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Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota places of interest?

PostPosted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 7:05 am
by funengineer
We will be traveling from northern Michigan to Denver Colorado the last two weeks of August to visit our son. After spending a week in Denver we will be heading to the Tetons and Yellowstone for three or four days camping at Fishing Bridge on Yellowstone Lake. We plan to return to Michigan around September 5 via I-94 through Montana, North Dakota and Duluth Minnesota returning through the upper Peninsula to our home base in northern Michigan.

Any suggestions on places to see while on our way home? Or any suggestions on good places to camp.

Thanks, Dave

Re: Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota places of interest?

PostPosted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 9:15 am
by KennethW
As a stop their is a shaft type iron mine by Tower, Minnesota. It is a state park,but a don't think you need a permit. You can take the same lift the miner used. You go down below sea level. :o

Re: Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota places of interest?

PostPosted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 1:28 pm
by tony.latham
Or any suggestions on good places to camp.


My two favorite campgrounds in Yellowstone are Sough Creek (#1) and Pebble Creek. (No hookups BTW) You'd better be there by ten or you'll probably not get a spot. An alternative to Pebble is Soda Butte USFS campground just outside the NE corner of the park –just beyond Cooke City. (But the wife doesn't like camping there anymore since a couple of tent campers ended up as dinner a couple three years ago.)

T

Re: Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota places of interest?

PostPosted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 11:02 pm
by Fred Trout
As far as Yellowstone is concerned, my favorite campgrounds are Lewis Lake (you will drive right past this one) and any of the campgrounds around Yellowstone Lake (same precautions as Tony mentioned). If you have never seen Devils Tower, Wyoming, it is worth the trip off the freeway and has a great campground. The song of rock doves at dawn is very spooky & cool-beans.

The NE exit drive out of the Park on US 212 (Beartooth Highway) is very scenic & memorable & goes past the campgrounds Tony likes. Should not be missed if you have never done it. Careful with the buffalo in the Park - quite a few have been gored or trampled so far and it is early days yet. They seem to be irritable this year :o

Re: Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota places of interest?

PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 2015 6:45 am
by funengineer
Thanks for the advice everyone.
We will be camping in modern campgrounds when we have a chance. Wife likes her hot showers and electrical connection. We'll be camping at Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone as the sites in Grant Campground are too short for our rig.
We've been to Devils Tower back in '08' when we camped in Hill City, SD. What an experience. It was the best camping vacation we've ever had. The Badlands, Mount Rushmore, buffalo and other sites are truly amazing.
We wanted to do Yellowstone that trip but ran out of time.
I just mentioned the iron mine to her and she's even more excited now. Now she wants to find a place to mine for gold while we're in Colorado too

Keep the suggestions coming.

Re: Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota places of interest?

PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 2015 4:25 pm
by Fred Trout
If you want you can skip the Beartooth Highway (not exactly big rig friendly since it's a steep grades and twisty w/ switchbacks) and go to Virginia City, MT in the Ruby River drainage. Top shelf campgrounds with hookups in the town of Ennis and Virginia City is just over the hill. Lots of folks pan for gold around there since it was a huge placer strike in the late 1800's. Museum, old mining equipment, tourist trap :lol: There is also a KOA just down the hill from Virginia City on the other side but Ennis has shops & restaurants and the KOA is kinda in the back of beyond; the KOA is right at the edge of the spoil piles from all the old placer mining though.

http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/montana/ennis
http://www.virginiacity.com/

Re: Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota places of interest?

PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 2015 6:50 pm
by Jdw2717
These may be lower than your intended route but what about Crazy Horse monument and the Minute Man Missile site (http://www.nps.gov/mimi/) In South Dakota? :thinking:

Re: Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota places of interest?

PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 2015 10:02 pm
by Redneck Teepee
Was at Mt Rushmore in June and it was a great time, stayed at Horse Thief Campground close by. The Crazy Horse Monument was $18 or $19 per person :thumbdown: to get in...no thanks...$11 per carload at Rushmore was a bargain. :thumbsup:

Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota places of interest?

PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 2015 5:02 pm
by funengineer
Jdw2717 wrote:These may be lower than your intended route but what about Crazy Horse monument and the Minute Man Missile site (http://www.nps.gov/mimi/) In South Dakota? :thinking:

Checked out Crazy horse last time we were in SD. Opted to go horseback riding in the Hills near Crazy Horse. Saw enough of CH that way
Like the idea of the Minute Man site. That's a good option if we change our minds and take a more "southern" route home.
Redneck Teepee wrote:Was at Mt Rushmore in June and it was a great time, stayed at Horse Thief Campground close by. The Crazy Horse Monument was $18 or $19 per person :thumbdown: to get in...no thanks...$11 per carload at Rushmore was a bargain. :thumbsup:

Agree

Re: Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota places of interest?

PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 2015 5:30 pm
by Shadow Catcher
We just brushed its edge but will return to the Teddy Roosevelt National Park.

Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota places of interest?

PostPosted: Mon Aug 31, 2015 4:54 pm
by funengineer
Will be leaving Colorado tomorrow for the Tetons and Yellowstone. Our time here with our son has been great.
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1441058062.712374.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1441058062.712374.jpg (244.9 KiB) Viewed 4680 times

Really looking forward to Yellowstone.