Travel advice: Montana edition

As others have notes, Glacier National Park is pretty awesome although Waterton National Park on the Canadian side is a little better .

Lots of great stuff around Flathead Lake if you want to get out on the water, lots of good lakes in general so plenty of opportunity for outdoor fun, obviously you get the mountains in the Western part of the state.

I love Montana, trying desperately to buy some recreational property before I get priced out of everything.

 

Missoula is all kinds of awesome. I went up to do a feature and I got a nice tour. Went to a place called Lolo Creek Steakhouse which was pretty awesome.

 

We spent a couple days visiting Glacier NP last summer in early August, and I highly recommend it. In fact, I wish we had more time to explore the east side of the park (and Waterton Lakes). We'll be back in the near future.

I'll second the Avalanche Lake hike. Just about the right length (4 or 5 miles round trip) with only a few steep climbs/descents for people with creaky knees.

Splurge and take the Red Bus tour on Going to the Sun Road. That way, no one has to drive and worry about all the crazy turns and traffic. They have open roofs so you get great views and photos. Plus, some routes stop awhile at Logan Pass so you can check out all the wildflowers, goats, etc at the Continental Divide.

If you want to stay in one of the park lodges, book early. We stayed with friends in Kalispell, so the price was right, but it's an hour drive to the West Glacier entrance. With two teenagers, trying to get there early in the morning was not happening for our crew ...

Finally, we had a great experience at the National Bison Reserve (about 45 miles NW of Missoula). Several groups of bison came very close, include some with recently-born animals. There's other wildlife there too — we saw plenty of deer and even a couple elk. But it's not a zoo; seeing the animals up close isn't a given.

 

Went there to eat the first night I was there last time. Excellent food. Lots of animals on the wall.

 

I drove from Florida to Missoula a few years ago to visit a friend who had a teaching fellowship. It's a long-ass drive, but worth it. And Missoula is just about the perfect little city, the kind of place where most folks don't even bother to lock their doors. If you're there, climb to the M for a perfect view of the city below.

 

Was in Great Falls in '89; was cool to go to a minor league game and be that close to future stars (Dodgers Rookie league team); surprising thing is that housing was dirt cheap and so was beer, but everything else was big City prices, which stunk for the residents. Gorgeous scenery.

 

Got grounded for three days due to weather in Missoula while flying a helicopter from Kentucky to Washington. It's an amazing place.