USA 2023, Day 3 – July 1
“Updated in May 2026 with new information about the trip preparation.”
A transit day… but not entirely
On a long trip, some days exist purely to get you from one place to another. Day 3 was one of those. No major attractions on the map, no planned stops, no goal beyond arriving. But even the transit days, on this route, had their own story.
The destination was Gardiner, Montana, right at the gates of Yellowstone. And that, as any rider would say, is a big deal.
Lolo Pass and the shadow of Lewis & Clark
Right after leaving Lochsa Lodge, the first important point: Lolo Pass. A pass with history, and quite a lot of it.
Here it’s worth pausing for a moment.
Throughout this whole trip we kept coming across references to the Lewis & Clark expedition, and many travelers don’t know the story well. In 1804, along with around twenty soldiers, they set out from the center of the United States with an impossible goal: to conquer the west and reach the Pacific Ocean. They made it. In 1805 they passed exactly through Lolo Pass, as a plaque at its summit points out.
That entire vast region was, at the time, in French and some Spanish hands. What came after that expedition changed the course of American history forever.
A special mention for Sacagawea, the Native American woman who was a key member of the expedition and who fell into obscurity for decades. It was a women’s association in the 20th century who rescued her memory, placing markers along the route, some with museums dedicated to explaining how they managed to survive and conquer the west. Sacagawea became a symbol of courage and female independence.
On another trip I took through this area with Motoquest and my friend JA, we followed the exact Lewis & Clark route on motorcycles, accompanied by a paleontologist who had studied the expedition for his doctoral thesis and who was also a rider. Stopping at every museum with someone like that is a completely different experience.
On that trip, I remember someone carrying a moose he’d hunted to sell at the butcher’s. We couldn’t believe it.
Rain, hail, and Harleys in T-shirts
It rained on us almost nonstop that day. The exception was our lunch break, where we found a great spot: JP ordered a burger, I stuck with his fries. A perfect split.
Before reaching Anaconda we crossed a pass where it didn’t just rain, it hailed. And right there, in the middle of the hail, we crossed paths with a large group of Harleys.
Before reaching Anaconda we crossed a pass where it didn’t just rain, it hailed. And right there, in the middle of the hail, we crossed paths with a large group of Harleys.
It’s no coincidence: in Montana and Idaho, helmets aren’t mandatory. In fact, there are plenty of US states where wearing a helmet isn’t required by law. Each with its own customs, and sticking firmly to them.
JP gets lost… and arrives at the same time
We finally reached the Antler Lodge in Gardiner, right on the outskirts of Yellowstone, where we’d spend two nights.
As we got close to Gardiner, JP took a dirt track that ran straight to the hotel. I stayed on the official road.
JP took the same amount of time as I did.
I rode about 30 kilometers more.
Not much else to add.
Gardiner: “Japanese” beer that wasn’t Japanese at all
We arrived at the Antler Lodge in Gardiner, right on the outskirts of Yellowstone, for two nights. We were already settling into the routine of walking for a while each evening, and that day we walked all the way to the end of town.
We saw a place advertising Japanese beers. We ordered. They were local beers with Japanese-sounding names. A scam, but a stylish one.
But the outdoor atmosphere was pleasant, the 1,600-meter altitude kept the mosquitoes at bay, and tomorrow was Yellowstone.
That was enough.
To wrap up this day, like so many others, there was laundry to do…
📍 Resources and recommendations
🏔️ Lolo Pass — Crossed by Lewis & Clark in 1805. Worth stopping at the summit.
📚 Lewis & Clark Expedition — One of the most fascinating stories in American history. Well worth reading up on before the trip.
👩 Sacagawea — The story they never told you in school. A must.
🏨 Antler Lodge, Gardiner (MT) — The perfect base for Yellowstone. Small town, laid-back atmosphere.🏍️ Motorcycle helmet laws by state in the USA — Required reading for any rider traveling across the United States
Route from Seattle to Yellowstone and Glacier Park
- 2022 USA, a dream trip … failed!
- USA, a dream trip 2, we did it!
- Seattle (WA) to Walla Walla (WA)
- Walla Walla (WA) to Lochsa Lodge (ID)
- Lochsa Lodge (ID) to Gardiner (MT)
- Yellowstone & Bear Tooth Pass (WY)
- Yellowstone (WY) to Idaho – Irwin (ID)
- Idaho via Salmon on the way to Missoula – Stevensville (ID)
- Idaho to Montana, to Glacier Park – Kalispell (MT)
- Going to the Sun – Glacier National Park (MT)
- Glacier Park (MT) to Colville (MT), riding along the Canadian border
- Highway 20 Along the Canadian Border, heading to Concrete (WA)