Montana is a vast, wild northwestern US state nicknamed 'Big Sky Country' for its sweeping vistas and dramatic open landscapes. From Glacier National Park's jagged peaks to the rolling prairies of the Great Plains and the geothermal wonders of Yellowstone's northern reaches, Montana rewards visitors with breathtaking scenery, world-class outdoor adventure, and a deeply authentic frontier culture.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Glacier National Park from Whitefish
This is the western entrance to a park built around ice-carved peaks, cirques, and turquoise lakes, with Going-to-the-Sun Road as its spine. A day from Whitefish gets you onto the lower stretch of that road and around Lake McDonald, but the full 50-mile crossing to the east side and back is too much to do justice in a single day. Expect narrow, cliff-edge driving with pull-offs rather than a relaxed cruise.
Highlights: Drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road over Logan Pass at 6,647 feet through the heart of Glacier National Park · Hike the Hidden Lake Overlook Trail for panoramic alpine views and mountain goat sightings above Logan Pass · Walk the shoreline of Lake McDonald, Glacier's largest lake, through ancient cedar-hemlock forest · Photograph Wild Goose Island in St. Mary Lake on the park's dramatic eastern side · Spot bighorn sheep and grizzly bears along the roadside wildlife corridors of the Going-to-the-Sun Road
Yellowstone National Park from Bozeman
The North Entrance at Gardiner is the only Yellowstone gateway open to regular vehicle traffic year-round, and it puts you closest to Mammoth Hot Springs and the wildlife-rich Lamar Valley rather than the geyser basins on the park's west side. From Bozeman this is a long day - over two hours each way before you've seen anything - so it rewards picking one corner of the park rather than trying to loop the whole thing.
Highlights: Walk the cascading travertine terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs along the park's northern thermal corridor · Watch steam columns rise from Norris Geyser Basin, home to Steamboat Geyser — the world's tallest active geyser · View the 308-foot Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River from Artists Point on the canyon's south rim · Drive the Lamar Valley in early morning for bison herds, wolves, and grizzly bears in open sagebrush terrain · Pass through the historic Roosevelt Arch in Gardiner, the ceremonial gateway to America's first national park
Beartooth Highway and Red Lodge
The Beartooth Highway climbs out of Red Lodge in a series of switchbacks up onto an alpine plateau above 10,000 feet, with snowfields visible well into summer and views back down over the valley. The drive itself, not a single destination at the end of it, is the point of the trip - this is a scenic byway day rather than a sightseeing checklist.
Highlights: Drive 29 hairpin switchbacks rising 5,000 feet from Red Lodge to the 10,947-foot Beartooth Pass summit · Stop at Rock Creek Vista Point for a panoramic view back over the Clarks Fork valley and Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness · Walk tundra meadows and wildflower fields above treeline in late June and July near the pass summit · Explore historic Broadway Avenue in Red Lodge for craft beer, Western heritage, and ranch-style dining before the ascent · Spot marmots, mountain goats, and occasional grizzly bears in the high alpine zones near the pass
Little Bighorn Battlefield from Billings
This is the site of the 1876 battle in which Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho forces defeated Lieutenant Colonel George Custer's 7th Cavalry, and it is managed as a memorial to both sides rather than a monument to one. The visitor center and battlefield walk are compact, but the site rewards slowing down and reading the markers rather than treating it as a drive-through.
Highlights: Walk Last Stand Hill where white marble markers trace where Custer and his men fell on June 25, 1876 · Visit the Indian Memorial dedicated in 2003, honoring the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors who fought here · Follow the 4.5-mile paved auto tour connecting all major battle sites across the rolling Montana grassland · Attend a ranger-led talk for tactical and cultural context from both the U.S. Army and Native American perspectives · Explore the visitor center museum housing weapons, uniforms, and personal artifacts from both sides of the conflict
Flathead Lake Loop from Missoula
Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States, and the highway loop around it runs through small lakeside towns and orchard country rather than through wilderness. The drive is easy, but it's long enough that most of a day goes into it if you stop along the way rather than just circling the shoreline.
Highlights: Drive the 80-mile lake circuit through cherry orchard country on the western shore and public lakeshore parks on the eastern shore · Explore the arts galleries, summer theatre, and restaurant row in Bigfork, the arts town at the lake's northeastern corner · Paddle to Wild Horse Island to spot the lake's resident herd of wild horses, bighorn sheep, and bald eagles · Pick cherries directly from roadside orchards along State Highway 35 during the July harvest season · Swim or picnic at Wayfarers State Park, one of several public day-use areas on the lakeshore
Bannack Ghost Town from Dillon
Bannack was Montana's first territorial capital, founded after an 1862 gold strike on Grasshopper Creek, and it is now preserved as a Montana state park with roughly sixty original buildings left standing and largely unrestored. Unlike a reconstructed pioneer village, most of the structures are empty and left to weather, which is part of what makes walking through them feel different from a staged historic site.
Highlights: Walk through 60-plus original structures from the 1862 gold rush, including the gallows, hotel, jail, and territorial-era church · Attend Bannack Days on the third weekend of July for living-history reenactments, melodramas, and period craft demonstrations · Try gold panning in Grasshopper Creek, the waterway where Montana's first major gold strike ignited the rush in 1862 · Explore Meade Hotel, the ghost town's largest building, with panels tracing Bannack's arc from mining camp to territorial capital · Drive the scenic Beaverhead Valley approach through open sage country with views of the Pioneer Mountains to the west
National Bison Range from Missoula
This grassland range on the Flathead Indian Reservation was established in 1908 to protect one of the country's early conserved bison herds, and it is now managed by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes as part of the reservation. A drive through the range gives a decent chance of seeing bison, along with pronghorn and elk, in rolling prairie and coulee terrain distinct from the mountain scenery elsewhere in western Montana.
Highlights: Drive the 19-mile Prairie Drive loop for close-range encounters with free-roaming bison herds on native Montana grassland · Watch sunrise illuminate the Mission Mountains from the ridge-top viewpoint above the refuge · Spot pronghorn, bighorn sheep, elk, and over 200 bird species alongside the bison throughout the refuge · Learn the near-extinction and recovery story of the American bison at the refuge visitor center · Visit one of the first federal wildlife refuges in the United States, now managed by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
Helena — Last Chance Gulch and Gates of the Mountains
Helena's downtown grew directly out of an 1864 gold strike along the gulch that gives Last Chance Gulch its name, and the street still follows the original creek-bed layout rather than a planned grid. Pairing it with a boat tour through the Gates of the Mountains - the Missouri River canyon Meriwether Lewis named in 1805 - makes for a day that mixes a walkable mining-era downtown with a stretch of river landscape little changed since the expedition passed through.
Highlights: Walk the gold-rush streetscape of Last Chance Gulch, Helena's pedestrian mall named for the final claim that founded the city · Visit the Montana Historical Society Museum — free admission and the largest public collection of Charles M. Russell paintings in the world · Take a Gates of the Mountains boat cruise through the 1,200-foot limestone canyon that awed the Lewis and Clark Expedition · Tour the Montana State Capitol and view the original Charles M. Russell mural inside the House chambers · Spot bighorn sheep on canyon walls and osprey overhead during the afternoon Gates of the Mountains cruise on Holter Lake
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Multi-day tours from Montana
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Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
Start early — most popular day-trip destinations get crowded by mid-morning.
Check return transport times before you leave — missing the last train or bus can be costly.
Carry water, snacks, and layers — weather and food options can be limited at smaller destinations.