Things to Do in Montana
Ten stops running from a road that climbs straight over the Continental Divide to a ghost town that never bothered emptying out its original buildings.
Montana earns its Big Sky nickname properly, glaciers, ghost towns, and a battlefield that still draws serious historical debate over a century and a half later. Ten stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site if you fancy testing what stuck.
Glacier National Park & Going-to-the-Sun Road
One of the most dramatic mountain landscapes in the country, over 700 miles of hiking trails and a shrinking but still-present collection of actual glaciers that give the park its name. Going-to-the-Sun Road, a 50-mile engineering achievement that climbs directly over Logan Pass, remains open only a few months each year, snow clearing typically finishes by late June.
Vehicle reservations are required for the most popular sections during peak season, book well ahead, this park's summer visitor numbers have grown considerably in recent years.
Best time Mid-June through September for full road access
Address Glacier National Park, MT
Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman
Home to one of the largest dinosaur fossil collections in the country, including real T. rex specimens and an extensive collection of dinosaur eggs, the museum's paleontology programme has driven several significant fossil discoveries across Montana over the decades. The adjacent Living History Farm recreates an 1890s Montana homestead, a proper hands-on counterpoint to the fossil exhibits.
A planetarium runs daily shows covering both astronomy and, occasionally, Montana's own night sky specifically, check the current schedule if that interests you alongside the dinosaurs.
Hours Daily, roughly 9am-5pm, hours vary seasonally
Address 600 W Kagy Blvd, Bozeman, MT
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
The site of the 1876 battle where combined Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho forces defeated Lieutenant Colonel George Custer's forces, a significant Native American victory that remains widely studied and debated by historians well over a century later. The site includes memorials to both sides of the conflict, a considerably more balanced presentation than earlier versions of the memorial once offered.
This runs as a properly significant, sobering stop, allow real time to walk the battlefield itself rather than only viewing it from the visitor centre.
Hours Daily, roughly 8am-6pm, hours vary seasonally
Address Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Crow Agency, MT
The Beartooth Highway
A 68-mile scenic byway connecting Montana to Yellowstone's northeast entrance, climbing to nearly 11,000 feet at its highest point, considerably higher and more dramatic than most visitors expect from a road that isn't inside a national park itself. Alpine lakes and glacial cirques line much of the route, several pullouts offering sweeping views that reward the stop.
This road closes entirely through winter, typically open only late May through mid-October, check current conditions before planning a route around it.
Best time Late June-early September for the fullest access
Address US Route 212, Beartooth Highway, MT
Montana Fly Fishing
Montana's rivers, the Yellowstone, the Madison, and the Gallatin among them, rank consistently among the best trout fishing anywhere in the country, a proper draw for serious anglers well beyond the state's borders. Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It, set on the Blackfoot River, helped cement the state's reputation as something of a spiritual home for fly fishing as a whole practice.
Guided trips run throughout the main season for anyone new to the sport, hire a local guide specifically given how much river-specific knowledge affects a successful day out.
Best time June-September for the fullest access and best conditions
Address Rivers statewide, particularly around Missoula and Bozeman
Virginia City's Ghost Town
A former gold mining boomtown that sprang up almost overnight following an 1863 gold strike, and largely emptied out just as quickly once the easy gold ran dry, leaving much of the original 1860s townscape remarkably intact. Several buildings still operate as they did historically, a working blacksmith shop and a period-accurate general store among them, staffed seasonally by costumed interpreters.
This runs considerably less polished than a purpose-built recreation, appreciate the real wear and age on most of the original structures rather than expecting a pristine, restored appearance.
Best time May-September, when most buildings are staffed and open
Address Virginia City, MT
C.M. Russell Museum, Great Falls
Dedicated to Charles M. Russell, one of the most significant painters of the American West, who worked as an actual cowboy before turning to art, giving his work a level of practical, lived-in authenticity that distinguishes it from other Western art of the period. The museum holds the largest collection of his work anywhere, alongside his preserved original studio and log cabin home.
This runs well for anyone with even a passing interest in Western art or frontier history, allow a couple of hours to properly cover both the gallery and the preserved studio.
Hours Daily, roughly 10am-5pm, hours vary seasonally
Address 400 13th St N, Great Falls, MT
Montana Huckleberries
Huckleberries grow wild throughout Montana's mountain forests, considerably more tart than a blueberry and impossible to farm commercially at scale, keeping them a proper, foraged regional speciality rather than something available year-round. Local shops throughout the western half of the state sell huckleberry jam, syrup, and ice cream through the short August harvest window.
Foraging your own is possible on public land, though the specific patches locals favour tend to stay closely guarded information, buying from a local shop is the more reliable route if time's limited.
Best time Late July-August for the harvest season
Address Western Montana, widely available
Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, West Yellowstone
A wildlife sanctuary housing grizzly bears and wolves that couldn't be safely released back into the wild, typically due to prior conflicts with humans, giving visitors a properly close, safe look at animals that remain properly difficult to spot reliably in Yellowstone itself. Educational programmes run throughout the day, covering both species' behaviour and the wider conservation challenges each faces.
This works particularly well for kids, the close viewing distances and regular feeding demonstrations hold attention considerably longer than a typical wildlife park.
Hours Daily, roughly 9am-5pm, hours vary seasonally
Address 201 S Canyon St, West Yellowstone, MT
Flathead Lake
The largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States, glacially formed and surrounded by cherry orchards that benefit from the same lake-moderated climate found in similar fruit-growing regions elsewhere. The lake's water runs properly cold even in midsummer, worth knowing that before jumping in expecting a warm swim.
Roadside cherry stands line much of the eastern shore through the short July harvest season, a proper, easy stop if you're driving the lake's perimeter during the right window.
Best time July for cherry season; summer for boating
Address Flathead Lake, MT
Best time to visit Montana
June through September covers the most comfortable window for the majority of this list, mountain roads and trails all run at their fullest access during these months.
Winter narrows things considerably outside of a handful of ski resorts, most of the stops on this list work best in the warmer months given how many involve mountain roads that close entirely with snow.
Getting around Montana
A car is essential, the distances between Glacier, Bozeman, and the eastern battlefield sites run into several hours each, this is a state best covered with your own transport.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Montana worth visiting beyond Yellowstone's edge?
- Yes, easily, Glacier National Park and the Beartooth Highway both offer landscapes considerably different from Yellowstone's more famous geothermal features.
- How many days do you need in Montana?
- Seven days gives a comfortable pace to cover Glacier, Bozeman, and either the Beartooth Highway or the eastern battlefield sites.
- Is Montana expensive to visit?
- Moderate, national park entry stays affordable, most of the cost on this list shows up in guided fishing trips and mountain town accommodation specifically.
- What's the best Montana trip for kids?
- The Museum of the Rockies and the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center both rank as the most reliably kid-friendly stops on this list.
That's ten decent slices of a state that earns its Big Sky reputation properly.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
