US14 east from Cody Wy.

[Wizard]

Any problems with 32' MH towing. Heading to Rapid City.

[Wizard]

Any problems with 32' MH towing. Heading to Rapid City.

[RoadRohrers]

If you are taking US 14, through Greybull and up through Shell, should not be a huge problem. Good climb and descent, but doable using care and good judgement.

If you are talking US 14 Alt from Lovell east you may want to avoid unless you like climbs in excess of 10 - 12 percent grades. Have seen motorhomes come down; could almost see white knuckle glow.

P.S. If you have time and have never been there take some time to go through Big Horn Canyon. Mountain goats, wild horses. Campground, dry, use to be free. One of our favorite places.

Safe travels, I am envious.

[RoadRohrers]

Another alternative, which certain chamber of commerces advertise as the shortest route from the Black Hills to Yellowstone is US 16, through Tensleep into Buffalo. Then hop on 90.

We have used this route extensively. Since we were last there they have vastly improved the road into Buffalo. Having done all three (at least by car), I'd opt for US 16.

Hope not too much info. My opinion, which may differ with others.

[Slapshottr]

We are doing the Yellowstone to Rapid City run the week of 20 July. I have never been out there but after reading several posts on this forum I feel confident I will have no problems taking Route 16 out of Cody south around most of the Big Horns right into I-90. The following is a post I found very helpful in planning the trip. A forum member named Cruzer has put out some excellent info on this part of the country. We are looking forward to our adventure.

Mt Rushmore to Yellowstone via US14, US14A or US16

[Cruzer]

I've been on all 3 of those routes over the Bighorns with many different vehicles, from SUVs to 42' coaches towing a Jeep.

US-16 goes past Thermpolois (hot springs)and through beautiful Ten Sleep canyon on the way to Buffalo. I'd recommend that drive to ANYRV going in either direction - eastbound or westbound.

US-14 or 14A is a different story, however.

Heading east from Cody takes you to US-14 or US-14A and climbs the steep grades on the western slope of the Bighorns up to Burgess Junction at the top. Once up top the downgrade on the east face of the Bighorns is less steep and there are plenty of turnouts to rest your RV's brakes if needed. The westface is relatively devoid of turnouts and is much steeper. US-14 is a steep climb. We've made that with our 2003 Suncruiser 33V/Workhorse and it received the workout of it's life on that climb. Pedal to the metal climbs for 15 minutes at a crack with no relief and a constant 35 MPH max speed. It's doable but if you really have to go that way I'd advise unhooking the toad and let the copilot follow behind to relieve some of the stress from your system.

US-14A is even worse. We've done that with our 40' Bus towing and it too is doable. However, the difference was that we had a 400 HP diesel pusher that could better handle the stress of the climb. I would not advise taking a gasser up US-14A. US-14A is super steep with no place to pull over. The only reason we did it the last time was because we were near Lovell looking at the wild mustang herds in the Pryor Mountains and Lovell is right at the base of the Bighorns on US-14A.

In either case I would not take any RV westbound on either 14 or 14A. There's just no place to rest the brakes. Here's a picture of the sign at the top before descending westbound on 14A:



That'll give you an idea of what it's like.

However, US-16 has less grade to it and there's lots of flat areas where you can let the coach breathe a bit. Plus there's plenty of pullovers, many of which are nice scenic spots. I'd give US-16 two thumbs up in either direction.

[cyko]

We took the Shell Canyon road (HW 14) east to Sheridan about 25 years ago in a Dodge van. The switchbacks scared the daylights out of me. We did meet a Greyhound bus coming down, so that should tell you something. I am probably a real wienie when it comes to mountain driving, but I would never take a motor home up that drive under pain of death.

[Wizard]

Using the 14/16 route, am I right in thinking that it's about an 8 hr drive?