Must-see attractions in Montana

  • A family of goats near Gunsight Pass in Glacier National Park

    Glacier National Park

    Montana

    The rival of any of the United States' most spectacular national parks, including Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, Glacier National Park is…

  • Hidden Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana; Shutterstock ID 68071945; Your name (First / Last): Emma Sparks; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Best_in_the_US_POIs

    Logan Pass

    Glacier National Park

    Perched above the tree line, atop the wind-lashed Continental Divide, and blocked by snow for most of the year, 6646ft Logan Pass – named for William R…

  • Miners' cabins in a ghost town at 6000 ft elevation in the Montana wilderness. Photographed five years before the town was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
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    Garnet Ghost Town

    Montana

    More than a dozen buildings preserved in a state of 'arrested decay' transport you back to gold-rush days, when cities were built overnight and vanished…

  • Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center

    West Yellowstone

    This nonprofit organization offers an alternative for ‘pest’ grizzlies facing extermination and captive-born wolves that can't survive in the wild. Here…

  • Museum of the Rockies

    Bozeman & Gallatin Valley

    The most entertaining museum in Montana should not be missed. It has stellar displays on the geological history of the Rockies, and dinosaur exhibits…

  • Museum of the Plains Indian

    Glacier National Park

    You wouldn't guess it from the outside, but this museum, housed in a nondescript brick building, has an exceptional collection of costumes, art, craftwork…

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    Rising Sun

    Glacier National Park

    You’ll welcome this handy pit stop on Going-to-the-Sun Rd, with useful tourist facilities including a motel, restaurant, showers, small grocery and boat…

  • Beautiful colorful sunset over St. Mary Lake and wild goose island in Glacier national park; Shutterstock ID 306129650; Your name (First / Last): Emma Sparks; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Best_in_the_US_POIs

    St Mary Lake

    Glacier National Park

    Located on the park’s dryer eastern side, where the mountains melt imperceptibly into the Great Plains, St Mary Lake lies in a deep, glacier-carved valley…

  • Lake McDonald Valley

    Glacier National Park

    Greener and wetter than the St Mary Valley, the Lake McDonald Valley harbors the park’s largest lake and some of its densest and oldest temperate…

  • St Mary Visitor Center

    Glacier National Park

    Houses interesting exhibits on wildlife, geology and Native American culture and history, as well as an auditorium featuring slide shows and ranger talks…

  • Museum of the Plains Indians

    Montana

    This excellent museum housed in a bland building that looks like a 1970s-era suburban elementary school honors the culture of the Crow, Cree, Sioux,…

  • Logan Pass Visitor Center

    Glacier National Park

    In the most magnificent setting of all the park's visitor centers, the building has park information, interactive exhibits and a good gift shop. The…

  • Garden Wall

    Glacier National Park

    The sharp, steep-sided ridge that parallels Going-to-the-Sun Rd as it ascends to Logan Pass from the west was carved by powerful glaciers millions of…

  • National Bison Range

    Montana

    Home to bison, black bear, a range of deer and antelope species, a handful of predators and more than 200 bird varieties, the National Bison Range, in…

  • Apgar Village

    Glacier National Park

    Supporting little more than a couple of lodges, a gift shop or two, a recommended outdoor gear outfitter and a restaurant with an adjoining window for ice…

  • Evening Light on Bird Woman Falls in Glacier National Park
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    Bird Woman Falls

    Glacier National Park

    Standing at the artificially created Weeping Wall, look across the valley to this distant natural watery spectacle; the spectacular Bird Woman Falls drops…

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    City Beach Park

    Montana

    Glued to the southern shore of Whitefish Lake, this busy sandy stretch is where the whole town comes to date and debate in the summer months. The swimming…

  • Jackson Glacier Overlook on the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, Montana
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    Jackson Glacier Overlook

    Glacier National Park

    This popular pull-over, located a short walk from the Gunsight Pass trailhead, offers telescopic views of the park’s fifth-largest glacier, which sits…

  • First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park

    Montana

    This little-visited state park has as its centerpiece what may be the largest bison cliff jump – where Native American hunters drove herds of bison over a…

  • Sunrift Gorge

    Glacier National Park

    Just off Going-to-the-Sun Rd and adjacent to a shuttle stop lies this narrow canyon carved over millennia by the gushing glacial meltwaters of Baring…

  • Lake McDonald Lodge

    Glacier National Park

    On the northeastern shore of the lake, this rustic lodge, first built in 1895 as the Glacier Hotel, is the park’s oldest hotel. Replaced by a newer Swiss…

  • Miracle of America Museum

    Montana

    When Gil Mangels was a soldier on foreign soil, he became acutely aware of how America's freedom allowed for so much innovation and creativity – and he's…

  • Apgar Visitor Center

    Glacier National Park

    This LEED–certified center with a large parking lot and free wi-fi signal is 1½ miles north of West Glacier at the west end of Going-to-the-Sun Rd. Catch…

  • Smokejumper Visitor Center

    Montana

    The visitor center on this active base for the heroic men and women who parachute into forests to combat raging wildfires has thought-provoking displays…

  • Earthquake Lake Visitor Center

    Montana

    The best way to get to grips with the enormity of the Hebgen earthquake, the largest ever to hit the Rockies, is to visit this center, at the end of Quake…

  • Historic Downtown Pedestrian Mall

    Montana

    Helena was born with the discovery of gold in 1864 along the creek that is now Last Chance Gulch road. The pedestrian-only mall weaves between the…

  • Weeping Wall

    Glacier National Park

    Located 2000ft below the iconic Garden Wall, the glistening Weeping Wall creates a seasonal waterfall that was formed when Going-to-the-Sun Rd…

  • American Computer & Robotics Museum

    Bozeman & Gallatin Valley

    If you have even one bit of computer geek in you (and caught the pun), visit this eclectic collection of artifacts covering landmarks in computer…

  • Yellowstone Heritage & Research Center

    Montana

    The park’s abundant archives (over five million items and growing) are a fantastic resource on the park. Drop-in visitors can peruse the temporary…

  • Loop

    Glacier National Park

    This sharp hairpin bend acts as a popular trailhead for hikers descending from the Granite Park Chalet and the Highline Trail. Consequently, it’s normally…

  • Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary

    Montana

    Families will love this nonprofit refuge for dozens of animals that can’t be returned to the wild, including bears, lynx, a mountain lion and a sandhill…

  • Oregon Short Line Railway Car

    West Yellowstone

    This wonderfully preserved 1903 Pullman car, once used by railroad executives, perfectly sums up the golden age of Western travel. Decked out in velvet,…

  • Roosevelt Arch

    Montana

    Gardiner’s most photographed sight is the park’s northwestern entry gate, dedicated by Teddy Roosevelt himself on April 25, 1903, and inscribed with…

  • Eagle’s Store

    West Yellowstone

    Grab an old-fashioned soda at the antique 1910 fountain while stocking up on a motley collection of fishing supplies and cowboy hats at this century-old…

  • Sun Point

    Glacier National Park

    This rocky, often windy promontory overlooks St Mary Lake and was the site of some of the park’s earliest and most luxurious chalets (now demolished)…

  • Cooke City General Store

    Montana

    This historic 1886 store dates from the town's mining heyday and is an atmospheric browse, perhaps even Montana's best. It sells fishing permits, topo…

  • Yellowstone Gateway Museum

    Montana

    Livingston’s collection of historical and archaeological treasures is housed in a century-old schoolhouse. Exhibits include a pioneer kitchen and an early…

  • Les Mason State Park

    Montana

    Ideal Whitefish Lake swimming spot with an anchored wood 'raft', great for big jumps as well as mid-swim rests, and a cobblestone beach.

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    The Rims

    Montana

    Cycle or hike Chief Black Otter Trail from near the airport for the best overview of the city (particularly at dusk) as far as the distant Beartooth…