Missoula → Helmville → Helena → Three Forks → Bozeman → Chico Hot Springs
Estimated Distance: ~275 miles
Camp/Lodging: Chico Hot Springs
Focus: Ride slow, walk when it matters. Let the road shape the day, but don’t rush past the places with stories.
Morning: Missoula to Helena, Across Quiet Backroads
The ride begins early, coasting southeast out of Missoula, with plans to avoid the interstate like the plague. Instead, I’ll drift along the Blackfoot River via Highway 200, cutting east toward Helmville, where the trees thin and the light plays longer across the encroaching prairie. This is a stretch made for deep breathing and light thoughts.
Helena is today’s first anchor point, not just a fuel stop, but a place to stretch the legs and walk through Montana’s bones.
Midday in Helena: Gold, Ghosts, and a Bite to Eat
Helena wears its history like a faded leather jacket-creased, comfortable, and still sharp if you know where to look.
Stop Duration: ~1.5-2 hours
Rough Itinerary:
- Reeder’s Alley: The last intact piece of Helena’s Gold Rush-era boomtown, narrow and brick-laid like a whispered secret.
- Last Chance Gulch: Once a gold strike site, now a pedestrian district with saloons-turned-cafes.
- St. Helena Cathedral: Gothic revival architecture rising out of mountain town dust. A brief step into stillness.
- Lunch Spot ideas:
- The Hawthorn Bottle Shop & Tasting Room – Rustic, quiet, good sandwiches and even better drinks.
- Steve’s Café (on Custer) – More relaxed, hearty, and good for recharging.
Afternoon: Helena to Bozeman, Letting the Land Speak
Leaving Helena, I’ll swing southeast through Townsend, avoiding I-90 (of course) by tracing Highway 287 through wide-open ranch country. Grain elevators on the horizon, fence posts like metronomes. Then on east through Three Forks to let the light catch the tail of the Missouri. Not that Missouri, the other one.
Late Afternoon in Bozeman: Walking Through Deep Time
Bozeman brings a different kind of gravity, more polished, more curated, but no less real. The plan is to set the kickstand down at the Museum of the Rockies and trade two wheels for two feet.
Time Budgeted: 1.5–2 hours (if I don’t get lost in the bones)
Museum Highlights:
- Siebel Dinosaur Complex: One of the largest collection of North American dinosaur fossils under one roof.
- Taylor Planetarium: Catch a show, explore the cosmos. If timing allows at least, we’ve got an itinerary to keep to.
- Living History Farm: To reflect on the roads that came before mine.
Evening: Bozeman to Chico Hot Springs
From Bozeman, I’ll roll south along Highway 89 into Paradise Valley. The road curves gently here, as if it knows I’ll be tired. Wind smells like sage and sun-warmed rock. Chico Hot Springs waits at the far end of this ride; a warm soak, a cold drink, and soft light spilling through firmament. I don’t get to see sunsets quite like I remember growing up, too many trees and mountains in Washington. I’m excited to see if they hold up in Big Sky country.
If all goes right, this is where Day Two exhales.