Big Horn / Beartooth

Jumped on the bike Saturday morning, rode from Idaho Falls to Sheridan Wyoming, just dodging some nasty thunderstorms through Yellowstone. Took a few pics on the ride back home the next day.

Wyoming Highway 14 west of Sheridan is spectacular and oh so fun. The pavement on the Sheridan side is perfectly twisty and boy do you climb, baby, climb!

The road has a pink color from the road base they use. Yes, those windy turns are as fun as they look.









Coming out of Sheridan, at 3700 feet elevation, you go up to 9430 feet at this point. It's an amazing climb. 30 degree temperature drop from bottom to top.



A Hand-Painted sign I came up on read "COWS ON ROAD". The sign was correct:



Near the top--valley thousands of feet below:



What goes up, must come down:



They REALLY want you to make sure you know you are heading down a REALLY big mountain.





The road down and out:





That's all for now. I'll post up some pics of the Bearthooth tomorrow.

Great trip report and nice pics. I was on Hwy 14 in May. Very nice road.

Nice...been in that area a few times...I thought they were in process of straightening out the curves west of Sheridan...not so?

Sweet road, brings back memories from the last time I was on it in 2005.

Definitely time for another visit, thanks for sharing!

--G

Cool! Never been on that road before. I was in Sheridan once, but that was in a car. In the the three years I lived in southwest Wyoming I didn't do enough exploring. Wish I would have done more.

cool, gonna be there in about 3 weeks.

AuburnFJR said:

cool, gonna be there in about 3 weeks.

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You thinking we're going to be that far east?

Thanks for sharing the great ride and pics!

Cant wait to get back there.

Panman said:

AuburnFJR said:

cool, gonna be there in about 3 weeks.

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You thinking we're going to be that far east?

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bear tooth for sure

So hear are the Beartooth pictures. From the Bighorns it's about an 80 mile cruise across the high desert to get to Red Lodge. Just East of Red Lodge is Montana State HWY 308, which actually has some really fun turns up and over a pass into the town. This is the view of Red Lodge from that road, looking up toward the Bearthooth.



Then on up the Beartooth from Red Lodge:







The road below. Note car for perspective.







View near the top:



Heading down southwest, way above the tree-line:



View of the Absaroka Range heading into Yellowstone:



Then through Yellowstone and on home. The end.

Some of my favorites, and I rode them in 2010 and 2011. Last year went from Sheridan to Red Lodge via 14A, then Beartooth Pass to Chief Joseph Hwy into Cody for the night. Great ride. The following day we toured Yellowstone and the Tetons en-route to Idaho Falls. So nearly the reverse of your trip this year.

Hurry up and ride the road west of Sheridan while it still has a curve in it...it's already too late for some of it. The road crews are taking the curves out of the road. Check out Google maps satellite view.

The area near 44.787881,-107.404965 west of Sheridan has been under construction now for at least 3-years. It straightens a relatively short section of the road and the great sweeping switchbacks are retained. Also, if you take the northern alternate ridden by Spud, the road passes through spectacular alpine areas above treeline in the Bighorn Wilderness. I'm not aware of any significant road projects for any of 14A. \

It bears repeating the Byron PD is watching you as you ride through town on 14A

It's definitely a good road...just sad to see that part, and the part east of your linked location get neutered by the Highway Dept.

Nice pics! I love the mountains.

TomInCA said:

Some of my favorites, and I rode them in 2010 and 2011. Last year went from Sheridan to Red Lodge via 14A, then Beartooth Pass to Chief Joseph Hwy into Cody for the night. Great ride. The following day we toured Yellowstone and the Tetons en-route to Idaho Falls. So nearly the reverse of your trip this year.

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Have ridden them as a pillion but still hankering to do them on own... B) Thanks for the reminder!!!

We did 16 from Buffalo to Cody then Chief Joseph and Beartooth the next day. *WOW*

Great photos Spud, Thank You!

Nice pics and report, I have to get up there!