If youre lusting for more libations (and maybe something a little less fancy) check out the happy hour at The Bulldog for Huckleberry Wings and cheap beer. We were also able to see Teton and Middle Teton glaciers (ironically more glaciers than we saw at Glacier National Park). The man who was helping hopped the fence to check the farm house a little ways up. So cool! Youre welcome. At 2 hours due west on I-90, Bozeman has a college town vibe with growing art, music, and food scenes. We really appreciate it! Insider Tip: Visiting Montana in the fall is all about flexibility. One crucial part of the equation is relationship building understandably, many Tribal Nations arent exactly thrilled to work with the same Government who has spent the past several centuries destroying them. Be warnedthis trail is not for the faint of heart, but you will be rewarded with some of the best views Montana has to offer. We asked our adventurous friends Jen & Ed from Coleman Concierge, who lived in Whitefish for many years, to help us create the best itinerary for your 2 days in Whitefish! Missoula was a great place to stop on a Montana road trip because it gave us a really good sense of Montana culture while also offering the conveniences of a city (like cell service!). Neither did we but the kind owner at the fruit stand took pity on our eastern palates and let us sample huckleberry jam before we bought the pie. Theres an excellent hike that starts right at the Many Glacier Hotel: Josephine Loop is an easy/moderate 5.8 mile hike with connections to Grinnell Lake or Hidden Falls. Then we went back to the Holiday Inn where the front desk ladies were nice enough to sneak us a key card so we could use the bathroom in the middle of the night if needed. WebTrip: Big Sky (Washington, Idaho, Montana) TakeMyTrip.com The Big Sky Trip An adventure in the Pacific Northwest The Big Sky trip is a 10-night driving trip to the northwestern United States. We arrived early afternoon and checked out our trusty steed for the trip, a blue 2021 Hyundai Accent which we named Huckleberry (its bad luck not to name your car for a road trip), and we were off! The tickets were open at 8:00 that morningand were gone by 8:03. If I return to Teton in the future, I would try the more difficult Delta Lake vis Amphitheater Lake Trail. So much has been said about Yellowstone already, so Ill just share a list of attractions we visited in the park: Detour to Ashton, IdahoIt is impossible to find a campsite in Yellowstone in the summertime. We left Riggins that afternoon to make our way towards Glacier National Park. We would like to spend a few days in Seattle and Portland at the start, aswell as a lake in Montana for a few days at the end. Sightsee at Idaho's Greatest Natural Wonders Google Map katie wheeler/Flickr Well also send our favorite travel tips straight to your inbox! Dont know what a huckleberry is? Yum! Even our new downtown 3-level parking garage gets full now. We recommend staying somewhere walkable, so youll want to base yourself close to downtown on either side of the river. This is the first night of the itinerary when we went true road trip fashion and basically drove as far as we could for the day and then started looking for a place to sleep (we hadnt booked all of our other hotels well in advance, but had a general idea of where wed end up so we booked them earlier in the day. National parks are protected for their scenic, inspiration, recreational, and/or educational value. There is a Department of Indian Affairs as well as a program dedicated to growing Indian tourism (including through grants and other funding) at the state level, and efforts are being made. We were very excited to have a bear sightingfrom the safety of our car, and not on a hiking trail. But if you do have some time in town, we recommend booking a Missoula Back Alleys tour! Driving time to West Glacier: About 30 minutes. Spend your last meal saying goodbye to Montana at PLONK Wine. Bring themalongand youll be covered with detailed information, maps, and landmarks along the way. While Glacier is gorgous and amazing there are places in motana that are just as stunning. We moved along quickly because we wanted to make sure we made it out to the main road before it was completely dark. Like, more snack breaks than me, which is really saying something. We learned there used to be 7 volcanoes in the area, the last of which erupted 2,000 years ago. You can plan your Whitefish getaway in broad strokes and then fill in the details once you get there. To quote the Essential Understandings, American Indian individuals and tribes are still here with distinct and intact governments, languages, and cultures that contribute to modern Montana. The plight of American Indians is quite complex, and relations between US citizens (and the federal government) and Tribal citizens are, in a word, tense. You basically just hug them until they get used to you. Llamas take a very long time to go to the bathroom. It hits different when you are talking to a flesh-and-blood human rather than working yourself up over the contents of a Facebook comment. Although the parks had been fairly crowded this whole time (Yellowstone more so than Glacier), this is the first time it began to feel a bit too touristy. :) Purchase a step-by-step guide to this itinerary. Multiple scenic byways, some of the most picturesque mountain views in the state, and plenty of waterfront beauty makes this road trip one you'll never forget. So thanks again!! The trip begins and ends in Portland, Oregon, but spends much of the time in and around Glacier National Park in Montana. Stay: Country Motor Inn is a budget motel in town. Roadtrip Idaho Montana Wyoming US Travel. Rule of thumb: Always keep 25 yards (about 2 school buses) away from a non-aggressive animal, or 100 yards (one football field) away from large/potentially aggressive ones. So, only slightly less intimidating than the Loch Ness Monster. This road trip is focused around western Montana in Glacier Country, so we recommend booking your flights in and out of Missoula. Yellowstone travel tip: Old Faithful is, well, faithful and you can check the times it is set to go off and plan your itinerary around it. Another fantastic option we found is this cute condo, located directly in town. Here is a day by day breakdown of our recommended Montana road trip itinerary. The variation in topography that we have seen on this short trip has just been amazing! We mainly used Booking.com to book low-cost motels located on our route. Do NOT be rude to staff in our establishments or our National parks. Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. Its called Flessie, and locals say it often appears in the shape of a floating stick. So good! We even included a map to make things extra helpful. Wow I love this post and itinerary ,such lovely places. The next two stops, Snake River Overlook and Oxbow Bend, had gorgeous views of the Tetons and Snake River. Take in the views from the balcony off the spacious living room. What is the best time of year to visit Montana? We tied up our canoe on the bank and hiked halfway up to Inspiration Point, enjoying the views of the Hidden Waterfall on the way. WebThe ultimate road trip planner to help you discover extraordinary places, book hotels, and share itineraries all from the map. Do NOT dump your trash on the roadways. Huckleberry ice cream at Reeds Dairy in Idaho Falls. Ethical tourism can be a great way to support and grow Indigenous communities while educating others about their culture, but immersive, sustainable Indigenous tourism such as community homestays or community-led tours of Tribal Nations doesnt currently exist in Montana. They were also aggressively anti-mask. WebThe route to here from Bear Lake weaves along the Idaho/Wyoming border through Jackson, Wyoming, and passes west of another popular local destination, Grand Teton National Park, before ending in West Yellowstone, Montana. If youve never tried to change from a wet bathing suit into comfy driving clothes on the side of a road, well, youre missing out. Depending on when your flight arrives, you may or may not be spending the night in Missoula. After dinner but not too late, breweries and distilleries close at 8pm by Montana law head to Montgomery Distillery for an early nightcap. Salmon, two hours north of Stanley, is another small Idaho town of 3000+ residents. You can continue on from there to Lakeside, where youll find lots of food options. After leaving the caverns, we continued on from Montana to Yellowstone National Park to start our Wyoming road trip. With so many gorgeous scenic byways and charming rural towns to stop in along the way, the journey can be as much of a draw as the destinations themselves. Montana has so much to offer including its crown jewel, Glacier National Park and weve designed the perfect 10-day Montana road trip itinerary through Western Montana, complete with details to help you plan each step of your trip. The app provides route maps, difficulty levels, trail photos, user reviews, and more. During our trip, we saw everything from bears to moose, including one moose who kept trying to come uncomfortably close to us (fun fact: moose are some of the most dangerous animals in the parks give them a wide berth). sorry you had to deal with that sort of garbage at the Miracle of America Museum. Road conditions from Idaho to Montana. Our alarms jarred us awake in pitch black (which felt strange since we had woken with the sun at 5:30 on the previous mornings) with the pounding of rain on the roof of our cabin. We of course went out for some dinner and beer sampling at Tamarack Brewing before calling it a night. We recommend using Kayak to price-compare flight deals & dates before you book to save money on your flight. The state is home to federally recognized Tribal Nations, as well as many unrecognized communities (the fact that Tribes must be defined by the State or Federal government in order to exist is, in and of itself, super problematic). On that note, these past two years have been rough as far as having some pretty bad visitation experiences. How about a thank you, Hanks dad!? I guess when you live in the middle of nowhere youve got to entertain yourself somehow. A bear ready for a dip in Hells Canyon. When we arrived at the Cold Springs Winery, the owner was out fixing the pond and opened for us even though we arrived before opening. From the summer season all the way through September, Whitefish Mountain Resort (formerly known as Big Mountain) offers weather permitting outdoor adventure! After a long day of exploring, dinner at Grille 459 is exactly what you need to refuel and get ready for your trip back to the big city in the morning. This stunning park is the highlight of any Montana road trip! The Lewis and Clark Brewery had one of our favorite beers of the trip: the Halo Huckleberry Hefe. And be sure to get something comfy: this is a road trip, after all! Then it was time to set out on our whitewater rafting trip down the Salmon River. We brought a cooler from home to use during our trip and bought groceries along the away. Just when winter is over and our beautiful summer is in full swing, we dont even want to go into town for groceries or to a restaurant because they are packed. As the day went on, the skies began to clear and we were able to experience the sheer beauty of the park. WebThe route to here from Bear Lake weaves along the Idaho/Wyoming border through Jackson, Wyoming, and passes west of another popular local destination, Grand Teton National Park, before ending in West Yellowstone, Montana. Day 3: Missoula, Montana to Glacier National Park. Did you pocket some of those cheese samples for later? Domesticating a llama is not difficult or harmful to the llama. No boards for us. Or this comfortable condo in Marina Cay with a master bedroom that looks SO cosy. Dan and I get lost crossing the street so I feel we are like-minded adventurers, Hahah it does sound like we are similar travelers Depending on how much time you have, driving the PCH north starting in southern CA (only a few hours from Las Vegas) would be a fantastic road trip! WebCheck the road conditions from Idaho to Montana and plan a trip based on the weather along the way. Did we spend too much time looking at all of the amazing pieces and come home with a few prize possessions? Road Trip through Idaho to Missoula, Montana After splashing and sunning in Lava Hot Springs and leaving our comfy digs in Idaho Falls, Idaho, we headed straight up the I-15 and then I-90 into Missoula, Montana, our home for two nights and three action packed days. All National Parks utilizes the ethos of Leave No Trace. Subscribe and well send you our FREE 22-page Travel Planning Guide. Its important to be aware of your impact in Glacier, like any National Park. })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-P6R8DKB'); 3 years ago we quit our jobs, put our stuff in storage, and took off on a (disastrous) year-long honeymoon. Not an ideal situation, but you have to be flexible on a road trip! Wellwe learned from a ranger the next day that what we saw was actually a coyote. There are several historic railroad lodges located within Glacier National Park, and we had a chance to stay at a few of them during our trip. We thought we made it on time, but when we went to the rental desk, we were told it was 81 degrees outside. It was also our first adventure since Danas fun hospital visit in Ecuador so we decided a US road trip was the way to go. Road Trip through Idaho to Missoula, Montana After splashing and sunning in Lava Hot Springs and leaving our comfy digs in Idaho Falls, Idaho, we headed straight up the I-15 and then I-90 into Missoula, Montana, our home for two nights and three action packed days. We sampled some wines (he joined us because why not!?) Next was Schwabachers Landing (poor Huckleberry had to endure more rocky unpaved roads), where we walked a short way down to the river with a beautiful view of the Tetons. Its also a destination with much to offer those who stay for a People live in isolated rural areas hours away from the nearest grocery store. No Practical Wanderlust guide would be complete without a brewery recommendation, so after your pizza hit up Tamarack Brewery. With so many gorgeous scenic byways and charming rural towns to stop in along the way, the journey can be as much of a draw as the destinations themselves. You might recognize the town as the setting of A River Runs Through It (if not, be sure to watch it or read the book before your trip)! This time it was not a dog but a Black Bear that darted out in front of our car! Swan Mountain Llama Trekking makes llama dreams come true, with a farm full of friendly, well-treated llamas who basically just hang out grazing and being adorable when they arent trotting along on a hike. Your next stop on the road will explore the rich Indigenous history of Montana at The Peoples Center. Since my trip, Ive been reflecting and researching ways that I can better educate myself as well as supporting existing Indigenous activism. Book your trip no later than the 3rd week of September just to be safe, and double-check the seasonal closing dates before you book anything. Its full of racist and sexist messaging and far right propaganda. The entire state is a paradise for anyone who loves hiking, swimming, or anything outdoorsy. Running all the way from West Glacier to East Glacier, the road winds through the valleys before suddenly plunging upwards and climbing turn by turn through the mountains of Glacier National Park, with views of sweeping U-shaped valleys and aquamarine lakes around every corner. The views of the powerful waterfalls were breathtaking and a must see in this park. Everythings coming up Dana & Alicia! Also didnt mention fire season which is a big part of September, so many angry tourists who cant see a dong thing because its so smokey. Alternatively, if youll be heading back to Boise or into Wyoming from Sun Valley on your Idaho road trip itinerary, make it a point to stop by Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve for some dramatically different landscape to everything youve seen on the trip so far. Not only will you be learning about the park directly from the people who originally inhabited (and still, technically, own) it, but your tour fee will be directly supporting a Native-owned business. Once youre back in Big Fork, head to Raven for a post-hike dinner! We told all the random people we encountered back at the lodge about our experience. You will pass through St. Ignatius on your road trip so be sure to stop off and check out the new Three Chiefs Culture Centre. The museum & cultural center showcases the traditions and culture of tribes that have traditionally been passed down orally from generation to generation, as well as examples of cultural tribal artifacts from the Salish, Pend dOreille and Kootenai tribes like basket weavings, beaded vests and more. Your email address will not be published. Obviously, there are many other options at all price ranges. Alicia and I stayed the recommended 100+ yards away and watched through our binoculars. Once youve made it to the top of the mountain (however it is that you got there), stop in at the Summit House Restaurant on top of the chair lift for amazing views and a cold drink. They also detest all those who are moving here especially if youre from California but theyre happy to take your money. Day 1: Drive from San Francisco to Stanley, Idaho (~12 hours) Day 2: Stanley, Idaho Day 3: Salmon, Idaho & Missoula, Montana Day 4: Drive from Missoula to Big Sky, Montana Day 5: Big Sky, Montana & Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming Day 6: Livingston, Montana Day 7: Beartooth Highway and Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming How bout the old state prison or butte or battle of the little big horn? Minus the ostentatious Trump 2020 banners hanging on some of the houses, of course. We knew we had to be there early because they stopped renting boards when the temperature outside reaches 80 degrees. This was one of the biggest cities we had been to so far, so we had high hopes of finding a room. These three were runners so Alicia got to chatting with them and it turns out, the older women actually ran the Boston Marathon! come one and all but REMEMBER YOUR MANNERS. Hells Canyon National Recreation Area A scenic view of Hells Canyon. Its also a destination with much to offer those who stay for a Of course we had to stop and try to help said dog (whose name we learned was Hank). Trump 2020 banners hang proudly in front of houses and wave in windy fields and farmland. There are only 100 wolves in all of Yellowstone, and some people we talked to had been working at Yellowstone for years and never saw a wolf! When we got to Boise, we ate a delicious lunch at Forks and then checked into our hotel to get ready for the evening. Our main activity was a visit to the Goldbug Hot Springs in the Salmon-Challis National Forest. Of all Montana road trips, this one is perhaps the most popular (and is sometimes referred to as Glacier National Parks Road to the Sun). 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