Montana! What a beautiful, massive state!
Montana is definitely one of the prettiest places I have ever been, and it is a fantastic spot to visit! Be advised it is even bigger than you think! I drove a lot of the state via a road trip and was truly baffled at the size.
I was also surprised to find that this state is not very dog-friendly, and the beer quality is not great. As a heads up for my fellow beer and dog lovers :)
Below are my recommendations for the Glacier National Park area, Bozeman, Missoula, Helena—and a bonus section on Waterton Lakes National Park just across the border in Canada!
Bozeman
Bozeman is a cute little city with pretty views!
MAP Brewing: This is a nice brewery with a beautiful taproom and a nice patio overlooking Glen Lake. They also have a food menu to accompany their solid beers.
Explore The Cannery District: This transformed area is full of shops, restaurants, and more! You could spend a lot of time wandering through here.
WildRye Distilling is located here with a large cocktail menu. You can also get food delivered to you here from the neighboring Cannery restaurants.
Bozeman Brewing: This popular brewery has a pretty standard tap list, but their selection of Sours in bottles is absolutely insane! They also have free popcorn.
Stay at Everhome Suites: A nice clean hotel on the edge of town that is very affordable.
Mountains Walking Brewery: This was a brewery that I was very excited to visit, having had many of their cans during peak-distribution times of COVID, but then was wildly disappointed when I finally made it. When I visited half of their tap list was Seltzers and the other half were mediocre-at-best beers that were not exciting whatsoever. They have a pizza-focused food menu, but the pizza is not good. The service was terrible, including servers drinking in the back in plain sight when people needed things/were waiting. If you are in Bozeman I feel like you have to go, but I surely hope you have a better experience than I did. They’re located right next to Bozeman Brewing.
Big Sky is about an hour from Bozeman which is a popular ski town and home to Custer Gallatin National Forest. If you are in the area in the summer the Beehive Basin Trail No. 40 is 7.1 miles long with 1,725ft of elevation gain and takes about 3.5 hours to complete. It is super quiet and has pretty views throughout. Keep in mind the elevation—you are hiking at about 8000ft which makes breathing tough if you are not acclimated!
SHINE Beer Sanctuary is located in Bozeman and looks great but was closed while I was in town.
Helena
Helena was a bit underwhelming to me, but if you go:
Copper Furrow Brewing: A good brewery with a big variety of taps and a nice back patio space. Located in an industrial area just outside of town.
Headwaters Crafthouse: A nice beer bar with a large selection. They have two patio spaces as well.
Meander Last Chance Gulch: This area of downtown has a lot of restaurants, bars, and shops with some pedestrian-only zones which is nice!
Blackfoot River Brewing: An average brewery in the heart of downtown. Don’t skip the free popcorn!
Missoula
Missoula is a cool little college town that is surrounded by nature. Outside of Glacier, this is my favorite area of Montana and I highly recommend visiting!
Michi Ramen Bar: A fantastic spot with great eats and drinks in a cute basement setting. Highly recommend!
Montgomery Distilling is next door as well for cocktails.
Bar Plata: A nice spot for cocktails and tapas. Their menu is unique and tasty!
Morning Birds Bakery: A nice bakery for morning treats, but things move very slowly as a heads up.
Big Head’s Bottle Shop: A solid selection of cans and bottles to-go.
Glacier National Park
Glacier is absolutely amazing area and one of my favorite parks ever. It is a very large, spread out park so be sure to do thorough planning ahead of time. Most folks only stay in West Glacier and that is a mistake. The Many Glacier area on the east side of the park is absolutely amazing!
Be sure to check the national park website ahead of planning your visit for the reservation system and rules for that year. Entrance reservations can be very competitive so I advise planning as far in advance as you can. There are also park shuttles that run seasonally.
Going-to-the-Sun Road: This scenic drive is absolutely stunning. It is a skinny road with dramatic views throughout—though the first half definitely has more to offer than from Logan Pass to East Glacier. It takes about 90 minutes to drive without stops, but of course you’ll be stopping!
Grinnell Glacier Trail: This trail is 11 miles long with 2,050ft of elevation gain and takes about four hours and 45 minutes to complete. The last half mile of the hike is the hardest, and the rest is really pretty moderate. It is an incredible trail, and one of the best hikes I have ever done. The hike starts from Many Glacier Hotel which has Swiss Chalet vibes and heads along Swiftcurrent Lake which is very pretty and reflective. Next you come to Lake Josephine which is also quite pretty and then you can see Grinnell Lakes which are stunning. Upper Grinnell Lake is home to the glacier and has pretty waterfalls pouring into the water. Highly recommend!
Good to know: This trail is very exposed throughout. There is a pit toilet about a half mile from Upper Grinnell Lake. It can be very windy at Upper Grinnell Lake so bring layers! You can also opt to take a boat across Swiftcurrent and Josephine to shorten your hiking—be sure to book in advance.
Even if you are not doing this trail I would recommend meandering along Swiftcurrent Lake and enjoying the hotel’s outside seating!
The Garden Wall Trail and The Highline Trail: The Highline Trail leads out from Logan Pass out along a narrow trail with amazing views. The Garden Wall section is essentially where you turn off the Highline Trail and continue further up—choose your own adventure! Either way it is an epic hike, walking along the skinny trail on the cliff edge—if you are afraid of heights you should not attempt any part of this hike. Even if you are not up for a long adventure I would recommend parking at Logan Pass and at least going about a half mile out on The Highline Trail to get absolutely gorgeous, sweeping views.
The Garden Wall route is 16 miles long with 3,515ft of elevation gain and takes about 7.5 hours to complete. It is a long trail but not too steep until you turn off to climb up the Garden Wall itself and then you ascend 900ft in 0.8 miles and it is incredibly difficult. This leads to Grinnell Glacier Overlook where you are looking down at the Grinnell Glacier Trail (above). I would definitely recommend hiking poles for this part as there are some slick rocks and you’re on the side of a cliff. Be sure to walk a little bit higher up than the “end point” of this trail and you can see all 4 lakes of the Grinnell Glacier Trail versus just the upper lake.
Good to know: The entire route is exposed so be sure to wear layers and bring sun protection. You can also continue on to the chalet, or you can make this a point-to-point trail using two cars or the seasonal shuttle.
Avalanche Lake Trail: This trail is 4.25 miles long with 750ft of elevation gain and takes about an hour and a half to complete. Unfortunately this trail is VERY popular because it is one of the easier hikes in the park and closer to the park entrance. It leads out to an absolutely beautiful lake with waterfalls cascading down into the water. I would highly recommend going on a sunny day for the water to be clear and reflective. Expect a nice, shaded forest walk on the way out/back!
The beginning of the trail is the Trail of the Cedars which is a very accessible forest walk. Even if you are not doing the lake trail I would recommend going just a bit further on the Trail of the Cedars to see where the water has carved through the canyon—it is very neat to see!
Rocky Point Trail: This quick trail is 2 miles long with 230ft of elevation gain and takes about 45 minutes to complete. It is essentially a nice quiet walk in the woods with several points that you can get down to lake McDonald. It is a nice easy trail right near the park entrance. You can go as far around the lake as you’d like.
Two Medicine: This area of the park is further south, and the drive down is absolutely beautiful. This is a much quieter area of the park and the lake itself is very pretty.
Columbia Falls
Columbia Falls is a nice area to serve as a gateway to West Glacier. It is a small town but gets the job done.
Sacred Waters Brewing Company: This is a nice brewery with good beers, a food menu, and front and back patios. Located in nearby Kalispell.
Montana Coffee Traders: A nice coffee and breakfast spot with diner-ish vibes.
Vaqueros: A solid Mexican restaurant in town.
I stayed at this cabin Airbnb and it was decent. The outdoor area is cute, it is 5 minutes from town and 20 minutes from the park, but the wifi is unreliable and the bed set up was a bit inconvenient.
Uptown Hearth: Tasty food, not ideal vibes in my opinion. You have to pay to join the coworking space upstairs to use the wifi (in an area with spotty cell service).
Backslope Brewing: A mediocre brewery with a large tap list and food menu.
Whitefish
Whitefish is another option for a basecamp for visiting the park. It is about 20 minutes west of Columbia Falls. This is a very popular area with a lot of bars and restaurants.
Spotted Bear Spirits: A cute distillery downtown with tasty cocktails!
Bonsai Brewing: This brewery has a nice outdoor space, tasty eats, and average beers.
City Beach is a nice area for a swim or for sunset!
East Glacier/St Mary
East Glacier is not glamorous, but it is a convenient basecamp for the east side of the park!
Stay at St. Mary/East Glacier KOA Holiday: I had never stayed at a KOA before this but the location and price are unbeatable! The cabins are basic but nice and they have a great dog park if you’re traveling with your four-legged friend. Located 5 minutes from the St Mary Entrance, 20 minutes from the Many Glacier Entrance, 1 hour from Two Medicine, and 1 hour from Waterton Lakes.
Triple Divide Coffee Co: This spot is located inside St Mary Lodge right at the park entrance. Solid coffees and breakfast eats.
Stanton Lake Trail: This trail is 2.75 miles long with 600ft of elevation gain and takes about an hour to complete, but really you can go as far around the lake as you want. It starts off extremely steep, but then is not too bad afterwards. Stanton Lake has really nice clear water and pretty mountains in the background. It is a super quiet trail which is delightful! This trail is located in Flathead National Forest between East and West Glacier.
Bigfork:
Bigfork is a cute little town on Flathead Lake, a massive body of water that is quite pretty and located south of the park. I would not recommend staying here to visit Glacier, but if you are coming from the south it’s a nice area to stop for lunch on your way up.
Flathead Lake Brewing Co.: This brewery has a great deck with views of the lake. The beer is average and food is pretty good.
Whistling Andy Distillery: This spot over tours, tastings, cocktails, beer, wine, and eats! The cocktails are quite delicious.
Mount Aeneas and Picnic Lakes via #717 and #392 Trails: This trail is 6.6 miles long with 1,929ft of elevation gain and takes about 3 hours to complete. It is very pretty about a mile in when the view really opens up. There are a few nice little lakes, but it is nothing too crazy. Heads up the road to the trailhead is rough. Located in Flathead National Forest.
Waterton Lakes National Park
While you are visiting Glacier National Park you can check out the Canadian version of the park just over the border. Be sure to check the border crossing times ahead of your visit, as they can be quite limited just depending on the time of year.
Overall I found the park to be quiet and enjoyed that it was just $11 for a day pass. I enjoyed the town around the park more than the hike I did—it is super cute with a bunch of restaurants and shops.
Wieners of Waterton: This is a fun little spot for hot dogs and fries with a ton of toppings and sauces. The sweet potato fries should not be missed!
Upper Bertha Falls & Bertha Lake Trail: This trail is 7.4 miles long with 1,958ft of elevation gain and takes about 3.5 hours to complete. There are very nice lake views for the first part of the hike but it is amidst burnt forest unfortunately. Then you’ll come to Lower Falls which is pretty, and from there the trail gets quite steep—I’d recommend hiking poles if you have them. Upper Bertha Falls can be a bit tricky to see, and then you arrive at Bertha Lake. You can go as far around the lake as you’d like! Overall it was a decent hike, but not as stunning as the ones in Glacier.
Check out the view from The Prince of Wales Hotel: Even if you are not staying/dining here stop by the back patio space for incredible views of the lake! I had a cocktail inside at Windsor Lounge, which is popular for afternoon tea as well, but unfortunately it was overrun with flies and hard to enjoy.
