We took a day trip drive though Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming, along US-14 though the forest, then around to US-20, -31, and -16, passing through the forest again.
Author: David
Drive through Bighorn National Forest
We took a day trip drive though Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming.
We started by going to Sheridan to get our second COVID boosters, then went west along US-14 though the forest (zoom in on the map; some fun twisties there). Then looped anticlockwise around to US-20, -31, and -16, passing through the forest again. Here’s an interactive route map:
Bighorn National Forest sign:
Viewpoint:
There were geologic signs for the rock formations:
Nice views:
We stopped at the Cabin Creek Picnic Area to use the vault toilet there; there is a nice rest area a little further on, but I suspected (based on research) that it would be closed, and it was, so good thing we stopped here:
More views:
Greybull:
We got a real Utah vibe from this area west of the forest:
Ten Sleep, population 246:
Brake check turnout:
Sharp curves ahead:
7% downgrade:
Did we mention sharp curives?
We wanted to travel this route in part because we may be driving our coach this way next year, heading from Yellowstone to Devils Tower. It’s rather steep, with about 5,000 feet of elevation gain then loss, but I think we can handle it; we’ve driven much worse.
An interesting runaway truck ramp:
Back in Buffalo, some sculptures:
We went to Southside Grill for dinner:
Buffalo mural:
Buffalo museum:
Buffalo KOA Journey
We stayed at Buffalo KOA Journey in Buffalo, Wyoming. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A nice RV park.
Dates:
- Check in: 2022-09-17
- Check out: 2022-09-20
- 3 nights
Weather:
- Sunny
- High temps ranging between 68-84°F, lows around 45-57°F
- Negligible wind
Noise:
- Distant road noise; no train noise
- Large group in neighboring site for first couple of nights
Site:
- #75, pull through, gravel
- Didn’t need to disconnect toad; parked behind coach
- Fairly level
- Medium site: about 65 feet long by about 30 feet wide
- Full hookups:
- 50 amp power, conveniently located
- 60 PSI water, conveniently located
- Good sewer connection, not very inconveniently located (2 10-foot pipes needed)
- Picnic table on cement; fire pit on gravel, grass and rock landscaping, small trees
Internet (in usage priority order):
- AT&T: 10 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up, 95 ms ping
- Campground Wi-Fi: 12-23 Mbps down, 2-5 Mbps up, 8-28 ms ping
- T-Mobile: 6 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 130 ms ping
- Verizon: 50 Mbps down, 7 Mbps up, 50 ms ping
- Starlink: not used
Amenities:
- Dumpsters
- Closed pool
- Creekside path
- Mail delivery at office
Here’s our review on Campground Reviews:
A River Runs Through It
We were in the newer section, which is absolutely awesome with the river running around the edge. The sites were very tidy and well cared for, and the staff were all extremely helpful. We will definitely stay again when we next pass through the area. We camped at Buffalo KOA Journey in a Motorhome.
The RV park map:
The Clear Creek section of the park, where we were, is very new, and quite nice. Our site:
A long sewer hose was needed:
A path to the creek:
Looking back at our site and others from the path:
Group fire pit:
Clear Creek; it is indeed very clear:
Bridge:
Dog park:
Decorations:
Creek-front tent site:
Confluence of creeks:
Other RVs:
Video: Livingston, Montana to Buffalo, Wyoming motorhome travel timelapse
A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 282 miles from Livingston, Montana to Buffalo, Wyoming. [Re-uploaded due to an export issue.]
Travel from Livingston, Montana to Buffalo, Wyoming
We drove our coach 282 miles, about 5 hour of driving, from Livingston, Montana to Buffalo, Wyoming.
The map route, heading east then south:
We seem to have a slow leak in the rear outer driver-side tire on our coach (it loses about 3 PSI on a drive). So I topped it up before departure (spoiler: we got it fixed on a later trip):
Leaving the campground:
Getting onto I-90:
Snow fences:
Newmar Ventana motorhome:
Classic car:
We had originally planned to sprint through this area, on our way south, and were going to stop at this Harvest Host for a night:
Yellowstone River:
A Vanleigh Vilano fiver:
Downhill:
Oil refinery:
A fuel stop; we had hoped to get the tire fixed, but of course being a weekend their service department was closed (and they may not have been willing to work on a motorhome anyway):
We did weigh our coach and truck on a CAT Scale; a good thing to do occasionally:
A Super-C fueling up next to us:
After fueling, we parked with the big rigs (there were several empty spaces, so we weren’t taking a space from a hard-working trucker):
And went into the diner for lunch:
Wind turbine blades:
Yellowstone River:
I-90:
Leaving Montana:
Entering Wyoming:
We quite like the look of this area:
Sheridan bridge:
Sheridan College Golden Dome sports complex:
More Wyoming views:
Buffalo exit:
Our destination, the Buffalo KOA Journey:
Osens RV Park
We stayed at Osens RV Park in Livingston, Montana. (Campground Reviews listing.)
Another short stay. A nice basic RV park.
Dates:
- Check in: 2022-09-14
- Check out: 2022-09-17
- 3 nights
Weather:
- A little rainy, some lightning in the area
- High temps ranging between 69-74°F, lows around 42-48°F
- A little wind
Noise:
- Some road noise; nearby train noise
- Quiet neighbors, except one motorhome that ran their engine way too long
Site:
- #B5, pull through, gravel
- Didn’t need to disconnect toad; parked behind coach
- Fairly level
- Medium site: about 65 feet long by about 30 feet wide
- Full hookups:
- 50 amp power, fairly conveniently located
- 65 PSI water, conveniently located
- Good sewer connection, rather inconveniently located (3 10-foot pipes needed)
- Picnic table on grass
Internet (in usage priority order):
- T-Mobile: 40-60 Mbps down, 8 Mbps up, 65 ms ping
- AT&T: 30 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up, 125 ms ping
- Verizon: 1 Mbps down, 12 Mbps up, 60 ms ping
- Starlink: not used
- Campground Wi-Fi: limited, not used
Amenities:
- Dumpsters
- No pool
Here’s our review on Campground Reviews:
Cute park in a cute town
This was a nice spot to stay on our way through Montana. Check-in was quick and efficient, with super-friendly and helpful staff. We were escorted to our site, which is always a nice touch. The site was level and clean. The only downside is the sketchy road from the highway into the park. We camped at Osens RV Park & Campground in a Motorhome.
The RV park map:
Our site:
A rather inconvient sewer location; I had to break out a third 10-foot sewer hose (though to be fair, if we had parked the truck in front of the coach, it wouldn’t have been so bad):
The entrance:
Entrance garden:
Office:
Decorations:
Playground:
Bathrooms:
Rain barrels and recycling:
A chicken (probably flew over the fence from a neighboring property):
Little library:
An interesting truck and Vanleigh fiver next to us (Vanleigh is a related brand to Tiffin, created by Bob Tiffin’s son Van and grandson Leigh):
More RVs:
This new neighbor was annoying; they left their engine running for ages on arrival, and again when departing the next morning. It isn’t necessary to leave it going:
A new neighbor, with a dog with a ramp:
Flushing the black tank:
Slides in, ready to go:
Video: Missoula, Montana to Livingston, Montana motorhome travel timelapse
A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 237 miles from Missoula, Montana to Livingston, Montana. (Re-uploaded, as the video was truncated.)
Travel from Missoula to Livingston, Montana
We drove our coach 237 miles, about 4 hour of driving, from Missoula, Montana to Livingston, Montana.
The map route for this leg, heading south:
Leaving the RV park:
Fuel up behind another motorhome:
Lots of roadworks on this journey, as they were rebuilding pretty much all of the bridges, one side at a time:
More roadworks:
Snack delivery:
Smoky trees:
Smoky roadworks:
Interesting building and roadworks:
Rest stop:
Quite a nice-looking building:
Lunch:
Paladin in a box:
More roadworks:
Paladin on the theater seating:
Oversize load:
Continental Divide, elevation 6393:
Another rest stop:
We had the hazard blinkers on going up a hill; the cameras change to show 4-up in this mode:
Smoky:
Yet more roadworks:
A rather narrow and bumpy road leading to the destination:
The RV park entrance:
Enter:
Office:
Guided to our site:
Jim & Mary’s RV Park
We stayed at Jim & Mary’s RV Park in Missoula, Montana. (Campground Reviews listing.)
For long-time readers, if that name sounds a little familiar, it’s because we stayed here on our way home from Yellowstone last year. We liked it so much, we took the opportunity to go back here this year.
Dates:
- Check in: 2022-09-11
- Check out: 2022-09-14
- 3 nights
Weather:
- Partly sunny, but mostly smoky from nearby wildfires; a little drizzle
- High temps ranging between 79-89°F, lows around 49-53°F
- A little wind
Noise:
- Some road noise; nearby train noise
- No significant neighbor noise
Site:
- #E12, pull through, gravel
- Didn’t need to disconnect toad, and didn’t, since we didn’t need to go anywhere
- Fairly level
- Fairly large site: about 75 feet long by about 40 feet wide
- Full hookups:
- 50 amp power, somewhat conveniently located
- 50 PSI water, somewhat conveniently located (boosted from our tank)
- Good sewer connection, not very conveniently located (2 10-foot pipes needed)
- Picnic table on grass
- Some trees; clear sky for Starlink
- Delightful landscaping with flowerbeds and decorations
Internet (in usage priority order):
- Starlink: 2-6 Mbps down, 7-9 Mbps up, 55 ms ping
- T-Mobile: 22 Mbps down, 14-32 Mbps up, 100 ms ping
- AT&T: 16-20 Mbps down, 12 Mbps up, 115 ms ping
- Verizon: 8-12 Mbps down, 4-7 Mbps up, 110 ms ping
- Campground Wi-Fi: limited, not used
Amenities:
- Dumpsters
- No pool
- Package delivery to outside of office
Here’s our review on Campground Reviews:
Still the prettiest park
This was our second stay here, and it’s still just so lovely. The roads are easily navigable even for our 40′ motorhome and tow vehicle, the trees are nicely trimmed back, so there were no scraping branches or anything. There is a bit of road and train noise, but the beautiful surroundings make up for it. We camped at Jim & Mary’s RV Park in a Motorhome.
The RV park map:
Our site:
The power and water was kinda far away from the coach:
The sewer wasn’t super close either, requiring two hoses:
Dumpsters near our site, with a train going by beyond:
The office:
Rather unusual to have recycling at an RV park:
Bathrooms:
Tourist info:
Greenhouses:
Lots of very nice landscaping:
Bathrooms:
This was the site we had last year:
Other sites and more landscaping:
Our site again:
Video: West Glacier, Montana to Missoula, Montana motorhome travel timelapse
A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 124 miles from West Glacier, Montana to Missoula, Montana.