1997 ROCKY MOUNTAIN JOURNEY
Hiking Bear - Copyright ©1993 Jim Morris Environmental Shirt Company and Scott Knauer

This is part two of my three part trip to Alaska. In 1996 I visited the Pacific Northwest and set out in 1997 to see Idaho, Montana and the Banff/Jasper area of Canada. In summer 1998 I visited Alaska via the Alaska Highway and saw much of British Columbia and Yukon in Canada.

For all three of these trips I left home with a plan of places to visit and things to do, but no schedule. This allowed me to spend as much or as little time in a given place as I wished at the time.

This summer was a little wetter than normal but I enjoyed generally good weather. The previous winter had been wetter than usual also, which resulted in a heavier snow pack.

I delayed my start a little so I wouldn't run into too much snow and this worked out real well. The extra snow and water kept the country side green and the rivers high which made for great scenery.

My new 1997 GMC Suburban was a great travel/camping vehicle. It is very comfortable and reliable. I really enjoyed it.

The following was created from e-mail messages that I sent to Jim and Jean Gilbreath during the trip, with some editing and additional information.

  1. Toms Place, California to Great Basin National Park - Spring Valley State Park, NV - Wheeler Peak and Lehman Caves
  2. Great Basin National Park to Twin Falls, Idaho via Ruby Mountains, Jarbidge Wilderness, Shoshone Falls
  3. Twin Falls, Idaho to Sawtooth National Recreation Area via Craters of the Moon National Monument, Experimental Breeder Reactor 1 National Historic Monument
  4. Sawtooth National Recreation Area to Hamilton, Montana via Yankee Fork Gold Mining area
  5. Hamilton, Montana to McCall, Idaho with visits to Nez Perce Pass, Magruder Corridor, Frank Church/River of No Return and Selway-Bitterroot Wildernesses, Big Hole National Battlefield, Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Hells Canyon
  6. McCall, Idaho to Lolo Pass, Montana with visits to Seven Devils Lake, Red River/Elk City, Selway Falls
  7. Lolo Pass, Montana to Lolo, Montana with visits to St. Ignatious Mission Chapel, National Bison Refuge, Garnet Ghost Town
  8. Lolo, Montana to Hamilton, Montana with visits to Fort Missoula, St. Mary's Mission, Daly Mansion
  9. Hamilton, Montana to Deerlodge, Montana with visits to Anaconda-Pintlar Wilderness, Big Hole Valley, Coolidge ghost town, Montana Prison in Deerlodge
  10. Deerlodge, Montana to Lewis and Clark Caverns, Montana with visits to Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historical Site, World Museum of Mining in Butte, Montana
  11. Lewis and Clark Caverns, Montana to Bozeman, Montana with visits to Nevada City and Virginia City ghost towns, Earthquake Lake, West Yellowstone, Montana
  12. Bozeman, Montana to Boulder River area with visits to American Computer Museum, Depot Center Train Museum in Livingston, Montana, Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness
  13. Boulder River area to Yellowstone National Park through Red Lodge, Montana over Beartooth Pass and on to Yellowstone
  14. Yellowstone National Park - Canyon Area with visits to Tower Falls, Inspiration Point, Grandview Point, Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls, Uncle Toms Trail and Artists Point
  15. Yellowstone National Park - Norris Geyser Basin, Lower Geyser Basin, Midway Geyser Basin, Bisquit Geyser Basin and Black Sand Geyser Basin
  16. Yellowstone National Park - Upper Geyser Basin, Old Faithful Geyser, West Thumb Geyser Basin and Yellowstone Lake
  17. Yellowstone National Park - Yellowstone Lake, Fishing Bridge, Mud Volcano, Sulphur Canyon, Hayden Valley, Mammoth Hot Springs and on to Bozeman, Montana
  18. Bozeman, Montana to Mission Mountains Wilderness with visits to Helena, Montana, Scapegoat Wilderness, Mission Mountains Wilderness
  19. Mission Mountains Wilderness to Glacier National Park with visits to McDonald Lake and then via inside North Fork Road to Kintla and Bowman Lakes
  20. Glacier National Park with visits along the Going To The Sun Highway and Logan Pass
  21. Glacier National Park to Kalispell, Montana with visits to Many Glacier Valley and Two Medicine Lake in Glacier National Park, Chief Mountain and Waterton Lakes National Park (Canada)
  22. Kalispell, Montana into Canada with visit to Kaslo, BC then on to Shelter Bay en route to Revelstoke, BC
  23. Shelter Bay to Kicking Horse Pass with visits to Revelstoke, BC and Mt. Revelstoke National Park, Glacier National Park, Rogers Pass, Yoho National Park
  24. Kicking Horse Pass to Jasper National Park with visits to Banff National Park, Jasper National Park
  25. Jasper National Park to Fort Steele Heritage Town Park with visits to Banff National Park, Jasper National Park, Mt. Robson Provincial Park, Kootenay National Park
  26. Fort Steele Heritage Town Park in Canada to Toms Place, California with visits to Fort Steele Heritage Town Park in Canada and Sawtooth National Recreation Area in Idaho
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