Travel from Hardin to Missoula, Montana

We drove our coach 399 miles, about seven hours of driving, from Hardin, Montana to Missoula, Montana. Having recently been on the east coast at the time, driving seven hours within one state was a bit of a change!

Here’s a map showing our route, heading west:

Route map

An interactive map:

Approaching the exit gate from the RV park:

Exit gate

It was supposed to open automatically, but didn’t, so we had to call for help to open it:

Exit gate

Refinery in Billings:

Refinery in Billings

Fuel stop:

Fuel stop

Pink truck with Hello Kitty:

Pink truck with Hello Kitty

Rest area:

Rest area

“Rattlesnakes have been observed; please stay on sidewalks”:

Rattlesnakes have been observed; please stay on sidewalks

Paladin asleep in his dash bed while driving down the freeway, for quite a while:

Paladin asleep in his dash bed while driving down the freeway

Yellowstone River:

Yellowstone River

Fun with zoom:

Fun with zoom

We saw this car spin out; probably lost control going too fast around curves:

Car spun out

Truck parking area:

Truck parking area

Road works:

Road works

Sunflowers:

Sunflowers

Rail bridge over Madison River:

Rail bridge over Madison River

Interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

Closed rest area:

Closed rest area

Our Lady of the Rockies” statue in Butte, Montana:

Statue

Clark Fork:

Clark Fork

Horse in the water:

Horse

Arriving at our destination, Jim & Mary’s RV Park:

Jim & Mary's RV Park

Office

Our site

Using a filter canister to help sanitize the coach water systems

Since we drink the water in our fresh water tank, it is important to keep it clean. In addition to five filters, that we replace every three months, every six months we use bleach to sanitize the tank and pipes in our coach. This involves diluting 12 ounces of bleach in the water tank (about half full), running it through the pipes until we can smell the bleach, then filling the water tank and leaving it overnight, and finally flushing it out with a couple of dump/fill cycles.

Previously, we tried adding the bleach via a small inline container hooked to the hose, but it was too small for the amount of bleach required. We also tried mixing the bleach in a bucket and pouring it in the gravity fill for our tank, but that wasn’t ideal either.

But I came up with another idea: I purchased a filter system with a clear canister, and put the bleach in that, without the filter itself, and connected it to my hoses (with quick connectors, naturally). It’s bigger than needed, but better too big than too small. And is much easier to add the bleach without risking spilling any:

Filter canister

Filter canister

Filter canister

That was much easier!

Love’s RV Stop – Hardin, Montana

We stayed at a Love’s RV Stop in Hardin, Montana. (Campground Reviews listing.)

An easy one-night stop; our first stay at a Love’s RV Stop.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-07-31
  • Check out: 2024-08-01
  • 1 night

Weather:

  • Sunny
  • High temp 89°F, low 59°F
  • Negligible wind, gusts to 11 MPH

Noise:

  • Some road noise
  • No train horn noise
  • No immediate neighbor noise, but noise from the adjacent Loves truck stop

Site:

  • #40, pull-through, gravel
  • Didn’t need to disconnect toad, parked behind coach
  • Fairly level site; a little high in the back; used air leveling, since only one night
  • Gravel driveway about 65 feet long by 10 feet wide
  • 14 feet to neighbors on both sides
  • Picnic table on grass
  • No trees
  • Clean site

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, fairly conveniently located
  • 65 PSI water, very conveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, inconveniently located (3 10-foot pipes needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 20 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up, 100 ms ping
  • AT&T: 50 Mbps down, 14 Mbps up, 160 ms ping
  • Verizon: 10 Mbps down, 4 Mbps up, 60 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Truck stop next door

Our review on Campground Reviews:

You can check out, but you can never leave

This was our first stay at a Love’s RV Stop, and it will not be our last. It was convenient on/off the interstate and the self-service check-in went without an issue. As some other folks have mentioned, the sewer hookup is a bit far back (we had to use 3x 10-foot hoses, which is more than most people would have), but the other utilities were convenient and worked well. The only issue we had was when we went to leave. The automatic exit gate refused to acknowledge our presence, and since we had our tow vehicle hooked up, we couldn’t back up and try it again unless we unhooked, which is a bit of a hassle. However, I called the help number, and someone came right over to let us out. He also mentioned that they were working on this issue, so it may not still be a concern. We camped at Love’s RV Stop – Hardin MT 679 in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Excellent Indian Tacos at Custer Battlefield Trading Post & Cafe, across the street from Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument, which is also worth visiting….

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

I didn’t hook up the sewer until the next morning. Some reviews complained that it was too far back on the site, and yes, it is a bit; I needed three 10 foot sewer hoses, which is more than the usual one or two (and more than many people would have), but certainly not the worst I’ve ever experienced:

Sewer pipes

The other utilities; the electric had to be enabled via a link we received via email:

Electrical

A notice on the faucet:

Water notice

Utilities

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

One major hassle: we exited just fine in our truck, but when we tried to leave with our coach, the exit gate wouldn’t open:

Exit gate

We called the Love’s store (using the number in the text we received to check in), and someone came over on a golf cart to open it for us. He said that the sensor under the concrete is calibrated badly, so if you go too slow it doesn’t trigger. He said they’ll have someone recalibrate it soon. It’s a brand-new park, so I’m willing to cut them some slack for teething issues. Still, super annoying for us, since we can’t reverse to try again with our truck hooked up; we would have had to untoad and re-toad.

An easy one-night stop; we would be happy to stay here again, especially for a one-night stay. And hopefully they’ll fix the exit gate before that!

Travel from Custer, South Dakota to Hardin, Montana

We drove our coach 308 miles, about five hours of driving, from Custer, South Dakota to Hardin, Montana.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading northwest:

Route map

An interactive map:

Our truck was rather dusty from a dirt road in Custer State Park:

Dusty truck

Kinda looks like it’s snowing:

Dusty truck

Interesting rocks on the highway out of the park:

Rocks

Bismarck Lake:

Bismarck Lake

An RV park we might stay at next year:

RV park

More interesting rocks:

Rocks

Buffalo art in Custer:

Buffalo art in Custer

Buffalo art in Custer

Purple Pie Place in Custer, which we enjoyed on our previous visit:

Purple Pie Place

Narrow Winding Road, No Shoulders:

Narrow Winding Road, No Shoulders

Bighorn Sheep Crossing:

Bighorn Sheep Crossing

Entering Jewel Cave National Monument:

Entering Jewel Cave National Monument

Curves:

Curves

US-16:

US-16

Fuel stop:

Fuel stop

59.898 gallons of diesel for $200:

59.898 gallons of diesel for $200

Hills:

Hills

Nice overpass:

Nice overpass

Rest area:

Rest area

Welcome to Montana:

Welcome to Montana

Our destination, a Love’s RV Stop:

Love's RV Stop

Love's RV Stop

Love's RV Stop

Shower shelf bar

A handy tweak: to be able to leave bottles on the upper shelf in our shower, even when traveling, we added a self-adhesive shower shelf bar (Amazon link):

Shower shelf bar

A closer look:

Shower shelf bar

It works really well. One less thing to have to worry about on travel days!

Legion Lake Campground in Custer State Park

We stayed at Legion Lake Campground in Custer State Park, South Dakota. (Campground Reviews listing.)

Custer State Park is perhaps our all-time favorite state park. We enjoyed staying in the park, though the lack of water and sewer was inconvenient. Especially since we hadn’t noticed that it didn’t have water, and only arrived with a half-full tank.

We do have a water bladder to fetch water, and a tote to dump waste, but coped without using them, since only three nights. The lack of a dump station in the campground would be very inconvenient for a longer stay, though.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-07-28
  • Check out: 2024-07-31
  • 3 nights

Weather:

  • Partly cloudy, a little drizzle
  • High temps 82-92°F, lows 59-64°F
  • Little wind, gusts to 16 MPH

Noise:

  • Nearby road noise
  • No train horn noise
  • Little neighbor noise

Site:

  • #01E, back-in, asphalt
  • Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
  • Unlevel site; high in front and passenger side; used hydraulic leveling
  • Asphalt driveway about 70 feet long by 14 feet wide
  • 12-50 feet to neighbor on passenger side
  • 110 feet to footpath on driver side
  • Picnic table
  • Fire pit
  • Tall trees
  • Clean site

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, very conveniently located
  • No water; water spigot at bathhouse
  • No sewer; no dump station in this campground

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 22 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up, 60 ms ping
  • AT&T: 160 Mbps down, 7 Mbps up, 90-110 ms ping
  • Verizon: 26 Mbps down, 10 Mbps up, 75 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: none

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpster
  • Nearby lodge restaurant

Our review on Campground Reviews:

In the middle of everything

Custer State Park is one of our favorite places. The scenery, wildlife, and general ambiance are magical, and staying inside the park makes it even more special. All the sites are electric-only, and that’s okay as it’s the hookup we rely on most (especially when it’s warm). There is a water spigot by the bathrooms if you need to fill up, but the nearest dump station inside the park is in a different campground halfway across the park. The site was a bit unlevel, but not so much that our hydraulic levelers couldn’t cope. A nice view of the lake across the road and a tree-filled hillside behind our site made for a picturesque stay. We camped at Custer State Park – Legion Lake Campground in a Motorhome.

Campground map:

Legion Lake map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Only an electrical hookup:

Only electrical hookup

Our coach from across the road:

Our coach from across the road

Elevation 5,010 feet:

Elevation 5,010 feet

Paladin was most fascinated by a taunty chipmunk that hung out around our site:

Paladin

Chipmunk

Entrance sign:

Entrance sign

Path to the lake area:

Path to lake area

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

(We wondered how they got the left-hand trailer into that position.)

Bathroom:

Bathroom

Info sign:

Info sign

Campground map

We are currently planning to visit this area again next year. But we’ll probably stay outside the park, so we can have full hookups, and explore other areas.

Travel from Mitchell to Custer, South Dakota

We drove our coach 313 miles, about five hours of driving, from Mitchell, South Dakota to Custer, South Dakota.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading west:

Route map

An interactive map:

Heading west of I-90:

I-90 West

Rest area stop:

Rest area

Sunflower field:

Sunflowers

The Dignity of Earth and Sky sculpture:

Sculpture

A Tiffin Allegro Red motorhome passing us:

Tiffin Allegro Red motorhome

Lunch stop at Hutch’s Cafe:

Hutch's Cafe

Menu:

Menu

Hutch's Cafe

Hutch's Cafe

Back to our coach:

Back to our coach

Entering Mountain Time Zone:

Entering Mountain Time Zone

Passing Badlands National Park:

Badlands National Park

Another rest area:

Rest area

Paladin sat in his dash bed for a while:

Paladin sat in his dash bed for a while

Firehouse Brewery & Winery had several fire trucks along the freeway:

Firehouse Brewery & Winery had several fire trucks along the freeway

Paladin asleep on the floor:

Paladin asleep on the floor

Busts:

Busts

Entering Custer State Park, our favorite state park:

Custer State Park

Curvy road:

Curvy road

Whatever we do, don’t turn onto Needles Highway with our coach! Very narrow and short tunnels:

Needles Highway intersection

Legion Lake campground entrance:

Campground entrance

Our site, with a glimpse of the lake in the background:

Our site

Mitchell KOA Journey

We stayed at Mitchell KOA Journey in Mitchell, South Dakota. (Campground Reviews listing.)

Another KOA Journey, with an interesting (and easy to navigate) layout.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-07-26
  • Check out: 2024-07-29
  • 2 nights

Weather:

  • Sunny
  • High temps 91-95°F, lows 71-72°F
  • A bunch of wind, gusts to 32 MPH

Noise:

  • Some freeway noise
  • Very occasional distant train horn noise
  • Some neighbor noise

Site:

  • #C-19, pull-through, gravel
  • Didn’t need to disconnect toad, parked behind coach
  • A little unlevel site, high on passenger side; used hydraulic leveling
  • Gravel driveway about 110 feet long by 15 feet wide
  • 10 feet to neighbor on driver side
  • 75 feet to dump station on passenger side
  • Two picnic tables
  • Fire pit
  • A couple of tall trees
  • Clean site

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, very conveniently located
  • 40 PSI water, fairly conveniently located
  • Loose sewer connection, inconveniently located (3 10-foot pipes needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 11-14 Mbps down, 12 Mbps up, 50 ms ping
  • AT&T: 29-32 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 120-160 ms ping
  • Verizon: 27 Mbps down, 9 Mbps up, 70 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpster
  • Mini golf

Our review on Campground Reviews:

A nice oasis along I-90

This was a convenient place to stop along I-90 through South Dakota and to check out the Corn Palace and the Prehistoric Indian Village. There’s not much else to do in Mitchell, but this was a lovely shady place to camp to check them out. It’s reassuring/concerning that they have storm shelters scattered around the campground in case of emergency, but I’m just as glad we didn’t need them during our stay. Our site was very long and had a big grassy area on one side, but it was very close to the neighbors on the other. We camped at Mitchell KOA Journey in a Motorhome. 

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Spacious on the passenger side, a bit too close on the driver side:

Our site

(I typically prefer more space on the driver side, since that means other campers aren’t hanging out right next to our coach. We tend not to sit outside much, so space on the passenger side isn’t as important to me.)

The utilities; a loose sewer connection, requiring three 10-foot hoses:

Utilities

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Cabin and playground:

Cabin and playground

Mini golf and playground:

Mini golf and playground

Office:

Office

Dump station:

Dump station

Storm shelter (one of several); both reassuring and concerning to see:

Storm shelter (one of several)

Dog park:

Dog park

Retention pond:

Pond

A windmill, which didn’t seem functional (it was very windy, but wasn’t spinning):

Windmill

Entrance sign; want to buy a KOA?

Entrance sign