In case you missed the memo, Montana is massive. It’s the largest landlocked state in the country, taking at least 10 hours to drive its width and a minimum of five hours to drive up or down.
11.09.2023 - 06:19 / lonelyplanet.com
With so much wilderness right on the doorstep, there's always something to do in Montana at any time of year. The state is highly in tune with the rhythms of nature, and activities vary with the weather and season.
The peak summer and winter seasons always draw in a crowd, but the shoulder seasons in late spring and fall reveal a calmer, quieter side to the Big Sky state. Whenever you come, check if you can do the activities you want to do and see the places you want to see at that time of year.
Summer is considered the high season, thanks to the endless opportunities for hiking and outdoor exploration, but snow sports in winter are another major draw, thanks to the state’s consistent covering of fluffy snow. It’s important to note that businesses often use the less popular shoulder season and off-season to perform renovations or reduce their hours. Even so, the quieter months are ideal if you want to see Montana looking more like it did in the frontier days, without queues of RVs on the highways.
Here's a guide to what Montana has to offer throughout the year, from hiking-friendly summer to ski-tastic winter and everything in between.
Montana is extremely family-friendly and when there’s no snow, it’s easy to drive deep into wild country, making summer the peak season to visit the state. Yellowstone National Park is in full swing by this point, and the Going To The Sun Road in Glacier National Park is clear of snow and open to traffic by the end of June or early July. As the snow melts, seasonal workers flock to staff mountain resorts and support the surge in tourism, and the state's bears come out of hibernation.
This is the ideal time to engage in the summer activities for which Montana is famous. Fly-fishing, hiking, cycling, whitewater rafting, wildlife spotting, admiring the wildflowers and going to the rodeo are just some of the most popular ways to keep busy in Montana in the summertime. This is also when the huckleberries come out, if you’re willing to fight the bears for them (carry bear spray to be on the safe side).
The festival calendar is busy too. Big events in July include the Under the Big Sky Festival in Whitefish, Evel Knievel Days in Butte and Flathead Cherry Festival in Polson; in August, try the Sweet Pea Festival in Bozeman and Huckleberry Festival in Trout Creek.
The cons of visiting Montana during the high season are higher prices and the crowds, which can somewhat defeat the purpose of exploring these wide-open spaces. Another inconvenience is the heat, which often surprises visitors who assume this snow-prone state is always cold. Temperatures can climb above 100ºC during the day in the high season, and with regular wildfires, the air is often hazy, obscuring the mountain vistas
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