Category: Winter Fun

Last week in Part One of this series, we explored some of our favorite day hikes in the southerly region of Glacier Country (if you missed it, you should definitely go take a peak). This week, we’re finishing the list by heading up the map toward Highway 200, the Jewel Basin, Tobacco Valley and the Crown of the Continent: Glacier National Park.

Western Montana’s Glacier Country covers the northwest corner of Montana, stretching from the Canadian border all the way down through the Bitterroot Valley. It’s a big region, with a lot to explore. We started this blog post hoping to share our top 10 favorite hikes, and we quickly realized it was just too much for one post…so, we’re splitting it up. Part One covers the more southern portion of Glacier Country including the Seeley-Swan Valley and the Bitterroot Valley. Next week we’re sharing the northern-most parts of Western Montana including the Flathead National Forest, Glacier National Park, Tobacco Valley and more.

There’s nothing quite like loading up the family and embarking on an epic road trip to make some everlasting memories and there’s no place to make those memories better than Montana. From the Bitterroot Valley to Glacier National Park, Western Montana has enough scenic byways for a lifetime of cruising. We love road trips and camping so we partnered with Bretz RV & Marine to bring you a spring camping gear giveaway. Enter to win, load up your RV, chart a route through our charming small towns and make it a point to pull over and check out these fun and unique roadside attractions.

It’s the middle of winter, Mother Nature just hit us with some serious snow and, let’s face it, we all have a bit of cabin fever. It’s a good thing Montana’s cold-weather recreation options keep expanding. From miles of groomed trails to acres of untouched terrain, our mountains are waiting for you to come shred some powder. And since we know that planning a vacation can sometimes feel overwhelming, we made a little list to help you out of your winter rut.

Being a born and raised Montana girl, I know that winter here is pretty special. But I also know that not everyone thinks of Big Sky Country as a winter travel destination, especially when there are so many other places that have great ski scenes, solid snow and multiple resorts to choose from. But I do know that there’s at least one guy who knows that winter in Montana is pretty rad: Warren Miller.

You guys, last month I did something I’ve never done before. I went fat biking just outside of Whitefish, Montana. And it was awesome. If you’ve never heard of fat biking, not a worry! It’s basically just riding a normal bike, except one with over-sized tires and wider rims that make it easier to navigate softer terrain, like snow.

Being from the countryside of Montana, it’s probably no surprise that I’m a big fan of horses and now, seeing as I live in the “city,” I welcome any opportunity to take a horseback ride, wagon ride or sleigh ride. Earlier this month, I headed out to one of my favorite guest ranches (Bar W Guest Ranch near Whitefish) for a snowy sleigh ride behind Dutch and Duke, two beautiful Percheron horses.

Truth time: I’ve never been a big brunch girl. To me, breakfast and lunch have always been two separate and distinct meals that weren’t meant to be combined. Plus, I’m the kind of person who can’t possibly eat lunch without already having eaten breakfast (weird, I know). All of this was true until I laid my eyes on the brunch menu at the Belton Chalet in West Glacier, Montana.

Earlier this week, some of my favorite girls and I had a hankering to get outside. As we were brainstorming some ideas on where we could go and what we could do, we started thinking about our backyard playground: Glacier National Park. Of our group, I was the only one who had ever gone snowshoeing in the park (you can read more about that day—which included seeing a bald eagle pluck a fish out of the waters of Lake McDonald—here). And if we’re being honest, that was something that needed to change. So we loaded up the suburban and headed north to spend the day snowshoeing in Glacier National Park.

There are a few things that I know—without a shadow of a doubt—to be true. One such truth is that Glacier National Park is magic. While most visitors to the park come during the summer season, Glacier National Park is open year-round and winter provides a completely different (and serenely peaceful) experience in the Crown of the Continent. This past weekend, I was able to sneak in a getaway to one of the most beautiful places in the world and it did not disappoint.