Montana looks so beautiful in your pictures! Your next destination is Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater natural lake west of the Mississippi! So yeah, enjoy your visit. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, on the other hand, is just as impressive and a true hidden gem. We do have a Yellowstone in winter post, the activities are wintery but of course some can be adapted for all seasons! Drop us a comment below! 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. And be sure to get something comfy: this is a road trip, after all! The town is a gateway to Yellowstone National Park. Or, you can charter a boat shuttle. If you choose to take on the task, make sure to bring sunblock, plenty of water, and snacks to fuel you along the way. WebDay 14 Day at Flathead Lake, MT. Eat: Tru North Cafe, owned by a recent Los Angeles transplant who came to Livingston on vacation and accidentally bought a coffee shop, serves a mindblowing Maple Mountain Cloud latte and blueberry jam breakfast sandwich. Depending on when your flight arrives, you may or may not be spending the night in Missoula. Another fantastic option we found is this cute condo, located directly in town. Every few feet, Boxcar would find an exciting looking leaf to munch on, which gave me a chance to catch my breath and earn brownie points for letting him snack. The artichoke spinach dip and conversation with local patrons were to die for.Ponderosa Pies is a food truck in Salmon that I wish we tried (they were sold out when we went). After our bellies were full, we swung back by the airport to pick up Alicias bag and started our Idaho road trip north towards Riggins. Eat: We ate at Last Chance Pizza & Pasta in town. 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. Until next time. The trip begins and ends in Portland, Oregon, but spends much of the time in and around Glacier National Park in Montana. A bison at the National Bison Range in Charlo, Montana. Im planning a roadtrip through Montana and Wyoming (yanno, as soon as its safe and whatnot), so I loved how in-depth your details were! Moon Travel Guides has a comprehensive guide to Glacier National Park, plus a Moon Yellowstone to Glacier National Park Road Trip guide. I appreciate that you wrote about ethical tourism and what can be done to improve our relations with tribal nations and with the natural environment and places they call home. Huckleberries are a Montana Thing, and youll want to make it a point to eat them in as many different forms as you can while youre in Montana! A bear ready for a dip in Hells Canyon. The Island is actually a state park, and home to several wild horses plus bighorn sheep, mule deer, songbirds, waterfowl, bald eagles, and falcons. Then it was time to set out on our whitewater rafting trip down the Salmon River. Read more Access exclusive video content, free resources, and more! With that being said, it was going to be an early night with our alarms set for 4 in the morning. The roads dont support the influx of travellers, there have been over 2 hour traffic jams on the 2 lane road that runs through town. We headed back to our lodge where we (annoyingly) had to change rooms, since there were no rooms available 2 nights in a row. For dinner, dont miss out on the best food deal in Montana: the small plate menu at the Kandahar Lodges Snug Bar. We figured, worst-case scenario, we would be paying double what we had been paying alreadybut worth it for a little bit more flexibility during the day. Though in true Dana fashion (and much to Alicias dismay), the owner's dogs, who live on the property, somehow found their way into our room. My partner and I went there today and we felt extremely uncomfortable and upset. The guide includes everything from the hacks we use to save money on travel to printable packing lists. Roadtrip Idaho Montana Wyoming US Travel. Yes! You can rent one from somebody who does on RVShare! Here are a few highlights: Sawtooth Lake (10 miles RT, moderate rating) Pettit Lake to Twin Lakes (13 miles RT, moderate rating) Bench Lakes (7.8 miles RT, moderate rating) Alpine Lake Trail (7.4 miles RT, moderate rating) You can find tons of other hikes on AllTrails. We also love their biscuits and gravy, and the giant, gooey cinnamon rolls. As a western montanan I dont agree with this road trip. Both boat shuttles are operated by the family-run Glacier Park Boat Company and operate from June through September. Day 3-4 of your Montana Road Trip: Bozeman. How can you support Montanas Indigenous communities & Tribal Nations? The simplest answer I can give you is to seek out Native-owned businesses. (Note: if you have any suggestions for resources not included here, or ways I can better present this information, please drop us a comment and let us know!). Sightsee at Idaho's Greatest Natural Wonders Google Map katie wheeler/Flickr We took a rather long detour on our stop to Glacier National Park at the National Bison Range in Charlo, Montana. The venue is an experience in itself, with wild game taxidermy lining the walls, a sturdy wooden bar, and a vintage piano in the corner. The colorful and unique rocks at Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park. While Glacier is gorgous and amazing there are places in motana that are just as stunning. new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], The app provides route maps, difficulty levels, trail photos, user reviews, and more. Your 2nd tour option is a historical icon of Glacier National Park: the Red Buses were the first-ever motorized tour buses in a US National Park, and they have been operating since the early 1900s! We also love that Pine Lodge is eco-friendly with many sustainability initiatives in place, and offer guests complimentary bike, kayak, or SUP rentals! We had no cell service, and there was no one around. Montana Road Trip Itinerary Summary & Map, Moon Yellowstone to Glacier National Park Road Trip, program dedicated to growing Indian tourism, Montana Indians: Their History and Location, great things to do in Whitefish for every season, efforts that are being made by the National Park Service, Where to Stay Near Yosemite National Park, 9 Awe-Inspiring Things To Do in Zion National Park, Utah: The Ultimate Guide to Zion, https://practicalwanderlust.com/yellowstone-in-winter/, https://practicalwanderlust.com/pacific-coast-highway-road-trip-itinerary/, Santa Cruz Galapagos Island Guide: What to Do, Where to Eat, & Where to Stay on Santa Cruz, Ski Trip Packing List: 32 Essentials to Pack for the Snow, Traveling with curly hair: the low maintenance guide to amazing curls abroad, Where to Stay in Barcelona (& Where NOT to), Its important to note that the south side of the lake belongs to the Flathead Reservation, home of the Salish, Pend dOreille and Kootenai Tribes. We were stocked up with essential items (PB&J fixings, fruit & snacks, water, bug spray, and most importantly, bear spray). 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. Never heard of it? I took my trip in later September, and while the leaves were beginning to turn into lovely golden colors, nearly everything in the park was shutting down, including many of the highlights of this itinerary! 6. After Salmon, we drove to Missoula, a funky college town of 75,000 that we loved. The springs, located at the top of a mountain, are reachable via a relatively short but steep hike. Wellwe learned from a ranger the next day that what we saw was actually a coyote. Take in the views from the balcony off the spacious living room. If we had booked months in advance, Im sure we would have saved money but we would have lost out on the flexibility that makes road trips such fun adventures. Thanks to stuff like this, we have been found out, and our quiet lives have been forever disrupted. Montana is stunning and, of course, wed love to visit Glacier National Park. And in the second installation of whats the difference between we learned: Whats the difference between a farm and a ranch?. We spent the morning exploring the different geyser basins throughout Yellowstone. (note from Alicia: Who in 2021 locks a car from the door and not from the keys!?). This part of the country is famously beautiful, characterized by lush green alpine landscapes and snow-capped peaks, winding rivers, and countless small towns dripping with old western charm. The highlight of our Livingston visit was Pine Creek Lake, a 12-mile out-and-back trail to not one, not two, but three alpine lakes (AllTrails says this trail is nine miles, but dont believe it). document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hey, we are Dottie & Lenza, bloggers and video creators. ), and it was Danas job to book us tickets to Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park (they were limiting the number of cars in a day due to the amount of post-Covid 19 travelers to the national parks). 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. It is a beautiful, scenic spot. From the Sun Tours website: our Guides are life-time residents of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and possess extensive knowledge in many facets of Tribal History, culture, and lifestyle. This was probably my personal highlight of my entire Montana road trip! Day 5: Glacier National Park to Helena, Montana. This was one of the biggest cities we had been to so far, so we had high hopes of finding a room. First up on your clockwise drive around the lake is the town of Polson, the largest town on Flathead Lake. A 12-Day Road Trip Itinerary for Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas Before we dive in here, it's important to note that this itinerary does include traversing through or near some Indigenous lands, mostly belonging to Did we spend too much time looking at all of the amazing pieces and come home with a few prize possessions? Here you go! We also learned quickly that the beautiful scenic views came with a lack of cell service so for anyone planning this drive, download a couple playlists and pick up a paper map in advance. You can plan your Whitefish getaway in broad strokes and then fill in the details once you get there. The cabin we stayed in was adorable. Crown jewel of Montana. For breakfast and coffee, head to Swift Creek Cafe. Ive made the common road trip mistake of trying to pack too many stops into a short time period. Photo Credit; Idaho Tourism. '&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= Alicia went for a run this morning on the beautiful Milwaukee Path along the river (Alicia loves to run on vacation! Check out some of our other posts! In Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, sunsets are well after 9 pm each day. 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. Weve got an itinerary for the California bit of it to help you plan: https://practicalwanderlust.com/pacific-coast-highway-road-trip-itinerary/. And when thousands of people converge on a small number of specific wilderness locations, those locations are negatively impacted and at risk of being harmed, destroyed, and blocked off to visitors entirely. 1. Youre gonna wish you had, because Montana actually has a burgeoning wine scene. 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 and we had a shared campsite bathroom (which was actually quite clean and close to us). (The verdict is still out on whether they are actually their own type of berry, or just wild blueberries, but dont tell a local that.). It may not have happened exactly how we planned, butit all came up Dana & Alicia in the end! 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