Motorcycle Rider News Road Trips

By Diana Rowe

Situated in a picturesque corner of northwestern Wyoming, Cody is a Western town that doesn't take itself too seriously. The town's surrounding area is big and has a big name-- Buffalo Bill's Cody/Yellowstone Country. Yet it backs up its name with a full range of Western entertainment options, a wide array of quirky attractions, and many affordable lodging options, including numerous guest ranches, charming inns and budget motels. Oh yeah, and riding fit for a biker.

Well-known for its proximity to Yellowstone National Park, many bikers visit Buffalo Bill's Cody/Yellowstone Country on their way to or from the park. But Cody might be worth taking a second look as a "home base" because of its affordability and its many day-trips often also the destination with vacationers choosing one of many day-trips into the park.

Motorcycle Rider News chatted with Claudia Wade, director of the Park County Travel Council for tips to plan your 2010 biker vacay to Cody/Yellowstone. Wade says, "Cody is very biker-friendly. A group motorcycles - either men or women or any combination-- will be welcomed, feel safe and comfortable, and have plenty of things to do.

Wade offers up these tips for bikers to get the best out of their road trip to Cody:

• Best time to visit Cody: September. The crowds are fewer, the weather is conducive for bikers, temperatures are pretty constant, and the colors are fabulous.
• Best place to stay: Cody Cowboy Village. You can park your motorcycle right in front of your luxury cabin. There's a 30-seat Jacuzzi in the common area.
• Best side trips:Chief Joseph Scenic Byway

Estimated trip time -- half to three quarters of a day Wyoming Highway 120 leads north from Cody through rolling grasslands and skirts Heart Mountain, a prominent landmark in the area. Sixteen miles north of Cody, turn onto the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, Wyoming Highway 296, cross historic Two Dot Ranch, and wind your way to the top of Dead Indian Hill. From the Overlook at the summit, Sunlight Basin, the North Absaroka Wilderness, the Clarks Fork Canyon and the Beartooth Plateau present a panorama of soaring heights, plunging canyons, vistas, valleys and benchlands.

The Buffalo Bill Cody Scenic Byway Estimated trip time half to three quarters of a day.

The Buffalo Bill Cody Scenic Byway features 50 miles of smooth road winding its way through spectacular rock formations, the world's first national forest, prime wildlife habitat and more than a little history. Recent major highway enhancements has this road in better condition.

The road between Cody, Wyo. to the East Entrance of Yellowstone National Park is 52 miles long and runs along the north fork of the Shoshone River. In the town of Cody it is easy to find the road to the park. Just take the appropriately named Yellowstone Avenue west through Shoshone Canyon and uphill through a ¾-mile-long tunnel. Upon exiting the tunnel, the Buffalo Bill Reservoir is located to the left. Inside what is now Buffalo Bill State Park, construction on the reservoir under the direction of the federal Reclamation Service began in 1905 and was completed in 1910. The dam was originally called the Shoshone Dam, but it was renamed later for Cody.

Riding is limitless here in Buffalo Bill country. Bikers are welcome and the Park County Travel Council also offers an online vacation planning tool filled with suggestions and possibilities at:
http://www.yellowstonecountry.org/plan-your-visit/.