Tag: Summer

I’m just going to say it: spending a week in the backcountry of Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness was a memory I’m never going to forget. But before I get too sappy, let’s pick up where we left off from parts one and two of this trip.

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that earlier this summer I fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine and took a pack trip into Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness will Mills Wilderness Adventures. Sidenote: if you’re just joining me, you can check out part one of the pack trip here.

Taking a pack trip into Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I grew up on the doorstep of The Bob along Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front where I could look out my window and see it everyday, and while I had played in this wilderness on day hikes and rides, I’d never spent an extended amount of time in my backyard treasure. Which, let’s be honest, is kind of weird and really lame.

Truth be told, it doesn’t get much better than summer in Montana. And this year, summer has been pretty fantastic. From visiting Bighorn Canyon in Southeast Montana to biking the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, it’s been full of adventure, beautiful weather and lots of memorable moments. Before the days of summer fully give way to fall, I thought it’d be fun to take a look back at a summer spent in Montana.

You know those times when you’ve just experienced something amazing that you don’t even know how to start putting the experience into words? Well, that’s me right now at this exact moment as I’m trying to write about my week-long pack trip into the Bob Marshall Wilderness with Mills Wilderness Adventures. 

When I think of Glacier National Park, the first thing that comes to mind is the Going-to-the-Sun Road. After all, the 50 miles of this two-lane highway takes travelers to some of the most stunning landscapes in Glacier Park. But I have to tell you that there’s so much more to the Crown of the Continent than just driving the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

It’s no secret that 2016 is the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, which is resulting in more people than ever getting out to explore and visit our national parks. In Montana, we’re fortunate to have two national parks: Glacier and Yellowstone,  while our BFF to the south—Wyoming—also has two national parks: Grand Teton and Yellowstone. 

I feel like we’re at the point in our relationship where it’s time to introduce you to one of my favorite places that I’ve been kind of keeping a secret. Please meet my love, Placid Lake State Park. 

It’s hard to stay in one place during summer in Montana. There’s something about this time of year that makes me want to adventure in, around and through this place I call home. And I have to tell you, this year is no exception and with gorgeous weather, the need to hit the road came earlier than usual. So on one sunshine-filled day this June, my two traveling companions (affectionately known as boo and baby girl) and I loaded up the car and decided to take a road trip north. Our destination: Polebridge, Montana.

We all know that Montana’s Glacier National Park is amazing. It just is. I mean, does it get much better than 1 million acres of glacial-carved terrain, the epic Going-to-the-Sun Road and the feeling you get just being in Glacier National Park? Maybe not. But I’m here to tell you, it gets pretty darn close.