I don’t know, I loved seeing the bison and geological features of Yellowstone. Not just old faithful. Felt like another planet.

Anonymous wrote:Have you been to Yellowstone yet?

Glacier and NW Montana is better than Yellowstone IMHO. Just watch out for the bears!

Great suggestions, everybody! Thanks so much.
OP

One other idea if you go the Glacier/whitefish route, we had a fabulous guided canoe and camping trip with upper Missouri River guides. You retrace some of Lewis and Clark’s expedition. Gorgeous scenery, fun slot canyon hikes and easy river paddling.

How long are you considering? If 10 days to two weeks - I would split it between a dude ranch and National Park.

You could focus on the southwestern part and do Yellowstone and one of several great ranches or north western and do Glacier/Whitefish and a ranch - agree that Triple Creek is lovely. Lots of people like Paw’s Up but kind of big and touristy. The guides are frequently as new to Montana as you will be.

Anonymous wrote:How about a dude ranch? They range from basic horse backing/fishing to fancy with a spa. We’ve done several all inclusive ones and they were great.

We loved Triple Creek !

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We love renting a house in Whitefish on the water. We also rent a boat for a few days. Flathead Lake is also lovely. Whitefish is only 45 minutes from Glacier National Park, which has endless hikes, plus kayaking in Lake McDonald is beautiful, especially at dusk. If you have young kids, they might like the mountain coaster and alpine slide at Whitefish Mountain Resort. If you have older kids, rent mountain bikes there and try downhill biking.

Thank you for this information, PP! I will definitely check out both Whitefish and Flathead Lake. Sounds wonderful!
OP

We also stayed in this area and really enjoyed it. Easily more than enough to see and do to keep you busy for at least a week. Make sure you get the day passes for Glacier entry either 4 months in advance when the window opens, or the day before at I think 7 PM (on the dot) local time. They are available and if you are fast about it you will be able to get day entry passes, but you have to be ready when the booking windows open. It's only $2 for each day entry pass so worth it to just grab them even if you aren't sure which ones you will use (this is separate from the actual park entry fee which is $35 and paid once the first time you enter or online). You can always release/return any day passes the day before if you aren't going to go to Glacier. The pass system did a good job of managing the crowds- it was definitely busy but not to the point of breaking. Nice work by the Park Service.

Haven’t been, but I would stay here for Big Sky.

Residence Inn Big Sky/The Wilson Hotel

https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/bznrk-residence-inn-big-sky-the-wilson-hotel/overview/

We loved Bozeman and did a 7 day trip a few years ago where we flew into Bozeman, rented a car and stayed 1-2 nights each in Gardner, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole WY. Great trip and so scenic.

Bozeman is fun for a day or 2, especially if you can plan to be there for the rodeo.

Anonymous wrote:We love renting a house in Whitefish on the water. We also rent a boat for a few days. Flathead Lake is also lovely. Whitefish is only 45 minutes from Glacier National Park, which has endless hikes, plus kayaking in Lake McDonald is beautiful, especially at dusk. If you have young kids, they might like the mountain coaster and alpine slide at Whitefish Mountain Resort. If you have older kids, rent mountain bikes there and try downhill biking.

Thank you for this information, PP! I will definitely check out both Whitefish and Flathead Lake. Sounds wonderful!
OP

Have you been to Yellowstone yet?

Why Montana? How did you land on that?

How about a dude ranch? They range from basic horse backing/fishing to fancy with a spa. We’ve done several all inclusive ones and they were great.

We love renting a house in Whitefish on the water. We also rent a boat for a few days. Flathead Lake is also lovely. Whitefish is only 45 minutes from Glacier National Park, which has endless hikes, plus kayaking in Lake McDonald is beautiful, especially at dusk. If you have young kids, they might like the mountain coaster and alpine slide at Whitefish Mountain Resort. If you have older kids, rent mountain bikes there and try downhill biking.

Looking for any ideas - resorts, cabins, Airbnbs - we’re just starting the research process and would love to know about any Montana vacations you would recommend, from high-end to midrange. No real budget. TIA!