Day 15: Bozeman to Three Forks

July 23, 2024

I got up at 7 and pedaled downtown for breakfast. Then back to the motel to pack up my stuff. On the road at 8:30.

Today should be fun and easy. I backtracked through downtown and exited Bozeman on the same route I used to enter the city.

Rialto Theatre in Bozeman. Too bad I didn't see it last night.

Vacant old hotel in Bozeman. Too bad it can't be renovated instead of building a new high rise condo.

When leaving the city I had good views of the Bridger mountains to the northeast.

Today's route goes on a Frontage road north of I-90 from Bozeman to Belgrade. That turned out to be a huge mistake. I thought the Frontage road would have low traffic like all previous Frontage roads. But I was very wrong. The entire corridor from Bozeman to Belgrade is industrial properties with significant truck traffic. Most of the Frontage road has NO shoulder. A wide shoulder appears only for a short distance near major intersections. It was not a pleasant ride, and several truckers made it very clear that they disapprove of a bicyclist using their road.

I stopped to take a couple of photos in Belgrade. Of course I had to get a photo of another Mint bar. Most of Belgrade is not very charming.

Belgrade does not seem rural because it hosts Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. It's essentially a suburb of Bozeman.

I absolutely do not recommend the Frontage road from Bozeman to Belgrade. It has less traffic between Belgrade and Manhattan, but still no shoulder. To pedal west from Bozeman I recommend choosing one of many back roads south of I-90 that can take you all the way to Manhattan. I haven't seen any of those roads, but I am certain that most or all of them are more bike friendly than the Frontage road that I pedaled.

West of Belgrade is my first view of the Gallatin river, looking downstream.

Irrigation canal running through a farm.

I stopped for an early lunch in the town of Manhattan. It's a typical farm town that is far enough from Bozeman to seem genuinely rural.

The route from Manhattan to Three Forks is very scenic. Nice farm, river, and canyon views. The Frontage road is far enough from I-90 that I can't see or hear it.

Abandoned church in the middle of nowhere.

The Frontage road has good views of the Gallatin river east of Three Forks. It has a smaller flow than other rivers I have seen during this tour. It's the last river that I follow downstream, making today the last genuinely easy day of the tour.

Gallatin river looking downstream towards the Missouri river.

Gallatin river looking upstream towards Yellowstone National Park.

East of Three Forks I made a 7 mile round trip detour north to see the headwaters of the Missouri river. A bike trail connects from the Frontage road to Missouri Headwaters State Park. The bike trail is parallel to a low traffic road. I pedaled the trail into the park, put pedaled the road out of the park.

Decorative birdhouses along the bike trail to Missouri Headwaters State Park.

In the park I stopped to look at the Gallatin City ghost town. I saw only two building ruins. It was hot and there is no shade. I didn't spend much time in the ghost town.

1868 Gallatin City Hotel in the park's ghost town.

The main stop of my excursion is to see the "headwaters" of the Missouri river. The Madison river flows in from the southeast. The Jefferson river flows in from the southwest. Below the confluence the stream is named Missouri river.

Headwaters of the Missouri river. Left is Madison river. Upper right is Jefferson river. Lower right is Missouri river.

I have pedaled through all 50 U.S. states, but have only seen the Missouri river during one previous bike tour long ago. I vividly remember July 4, 1989, spending a 104F afternoon floating on a Thermarest in Lake Sakakawea, a reservoir on the Missouri river in North Dakota. Even then I was conscious of the irony of spending U.S. Independence Day at a lake named for an Indian woman.

Missouri river looking downstream towards the Mississippi river and Gulf of Mexico.

The Missouri river flows 2341 miles to the confluence with the Mississippi river. Then another 1500 miles down the Mississippi river to the Gulf of Mexico. That makes the Missouri/Mississippi river the world's 4th longest river. It's hard to comprehend how FAR water flows from here to the ocean.

The Missouri river flows 2341 miles (3746 km) from here to the Mississippi river.

I pedaled a mile north of the headwaters to see the Gallatin river flow into the Missouri river. I pedaled the bridge across the river mouth, but it doesn't have a very good view of the river. I found a better view a short distance up the Gallatin river looking downstream 1000 feet to its confluence with the Missouri river.

Gallatin river looking downstream to its mouth at the Missouri river. Final view of this river.

When I got back to the Frontage road I continued on a bike trail into Three Forks. The trail is more meandering but very serene. The trail obviously follows a former railroad judging by the bridge across the Madison river.

Bike trail crossing the Madison river, looking downstream past the Frontage road.

I don't follow the Madison river during this tour. I saw the Madison river at the Missouri headwaters. Then I crossed it on the bike trail, with views looking upstream and downstream.

Madison river looking upstream towards Yellowstone National Park. Looking through BNSF railroad and I-90 bridges.

The trail into Three Forks meanders around a small reservoir that has many parks. The temperature was in the 90's and people were eager to get in the water.

Rope swing at a lake southeast of Three Forks.

I arrived in Three Forks at 2:45 PM. The temperature was oppressively hot, about 95F.

Three Forks is a charming little town, population 1947. I saw a few tourists walking around but it's not crowded. I'm finally outside the Yellowstone tourist zone.

This is NOT my 1910 hotel in Three Forks.

Tonight's home is the 1910 Sacajawea Hotel. It's quite beautiful both inside and outside.

Tonight's home is Sacajawea Hotel, built in 1910.

The front porch isn't popular when the temperature is 95F.

My $230 room is quite small but it has a private bath and a small TV. It has air conditioning that doesn't work very well because the cooling unit is under the window near the floor, blowing cold air onto the floor in a tiny space behind the bed. That does not cool the room effectively.

The room has no table or chair, so I spent a lot of time sitting in the beautiful lobby which was conveniently close to my ground floor room. The hotel has a fine dining restaurant but it's closed on Monday and Tuesday. So I ate at the basement bar that has a more limited menu.

Across the street from the hotel is a small park with a sculpture of Sacajawea.

Sacajawea sculpture across the street from the hotel.

Today was a great day despite 10 awful miles between Bozeman and Belgrade. High temperature of 99F makes it the warmest day in more than a week. Fortunately the heat wave won't last long.

Today's ride was very easy. Downstream, tailwind, minimal hills. A rare day with average speed above 10 mph.

Distance: 42.9 miles
Average Speed: 11.1 mph
Ascent/Descent: +249/-869 feet

Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 588 miles (946 km)

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