Montana holidays

Stroll through downtown in Bozeman, Butte, Billings, Philipsburg, Great Falls, Anaconda, or the capital of Helena and browse local eateries and boutique stores on streets first built in the Victorian mining era that brought prosperity to Montana. Explore one of the largest dinosaur collections in the US at the Museum of the Rockies. Dig deeper at the World Museum of Mining.

See the lavish Greek Renaissance-style State Capitol in Helena, the Last Chance Gulch town built on gold. Visit Henry Janeway Hardenbergh’s 28-room Moss Mansion, built in 1903 in Billings, or indulge your sugar craving at Sweet Palace in Philipsburg. Get up close with great bears and wild wolves at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. Take a boat onto Flathead Lake. Or descend into the spectacular limestone caves of the Lewis and Clark Caverns.

Discover Glacier National Park, the crown of mainland USA on the Montana-Canada border. Proud mountain ranges, flowing alpine meadows and thick forests run between sparkling lakes which lead to raging rivers, dramatic waterfalls, and glaciers. Take a stunning drive across the continental divide or set out to explore more than 700 miles of hiking trails. Adventure through 20 million acres of forest in every corner of the state and find ancient groves where 1000-year-old cedars rise to the clouds.

Head south into Yellowstone in search of the world’s most famous geysers. Soak and soothe in natural hot springs, go fly fishing in the Blackfoot River, or get away from it all in the vast natural spaces and plains of Big Sky Country. Whether you hike, drive, or camp, you’ll find the best of the American West in Montana’s rugged, and endless, terrain.

Once known as the ‘Richest Hill on Earth’ Butte flourished in the late 19th century when it became the heart of Montana’s copper mining industry. Visit the state’s most historic city, once the largest town in the midwest after Chicago, and uncover the rich past that shaped its modern streets. Take a trolley tour or explore historical buildings by foot.

Head underground to the Rookwood Speakeasy, the city cellar jail dating back to 1890, and into the rocky depths of Orphan Girl Mine. Walk the Victorian halls of the 24-room Copper King Mansion. Step into the past at Hell Roarin’ Gulch. Or see a 27.5-ounce gold nugget at the Mineral Museum. Stay the night and see a show in the ornate auditorium of the Mother Lode Theatre where touring Broadway productions and the Butte Symphony continue more than a century of tradition in the city’s historic performance space.

Montana is an outdoor state and, as such, by far the most popular time to visit is July and August when temperatures are consistently between 20°C and 30°C and conditions around the state’s parks, forests, lakes, and rivers, are at their peak.

For avoiding the crowds, September to November is a great time to visit Montana as the foliage turns autumn shades and the days remain pleasant, particularly on the western side of the continental divide. Winter brings ski season and attracts visitors to the many mountain resorts including Big Sky, Lost Trail Powder Mountain, Whitefish Mountain, and Montana Snowbowl. Temperatures begin to rise again in April but spring can bring heavy rains making some activities difficult at times through May and June.