While Boxcar was certainly sassy and took a while to warm up to me enough for us to share a hug and a selfie, the llamas that come along on hikes are perfectly well behaved. This craft distillery, set in a stunning 1880s era saloon, creates spirits from grain grown on the owners fathers farm in central Montana. Covid is still with us. :), Purchase a step-by-step guide to this itinerary, hitewater rafting trip down the Salmon River. On the way north to Riggins we drove through the Payette National Forest, enjoying the tree lined roads and mountain views. Running all the way from West Glacier to East Glacier, the road winds through the valleys before suddenly plunging upwards and climbing turn by turn through the mountains of Glacier National Park, with views of sweeping U-shaped valleys and aquamarine lakes around every corner. I LOVE LLAMAS SO MUCH. You can tell we are best friends because we took a series of adorable selfies together and he is CLEARLY SMILING (as opposed to the photo in the middle from the beginning of our hike, where he is super suss and has not yet decided if he likes me.). Downtown Livingston, pictured above, looks like an idyllic old western town, though vintage shops and cafes now line the street instead of saloons. Just a short drive outside of Whitefish, the Resort has myriad ways to get your thrill on, like the mountain bike park, alpine slides, zip-lines, and rope courses. Visitors range from overweight midwestern American families on their annual vacation to scantily-clad young girls ready for a night at the Marquee. We laughed as she made fun of tourists she would encounter who called her way of living primitive. But nothing was going to keep up from experiencing the wonders of Glacier National Park! Again, a quick search on AllTrails will present you with a list of trails within the park that you can choose from based on scenery, difficulty level, and user reviews. Welcome to Montana, where there are two times as many cows as people and miles and miles of gorgeous, rolling wilderness to explore! That all sounds amazing, I would love to get back to Montana and experience more! I would write about Las Vegas, but really, what hasnt been said about it already? If you choose to take on the task, make sure to bring sunblock, plenty of water, and snacks to fuel you along the way. Back on the road, we crossed over the border to Montana and stopped for the night in Missoula. Day 9: Grand Teton National Park to Twin Falls, Idaho. You will pass through St. Ignatius on your road trip so be sure to stop off and check out the new Three Chiefs Culture Centre. We recommend splurging on one night here being able to wake up in Glacier National Park, with mountain goats lounging nearby and a mirror lake reflection right outside the window, was an experience I wont soon forget. Starting from Boise and working your way counterclockwise around the state to some of the best outdoor spots makes for one memorable Idaho road trip. What do you suggest? It is a must-do. If youre lusting for more libations (and maybe something a little less fancy) check out the happy hour at The Bulldog for Huckleberry Wings and cheap beer. 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. We continued south until we got to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. We headed to the Target across the street (6 minutes before it closed) for pillows and blankets (we took the extra 30 seconds to get blankets that matched our houses, obviously). Crystal (historical) 29F. If youre thirsty, The Great Northern Brewing Company, Bonsai Brewing, or Spotted Bear Spirits have you covered. This was one of the biggest cities we had been to so far, so we had high hopes of finding a room. These three were runners so Alicia got to chatting with them and it turns out, the older women actually ran the Boston Marathon! 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 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. Road conditions from Idaho to Montana. Here is our exact day-to-day road trip itinerary from San Francisco: Day 1: Drive from San Francisco to Stanley, Idaho (~12 hours)Day 2: Stanley, IdahoDay 3: Salmon, Idaho & Missoula, MontanaDay 4: Drive from Missoula to Big Sky, MontanaDay 5: Big Sky, Montana & Yellowstone National Park, WyomingDay 6: Livingston, MontanaDay 7: Beartooth Highway and Yellowstone National Park, WyomingDay 8: Grand Teton National Park, WyomingDay 9: Escalante, UtahDay 10: Las Vegas, NevadaDay 11: Drive from Las Vegas to San Francisco (~8 hours). 6. So, we made the hour and a half drive to Ashton for affordable lodging, which we found at the Eagle Peak Lodge. The town is a gateway to Yellowstone National Park. Youll be walking distance from everything in Whitefish! First things first: head immediately to Butterfly Herbs downtown to pick up a huckleberry malt milkshake made with locally made ice cream. Its the perfect celebration of locally sourced Montana cuisine! This consisted of a windy, scenic drive (poor Huckleberry was a champ struggling on the inclined, unpaved roads), LOTS of bison sightings, and two short hikes with gorgeous views. WebTrip: Big Sky (Washington, Idaho, Montana) TakeMyTrip.com The Big Sky Trip An adventure in the Pacific Northwest The Big Sky trip is a 10-night driving trip to the northwestern United States. The Lewis and Clark Brewery had one of our favorite beers of the trip: the Halo Huckleberry Hefe. Its also a destination with much to offer those who stay for a Torreys 33F. The closest hotel we could find available was in Ontario, Oregon - 7 hours away from where we were and 5 hours past where we were going. First up on your clockwise drive around the lake is the town of Polson, the largest town on Flathead Lake. We took a rather long detour on our stop to Glacier National Park at the National Bison Range in Charlo, Montana. During the summer, the traffic in town is terrible, bumper to bumper. Coming from the West Coast, there are plenty of quick, direct flights to Missoula on the budget airline Allegiant. Its important to be aware of your impact in Glacier, like any National Park. Never heard of it? That said, counterpoint: July is cherry season in Flathead Lake. The oatmeal pancake is a must-try! The United States is an enormous country, and there are large swaths of sparsely populated land without cell service. National parks are protected for their scenic, inspiration, recreational, and/or educational value. Take your camera! So good! Here are a few essentials to pack and bring with you on your trip: Montana has one of the highest American Indian populations in the US, with about 66,000 people of Tribal heritage. We had many hmmm.should we move here? moments during our visit. This also was the start of our educational Whats the difference between? series that became a theme of the trip. There are lots of great things to do in Whitefish for every season if you know where to look! What that means is that we dont leave anything behind when we visiteven natural or compostable things, like banana peels or apple cores, which can disturb the fragile ecosystems within the park. WebDay 14 Day at Flathead Lake, MT. I hope you find it useful when planning your own road trip through the Western United States! Follow along for an epic Idaho road trip through Ketchum, Stanley, Salmon, Missoula (a little side trip to Montana), Coeur dAlene, and McCall. Montana wasnt on my bucket list yet but your post convinced me . You can learn more about wildlife respect and safety here. We learned there used to be 7 volcanoes in the area, the last of which erupted 2,000 years ago. I guess a lot of other people had the same idea for fun this summer. Photo Credit: Idaho Tourism Jet boating, Hells Canyon. The ladies at the front desk informed us that they had no rooms available, and as far as they knew there were no rooms anywhere between Idaho Falls and Boise (3 hours away and our final destination for the trip). But, adorably, they step politely off the trail to do it. Note from Alicia: I would go back to this park a thousand times. Until next time. At local businesses and restaurants, taxidermy animal mounts outnumber patrons. Down-home ranchers and honest-to-goodness cowboys. It was already 7:00good thing it stays light until 10 that far north! We arrived at the Big Iron Motel just before 9 (and it was still light outside!) Yellowstone travel tip: keep your distance from the wildlife! Be sure to bookmark this page to refer back to while youre planning! Montana is stunning and, of course, wed love to visit Glacier National Park. But before we jump into all of the amazing things youll be doing and seeing, we need to cover a few important basics. We spent the morning exploring the different geyser basins throughout Yellowstone. After a (super) hearty lunch, take your bike out to the open road. You cant visit Idaho on an adventure-packed road trip without whitewater rafting! We drove with the intention of finding a cute town to visit and we were not disappointed in Augusta, Montana . 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! We left Riggins that afternoon to make our way towards Glacier National Park. Ive made the common road trip mistake of trying to pack too many stops into a short time period. Eat: Circle D Eatery has yummy BBQ ribs and a buttered trout plate. Note that shuttles have limited seating and you may find yourself waiting for a seat during high season. The entire state is a paradise for anyone who loves hiking, swimming, or anything outdoorsy. Super stoked to finally see it in a few weeks! You know Dana touched ALL the animals and then Alicia doused her in hand sanitizer before letting her back in the car. Photo Credit; Idaho Tourism. Youll have easy access to the boutique specialty shops and galleries in town, and still within reach of all the outdoor activities. Start your day with a pour-over at the Wild Coffee Company, a third wave coffee shop that donates 1% of its profits to local non-profits working on nature and outdoor conservation. Did we spend too much time looking at all of the amazing pieces and come home with a few prize possessions? Five Northern Idaho Bike Trails Quirky sights on the Montana Idaho Road Trip Coeur dAlene in Northern Idaho Harrison in Northern Idaho Flathead Lake and the Silver Dollar Bar Glacier National Park camping West Glacier National Park East Glacier National Park Garnet Ghost Town in the Montana Mountains near Glacier National Park Clear Sky. WebThe ultimate road trip planner to help you discover extraordinary places, book hotels, and share itineraries all from the map. When we arrived at Small Dune (where the sledding was done), there was a couple heading back to their car. Its so important to respect the places youre visiting. No dont be sorry, its SO helpful to get reader feedback like this letting us know things have changed or are no longer the way we experienced or described them! document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hey, we are Dottie & Lenza, bloggers and video creators. and enjoyed chatting with the owner and his father. I love small towns and their charm and appreciate you highlighting restaurants and lodging, super helpful! With so many gorgeous scenic byways and charming rural towns to stop in along the way, the journey can be as much of a draw as the destinations themselves. The town was apparently poppin in its heyday and had no less than thirteen saloons. Not only did you hit a small fraction of Montana you gave a very limit view of who and what we are. Its NSFW bathrooms are just part of the quintessential dive bar charm! One of the best ways to get the full Idaho experience is to road trip through the state. If you have any questions about this Western United States road trip guide, leave a comment below. Lets go! Our final itinerary: 3 states, 3 national parks, 1 national monument, 2 state parks and 2,000 miles driven in our trusty steed, Huckleberry. Although your adventurous friends Jen and Ed probably felt that they were doing a good thing by highlighting our town of Whitefish, the bummer for the residents of Whitefish is that our town has been TOTALLY overwhelmed with tourists the last few years. Trump 2020 banners hang proudly in front of houses and wave in windy fields and farmland. 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. And how cute is Boxcar the Llama?! Note: If youre planning to stay in Whitefish, we recommend considering stopping your trip through the park mid-way at Logan Pass, going for a lovely day hike we recommend the 5 mile Hidden Lake hike using the facilities at the Logan Visitor Center, and then turning around and heading back to West Glacier or Many Glacier. After closing that place down, we went next door to a little Italian place for dinner (which closed at 9), and then ended the evening down the street at Lewis and Clark Brewering (which closed at the very late hour of 10 PM). Hells Canyon National Recreation Area A scenic view of Hells Canyon. 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