Gilette, WY to Idaho Falls

[#1]

I would like to know if anyone has traveled this route. I would kind of like to loop to Idaho Falls to Salt Lake City to Denver. Any advice? We have a 31' Class C and a toad.

[Bionic_Man]

If you want scenic and are not pressed for time you could do US 40 through Steamboat Springs, over Berthoud Pass and connect to I70 and into Denver. That would be more scenic than I80

[dedmiston]

I-80 across Wyoming is the way to go, but it's not very scenic.

Watch out for the high winds going across the plains. They can be insane.

[#4]

Yes, we are more into scenery than cities, they're everywhere. I already know that my last name cannot be found there. Granddad ran away from home and changed his name. There are not many of us.

[Bionic_Man]

Mike W wrote:
Driving in and around SLC. I would be sure to plan on driving through that area in the early am before rush or after 8pm. Traffic is a challenge. I love the views, love the area, HATE the traffic and bone jarring roads. Especially in an RV.

He’d miss SLC. Cut off on 84 in Ogden across to 80.

I’m in salt lake every month. It’s all relative but I think the traffic isn’t bad and the roads are very good. But everyone has an opinion.

[Mike_W]

Driving in and around SLC. I would be sure to plan on driving through that area in the early am before rush or after 8pm. Traffic is a challenge. I love the views, love the area, HATE the traffic and bone jarring roads. Especially in an RV.

[#7]

Thanks for the advice. Still in the planning stage and I appreciate views from those who have "been there".

[WhitehouseLV]

it may be a little longer but there are more "big" cities and it's all Interstate (easier drive) if you take I-90 from Gillette, WY to Bozeman, MT

Then Bozeman, MT down to West Yellowstone and West Yellowstone to Idaho Falls. Bozeman to West is a beautiful drive. It follows the Gallatin River and you'll go by Big Sky Ski Resort. Bozeman is also one of the more beautiful cities in MT.

[#9]

It will be the end of August, so there better not be any snow. Global warming you know.

[CloudDriver]

New Jersey is pretty flat too.

The route I described doesn't have any "serious" mountain driving. No switchbacks or steep drop offs on the side of the road. You may want to use a lower gear for engine braking in a few places going down for Togwotee Pass to save the brakes. It's a beautiful drive and at this time of year there may still be a lot of snow in the trees near the top of the pass. The Teton mountains will be on the right driving from Moran to Jackson. Grand Teton National Park is our favorite place!

[#11]

Thank you for the input. We are flatlanders in Indiana, not much mountain experinece.

[CloudDriver]

I used Google Maps to create the route that I would take from Gilette to Idaho Falls.

Take routes 50, 387 and 259 south from Gilette to join with I25 north of Casper. I have not driven these three roads, but Google street view shows them as good 2 lane roads. You could also use I80 west from Gilette to Buffalo and then I25 south to Casper, but that adds about 50 miles to the trip. From Casper, take route 26 west to Riverton and continue on 26 to Moran Junction. From Riverton route 26 makes a gradual easy climb to Togwotee Pass followed by a slightly steeper descent to Moran. From Moran take route 191/89 south to Jackson and continue south through the Snake River canyon to Alpine. I do not recommend taking route 22 west from Jackson to Victor due to 10% grades. From Alpine take route 26 to Idaho Falls. With the exception of the three roads south from Gilette, we have used this route several times in the RV in my signature. Enjoy!

From Idaho Falls to Salt Lake City is all I15.

No experience with a route from Salt Lake City to Denver.