This 2 day ride could be one of our all-time favorites. It is 2 full days of awesome roads and incredible scenery. Starting in Missoula, MT, the route heads North and West until it joins Highway 135 and follows the Clark Fork River to St. Regis, MT. Fill up with gas in St. Regis because it is the last gas stop until you get to St. Maries (about 100 miles). There might be gas available in Avery (60 miles) but don’t count on it.
At St. Regis, this route becomes gravel until you get to the Idaho border. When you get to the border of Idaho, the road becomes Gold Creek Road, and is one of my favorite roads. It is a paved road that twists and turns all the way down to the St. Joe River and the St. Joe River Road. The St. Joe River Road is another amazing road that follows the curves of the St. Joe River all the way to St. Maries, ID. Gold Creek and St. Joe River roads are both amazing because of the great riding surface, the curves, the scenery, and very little traffic. St. Maries is a nice sized town with plenty of opportunities for gas and food.
Once you are past St. Maries, the route heads South on Idaho Highways 3 and 6 and passes through the St. Joe National forest. Although these are state highways, they are still really fun and include a lot of great scenery. Be sure to take care because traffic could get heavy as you approach Moscow, ID.
Day 2 begins with a short ride South to Lewiston and a ride down the Old Spiral Highway. Be sure to stop at the top to take in the view before heading down into Lewiston. From Lewiston you will follow the Clearwater River before turning South once again. At Culdesac the route jumps on the old Winchester Grade road. This is a crazy road that follows the contours of the land all the way into the town of Winchester. Be careful, this is a narrow road with occasional traffic and rough spots. After Winchester you will ride South and East through farmland and small farm towns. Eventually this route becomes gravel again as it changes to Winona Grade Road. This gravel road hugs the hillside with a steep dropoff on the downhill side. It is fairly wide and well graded (or it was when we rode it), but be careful. This road turns to pavement before it descends into Kooskia. When you leave Kooskia you are on US 12 which is also the Lolo Highway in Idaho. This famous stretch of road twists and turns for 99 miles up to the Lolo pass. It is about 140 miles between Kooskia and Lolo so be sure to fill up before you start on this leg of the trip. The Lolo Highway is a well maintained road with plenty to see and many places to stop along the way. From Lolo, it is a short ride back to the starting point in Missoula, and your trip is complete.
Approximate Mileage: 520 Miles
Estimated Riding Time: 12.25 Hours
Road Surface: Gravel and Paved
Attractions:
St. Maries, ID: Aqua Park
Missoula, MT: Fort Missoula, Missoula Natural History Center
St. Joe National Forest, ID
Lewiston, ID: Lewiston Hill Overlook, Old Spiral Highway, The Ant and the Yellowjacket
Lapwai, ID: Nez Perce Nat’l Hist Park Visitor Center
Culdesac, ID: Winchester Grade Road
Lolo, MT: Lolo Highway, Lolo Pass Visitor Center, Lolo Hot Springs, Holt Heritage Museum
Motorcycle Rides, Missoula, Ravalli, Plains, St. Regis, Avery, St. Maries, Fernwood, Potlatch, Palouse, Moscow, Pullman, Colton, Genesee, Lewiston, Winchester, Craigmont, Cottonwood, Kamiah, Kooskia, Lolo
Missoula Moscow Route
If you are riding with a group, we ask that every person using our route for navigation purchase their own copy.
In order to encourage this, we are happy to offer a discount for group purchases. Please contact us after purchasing 1 item at full price, and we will set up a coupon code that will give everyone in your group 50% off of the same item.
Our digital routes are designed to operate in most GPS devices. In addition to GPSs, our routes should work with several smartphone apps. They will NOT work on Google Maps or Apple Maps.
If you plan on using a smartphone app, we recommend the REVER app. REVER will work with both Android and iOS and in addition to navigation it has many other great features.
For best results in REVER, download the route to your computer first, then import into your smartphone. Turn by turn may not work, so we recommend that you utilize the "Follow the Line" option.
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AND using this coupon code at checkout: Driftlessforless.
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