Highway 12

Visiting from the UK next July planning to drive along Highway 12 west to east. There does not appear to be much accomodation west of Kooskia.

Any suggestions re accomodation, how long should we allow for the drive (heading ultimately for Glacier NP MT) and any hints and tips for senior citizen foreign visitors to this area?

Highway 12

Hello Bobbio! Gosh, it%26#39;s been years since I made this drive, but I do recall that it%26#39;s absolutely beautiful. Expect long, winding, curvy roads through the mountains with a river rushing along the gorge below. Very forested with plenty of wildlife. Kind of a narrow two-lane affair (if you get stuck behind a logging truck, it could make for a long drive - you%26#39;re not going to pass anyone along this road). Not a lot of places to stop along the way between Lewiston and Missoula.

When you get to Missoula, Montana (a really beautiful town, by the way) spend the night there, or (if you feel like pushing on) all the way north up Highway 93 to Kalispell or Whitefish. There are several hotels to choose from in those three cities.

It%26#39;s a really pretty drive, and I believe you%26#39;ll enjoy it tremendously.

Have a great trip!

Highway 12

As stated before its a beautiful but slow drive along Highway 12, both logging trucks and grain trucks from Montana going towards Lewston, Idaho could be encountered. There are numerous campgrounds along the route but once you leave Kooskia the only lodging to the east I am aware of is the Lochsa Lodge at Powell web site: www.lochsalodge.com To the west lodging can be found in Orofino and Lewiston. I would allow all day to drive from Kooskia to Missoula because of the great scenery and historic sites (Lochsa Historical Ranger Station) along the route.

Oh boy! Whatever you do - don%26#39;t overnight in Kooskia!!! lol. We made that mistake last spring...... only one motel in town. It was awful, awful!

When we left the next morning, heading to Missoula, we passed several other lodging choices between kooskia and Lowell and we were really wishing we would have pressed on a little further the night before. (Although we did meet some really nice people at the pub in Kooskia, so the night wasn%26#39;t a complete write-off.)

None of these other lodging choices were ';3 star or better'; by any means, but I%26#39;m sure most of them would have been cleaner than where we slept the night before!

You may want to stop and soak for a couple of hours at the Lolo Hot Springs, which are between Kooskia and Missoula, in Montana. We really enjoyed that. From what I%26#39;ve been told, the lodging choices at the hot springs are not good and from what I saw, I%26#39;d have to agree. We spent a couple of hours at the hot springs and then had lunch there before pressing on to Missoula, and it was a great break.

Lochsa Lodge (which is approximately 80 miles east of Kooskia) is a nice place to stay. Make sure to get a cabin with a bathroom, as there are some that are ';rustic'; and you must share a communal bathroom that is located about 50 meters from your cabin.

ROW Adventures has River Dance Lodge approximately 20 miles east of Kooskia (http://www.riverdancelodge.com) and they have nice new cabins.

10 miles west of Kooskia is the Hearthstone Lodge Bed %26amp; Breakfast which is quite quaint.

Orofino has a new Best Western Chain hotel on the river. (This is 21 miles west of Kooskia).

Lewiston/Clarkston has many chain hotels such as the Red Lion, Holiday Inn Express, Inn America, etc. The Quality Inn in Clarkston though is a very nice place to stay and it is located next to the River (only issue is that the Lewis-Clark Valley often smells foul due to Potlatch Corporation%26#39;s Pulp %26amp; Paper mill - I know this because I live here.)

West of Lewiston, approximately 100 miles is Walla Walla (about a 2hour drive), which has become the second Napa Valley in the United States. Some quality award winning wines have been produced here and if you are a wine afficianado, you may think about spending a day or two here. The Marcus Whitman hotel is wonderful and their restaurant, The Mark, serves a good meal. (www.marcuswhitmanhotel.com).

I drive from Lewiston to Missoula quite often and it takes 4-5hours if you are not making many stops (it is 215 miles) but you will want to make several stops as this is a very beautiful drive! As someone else stated, the road is winding and there are many trucks on this road. Also beware of the bicyclists, as many ride the road in the summer. I hope this helps you and if you need information for further west, I can try and help.

Thanks to everyone who has responded to my original message. You have given me a lot of very useful information and I am sure it will help me enjoy the trip even more this summer.

this is the first timei have used Trip Advisor Forums,and it certainly won%26#39;t be the last.

thanks again

Bobbio