2.5 Months Across America in a Tundra

brycercampbell

Active member
The next morning I drove into the park at 4:30 to dodge the 6am ticketed entry system. I drove up GTTS road to the pass and went for a hike. What an incredible place
DSC_2430.jpgDSC_2669-Edit.jpgDSC_2755.jpg

After that hike, I finished the road and headed into St Marys to shower at a campground and then chilled until after 6. I then went back up. shot the sunset, and slept in the parking lot at the top of the pass.
71038E45-77F5-481A-8E3F-D54620CB99DD.jpg
IMG_1835.jpg
IMG_1851.jpg

The next day I did Avalanche lake for the sunrise and then headed towards Yellowstone. Unfortunately most of the good hikes in NW Montana were under snow. Maybe next time!

IMG_1865.jpg
 

brycercampbell

Active member
So I headed towards Yellowstone next. It was pretty incredible. The landscape wasn't insane, but I've watched quite a few History shows on possible Yellowstone eruptions so it was pretty dope to see it in person. And the geysers, springs, and mudpools were awesome as well.
49E48775-0226-44FF-866E-897E792EAF48.jpg
6CDAA749-9963-4361-8DDC-FD0C351071A4.jpg
IMG_1885.jpg
FD192B72-AC23-4492-B9F9-5945250C5784.jpg
IMG_1919.jpg
IMG_1913.jpg

Yellowstone was one long day - but I did do it in one day. If you do some hikes yourself, you could make it a two day-er for sure. But by this point I was getting restless and wanted to hit the road.

Except that didn't happen. I made it to the Teton entrance at the south of the park and a friend from back home texted me and asked if I was near Bozeman. I said kinda, he said he was there. So back up to Bozeman instead - where I learned how to fly fish.

But not before a quick restock of the essentials. Darigold is genuinely the best chocolate milk I've ever had.
IMG_2002.jpg


We drove into the mountains and hiked a few miles up to an alpine lake at 9,000ft.
IMG_1952.jpg
IMG_1961.jpg
IMG_1971.jpg

We were after golden trout, and there were a ton rising the entire time we were there. Tried a bunch of different flys, all around the lake, and none of us got anything. But the views made up for that.

I stayed in Bozeman for a few days, and then July 4th in Big Sky, then headed towards Wyoming and South Dakota.
 
Last edited:

brycercampbell

Active member
Like I said, I stayed in Big Sky for the 4th. I had a great spot and didn't get bothered by many people.
IMG_2009.jpg
IMG_2018.jpg
After the 4th, I headed into the Tetons for 2 nights. I saw quite a bit, but there is always more to see.
IMG_2066.jpg

I did one hike into the mountains, and it was stunning.
IMG_2103.jpgIMG_2074.jpg
IMG_2078.jpg

And I caught quite a few sunsets - but I don't have those pictures off my camera yet, so a phone shot will have to do!
IMG_2126.jpg


Up next was a bit of an adventure. I saw a post on Instagram of an underground heated pool somewhere in WY, but the photographer specifically said he would not share the location. Well, that wasn't much to go on.
1.jpg


Well, I was not going to let that go. I found a post on reddit where someone said it was off one of the main highways out of the tetons to the east, 24 maybe? I forget which. I opened OnX and scoured the satellite images for any hints. The reddit post said it was only accessible by 4x4 (not really true but close enough), and was near private land near the highway - but had to be accessed by the back on public lands. Ok, good info.

IMG_2146.jpg
I found what looked like a black hole on OnX matching those descriptions, and off I went. Whether I succeeded or not, the scenery was incredible.
But I did succeed.
IMG_2158.jpg
Up next was Devils Tower and then South Dakota!
 
Last edited:

brycercampbell

Active member
When I went to Devils Tower, I had trouble finding any public land to camp on. So instead I slept in the Roofnest at the scenic overlook right on the highway. One of the things about travelling solo - even with a garmin Inreach - is that I don't like camping without cell service. So that does limit me, but surprisingly, a lot of remote areas have cell service.
IMG_2187.jpg
The next morning I hit Devils Tower. Definitely somewhere you can spend a half day. Well worth checking out.
IMG_2194.jpg
From there I drove into SD and cruised around. First stop was the Geographic Center of the country.
IMG_2200.jpgIMG_2204.jpg
But it really wasn't. An older gentleman working at the visitor center informed me that the true center was a bit of a drive down a gravel road. So off I went.
64745868112__B39BE37E-5697-402A-BA2A-57E392107D91.jpg
DSC_4123.jpg
That's more like it! In the middle of nowhere. It was pretty surreal to stand there and see literally nothing for miles and miles. I slept at Nomad View that night which was also insane.
DSC_4157.jpg
The next morning I hit the Badlands, which was pretty impressive. The weather wasn't great, I'd love to catch a sunrise/sunset there sometime.
IMG_2225.jpg
IMG_2236.jpg
 

brycercampbell

Active member
I did the Badlands in the morning, and after that I did the Minuteman Missile sites. Genuinely the most incredible place Ive seen on my entire trip. The visitor center was amazing, as was the missile silo.
IMG_2256.jpgIMG_2257.jpg
IMG_2261.jpgIMG_2263.jpg
After that, I did Mt Rushmore, which was kind of disappointing. It has been so commercialized, it was like a mall. Just goes to show the best places are not the most visited. But the museum was pretty awesome (though tiny).
IMG_2273.jpg
The next morning I did Needles Highway and then headed to Nebraska. I slept in from F&W land near the interstate, then drove two 13 hour days home.
IMG_2286.jpg
64766232150__7F6AA038-388C-4B14-8574-42B6431B8A81.jpg

One day I will rewrite my indepth posts and make it more coherent. But it is a lot of work to write and remember 2.5mo of adventure! Thankfully I take lots of pictures.
 

brycercampbell

Active member
And so that was the end of that short jaunt. Whats next? Well, in September I'm heading to the northeast for a bit to get the fall colors. Not sure how long I'll be there for, but I need to get back on the road. Never have I felt so free before. There is a lot of country out there, and you have a car. That's all you need.
9936A4D7-E286-4104-9B65-CDCB1843A202.jpg127285E4-0792-4EF1-B888-CCB7C1918EFF.jpg
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,533
Messages
2,875,601
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top