Montana Travel Guide
It’s called the Treasure State for a Reason…
Montana is one of the most beautiful states in the US, known as the Treasure State, as it offers an array of natural wonders. The nickname traces back to the state’s wealth of minerals and the gold rush era, where you’ll find many ghost towns to this day.
Although, we’d say that the treasures of the state are within its national parks. The crown jewel is Glacier National Park along with portions of Yellowstone National Park.
Glacier National Park offers one of the last places in the continental United States to witness the disappearing glaciers, pristine lakes, incredible wildlife, and traversing along the Continental Divide on the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
The first national park in the United States, Yellowstone National Park is partially in Montana with access points from Gardiner and West Yellowstone. The geysers, hot springs, and wildlife here feels otherworldly.
There’s more than just the national parks though. The Rocky Mountains are visible in the central and west portions of the state.
Big Sky and Whitefish offers world-class ski resorts and incredible ranch and cabin getaways. Billings, Helena, Bozeman, Butte, and Missoula offer great city centers full of historic sites and landmarks.
Historic routes like The Lewis and Clark Trail cuts through the state, and while Montana is certainly famous for its mountains, the state also has the Great Plains.
Quick Tips for Visiting Montana
When is the best time to visit Montana?
The best time to visit Montana is during the summer (June to August) along with late spring (May) and early fall (September).
In summer, Montana’s weather is typically warm and sunny, without getting too hot especially around the mountains.
This is the most popular time of year to visit Glacier National Park as one of the main sites, Going-to-the-Sun Road typically fully opens by early July through mid-October. Each year this varies though as its all dependent on the weather.
That being said, visiting Glacier National Park on the shoulder season is best as it has fewer crowds and less competition for the vehicle registration to access the park.
Early fall is another excellent time, with mild temperatures and fewer crowds, making it perfect for enjoying outdoor activities while taking in the stunning fall foliage across the Rocky Mountains and Bitterroot Valley.
Spring (April to May) brings a mix of mild days and cooler nights, with landscapes bursting into bloom. However, some high-altitude areas and park roads may still be inaccessible due to lingering snow. Although we’d argue mid to late May is a sweet spot for enjoying places before the summer crowds!
Winter (December to February) transforms Montana into a snowy paradise, ideal for skiing and snowboarding in resorts like Big Sky and Whitefish.
Depending on what activities you’re trying to do really determine the best time of year to visit.
How Much Time Do I need in Montana?
To explore Montana thoroughly, given its vast size and destinations to visit, you need to plan for at least 7-10 days.
If you’re focusing on major attractions such as Glacier National Park or Yellowstone National Park, you can enjoy the main highlights in a long weekend of 3 to 4 days per park.
To fully experience the state of Montana’s charming small towns, prairies, and stunning mountain ranges, you’ll need at least a week. This timeframe allows you to visit multiple regions like Flathead Lake, the Beartooth Highway, and cities like Missoula or Kalispell.
For an in-depth experience of Glacier National Park, plan for 4-5 days, and for Yellowstone National Park, a minimum of 3-4 days is ideal.
What is Montana most famous for?
Montana is best known for its breathtaking and great outdoors from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Plains and its national parks, Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park.
Big Sky Country also offers outdoor activities from Flathead Lake to its famous ski resorts.
As the “Treasure State,” Montana has a rich history of gold and silver mining.
You’ll find charming and historic towns, city centers, and big ranching areas and the cowboy culture of the West.
Any Must-Try Food in Montana?
The state is famous for its bison and elk meat, often served in burgers, steaks, and sausages. These meats are prized for their lean, rich flavor.
Another local specialty would be the trout, specifically rainbow trout caught from local rivers and lakes. The fishing season is typically late spring through early fall and its often served grilled or pan fried.
In the summer it’s huckleberry season! You’ll find all types of delicious huckleberry foods to try from pies, jams, and even used in recipes like cocktails!
One we haven’t tried but have only heard about are called Rocky Mountain oysters, which are deep-fried bull testes.
With a prominence in ranching, expect Montana to be a great state to splurge at a nice steakhouse.
What’s the best way to get around Montana?
The best way to get around Montana is by car, hands down. The state is large and things are spread out. The only way to cover the Treasure State is really done independently by car.
You’ll also want and need a car to get around the national parks.
Driving Going-to-the-Sun Road is not for the faint of heart though. If you want to just enjoy the views, join a Red Bus tour with a park ranger at Glacier National Park so you can sit back and enjoy the views instead of white-knuckling the steering wheel not getting to relax and enjoy the views.
Explore our guides
Road Tripping Montana
Montana is one of the most beautiful destinations to road trip. We’ve done it a few times with one of our most memorable trips being one centered around visiting both Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park.
Spoiler alert, there are some awesome stops along the way too!
There are several other areas in the state you could build a custom road trip itinerary around. Our return visit to Montana, we did a week long road trip focusing solely around Glacier National Park and could have easily spent more time here too.
There are so many options, it’s best to determine your top two destinations you want to visit and how much time you need to spend there then filling in the rest. The whole state is truly full of treasures and you’ll likely want to come back again.
Glacier National Park
It’s hard to choose a favorite national park when we haven’t been to them all yet, but I think it’s safe to say that Glacier National Park is in our top 3. From glaciers, pristine lakes, the mountains, views, and historic lodges – it just doesn’t get much more magical in the outdoors than it does at Glacier National Park.
A few things to keep in mind, is that Glacier National Park is packed in the summer months when Going-to-the-Sun Road is fully open. That’s why we’ve planned both of our visits around the shoulder season.
No, we haven’t been on the whole Going-to-the-Sun Road, but we’ve done portions of it and even got to enjoy it late spring by e-bike without any cars on the road – which is a special experience too!
Going on the shoulder season may even mean that the Going-to-the-Sun Road is open, if you get lucky as the dates that its open (when the snow is completely cleared) vary from season to season.
We also update our guides every season for Glacier National Park to give you updated information on what you need to know to obtain a vehicle registration pass to enter the park including when you need it, how to get it, and how to access the park if you don’t get one (yes, there are a few tricks and tips you can enjoy even in the middle of peak season!).
This park is truly one of a kind and holds a special place in our hearts, so we hope you enjoy our Glacier National Park guides!
Featured Destinations
There are so many epic places to visit in Montana that we’ve been to (and we still need to go back and check off a few more places on our radar!).
From the cities to the mountains and prairies – there’s so much this state has to offer! A few of our favorite spots include the town of Livingston, Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, staying in old trains turned into mini apartments at Izaak Walton Inn near Glacier National Park, and staying in grain bins transformed into hotels near Kalispell at Clark Farm Silos.
There are so many incredible experiences in Montana, you really can’t go wrong!
