Easy Drives, Big Fun, and Planning Tips Six Adventure Road Trips DAY HIKES, FLY-FISHING, SKIING, HISTORIC SITES, AND MUCH MORE A custom guidebook in partnership with Montana Offi ce of Tourism and Business Development and Outside Magazine Montana Contents is the perfect place for road tripping. There are 3 Glacier Country miles and miles of open roads. The landscape is stunning and varied. And its towns are welcoming 6 Roaming the National Forests and alluring, with imaginative hotels, restaurants, and breweries operated by friendly locals. 8 Montana’s Mountain Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks are Biking Paradise the crown jewels, but the Big Sky state is filled with hundreds of equally awesome playgrounds 10 in which to mountain bike, trail run, hike, raft, Gateways to Yellowstone fish, horseback ride, and learn about the region’s rich history, dating back to the days of the 14 The Beauty of Little dinosaurs. And that’s just in summer. Come Bighorn Country winter, the state turns into a wonderland. The skiing and snowboarding are world-class, and the 16 Exploring Missouri state offers up everything from snowshoeing River Country and cross-country skiing to snowmobiling and hot springs. Among Montana’s star attractions 18 Montana on Tap are ten national forests, hundreds of streams, tons of state parks, and historic monuments like 20 Adventure Base Camps Little Bighorn Battlefield and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. Whether it’s a family- 22 friendly hike or a peaceful river trip, there’s an Montana in Winter experience that will recharge your spirit around every corner in Montana. 23 Resources The backroads of central Montana beckon (this page); driving through the Bitterroot Mountains (on the cover) 2 | MONTANA Glacier National Park; Lake McDonald Glacier Country (below) Soul-stirring views and mountain playgrounds fuel this adventure across the rugged northwest corner of the state. n 2015, Glacier National Park Going-to-the-Sun Road received its 100 millionth visitor 25 This iconic road, which is open only since its establishment in 1910. during the summer, winds from one Number of I It’s still every bit as enchanting glaciers in Glacier jaw-dropping vista to another. Let now as it was back then. Hike a few miles National Park someone else do the driving so you can into the backcountry from practically take pictures by booking seats on one of any trailhead and you’ll feel like you Sun Tours’ daily interpretive bus tours. have the million-acre wilderness to yourself. The real For a stunning day hike, park at Siyeh Bend and lace exploration in these parts, however, takes place beyond your boots up for a 4.5-mile hike up to Siyeh Pass. You’ll park boundaries. be rewarded with fields of wildflowers and panoramic Road downvalley views. Trip Columbia Falls to Two Medicine Lake Whitefish The Middle Fork of the Flathead River This resort city is a hub for recreation, with a seven- marks the southwestern boundary of the mile-long glacial lake, the ever-expanding Whitefish 1 park. With the Great Bear Wilderness on TOTAL the other side, paddlers can raft Class II–III DISTANCE 451 miles whitewater. Glacier Guides, in West Glacier, TOTAL offers half- or full-day trips. One of the DAYS best ways to access the park is the Two 7-9 Medicine entrance, a short nine-mile drive that ends at Two Medicine Lake, where the water is so clear that on some days the surface provides an exact simile of 9,513-foot Rising Wolf and 8,271-foot Sinopah Mountains. EAT & STAY: Two Medicine Grill features locally raised beef and makes a mean huckleberry pie. With amazing views, cascading waterfalls, and access to lots of hiking trails, Two Medicine Campground is one of the most spectacular sites in the park. Find more at VISITMT.COM MONTANA | 3 1117_Montana_booklet_final.indd 3 3/21/18 4:03 PM Whitefi sh Mountain trail runner; Polebridge Mercantile (left) Trail, and EAT & STAY: Café Jax serves up soups, salads, juicy burgers, Whitefish and classic old-fashioned malts. Crystal’s Grave Creek Cabins Mountain Resort are brand-new and sit eight miles south of Eureka in the heart overlooking of the Kootenai National Forest. it all. Hike Danny On National Recreation Trail to the 6,817-foot Libby summit of the resort, or rent a mountain bike at Village For a sense of just how pristine the wilderness around Equipment Rentals and explore the town’s incredibly Libby is: The Revenant and The River Wild were both well-maintained network of multi-use trails. At filmed in Kootenai County. North of Libby, check Whitefish City Beach, rent a SUP or kayak at Paddlefish out Kootenai Falls, which crashes more than 90 feet Sports. Back in town, treat yourself to an ice cream cone over the course of a mile. Hike across the swinging at Sweet Peaks Ice Cream and then take a leisurely stroll Kootenai Bridge and continue on Trail #218 up high along the Whitefish River at nearby Riverside Park. cliffs overlooking the river to excellent viewpoints for bighorn sheep and peregrine falcons. EAT & STAY: Order elk meatloaf and a glass of wine at Tupelo Grille. At Good Medicine Lodge, the breakfasts, like Montana EAT & STAY: Rosita’s has tasty homemade everything, from Morning—a trout cake topped by a poached egg—are so the chips and salsa to cheese enchiladas. Venture Inn has delicious that they win national competitions. a friendly staff and serves a complimentary continental breakfast. Eureka Six miles south of the Canadian border, Eureka sits in MADE IN MONTANA Montana Shirt Company Glacier tee the far northwest corner of Montana. With easy access What started out as a mom-and-pop Whitefi sh shop to raise to Glacier National Park and Kootenai National Forest, money for two ski-racing sons has evolved into an iconic Montana the recreation potential is endless. Stone Hill Climbing brand. Buy a Glacier tee and $1 will be donated to the Glacier National Park Conservancy for education, research, and Area has 500 routes rated 5.10 and higher and great preservation. Montanashirtco.com views to 90-mile-long Lake Koocanusa. DAY 1-2 DAY 2-3 DAY 4-5 DAY 6-7 DAY 7-8 DAY 9 Whitefi sh to Two Medicine Lake Two Medicine Lake to St. Mary to Whitefi sh W h i t e fi s h Whitefi sh to Eureka Eureka to Kootenai Falls to Libby Libby to Kalispell to Whitefi sh THE ROUTE Eurekaka Glacier Fort Whitefi sh to Kootenai Nationalational St. Mary Belknap Park Agency Milk Essex (U.S. 93 Falls Whitefish Two C2 River Medicine to Montana 40 Clark Lake Shelby Havre Fort to U.S. 2) to Fork Kalispell Essex Malta Peck Two River Fort Medicine Lake C2 Columbia Falls E15 Benton Missouri C2 Missouri River (U.S. 2 and park Jewel Basin River Fort road) to Flathead St. Mary Lake Bigfork Judith Peck Yellowstone (park road and U.S. Flathead Landing Lake Flathead River River 2) to Whitefi sh River Great Glendive (Going-to-the-Sun Falls E90 Missoula Road to U.S. 2 White Lewistown to Montana 40) to Helena Missouri Sulphur Miles Makoshika Clark Fork Springs State Park Eureka (U.S. 93) to River River Yellowstone City Kootenai Falls (U.S. River Hamilton E94 93 to Montana Gallatin Philipsburg Butte River Yellowstone Bighorn River 37 to U.S. 2) to River Whitefi sh (U.S. 2 Bozeman E90 Crow Agency Ekalaka to U.S. 93). Jeerson Billings River Big Livingston Big Hole Sky Broadus GATEWAY Wisdom Madison Yellowstone Red National River River Lodge E90 Battlefield AIRPORT West Glacier Park E15 Yellowstone Gardiner Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument International Yellowstone National Airport (FCA) Park 4 | MONTANA GLACIER COUNTRY Swing bridge over the Kootenai River near Libby Find more at VISITMT.COM MONTANA | 5 Roaming the National Forests A sampler of western Montana’s most beautiful mountain playgrounds. ellowstone and Glacier National Parks are undeniably awesome, but locals know that the state’s ten national forests are just Y as much fun to explore. On this western Montana road trip, you can easily access five of them by car , with nearly endless opportunities to fly-fish, horseback ride, whitewater raft, hike, mountain bike, and possibly even surf along the way. Added bonus: The loop also passes the oldest continually operating bar in Montana (est. 1877), the National Bison Road Range, and the site of the 1877 Battle of the Trip Big Hole. Missoula Before setting out into the surrounding 2 Lolo National Forest, hike the 1.8-mile TOTAL Mount Sentinel Trail, which starts in town Farmer’s Market back in Missoula. For a trip back Forests, this former DISTANCE 393 miles and leads to the giant M overlooking the in time, drive an hour east to Garnet Ghost Town, a mining town is TOTAL University of Montana campus. Or marvel historic mining town with 30 preserved buildings. at the base of DAYS at the surfers at Brennan’s Wave, a human- Discovery, a ski area 6-8 made hydraulic on the Clark EAT & STAY: Fuel up with spicy Cajun food at with lift-accessed Fork River, which bisects the Charlie B’s & the Dinosaur Café and then kick mountain biking. city. Want to give it a whirl? Rent a board 19.39 back at the DoubleTree by Hilton Edgewater, Rock Creek, a world- and take a river surfing lesson from Total acres, in which has rooms with patios facing the Clark famous blue-ribbon Strongwater Mountain Surf Company. millions, of Fork River.