One of the best rides we have been on. Jackson Hole is a great place to start from (we flew in), and the Snake River Canyon is a wonderful ride -- although afternoon headwinds can be strong. Traffic for most of the route was light, especially once we turned north at Alpine, WY. Also, starting at Alpine, what winds we encountered tended to be tailwinds, which was nice.
Things to be aware of:
- Afternoon headwinds in the Snake River Canyon. It is downhill the entire length of the canyon, but the headwinds will require you to pump the entire way.
- Despite what maps will tell you, there is no Palisades, ID. Furthermore, none of the (few) people living in the area shown as "Palisades, ID" ever heard of the place.
- Roberts, ID is a place straight from the imagination of Rod Serling. They will tell you they have showers, but no one knows where they are. They will tell you that there is a local motel, but no one knows where it is. The streets are devoid of any life. The one store that exists (not counting the Chevron mart) carries perhaps three items for sale. The local Chevron station is manned by a fellow who will deny that anyone other than he ever works the counter (ever!), who will not take a $20 bill as payment for a $2 candy bar, and who laughs at any question you ask him, including where the showers are (that the other man manning the counter earlier talked about), where the motel is (that the other man manning the counter earlier talked about), and what to expect up ahead on the route. There is a trailer park that is populated by empty trailers and a lonely looking proprietor who will invite you to join him and all his residents (there were none) at 5:00PM for cocktails. A very strange town.
- Between the Rigby, ID, area and Salmon, ID, there are no services, so be prepared to rough it for a couple of days. In particular, between the Chevron station at Roberts and Salmon, there is only a single outpost where you might be able to purchase water, snacks, and -- if the owner is in a good mood -- a meal. (The place has a diner, but the owner says she does not always like to cook).
But all that is part of the adventure: meeting people whom you would not normally meet at home. On the more normal-positive side, you have just about the entire trip.
Once you arrive in Kalispell, MT, you can fly out of their airport. However, there is no real competition at that airport, so be prepared to pay a lot. In addition, the plane is very small, so if there is a fair amount of passenger luggage, you may find that they cannot take your bike. Alternatively, you can AMTRAK it out of Whitefish, which is just a little north of Kalispell. We opted to fly, and we shipped our bikes back home via UPS, which made things a lot easier.
