idaho, montana road tripidaho, montana road trip

The primary road through Glacier National Park is a feat of engineering. 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). The adjacent Snug Bar offers a small plate/tapas menu starting at 5:00 pm, so you can savor the finest of flavors without breaking the bank. Firstly: be aware during your trip that Glacier National Park and, in fact, most USA National Parks was originally inhabited and maintained by Indigenous peoples. In Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, sunsets are well after 9 pm each day. But the problem is that places like Glacier are extremely delicate. These unique and beautiful formations are a must-see on any Wyoming itinerary. It was another awesome Alicia & Dana Adventure! Unfortunately we here in Montana have our fair share of right-wingers. Id like to update this post to include a heads up to our readers about visiting Whitefish, and Id love your input or any other locals reading this. We spent the morning exploring the different geyser basins throughout Yellowstone. Its an area of incredible natural beauty, isnt it? What do you suggest? We enjoyed our meal with a nice view of the sun setting over Jackson Lake and had our first local beer (a local beer and a local meal is our required criteria for getting to claim having been to a place). We also found another great place to see on the drive back to Boise in Arco, Idaho, the first city in the world to be lit by atomic power. When visiting Reservations or stopping at places that appear to be Indigenous-owned (such as a trading post), look for Native-owned signage. There were several people who had walked out into the brush (not on a trail or path-stupid people) looking to get a better glimpse of the animal. After Teton, we embarked on the 8-hour drive towards Escalante, Utah, stopping at Salt Lake City to sleep overnight. Whatever you bring in, you should bring back out againpack it in pack it out. Fuel up at Pocketstone Cafe, the ultimate American breakfast spot in Big Fork. So good! We passed through several dying towns of boarded-up windows before driving to Twin Falls, Idaho. We saw many more bison, along with elk, coyotes, and even a groundhog. Then we went back to the Holiday Inn where the front desk ladies were nice enough to sneak us a key card so we could use the bathroom in the middle of the night if needed. We had a few moments of panic, but quickly realized we were going to be sleeping in our car and had to figure out the details. There was an error submitting your subscription. Day 15 Flathead Lake, MT drive to Whitefish, MT. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Our itinerary took us through the iconic national parks with a number of must-see stops on the way to Idaho, Montana and Wyoming! If youre feeling up for a few hills, you can continue all the way up the accurately named Big Mountain for sweeping vistas. You can rent one from somebody who does on RVShare! They had to go take care of a parking ticket and let us borrow their board until they came back. The trip begins and ends in Portland, Oregon, but spends much of the time in and around Glacier National Park in Montana. There are several historic railroad lodges located within Glacier National Park, and we had a chance to stay at a few of them during our trip. We found a hotel a couple miles from downtown and had enough time for Alicia to squeeze in a quick run before heading out for dinner. If youre interested in experiencing Indian Country during your visit to Montana, I recommend reading through this booklet or browsing this site! At a restaurant in small-town Idaho, we had a lengthy conversation with a man about his stockpile of 100 guns, the 300+ gophers he killed with his 5-year-old grandson on a recent hunt, and his belief that the standoff between liberals and conservatives will end in a bloody civil war. Bryce Canyon is obviously more famous weve all seen photos of the parks breathtaking Sunrise Point but Capitol Reef received raving reviews from our friends and is far less crowded. Ice-capped mountains dominating lush valleys. The museum & cultural center showcases the traditions and culture of tribes that have traditionally been passed down orally from generation to generation, as well as examples of cultural tribal artifacts from the Salish, Pend dOreille and Kootenai tribes like basket weavings, beaded vests and more. Until next time. WOAH- NO, we do not want to support a business like that. Though in true Dana fashion (and much to Alicias dismay), the owner's dogs, who live on the property, somehow found their way into our room. If we could redo our trip, I would have gone this route. Adding it to my bucketlist. Its the perfect celebration of locally sourced Montana cuisine! Even though they share a border, its a long drive through Idaho to Montana and we love an adventure-packed pit stop so Riggins was the perfect place to stop on a road trip from Idaho to Montana. Downtown Livingston, pictured above, looks like an idyllic old western town, though vintage shops and cafes now line the street instead of saloons. As a western montanan I dont agree with this road trip. Multiple scenic byways, some of the most picturesque mountain views in the state, and plenty of waterfront beauty makes this road trip one you'll never forget. On the way out of town, we stopped at Fiddle Creek Fruit Stand and sampled some Huckleberry pie (eating something huckleberry is one of the must do things in the areaand we sampled our fair share by the end of the trip). Day 11: Boise International Airport to Orlando/Boston, Our final itinerary: 3 states, 3 national parks, 1 national monument, 2 state parks and 2,000 miles driven in our trusty steed, Huckleberry. Remember, as a traveler you are a guest in someone elses home. If you have any questions about this Western United States road trip guide, leave a comment below. But if not, the next best thing is a guidebook. In the morning, we joined Papa Elk (aka a male elk) for breakfast. For water, we purchased a few 1.5-liter bottles and refilled them at gas stations throughout our trip. Not an ideal situation, but you have to be flexible on a road trip! Big Sky, like so much of Montana, is absolutely stunning, with wide-open skies, winding rivers, and purple-hued mountains in the distance. They also decided to rename the center to honor three of the chiefs that represent the native tribes of CSKT, the Salish, Pend dOreille, and Kootenai. Here are a few highlights: Sawtooth Lake (10 miles RT, moderate rating) Pettit Lake to Twin Lakes (13 miles RT, moderate rating) Bench Lakes (7.8 miles RT, moderate rating) Alpine Lake Trail (7.4 miles RT, moderate rating) You can find tons of other hikes on AllTrails. Youll need to purchase a $10 recreation permit for any outdoor activities you do on the south side of the lake, including fishing or day-hiking. This luxury condo in downtown Bigfork has spectacular views of Swan River, you can hear the sounds of rushing white water from the deck, and the loft bedroom has cathedral windows looking across spectacular views. 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. Alicia and I stayed the recommended 100+ yards away and watched through our binoculars. The drive in itself did have beautiful views, even before we reached Going to the Sun Road. I loved following you on the trip via Instagram stories, it looked so fun! 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. It was cute, and we picked up some locally grown cherries and bison pepperoni for the road. Of course we had to stop and try to help said dog (whose name we learned was Hank). Montana looks so beautiful in your pictures! Today, the Island is part of the Flathead Indian Reservation and is managed by the Montana parks department. Eat: Tru North Cafe, owned by a recent Los Angeles transplant who came to Livingston on vacation and accidentally bought a coffee shop, serves a mindblowing Maple Mountain Cloud latte and blueberry jam breakfast sandwich. Thanks for sharing all this info! Montana is stunning and, of course, wed love to visit Glacier National Park. Follow along for an epic Idaho road trip through Ketchum, Stanley, Salmon, Missoula (a little side trip to Montana), Coeur dAlene, and McCall. On the way into Bruneau Dunes, we noticed a sign for a winery from the side of the road. The Ultimate Yellowstone in Winter Guide: Everything You Need to Know, How to Be a More Responsible Tourist: a Travelers Guide to Ethical Tourism, The Perfect 10-Day Utah National Parks Road Trip Itinerary: Utah Mighty 5 Road Trip Guide, The Perfect 2-Day Glacier National Park Itinerary, 14 Epic Things to do in Yosemite National Park, California, Copyright 2023, Practical Wanderlust. Ive removed them from our post! Sightsee at Idaho's Greatest Natural Wonders Google Map katie wheeler/Flickr Photo Credit; Idaho Tourism. Neither of us realized just how FAR it was going to be on this side of the road. Its also a destination with much to offer those who stay for a Find and book campsites wherever you are with ReserveAmerica or Campendium (roughly $30 a night) or use an app like Free Roam to locate Forest Service and BLM land where you can legally boondock. We have included a few excellent options in our itinerary. Your next stop on the road will explore the rich Indigenous history of Montana at The Peoples Center. An excellent reminder, and we couldnt agree more! Oh, and youll also need to book your tour about a year in advance. We definitely want to do glacier but he also wants to do Yellowstone so we may need to figure out a slightly different itinerary. Your email address will not be published. We dubbed Boise the Orlando of the West as the downtown areas are very similar. We really enjoyed our chicken fried steak and roasted pork tenderloin with rosemary and huckleberry demi-glace. They provide an all-encompassing history and experience surrounding the landscape of Glacier National Parks inhabited areas: Park history; animal species; common plants and roots used for nutrition and medicine; and the Blackfoot spiritual and philosophical perspectives/stories of life in the Buffalo Days as well as modern times.. Driving time to West Glacier: About 30 minutes. But like, there were llamas there. Although the parks had been fairly crowded this whole time (Yellowstone more so than Glacier), this is the first time it began to feel a bit too touristy. I appreciate that you wrote about ethical tourism and what can be done to improve our relations with tribal nations and with the natural environment and places they call home. On that note, these past two years have been rough as far as having some pretty bad visitation experiences. I just love, love, love your writing style and the way you travel. Try not to let it bother you and focus your energy on appreciating the incredible natural phenomenon in front of you (easier said than done, sometimes). From Livingston, we took a two-hour drive to Red Lodge to enter Yellowstone via the 68-mile Beartooth Highway. Eat: Vegas is a food destination that I hope to explore more in the future. If you choose to explore Beartooth, I would budget at least 3-5 hours so you can get out and explore. We had a rough plan in place prior to our trip but gave ourselves the leeway to make unexpected stops the way hence why we hit Yellowstone twice! By the time we got back to the campsite where we parked, the park had come to life with tons of rangers and visitors out and about. Try the Huckleberry Creme Brulee, because there is no such thing as too much huckleberry in Montana. We stopped off first at the Holiday Inn. The goal of the cultural center is to dispel myths and stereotypes about Native Americans, and its well worth a stop! 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. Be sure to bookmark this page to refer back to while youre planning! We were drawn in by a shop called Latigo and Lace, which featured authentic and local artwork. Unfortunately, the bad weather thwarted our planned 2nd hike of the day, so instead, we did a scenic drive, hitting all the Big 4 things to do in Grand Teton National Park along the way. All opinions, recommendations, bad jokes, and suggestions that Huckleberries are actually just wild blueberries are 100% my own and absolutely not their fault. 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). It was already 7:00good thing it stays light until 10 that far north! The weather in Montana is fickle, and its not uncommon to experience all 4 seasons in the course of a day during the summer and fall. Coming from the West Coast, there are plenty of quick, direct flights to Missoula on the budget airline Allegiant. That said, counterpoint: July is cherry season in Flathead Lake. While his convictions differ significantly from mine (Ive lived in liberal cities my entire life and have never handled a gun), it was eye-opening to hear an opposite perspective on familiar issues. Dont dig holes to bury things (including bodily waste), just bring a trash bag or use the park-provided facilities and trash containers! Here are the top things to do in the area: Livingston is a historical railroad and ranching town in Southwestern Montana, a short distance north from Yellowstone National Park. At 2 hours due west on I-90, Bozeman has a college town vibe with growing art, music, and food scenes. We really enjoyed experiencing the beauty of the different thermal pools, as neither of us had really seen anything like them before. People live in isolated rural areas hours away from the nearest grocery store. Our visit was during late September (in 2019) and I honestly didnt notice that many crowds, though I also dont have a frame of reference to compare to! Your next destination is Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater natural lake west of the Mississippi! Im so sorry to hear that your home is experiencing overtourism. Most of them are comfortable yet rustic, and we had difficulty justifying their high nightly rates. Read more Access exclusive video content, free resources, and more! Drop us a comment below! No boards for us. Missoula, Montana is an adorable college town and makes a great base to begin and end your trip to Montana! Recommend reading through this booklet or browsing this site because there is NO thing... 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