Greetings, all. I'm hoping I might get some suggestions or direction for a bicycling tour of Montana for this summer. I was thinking about doing a couple of ACA tours, but I wasn't crazy about the camping piece in their Missoula trip, cuz I do have a bit of arthritis in my neck that would make extended tenting difficult; also interested in their Glacier/Waterton tours but they are a little salty for no sag support.

I have done tours like this before. I'm quite comfortable going solo too. I did a tour in 2015 of the San Juan Islands, going over to Vancouver (Sydney to Victoria, along the coast -- beautiful) and out to Sooke Potholes, then ferrying to the Olympic Peninsula (Hurricane Ridge was awesome), and back to Lynnwood (N of Seattle).

In 2014 I did the North Cascades highway and Whidbey Island, and went out to Leavenworth. Stunning, stunning, stunning.

Last year I did about 300 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Montana's on my list. DK much about biking in the area. I'd love any suggestions as to which are the most scenic areas and doable rides.

I am considering four possibilities:

1. The ACA Missoula tour would be easily adaptable to a solo tour, with rides of 40-60 miles a day, following the same route, but different stops.
2. Second option, something similar to their Glacier/Waterton tour would fit the bill.
3. A variation on that theme is a rough route a buddy of mine suggested (used to live in Montana): he suggested starting in Bannf, going up to Lake Louise, then N on the Columbia Ice Fields, and optionally all the way to Jasper, then back down to Lake Louise, jutting down to Moraine Lake, then back and then down to Radius Hot Springs, down to Columbia Falls and up to Glacier Nat. Park (going to the Sun Rd) and wrapping it up there.
4. He also suggested a series of loops in Yellowstone: roughly, something like starting in Chico Hot Springs > Gardner > Cook City > Top of the World Resort > Red Lodge > Cody, WY > Pateeka Teepee > Old Faithful Lodge >West Yellowstone > Gallatin and back to Billings.

He thought the last two options (his) would be much, much more scenic than their Missoula loop.

I'd really appreciate any thoughts. He felt the Missoula tour - especially the Bitterroot area -- was overrated cuz the rodes were not great and were littered pretty badly. He thought the other areas were more scenic.

I'd really value the input of someone with some experience with the area. So hard planning trips like this to an area you've never been to.


Thanks in advance,

Tesgin