Choose the best time for your visit to Bozeman with our seasonal guide

13.07.2024 - 14:17 / lonelyplanet.com

Jul 9, 2024 • 4 min read

The best time to visit Bozeman depends squarely on your interests. Summer is the obvious time for backpacking trips, fly-fishing or camping en route to family fun in Yellowstone National Park, but these activities are also fantastic in fall, when campgrounds and trails are noticeably quieter. Winter sees fewer cultural events but offers heavenly skiing and snowmobiling.

There's no bad season for visiting Bozeman; you just have to pack the right equipment and clothing. Here's a guide to the best times to come.

Bozeman's brief summer months are all about the great outdoors. The warm days and cool nights offer perfect camping weather, and these are also the best months to hit the mountain trails. This is prime road trip season in Montana, especially for those headed south toward Yellowstone National Park. You'll need to book summer accommodations well in advance, even campsites. 

The weather starts warming up in earnest in June, but this is also one of the rainiest months of the year (along with May). Weekly farmers markets herald the beginning of summer's bounty and run until September, offering locally sourced produce, crafts and food. Expect some lingering snow in higher basins and on north-facing slopes. July is statistically the hottest month of the year, with highs above 80°F (27°C) – or occasionally above 90°F (32°C). Head to the mountains or cool off on a tube floating down the Madison River. Downtown kicks off a season of weekly live music and food stalls that lasts until mid-August.

Warm, dry August days bring perfect outdoor weather but also the year's biggest cultural events. Give the kids a face-painting makeover at the Sweet Pea Festival, Bozeman's largest arts event. Foodies should look out for Montana's delicious flathead cherries and huckleberries.

The temperatures in spring are comfortable, but many of the hiking trails and access roads are still under snow at higher altitudes, and mud can be a problem on the trails. Cyclists will be thrilled to hear that Yellowstone National Park opens its roads to non-motorized transport only during the first two weeks of April.Daytime temperatures are above 60°F (16°C) in May, making for good lower-elevation hiking through meadows of Rocky Mountain wildflowers. However, higher valleys are still snowbound.

Fall is a great time to visit Bozeman. The crowds thin out after Labor Day, as school and Montana State University students return to class, making this the optimal time for a kids-free camping trip. The days are warm, evenings are crisp, and summer's pesky mosquitoes are finally gone. Forest and park service campgrounds start to close in mid-September. Fall colors and crisp days make for perfect backpacking, and the national