Montana's Top 12 Destinations: From Glacier to Dinosaur Badlands
Montana, which ranks as the fourth-largest state in the US by land area, boasts a population of under 1.2 million people and is often overlooked as a prime outdoor getaway. This state is home to portions of Glacier National Park, three entrances to Yellowstone, the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, and one of North America's biggest ski resorts. Notable sites include Glacier's extensive 700 miles of trails, the entrances at West Yellowstone and Gardiner, the scenic Beartooth Highway, Flathead Lake, Big Sky Resort's $150 million development, Whitefish's Amtrak station, Bozeman's Museum of the Rockies, Missoula's river trails, the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, and the gold rush heritage of Virginia City and Nevada City. Additionally, Makoshika State Park is known for its dinosaur fossils, including a Triceratops skull.
Key facts
- Montana is the fourth-largest US state by land area and one of the least visited relative to its size.
- Fewer than 1.2 million people live in Montana.
- Glacier National Park has over 700 miles of maintained trails.
- Going-to-the-Sun Road is 50 miles long and climbs to 6,646 feet at Logan Pass.
- Starting July 1, 2026, parking at Logan Pass is capped at three hours per vehicle.
- Yellowstone National Park has three entrances in Montana: West Yellowstone, Gardiner, and Northeast Entrance near Cooke City.
- The Beartooth Highway is 68 miles long and reaches 10,947 feet at Beartooth Pass.
- Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River in the contiguous US.
- Big Sky Resort covers 5,850 skiable acres on Lone Mountain.
- The Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman houses a mounted Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton.
- Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument preserves the site of the 1876 battle.
- Makoshika State Park is Montana's largest state park, covering over 11,000 acres.
- The Berkeley Pit in Butte is a former open-pit copper mine now filled with acidic water.
Entities
Institutions
- National Park Service
- Glacier National Park
- Yellowstone National Park
- Flathead Indian Reservation
- Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
- Big Sky Resort
- Whitefish Mountain Resort
- Museum of the Rockies
- Montana State University
- Bozeman Yellowstone International
- University of Montana
- Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
- Crow Indian Reservation
- Anaconda Copper Mining Company
- Makoshika State Park
- Amtrak
Locations
- Montana
- Glacier National Park
- Logan Pass
- Going-to-the-Sun Road
- Many Glacier
- Two Medicine
- North Fork
- West Yellowstone
- Gardiner
- Cooke City
- Silver Gate
- Beartooth Highway
- Red Lodge
- Beartooth Pass
- Absaroka Range
- Beartooth Mountains
- Rock Creek Vista
- Hellroaring Canyon
- Flathead Lake
- Flathead Indian Reservation
- Wild Horse Island
- Polson
- Bigfork
- Missoula
- Big Sky
- Lone Mountain
- Gallatin Canyon
- Gallatin River
- Bozeman
- Whitefish
- Big Mountain
- Whitefish Lake
- Central Avenue
- Whitefish Trail
- Museum of the Rockies
- Bridger Bowl
- Bitterroot River
- Blackfoot River
- Clark Fork River
- Mount Sentinel
- M Trail
- Kim Williams Trail
- Hellgate Canyon
- Rock Creek
- Lincoln
- Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
- Crow Agency
- Billings
- Last Stand Hill
- Virginia City
- Nevada City
- Alder Gulch
- Helena
- Fourteen-Mile City
- Great Falls
- Ennis
- Butte
- Berkeley Pit
- Meaderville
- McQueen
- Uptown Butte
- Makoshika State Park
- Glendive
- Hell Creek Formation
- North Dakota
- Interstate 94
- United States
- Wyoming
Sources
- Quartz —