The Best Things To Do in Montana for Locals and Tourists

Not sure what to do on your next vacation? Check out this list of the top 8 activities in Montana, USA that you won’t want to miss! From strolling around and exploring parks, all the way up through sightseeing tours and historical landmarks – we’ve got something for everyone. Get ready for an unforgettable experience!

The Best Thing To Do in Montana

Yellowstone National Park

Address: United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.8 (36004)
Phone: +1 307-344-7381
Website: Link
Opening hours:

Monday: Open 24 hours

Tuesday: Open 24 hours

Wednesday: Open 24 hours

Thursday: Open 24 hours

Friday: Open 24 hours

Saturday: Open 24 hours

Sunday: Open 24 hours

5 Replies to The Best Things To Do in Montana for Locals and Tourists

Team Ultimate Exposure William & Bug says: ✭✭✭

July 1, 2022 at 9:04 pm

So if you like wildlife then this is a great place to go. If you like to see some amazing beautiful from all the nature then again great. If you want a place for family hikes and easy walks great. But if you are looking for amazing hikes and treks they don’t have them. Well maybe they do in the north part but it was closed. Everything else was super crowded because everyone can just drive there and take a few steps. The crowds were crazy and with that they just care about themselves so they walk in front of you while taking pics cut you off and so on. Now the next day we got up and headed towards the grand canyon part of the park. Now we are there at sunrise so no one was there. We started at the lower viewing area of the falls and walked our way down to inspiration point. There is a nice and easy trail that you can walk on which was about 2 miles and it was so nice because I one else was walking. They all just drove to each point and well they missed some of the best views. Take the walk you will be happy you did. It is a must go but if you like great hiking then pic another park

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Heather Lee-Deibler says: ✭✭✭✭✭

August 19, 2022 at 2:30 pm

Very beautiful. The wildlife are use to people but keep your distance. Geysers are everywhere. We were able to go right in and find a camp site. Lots of hiking trails. You can rent a boat if don’t bring your own. Plenty of gas stations and stores with anything you could need. My favorite area is the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. I could not believe how large the Gorge is and how beautiful the waterfall is. There are many waterfalls throughout the park. I enjoyed seeing the fields of many colors with flowers and grasses.

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Sean F says: ✭✭✭✭✭

September 30, 2022 at 5:55 am

Yellowstone is amazing. Lamar valley was closed while I was there so I guess I’ll have to go back. The park has so much to offer, easy trails to advanced. The wildlife was everywhere, the scenery was spectacular. You can see mountains, valleys, plains, forests, and active geological areas that look alien. The visitor centers are worth a stop too.

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Heather Stroupe says: ✭✭✭✭

October 7, 2022 at 9:55 pm

We traveled to Old Faithful on our first day, stopping at the sights and completing one hike to a waterfall. The second day, we traveled the upper loop.

Be sure to start a smidge early and finish up before dinner. Bring twice the socks you wouldn’t normally bring to change out of them once you’re done hiking. If you are not from a higher elevation, have a can of oxygen on hand — altitude sickness can hit after a couple of days, and even the town outside the park are at 6500+ ft.

There is generally no cell service. Download a map and music for your driving. Plan to extend any drive you take due to slower traffic or animals in the road.

Overall, it wasn’t too crowded the first week of October. It was much cooler in the mornings and evenings, warranting a jacket, but midday allowed for just long sleeved shirts.

Many hikes are quite steep and not looped, so you’ll need to climb back up from most of the trails you climb down.

Gas is outrageously priced both in the park and in the side towns.

Most of the geyser areas smell of strong sulfur.

Beautiful sights! Saw bison, elk, a coyote, ravens, and chipmunks.

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kelly pearson says: ✭✭✭✭✭

December 9, 2022 at 7:25 am

There is nothing I can say except, beautiful, awe inspiring, awesome like no other park I’ve visited before with rivers, mountains, valleys, forest, swamps, marshes, Geysers, and a canyon. It’s a big park please take your time to see it all. It will take a week to see this whole area on the tourist side of the park. The thing is you could spend a lot longer like weeks going around to all the different areas of the park. I know we spent over a week, and I still didn’t see everything I wanted to see. The views are something everyone should see for themselves. Make sure you can hike as there are a lot of things you have to park and hike to see like geysers. The rangers do a good job of keeping you away from the animals that get too close to the road or camp ground areas. Just remember, this is their home, and we are just visiting. You still have to be alert for dangers. Your phone will only work around the village areas and hotels in the park. You can get an app that will trigger as you driver around the park that has a commentator telling you about points of interest in the park. It’s well worth the money on that note. Hope to go back again sometime.

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Top 8 Things To Do Montana, USA

Glacier National Park

Address: Montana, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.8 (15271)
Phone: +1 406-888-7800
Website: Link
Reviews:

What a majestic place!
We spent 7 days in this wonderful national park and we enjoyed every single minute. Going to the sun road is amazing and very reminiscent of Switzerland. The campgrounds are full in August and make sure you reserve you camping spot several months before your trip. I saw multiple cars driving around looking for a camping spot with no luck. If you love hiking, Highline trail is beautiful for sight seeing and observing the wild animals. The hike can take 10-12 hrs depending on how fast you are and on the hike conditions. We did in August and some spots had snow on the ground due to recent snow storm. Also, you can park the car at the end of the trail and take the shuttle to Logan pass and start the hike there. Make sure you check the shuttle hours since they vary. In addition, keep in mind that going to the sun road is closed from September til early June. My favorite part of the park is the Many Glacier side and we stayed at the Swiss Lodge which is worth to stay at least one night if they have availability. There is another gorgeous hike from many lake to the glacier but you need to take the boat pass or wake up earlier and hike two lake before you get to real hike.

✭✭✭✭✭ By AB T (a year ago)

The 15,000+ reviews speak for themselves. You want to experience this gem of a National park while the glaciers are still here.

Notice that all negative reviews are from visitors who have not spent a minute researching the proper procedure of entering. We have made several cross-country road trips and have entered and exited the park many times without ever having a problem. The National Park Entrance is open 24 hours, all year round, and will give you access to the Going-To-The-Sun Road from the west side. This is one of the most epic routes in the country, so you don’t want to miss this! HOWEVER, you need to book an online reservation to get in, and the slots are open from May 27 to September 11, 2022. This is a simple procedure that is done online. Do this, and you won’t have a problem entering.

The entrance fee is about $35, but we recommend the annual National Park Pass, which is $80, because you can enter unlimited and visit all National Parks. Both are very fair prices for such a unique experience and important place for our environment.

Also, bring water, food/snacks and a sun hat. You can easily forget time and wander the entire day.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Chris J (9 months ago)

Wow. Truly breathtaking. My absolutely most favorite park, ever. There are not enough pictures that could describe the beauty this park holds and is. There are so many waterfalls, hiking trails, and gorgeous scenery, that you can spend a week here easily. The west side of the park looks like the pictures, and the east is a bit more dry, but still gorgeous. Very highly recommend. If you don’t want to pay the park fees, you can enter before and after hours as well! (Check their website if they are still doing this) At the top, there is a very popular trail, but the parking lot is very full quickly, so be prepared to go very early or after hours if you want yo get a good parking spot. They do not allow dogs on trails though, so keep that in mind if you travel with yours. Overall amazing park and experience.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Julia Riley, Your Idaho Treasure Valley Realtor (a year ago)

We had a very beautiful time visiting in March. We did hikes over 2 days and were able to experience a lot of what was open this time of year. There are about 10 miles of going to the sun road which still provide incredible views. Hikes were good, not terribly busy this time of year. Lots of wildlife. Trails were pretty well marked and things were all in good condition.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Paul and Lillian Bruns (10 months ago)

I have been all over most of the United States and lived in five different states. I have never seen a place as beautiful as Glacier National Park! It has the most stunning views! Crystal clear mountain lakes. Unbelievable waterfalls and streams. So much natural beauty and history. It is utterly amazing to see in person. There is so much to see and do it would take a week to see it all. I came in west Glacier and went out the east side. It was such an amazing drive through the park. A true national treasure!

✭✭✭✭✭ By Ben Moore (3 months ago)

Big Sky Resort

Address: 50 Big Sky Resort Rd, Big Sky, MT 59716, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.6 (3341)
Phone: +1 800-548-4486
Website: Link
Reviews:

Great resort. Lots of run options, large ski lifts with bubbles to protect you from the weather. Lines are short due to large and fast lifts. The staff is fantastic. The map shows lots of beginner hills. Brought my boys who are beginners and I think they are overly optimistic as many of the beginner slops are more advanced. Great place for experienced skiers not as great if you are a beginner.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Dale Wills (a week ago)

Our two night stay at the Big Sky Resort was the ideal location for the start of our Montana/Wyoming vacation. The staff is excellent: friendly, professional – glad we were there. Plenty of activities for the ‘summer’ crowd, biking, lift rides, nearby horse riding, whitewater rafting and trout fishing. The rooms were large and well kept. Breakfast, in the Chet, was a full menu, delicious and complementary. The location is only getting better with their new initiatives in place to be completed by 2025. I highly recommend it.

✭✭✭✭✭ By Mark Renier (6 months ago)

I booked the condo my friends own in Village Center for the week. The condo itself was very nice and clean, and the front desk staff members were friendly during my few interactions with them.

The relatively few on-resort dining establishments that were open were somewhat often closed during their posted business hours, leaving us to eat something we didn’t want or go off-resort.

The check-in process was confusing, and involved going to a different building than where we were staying, only to have someone escort us to another parking lot after quite a wait and get us checked in at the building where we were staying. I’d rather have been able to go to our parking area directly.

I was to park in the owners’ lot per my friends, but it was closed for an event the weekend we arrived. It was open after that for parking, but we were never given the code we asked for to access it, and had to park farther away during our time here. It was no dealbreaker, but for what it costs to own a condo here, I’d think the owners’ lot should always be available for them and their guests to use.

The hiking/biking trails and the disc golf courses are excellent. The hiking and biking trails are fantastic. The resort itself is in a beautiful location. It’s an outstanding place to get away and recharge.

Overall, the stay was very enjoyable, and the minor annoyances were acceptable considering the rates available at the time I booked. For people paying the current asking prices to stay here, the resort should do better.

✭✭✭✭ By Ed Wilson (5 months ago)

Beautiful scenic tram rides, views, hiking and mountain bike trails. Went with my husband and friends but would definitely come back with our kids. Saw many families out enjoying the outdoors; love to see it. Ample free parking. Don’t forget your sunscreen and sunglasses!

✭✭✭✭✭ By Bunny Hert (4 months ago)

We stayed at Huntley Lodge a few weeks ago, which is a property owned by Big Sky Resort. We paid almost $500 for one room for one night. We reserved one of their renovated rooms. I’ll start by saying that the staff were very friendly, but the room was really dirty. There were splashes all over the mirrors in the bathroom and in the living area, trash and dirty tissues under the bed, the carpet clearly had not been vacuumed (little bits all over it), the second full size bed (they are NOT queen size beds) was very untidy as if it hadn’t been touched at all, the side tables had liquid drip marks running down them (see photos). I called the front desk and told them that the room needed to be cleaned again and noted the issues. When we returned to the room that had been cleaned for the second time, the trash was still under the bed and mirrors still dirty. The only thing they did was vacuum and straighten up the messy bed. By the time we arrived back at the room, it was too late to ask and wait to give them a 3rd try at cleaning. We just had to hope that the sheets of the bed we slept in had been changed. It was one of the dirtiest hotel rooms I have ever walked into. The following night, we stayed at a Hampton Inn for only $230 and that room was immaculately clean. This resort needs to get it together when it comes to cleanliness.

✭ By Kris (5 months ago)

Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park

Address: 25 Lewis & Clark Caverns Road, Whitehall, MT 59759, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.7 (1676)

Pictograph Cave State Park

Address: 3401 Coburn Rd, Billings, MT 59101, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.4 (882)

Garnet Ghost Town

Address: Drummond, MT 59832, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.7 (832)

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

Address: Fort Smith, MT 59035, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.7 (664)

Showdown Montana

Address: 2850 US-89, Neihart, MT 59465, United States
Map: Click here
Rating: 4.8 (391)

That’s it for our list of the best things to do in Montana! If you have any arguments or additional information, please leave a comment. We love to hear from our readers too!