Montana road trip

Chuckanut

Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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Aug 5, 2011
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West of the Mississippi
I’ve driven through Montana many times. This year i want to go to Montana and stay there for a week or two. Other than Glacier NP for which I already have booked a three day stay, what other natural and historical sites can people recommend. I no longer bolder hop to the top of mountains, so hiking trails need to be fairly flat or gently sloped without a lot of obstacle to scurry over. And I don’t do snow. Recommendations appreciated.
 
We really enjoyed Missoula and a river day cruise in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness near Helena.
 
The Flathead lake area is nice. Some boating, touristy resorts, but nice.

A nice level(ish) hike in Glacier Nat'l Park is to drive (dirt road) to Bowman Lake Campground. There's a trailhead that leaves south from the parking lot - and goes up around the lake. Very few people go there. As you go about 1/2 mile east you'll see a very rustic cabin and dock on the lake edge. That's where volunteer trail maintenance crews stay during summers. Or at least used to. My dad spent a summer, during college, living / working there. He described how cold the water was (snow melt) - but it was the only way to get clean.
 
Virginia City is kind of cool/kitschy.

Butte has an interesting history and architecture. It was about the richest city in USA around 1900. And you can visit the Berkeley Pit and the headwaters of the Clark Fork River, the nations largest Superfund Site, and witness what environmental degradation really looks like.

If you’re in Glacier, Whitefish might be worth visiting. Lot of good restaurants.
 
When we went to Glacier, we stayed in Whitefish. One day we did a day trip up to Eureka, down Hwy 37, then west on Hwy 2. Just south of Hwy 2 is an old growth Cedar forest that was really cool. The hiking was easy. Along that route, you can make a stop at the following for a nice walk and great views.

Suspension Bridge (The River Wild 1994)
 
Places I have been to and enjoyed: Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Pompey's Pillar National Monument, US Rte. 212 up over the Beartooth Pass.
 
Oh man you could spend a lot of time in the west. Some great attractions mentioned so far.

Museum of the Rockies

In the Bozeman area a lot of history to see. I love the area of Paradise Valley. The west entrance to Yellowstone Park is a beautiful ride through that long valley. I hunt in that area and there is a place tourist stop and watch grizzles come out and feed in an open field hunting grub etc.

West Yellowstone is a wonderful place to visit also. I would contact Montana Tourism and they will get you info on all the things to do and see in this beautiful part of Montana. I take it all for granted and don't take in much of it. I think that is how it works when you live the life everyday see the surrounds isn't a big deal.

So much to see and have a great plan will get you the most for your time.
 
Ha ha, I believe Chuckanut lives in the West (WA)!

Montana is a huge state. We crossed it following the Missouri River in our motorhome in 2006. It was a great trip!

There was a fantastic dinosaur museum in Glendale MT near the eastern border of MT.

But that’s quite far from Glacier NP.
 
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Pompey’s Pillars national monument. Last site of original evidence of Lewis and Clark expedition. They carved their names in the sandstone
Still very legible.
Close to Billings.
 
When we went to Glacier NP we spent 10 days, including a visit to Waterton Lakes NP just over the border in Canada. It's a big park with lots to see.
+1 on Museum of the Rockies
Also enjoyed the state capital building in Helena
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Livingston is a cute little town where we stayed. From there, it is a beautiful drive south through Paradise Valley to the north entrance of Yellowstone NP in Gardiner. We also did a fun rafting trip on the Yellowstone right there in Gardiner. On an early spring visit we did the sled dog rides out of Chico Lodge which was so fun and memorable.
 
The Bear Tooth Pass outside of Red Lodge has spectacular scenery and will take you towards Yellowstone if you go far enough.
 
This past September my SO and I flew from Boston to Rapid City SD for a road trip. We picked up our rental car and had a couple of hours to kill so we visited the museum at Elllsworth AFB. The next day we visited Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, had lunch in Deadwood and then went to Devils Tower. We overnighted in Gillette WY. The next day we visited the Little Big Horn had lunch and proceeded to Cody Wyoming. Spent two nights in Cody visiting the Dug Up Gun Museum and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, dinner at the IRMA hotel, but the food was better and less expensive at a place down the road called Grannys. Next day we left Cody and drove the Chief Joseph Highway, spectacular ride, to the Beartooth Highway, again spectacular. We entered Yellowstone where we saw Moose, Antelope and hundreds of Bison in the Lamar Valley. We took in an eruption of Old Faithful and visited the Prismatic Spring. We then headed to Big Sky MT where we spent the night. The next day was a lot of driving but quite scenic to us as we headed to Salt Lake City to overnight and catch a flight home the next day. We stopped to visit the Golden Spike Historic Site on our way to SLC. 1300 miles but with 80 mph speed limits you cover a lot of ground fast. We had a wonderful time.
 
When we went to Glacier, we stayed in Whitefish. One day we did a day trip up to Eureka, down Hwy 37, then west on Hwy 2. Just south of Hwy 2 is an old growth Cedar forest that was really cool. The hiking was easy. Along that route, you can make a stop at the following for a nice walk and great views.

Suspension Bridge (The River Wild 1994)
That looks interesting and fun.
 
Oh man you could spend a lot of time in the west. Some great attractions mentioned so far.

Museum of the Rockies

In the Bozeman area a lot of history to see. I love the area of Paradise Valley. The west entrance to Yellowstone Park is a beautiful ride through that long valley. I hunt in that area and there is a place tourist stop and watch grizzles come out and feed in an open field hunting grub etc.

West Yellowstone is a wonderful place to visit also. I would contact Montana Tourism and they will get you info on all the things to do and see in this beautiful part of Montana. I take it all for granted and don't take in much of it. I think that is how it works when you live the life everyday see the surrounds isn't a big deal.

So much to see and have a great plan will get you the most for your time.
Thanks, I’ve stayed in West Yellowstone several times. Though I just used it to sleep more cheaply outside the park.
 
Waterton is great. We stayed in a hotel in the village. It was great to be able to walk every where. We also did a boat tour and a few hikes. We had a great time there. It is absolutely beautiful.
 
My brother and I wandered off I-90 at Anaconda and took highway 1 around to Georgetown Lake and down through Philipsburg. That was a quaint stop and we reminisced about our long gone brother Philip some. It rejoins I-90 and is a good little detour.
 
Thanks, but I noticed that a 4x4 is recommended for the road through that area.
That’s not really true. I suppose if you wanted to drive right up next to the pile of ringing rocks you might need 4wd. We drove to within a 1/4 mile with a 40’ motor home pulling a vehicle. It was an easy walk to the site. Good luck!
 
Just remembered another cool thing to do in Montana. Little town of Ennis, which is a reasonable drive south of Bozeman, has a popular annual half marathon that almost guarantees a PW (Personal Worst).
I've done it once and my wife has done it twice. Great fun. You have to sign up for it pretty early to get in.
Madison Half Marathon
 
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