Headed West!!

[100Acre]

Personally I think the website sucks in comparison to what is inside. I've been employed by 4 different museums and have a background in archaeology so please believe me when I tell you, the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale is worth seeing. Huge phenomenal pioneer wall paintings, Charles M. Russel sculptures of Wild West scenes Great accurate history books and biographies of many of the MM for sale if you want to immerse yourself in the lore and so much more! Plus its right behind the ranger station where you can get all your maps and road information. Lastly they hold an annual mountain man rendezvous there.
Museum of the Mountain Man

 

[lee]

@JTW looks like you have a lot of good ideas for places to visit.
But what are the kids in too?

My kids liked the arch in St Louis.
Last time i looked the man trap to the top tickets sell out a day or two in advance.
They can be purchased on line.

One year we followed the Lewis and Clark trail out of St Louis, my kids where studying them in grade school.
There are a lot of sites with historical markers, re-creation long boats and stuff.
I studied up a little and made que cards so when we stopped I could tell a story about the place.
I tend to 'church it up' a little when telling stories.
My daughter is quite sure I'm a repository of useless facts.
But it broke the car ride up so the family could get out and stretch.

Is there a theam that your kids might be in to?

 

[JTW]

Personally I think the website sucks in comparison to what is inside. I've been employed by 4 different museums and have a background in archaeology so please believe me when I tell you, the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale is worth seeing. Huge phenomenal pioneer wall paintings, Charles M. Russel sculptures of Wild West scenes Great accurate history books and biographies of many of the MM for sale if you want to immerse yourself in the lore and so much more! Plus its right behind the ranger station where you can get all your maps and road information. Lastly they hold an annual mountain man rendezvous there.
Museum of the Mountain Man

That’s on my list for sure!

 

[JTW]

@JTW looks like you have a lot of good ideas for places to visit.
But what are the kids in too?

My kids liked the arch in St Louis.
Last time i looked the man trap to the top tickets sell out a day or two in advance.
They can be purchased on line.

One year we followed the Lewis and Clark trail out of St Louis, my kids where studying them in grade school.
There are a lot of sites with historical markers, re-creation long boats and stuff.
I studied up a little and made que cards so when we stopped I could tell a story about the place.
I tend to 'church it up' a little when telling stories.
My daughter is quite sure I'm a repository of useless facts.
But it broke the car ride up so the family could get out and stretch.

Is there a theam that your kids might be in to?

Ya know.. the little one is 2.5 and just wants to ride and go go go all the time. The oldest who is turning 10 on the 19th, well this was her idea and all she wanted for her birthday (needless to say she wants for NOTHING but is also an easy keeper). Both girls like being outside so we’re headed to the right place. As for the arch. Amber and I just got back from there the week before Takeover. It was very cool! It’s not but about 4 hours from us so we’ll make it a weekend trip when the little one is a bit older.

 

[JTW]

This is part of the reason we don’t have a plan... there’s just sooo much to take in. We’ll sightsee and hop around taking it all in. I saw where you can stay in teepees around Jackson hole. That’s on my list. As well as the mountain man museum. I plan on finding a hot springs. The Tetons and Cody are on the list. My main goal is to cover some ground and get their minds headed towards spending time seeing these types of places on the sxs rather than playing sports and all the other bulls*** life throws at ya.

 

[JACKAL]

Depending on if in the area or not but Cody, WY is neat little town. Buffalo Bill Cody is who settled the two and his hotel and restaurant “Irma” Buffalo Bill's Irma Hotel, Historic Lodging & Restaurant Dining in Cody WY near Yellowstoneis still there. They have little gun fights in the alley everyday. There is a couple of good museums there and from what I have heard one of the best gun museums (probably not for this trip) also an entrance to Yellowstone. Not something I would go out of my way again to see but if in the area

Ditto on Cody WY. & Yellowstone

 

[JTW]

Jenny’s lake was also a must see that was suggested

 

[JACKAL]

The yellow line is 191 north of Pinedale where the Mountain man museum is . Orange line is 352 towards Green river and lake with lots of dispersed and nice CG's along the river and tons of wildlife and the remains of the Gros Ventre hunting lodge. Little blue line is Granite Creek CG and the Granite Creek Hot springs on Bridger Teton NF road 30500. A little hike from the CG there are falls and a hot spring just below the falls on the other side of the river.
View attachment 76379

@JTW if by chance you are heading West on I80 taking the above hwy 191 into the Tetons is awesome. I unfortunately had a 45ft toyhauler going to Idaho Falls ID when I went through in 8" of snow. But there was a out a dozen places I wanted to stop at. If not out of you way definitely worth going up or down that route.

 

[JTW]

Looks like housing is taken care of..

 

[Ragnar406]

Looks like housing is taken care of..


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That’s a good looking tent

 

[100Acre]

Looks like housing is taken care of..


View attachment 77675 View attachment 77676 View attachment 77677

Bear snack bar. Some tent camping may be not allowed in certain areas of the NP's due to bear activity. Be strict about not allowing the kids to have any cosmetics, shampoos, toothpaste and so on in the tents. Read "Night of the Grizzlies"....I met the ranger that killed the bears . He was stationed at Cut Bank Creek in East Glacier. I was a little kid and he took me and my family out into the backcountry on horseback. I wanna say he used a 44 mag to kill them.
Glacier Park's Night of the Grizzlies. | Montana Programs | MontanaPBS

 

[DG Rider]

Make sure you keep an eye on the fires and plan accordingly. I know central AZ is pretty much a tinderbox right now and they are lucky they haven't had a big one yet. There are also national forest closures in effect in AZ. Seems like NM is having a big one near Cimarron?

I know you're not planning to go that far south, but as one western state goes, so do the others.

 

[100Acre]

this'll be @JTW

 

[JTW]

As for firewood.. can I cut there? Do I need to bring a saw?

 

[JTW]

Bear snack bar. Some tent camping may be not allowed in certain areas of the NP's due to bear activity. Be strict about not allowing the kids to have any cosmetics, shampoos, toothpaste and so on in the tents. Read "Night of the Grizzlies"....I met the ranger that killed the bears . He was stationed at Cut Bank Creek in East Glacier. I was a little kid and he took me and my family out into the backcountry on horseback. I wanna say he used a 44 mag to kill them.
Glacier Park's Night of the Grizzlies. | Montana Programs | MontanaPBS
View attachment 77697

Meehhh.. I’m not too worried about them. Nothing a slug gun can’t cure.

 

[JTW]

this'll be @JTW
View attachment 77709

Lol.. I’ll be calling you soon as I start thinking about routes!

 

[100Acre]

As for firewood.. can I cut there? Do I need to bring a saw?

Usually cutting or gathering wood for fire is illegal. Typically most places that sell wood you pay $5-7 per log. it's a scam . bring a hatchet and learn to stretch it out, plus its all some kind of conifer or pine wood out there. no hardwoods typically unless tamarack or cottonwood which stinks when ye burn it.

 

[hoghead76]

They say to have a whistle and pepper spray when you a hiking in Yellowstone
for the bears. you can tell the difference in what kind of bear is around,
the black bear scat is lite brown and will have berry and fur in them, the grizzle
bear scat will be dark brown and will have whistles in them an smell like pepper spray.

 

[hoghead76]

There at Jackson hole you can ride the ski lifts to the top of the mountain and
have a nice view from the top,.

 

[JTW]

There at Jackson hole you can ride the ski lifts to the top of the mountain and
have a nice view from the top,.

Ooooo... I like the sound of not walking!