Montana has been a place on my list for a long time and we finally made it happen. We visited Yellowstone, Big Sky, Whitefish and Glacier National Park the last week in September, 2023. I made the trip with my husband and 7 month old daughter, my brothers and their other halves. I was very nervous to travel with a baby, but I knew I had the help if I needed it. It was important for me to do this long trip with our baby. I wanted to prove to myself I could do it so we can take her on all kinds of adventures. This was my daughter’s first flight and surprisingly, she was amazing! I was also nervous with all the driving we were going to be doing (our longest car ride being about 7 hours). I made sure to bring toys to occupy her, downloaded episodes of Mickey Mouse, and have snacks on hand. Click here to view the toys I brought for our trip on the plane. You can also find the link to our affordable gate check bags and stroller bag here.
We flew into the Bozeman airport on a Monday morning, got in our 15 passenger van that we rented through Journey Rent A Car and went to Walmart to get groceries for the week and then drove to where we were staying in Big Sky. Our rental van was ready to go and in the parking lot of the airport as soon as we landed. The whole process with Journey was smooth and their customer service is amazing. We will be renting with them again. Our Walmart list consisted of light lunch foods and hiking snacks for the week. We also bought a cooler to keep these things in the van.
We stayed at 320 Guest Ranch until Wednesday morning. It was absolutely beautiful and the weather was perfect. They have an amazing complimentary breakfast and the most beautiful grounds. The ranch has a fly shop where you can rent fishing equipment or if you bring your own fly rod, a pond where you can catch a few. We had dinner at the ranch the first night, and the food was delicious! If you’re looking for a place to relax, this is the place to stay and do just that.
Tuesday morning we woke early to make a trip to Yellowstone. It was a 45 minute drive to the West Entrance from 320 Guest Ranch. We tried to get to the park as early as we could to beat the long lines at the entrance. I downloaded a tour that tracks your GPS as you drive and as you pass talk points, it gives you great information that you may have never known. It’s definitely a must have in my opinion, and for $14.99, you can’t beat it! You do have to download the tour and app with wifi though, so don’t forget to do this before you head there. You won’t have service once you get into the park. Some of my favorites were Mammoth Hot Springs and walking around the town in Fort Yellowstone. Here are a few photos from our day at Yellowstone.
Tip: Skip the line and take a picture at the entrance sign when you leave for the day. We took our picture when we left around 4:30 and there wasn’t a line at all.
For dinner on Tuesday we ordered barbecue from Riverhouse BBQ and it was the best barbecue I’ve had that wasn’t made by my Dad. I consider myself a decent BBQ critic being that my Dad has won many competitions. 🙂 Their sides are phenomenal as well. Riverhouse BBQ is a 10 minute drive from where we stayed at the ranch.
Wednesday, we woke early to drive 6.5 hours to whitefish. You have beautiful scenery to look at and of course, we listened to crime podcasts which passed the time quickly.
Tip: Take a pit stop at Flathead lake on your way to Whitefish.
We stayed at Kandahar Lodge for the next 3 nights. Even though it wasn’t in season, it was beautiful to see it in summer. We will be back for the winter season, though! There are also a lot of decent places to stay in Whitefish if you want to be closer to town to walk around. Thursday and Friday we planned to be in Glacier National Park.
Thursday morning we rode into Glacier National Park. It is about an hour drive from Kandahar Lodge to West Glacier. This park exceeded my expectations. It was absolutely stunning and I would love to see it in the middle of summer when everything is in full bloom. For our first trip there, I think the timing of year we went was perfect because it was easy for us to find parking at all trailheads with our 15 passenger van. The trails weren’t super crowded and I feel like it allowed us the sense as if we were the only people there. This park is my favorite destination we’ve been to date.
We spent the morning hiking Avalanche lake, which is one of Glacier’s most popular hikes. It is best to hike this trail first thing in the morning or later in the day when there aren’t many people to ensure that you have a parking spot in the lot. This lot fills up fast. Avalanche Lake is a relatively easy hike. We have a Deuter Kid Comfort hiking carrier and Evie loved being in this while we were hiking. She could see everything perfectly and she even slept comfortably in it on the hike back to the trailhead. You can also find our boots and the perfect socks for hiking here.
We drove all the way through Big Bend and up to Logan’s Pass and hiked Hidden Lake Trail. This is also one of the most popular hikes in the park. It is relatively an easy hike, although it is uphill the whole way to the lookout. This trail is a lot higher up in elevation, so the wind was insane. It was cold and we weren’t able to take Evie on this hike. My husband volunteered to go to the car with her while I could check this off of my bucket list. Husband of the year goes to him! Logan’s Pass has a nice visitor’s center/gift shop and restrooms as well.
We ended our drive of the GTTSR at the St. Mary’s entrance and went into the visitor’s center. This center has fun interactions for kids and adults and is very educational with all things about GNP. We bought our 7 month old a couple of books at this visitor center and a stuffed wolf at the west entrance gift shop.
Tip: Download the tour to listen while driving through the park. The tour has a lot of good information you probably wouldn’t have ever known! Also, whatever trail you’re hiking, download on the “All Trails” app before you get enter the park.
Thursday night we had a reservation at Whitefish Lake Golf Club. This is a great place to grab drinks and have a nice meal if you’re wanting to celebrate or hang out in a great atmosphere. The staff is super friendly and made our night even more special. My family and I were celebrating the whole week that we had finally came on this trip together, but this dinner was extra special.
Friday was a rainy day. We drove the whole Going To The Sun Road and went inside the gift shop in West Glacier and at the St. Mary’s entrance. Even with the clouds and rain, it was still a beautiful drive. It took us about 2.5 hours to drive the whole road. We stopped a few times as well.
We ate at a restaurant Friday night called Jalsico Cantina. This restaurant is in Whitefish and is some of the best tacos and jalapeño margaritas I’ve ever had. The atmosphere was fun and the space was beautifully decorated. We had gotten there right before the dinner rush, but it started to get packed right at 6PM. We highly recommend!
Saturday we split up our drive back to Bozeman and stayed in Helena for the night. We stayed at Delta Hotels by Mariott. The layout of this hotel is rather odd as it must have been a school at one point, but there are several entrances near the rooms that make them easy to carry luggage to. Overall, the rooms and lounge/bar area were nicely renovated and was a cool atmosphere. We enjoyed hanging out at the bar watching football. We ate at Buffalo Wild Wings this night, solely to watch football and eat wings. Saturday was a much needed day to recharge before we headed back to Bozeman the next morning to fly home.
Sunday morning we left for the Bozeman airport. It’s about an hour and a half drive there from Helena. The Bozeman airport reminds me of a big cabin. It was super cool. We loved our trip so much, we started missing it before we even left. We can’t wait to go back one day, but for now we have our memories that will live on with us forever.
I hope this inspired you to start planning your trip to Montana,
Xoxo,
