel. The route is impassible if it’s wet – all the roads will turn to gumbo. If you’re a fairly new GS rider I would not suggest the route.
After this log dirt ride, a person can ride from Ranchester, WY over the Big Horns on Highway 14A – an absolutely great way to cross onto Montana.

Google Route: https://goo.gl/maps/c84zrBww78noiYGJ9

Another area with some great backroads if the Custer National Forest around Ekalaka. The ride from Camp Cook, SD to Ekalaka is especially nice (not easy) – it takes you past Capitol Rock and follows several ridgelines. And a great place to spend the night is Medicine Rocks State Park just north of Ekalaka. From Ekalaka take the Miles City Cutoff road to continue the GS route. The road leaves Ekalaka just to the west of town – there is no gas or towns on the way.

I have some routes in the northern tier I’ll post later. Plus, here’s a website that might give someone an idea of a route to take: http://www.lostandfoundmontana.com/

Good Luck,

Keith Blount #41721
 
It looks like I will have more than enough roads to fill my time in Montana. Now the hard part: choosing which routes to do!

Thanks to all for the info and hope to see you at the Rally.

Dave
 
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