Category: Summer Fun

A river runs through it, alright—many rivers, in fact. Glacier Country is the setting of lazy rivers, whitewater rivers, and rivers that are fishing and boating hot spots. With social distancing in play, getting out in the middle of a pristine Western Montana river sounds like a pretty good idea right about now. Here are […]

With folks looking to get out and find some wide-open spaces and a breath of fresh air, national parks are quite the draw right now. That means here in Western Montana travelers have their sights set on Glacier National Park. However, things are a little out of the ordinary this year. Please plan ahead and […]

From unspoiled landscapes to clean waterways and fresh mountain air, Western Montana’s Glacier Country boasts some of nature’s finest, pure and simple. We’re committed to preserving our wild places and respecting the land, our small towns, and all our inhabitants by making minimal impact and adopting Leave No Trace policies. We take outdoor ethics—and indoor […]

The higher you go the better the view. Channel your inner treehouse-loving child and stay in a lookout tower, one of the most unique rustic getaways in Western Montana. Lookout towers are prime for stellar scenery, plus incredible wildlife watching, sunrises and sunsets, and dark-skies stargazing. Lookout towers are small U.S. Forest Service cabins positioned […]

We’re completely overjoyed to announce that after the devastating damage to Glacier National Park’s beloved Sperry Chalet from wildland fire in 2017, it will reopen in the summer of 2020.

Summertime and outdoor music go hand in hand in Western Montana. With multiple outdoor venues and one of the most vibrant live music scenes in the West—in Glacier Country’s arts and culture hub of Missoula—it’s no surprise that we get our groove on under the big blue sky late into the season. Here’s where you can catch late-summer 2019 live tunes and local vibes in our corner of Montana.

The mention of Western Montana often conjures up visions of the Old West, like cowboys and horses, and with good reason—they’re a part of both our past and our present. One way we recognize that is through rodeos, which are an authentic western tradition, paying homage to our heritage with events based on the duties of actual working cowboys. Next time you’re in Glacier Country, pull on your boots, grab your cowboy hat and head to a local rodeo.

There are 154 national forests in the United States, and Montana is home to 12 of them. Five of those cover ground in Glacier Country—Lolo, Bitterroot, Flathead, Kootenai and part of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests—and claim more than 8 million acres of national forestland comprised of some of the most pristine terrain in America. Dramatic mountain peaks and soft rolling foothills; lush and diverse woodlands; sparkling lakes and rivers; and remote wilderness areas make up these beloved forestlands, all a vital part of Montana’s prized landscape. And thanks to the help of the U.S. Forest Service, and their efforts and partnerships with local organizations to conserve the land, we plan to keep it that way.

Every summer, thousands of travelers drive I-90 as they cruise across Montana. Many of these folks will take a detour south near Bozeman to head to Yellowstone, and others may take the detour north of Missoula to Glacier National Park. But Montana has so many hidden gems tucked just off the interstate, from endless mountain views to quaint small towns with big personalities. My name is Andy Austin. I am a Montana-based photographer and lover of the lesser-visited places in my beautiful state. When Glacier Country Tourism reached out to do a shoot in the I-90 corridor west of Missoula, I was quick to say yes to exploring one of the few areas I have only driven through. 

From Flathead Lake—the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi—to countless alpine lakes, legendary rivers and famous blue-ribbon trout streams, there’s no shortage of places to play on the pristine waters of Western Montana’s Glacier Country. Boaters, rafters, paddlers, sailors and anglers alike flock to the region to take advantage of world-class water recreation opportunities among some of the planet’s most scenic and unspoiled landscapes.