Doing this will spare you both money and time during long stretches of driving and help you eat a little healthier. come one and all but REMEMBER YOUR MANNERS. You basically just hug them until they get used to you. Weve got an itinerary for the California bit of it to help you plan: https://practicalwanderlust.com/pacific-coast-highway-road-trip-itinerary/. We do the Utah Big Five frequently as we live so close. We set ourselves to brainstorming and researching what our other options for the park would be, but in the meantime, we werent going to let it spoil the rest of the day. Psst: Planning a trip toMontana? Your next stop on the lake is the Mission Mountain Winery for lake views and wine tasting. Stay: We loved our stay at Luxor, the Egyptian-themed, pyramid-shaped casino hotel located right on the strip. Plus, who can resist a random winery stop on a road trip?!? The town is a gateway to Yellowstone National Park. International Selkirk Loop, 6373 Bonner St, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805, USA 4. And by the way, Glacier is now going to restrict access, and initiate an online reservation system to get into the park, that you need to reserve at least 30, possibly 60 days in advance. If we could redo our trip, I would have gone this route. 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. There are only 100 wolves in all of Yellowstone, and some people we talked to had been working at Yellowstone for years and never saw a wolf! The 50-mile route cuts across Glacier National Park at an elevation of 6,646 feet and is open seasonally, so youll want to plan accordingly. Well, I for one am super happy I stumbled upon this post! Im planning a roadtrip through Montana and Wyoming (yanno, as soon as its safe and whatnot), so I loved how in-depth your details were! Montana is stunning and, of course, wed love to visit Glacier National Park. Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. The hotel is located on the banks of the glacial blue Swiftcurrent Lake, seated at the base of jaw-dropping glacier-covered mountains. It isnt huge like most towns in Montana but it has a cute main drag to explore. When planning your itinerary, keep in mind that the estimated driving time on Google Maps is often longer when you factor in bathroom and restaurant stops. Jackson Glacier seen from Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park. We each purchased a bottle and said our farewells as we headed on to our final destination. The trip begins and ends in Portland, Oregon, but spends much of the time in and around Glacier National Park in Montana. With so many people road-tripping, the prices were exorbitant so it was challenging for the budget-conscious traveler. My partner and I went there today and we felt extremely uncomfortable and upset. Youre welcome. We mainly used Booking.com to book low-cost motels located on our route. It was crowded, as we expected, but we stayed a ways back and got a leg up on a log for a good view of the show. Most restaurants are closed by 9 PM at the latest. It was also our first adventure since Danas fun hospital visit in Ecuador so we decided a US road trip was the way to go. You see, Cafe Kandahar, the fine dining restaurant located in the lodge, is the best food in Whitefish and possibly all of Montana with a price point to match. 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. 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. Another fun place to stop on the drive between Wyoming and Idaho! :) Purchase a step-by-step guide to this itinerary. BEHAVE YOURSELVES and be GOOD VISITORS and youll be welcomed. We passed through several dying towns of boarded-up windows before driving to Twin Falls, Idaho. 6. The town was apparently poppin in its heyday and had no less than thirteen saloons. j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'? After leaving Helena, we started our day with a stop at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park in Montana on the way to Yellowstone in Wyoming. If you only have a short time in Wyoming, add this drive to your itinerary to really see the park. The trip begins and ends in Portland, Oregon, but spends much of the time in and around Glacier National Park in Montana. We laughed as she made fun of tourists she would encounter who called her way of living primitive. Truly, you arent helping. Day 3-4 of your Montana Road Trip: Bozeman. Even this winter, for the first time the traffic was worse than it ever has been. After leaving the caverns, we continued on from Montana to Yellowstone National Park to start our Wyoming road trip. Youll learn all about Missoulas history as a frontier town. After dinner but not too late, breweries and distilleries close at 8pm by Montana law head to Montgomery Distillery for an early nightcap. Torreys 33F. One thing we had been noticing by this point is that things around here close early. Of all Montana road trips, this one is perhaps the most popular (and is sometimes referred to as Glacier National Parks Road to the Sun). The older llamas are very friendly and sociable. During my trip I spoke with a Montana state government employee involved in developing Indigenous tourism, who shared some of the challenges faced at the State level. Bozeman will be your next stop from Billings. We were very happy to see our new cabin was much larger (3 beds with 2 separate rooms!) Georgies Outdoor Mexican Cafe has a quesadilla bursting with melted cheese and generously portioned fish tacos. And yes: there are llamas. Then it was time to set out on our whitewater rafting trip down the Salmon River. 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 They let us borrow their sled and Alicia and I took turns sliding down a few times. I am always happy to help! 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.). We started our Idaho road trip from Boise to Glacier National Park in Montana with a stop in Riggins, Idaho. Pine Lodges complimentary bike rentals are the perfect way to explore Whitefish. Your next stop on the road will explore the rich Indigenous history of Montana at The Peoples Center. One of the best ways to get the full Idaho experience is to road trip through the state. It was another awesome Alicia & Dana Adventure! At some points, we felt like we were paddling with all our might and not moving at all, but we eventually made it back to the dock. On the way north to Riggins we drove through the Payette National Forest, enjoying the tree lined roads and mountain views. Read more Access exclusive video content, free resources, and more! We recommend staying at Pine Lodge, located right on the Whitefish River and a 3-minute drive to downtown. Eat: Sawtooth Luces serves up cold local beer and a mean Idaho Kobe beef burger, and we had a delicious breakfast at Stanley Baking Company. and we had a view of the lake! Huckleberry ice cream at Reeds Dairy in Idaho Falls. As we passed through Hayden Valley (known for its wildlife sightings), we noticed a lot of people pulled over at a turn out, pointing and taking pictures. 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). We stayed safely far away and used our zoom lens to capture photos of them instead! We loved the stuffed French toast and huckleberry pie at Loulas in whitefish so much! The goal of the cultural center is to dispel myths and stereotypes about Native Americans, and its well worth a stop! Apart from that, the rest of the trip is completely flexible. 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. And in the second installation of whats the difference between we learned: Whats the difference between a farm and a ranch?. Llamas are very good hikers they are native to the Andes mountains in South America, and they feel most comfortable trotting around on steep mountain slopes. Ive removed them from our post! If youre feeling athletic, you can drive around the lake and pick up a canoe, kayak or paddleboard, or SUP. Downtown Missoula is quite walkable, so pick a place to eat from this curated list and explore the town on foot! Sorry I dont usually post comments like this we were just alarmed. and enjoyed chatting with the owner and his father. Id never seen so many taxidermy animals in one place, and near the counter, a sign read gun safety rule #1: carry one. Seriously, look at this place: We walked 7.7 miles around Jenny Lake, one of the many hiking trails in Grand Teton. We took our road trip at the height of summer, and I highly recommend anyone considering a visit to this region to travel during this time. Once again, Danas steller itinerary planning came in handy with a great path through the park for our two days in Yellowstone. If you cant maybe theyll put up with you at Disney Land. Take your camera! Llamas take a LOT of snack breaks. Awesome. Alica tried looking online. The primary road through Glacier National Park is a feat of engineering. A bear ready for a dip in Hells Canyon. They had the dairy cows right on site, along with a small petting zoo! Whatever you bring in, you should bring back out againpack it in pack it out. Montana has so much to offer including its crown jewel, Glacier National Park and weve designed the perfect 10-day Montana road trip itinerary through Western Montana, complete with details to help you plan each step of your trip. For a shortcut version, you can take the Chief Two Guns shuttle boat across Swiftcurrent Lake, board the Morning Eagle to shuttle across Lake Josephine, and then hike a 3.6-mile hike to Grinnell Glacier. 1. Driving time: 45 Minutes from Whitefish, or 3 hours from Many Glacier. Salmon, two hours north of Stanley, is another small Idaho town of 3000+ residents. Hells Canyon National Recreation Area A scenic view of Hells Canyon. We ate our oatmeal and eggs while he grazed on grass and leaves just 50 yards away. Unsubscribe anytime. Once we got ahold of him though, we werent sure what to do! 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. We continued for a stop at must-see on any Idaho road trip, Craters of the Moon National Monument - an insanely unique landscape in the middle of nowhere. With that being said, it was going to be an early night with our alarms set for 4 in the morning. So, we made the hour and a half drive to Ashton for affordable lodging, which we found at the Eagle Peak Lodge. It was windy and the water was choppy, which made it a much more difficult journey! The roads dont support the influx of travellers, there have been over 2 hour traffic jams on the 2 lane road that runs through town. WebCheck the road conditions from Idaho to Montana and plan a trip based on the weather along the way. Crystal (historical) 29F. Taking a guided tour is a fantastic option for Going to the Sun Road because it allows you to sit back and take in the views while learning about the history of the park and the flora and fauna that inhabit it. Our itinerary included three out of the five most conservative states in America Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho and I now know what it feels like to experience culture shock in my own country. Though Missoula is pretty small, the nightlife is young and lively and there were a lot of people out and about. Boo! and received our complimentary beers at check-in. You can plan your Whitefish getaway in broad strokes and then fill in the details once you get there. Roadtrip Idaho Montana Wyoming US Travel. It was already 7:00good thing it stays light until 10 that far north! Downtown Livingston, pictured above, looks like an idyllic old western town, though vintage shops and cafes now line the street instead of saloons. 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. Swan Mountains llamas are incredibly gentle! Road Trip through Idaho to Missoula, Montana After splashing and sunning in Lava Hot Springs and leaving our comfy digs in Idaho Falls, Idaho, we headed straight up the I-15 and then I-90 into Missoula, Montana, our home for two nights and three action packed days. After a (super) hearty lunch, take your bike out to the open road. The simplest answer I can give you is to seek out Native-owned businesses. The food is amazing literally everything on the menu is incredible and the drinks are fantastic. About halfway through our drive back we had our second animal encounter. First things first: head immediately to Butterfly Herbs downtown to pick up a huckleberry malt milkshake made with locally made ice cream. If youre thirsty, The Great Northern Brewing Company, Bonsai Brewing, or Spotted Bear Spirits have you covered. Here you'll find everything travel, food, and culture. In 2016 we quit our jobs, put our stuff in storage, and took off on a (disastrous) year-long honeymoon. Here is a day by day breakdown of our recommended Montana road trip itinerary. It was cute, and we picked up some locally grown cherries and bison pepperoni for the road. That will help keep the money youre spending funneled directly to the Tribal Nations, which supports Indigenous communities. From there, we set out to Jenny Lake where we rented a canoe to paddle across to Inspiration Point - a great thing to do in Grand Teton. We had no cell service, and there was no one around. Road Trip through Idaho to Missoula, Montana After splashing and sunning in Lava Hot Springs and leaving our comfy digs in Idaho Falls, Idaho, we headed straight up the I-15 and then I-90 into Missoula, Montana, our home for two nights and three action packed days. Dottie is one part of Dots on a Map. You can rent one from somebody who does on RVShare! 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. Fuel up at Pocketstone Cafe, the ultimate American breakfast spot in Big Fork. (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': We enjoyed the 2 hour tour through the caverns - put this on your Montana itinerary! First stop was Moulton Barns on Mormon Row, an old Mormon settlement before the national park was established. Like everywhere we stopped in Montana, mountains frame the city in the distance. Subscribe and well send you our FREE 22-page Travel Planning Guide. The road coming in was very windy with a huge drop off over the side of a cliff (this made Alicia especially nervous since the cliff edge was just inches from the passenger side door). Its an area of incredible natural beauty, isnt it? Youll be walking distance from everything in Whitefish! We learned there used to be 7 volcanoes in the area, the last of which erupted 2,000 years ago. We even included a map to make things extra helpful. Rule of thumb: Always keep 25 yards (about 2 school buses) away from a non-aggressive animal, or 100 yards (one football field) away from large/potentially aggressive ones. 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. How can you support Montanas Indigenous communities & Tribal Nations? Its a shameful fact that all outdoor enthusiasts and National Park visitors should be aware of, as well as the efforts that are being made by the National Park Service. We definitely want to do glacier but he also wants to do Yellowstone so we may need to figure out a slightly different itinerary. sorry you had to deal with that sort of garbage at the Miracle of America Museum. Road conditions from Idaho to Montana. We rode horses and ate beef, as one must, and went on some of the most scenic hikes anywhere. After our bellies were full, we swung back by the airport to pick up Alicias bag and started our Idaho road trip north towards Riggins. 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 The water is the most beautiful turquoise color flowing over smooth, multicolored rocks with tree lined mountains as the backdrop. Then we crossed back over the border and found a perfect place to stop on the drive between Wyoming and Idaho: Idaho Falls for some yummy Huckleberry Ice Cream at Reeds Dairy. After a long day of exploring, dinner at Grille 459 is exactly what you need to refuel and get ready for your trip back to the big city in the morning. Our alarms jarred us awake in pitch black (which felt strange since we had woken with the sun at 5:30 on the previous mornings) with the pounding of rain on the roof of our cabin. The mostly flat loop takes you all the way around Lake Josephine, which is absolutely stunning. There are shuttles running throughout Glacier National Park, and you can take them from the entrance of West Glacier up Going to the Sun Road all the way to Logan Pass and East Glacier (and back again) for free! Youll have easy access to the boutique specialty shops and galleries in town, and still within reach of all the outdoor activities. 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! No Practical Wanderlust guide would be complete without a brewery recommendation, so after your pizza hit up Tamarack Brewery. 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 passed a kayaker who told us to keep a lookout for a black bear he had just seen not too far from where we were going so we quietly paddled by and tried to catch a glimpse but he had disappeared back into the woods. If you are planning on coming to Whitefish, be prepared to see throngs of people walking the streets and filling our stores and restaurants. How about a thank you, Hanks dad!? 1. Alicia went for a run this morning on the beautiful Milwaukee Path along the river (Alicia loves to run on vacation! Montana has so much to offer including its crown jewel, Glacier National Park and weve designed the perfect 10-day Montana road trip itinerary through Western Montana, complete with details to help you plan each step of your trip. Outdoorsy has a diverse selection of road trip vehicles ranging from no-frills campervans to glamping-ready RVs that fit any budget. Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. and we had a shared campsite bathroom (which was actually quite clean and close to us). Alicia was surprisingly calm about the predicament Dana put us in. 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! People have a lot to say about Vegas, but in my opinion, you just gotta enjoy it for what it is: a tacky fabulous adult Disneyland. This revelation resulted in frequent singings of Oh give me a home, where the Bison roam throughout the remainder of the trip. I had an I love America moment at Shangs because only here will you see a Hispanic person hand-pulling noodles in the Northern Chinese tradition. After about 2.5 miles walking east on Going to the Sun road, we decided to turn back and go for a hike. The cocktails are boujie yet surprisingly affordable be sure to try the smoky grapefruit! By the time we left the monument, it was around 7:00 and we decided it was a good time to start looking for a place to stay the night. And yes: there are llamas. 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). Youre welcome. Which stop on our itinerary are you most excited about? 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. Lumbering bears, moose, bison, and llamas. Since this itinerary is a loop, you can rent a car directly at the airport once you arrive in Missoula. 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. Within this guide, weve kept our suggestions for specific spots within Glacier National Park to a minimum to honor this principle. I took my trip in later September, and while the leaves were beginning to turn into lovely golden colors, nearly everything in the park was shutting down, including many of the highlights of this itinerary! Be warnedthis trail is not for the faint of heart, but you will be rewarded with some of the best views Montana has to offer. The cabin we stayed in was adorable. But like, there were llamas there. They need plenty of room so they dont get nervous, just like humans. The drive from Idaho Falls to Missoula is gorgeous. Visiting Glacier National Park was top of the list on our Montana itinerary so we knew wed find a way to make it happen! Until next time. A good rule of thumb is to aim for under four hours of driving per day so you have time to enjoy your destination. 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). We typically try to visit popular or overtouristed destinations during the offseason to minimize our impact and prefer to recommend the same to our readers. :), Purchase a step-by-step guide to this itinerary, hitewater rafting trip down the Salmon River. Then we headed back to the campgrounds where Dana (of course) took a nap in preparation for our evening excursion into the East side of the park, and Alicia made friends with some people at our campground. And of course we are always open to guest posts if youd like to create an itinerary for us . Day 5: Glacier National Park to Helena, Montana. This time it was not a dog but a Black Bear that darted out in front of our car! WebThe ultimate road trip planner to help you discover extraordinary places, book hotels, and share itineraries all from the map. We havent been to Montana in 20 years and unfortunately didnt make it to Glacier then. 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. With rustic log cabins, winding rivers, and rolling green meadows all framed by the snow-capped the Sawtooth mountains the town looks straight out of a fairy tale. During our trip, we saw everything from bears to moose, including one moose who kept trying to come uncomfortably close to us (fun fact: moose are some of the most dangerous animals in the parks give them a wide berth). A waitress showed us a photo of herself at four months old next to a bear her father had just killed. On that note, these past two years have been rough as far as having some pretty bad visitation experiences. Eat: We ate at Last Chance Pizza & Pasta in town. Its NSFW bathrooms are just part of the quintessential dive bar charm! 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. ), and it was Danas job to book us tickets to Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park (they were limiting the number of cars in a day due to the amount of post-Covid 19 travelers to the national parks). 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! Another car stopped as well and the two of us and the gentleman from the other car tried to coax the dog to us so we could read his tag. This is the first night of the itinerary when we went true road trip fashion and basically drove as far as we could for the day and then started looking for a place to sleep (we hadnt booked all of our other hotels well in advance, but had a general idea of where wed end up so we booked them earlier in the day. They were designed especially for the inclines and turns of Glacier National Park & Going to the Sun Road, and their unique designs have been a staple of the Park ever since. 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. It may not have happened exactly how we planned, butit all came up Dana & Alicia in the end! 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. For breakfast and coffee, head to Swift Creek Cafe. Apart from that, the rest of the trip is completely flexible. 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