Southwest Montana
Cowboys, college kids, the ultra-wealthy, and the family caravan – all characters you’re likely to see on a visit to Bozeman, Montana. Originally a small ranching community, Bozeman continues to evolve and is now the central hub for visitors to Yellowstone National Park, Big Sky Resort and an expanding Montana State University. The combination of youth and retirees, city and country dwellers, and longtime residents alongside vacation homeowners has created a diverse destination rarely seen today. A stroll down Main will show you saloons that have stood for decades along with shops featuring upscale clothing and art. You’ll bump into wranglers and Stetsons, engineering students letting off steam, and travelers looking to flee their big city life for a week or so. The reason for each visit varies, but it’s easy to see how Bozeman’s tourism industry continues to grow and adapt to an ever increasing visitor population.
Western Montana in general boasts some of the most breathtaking scenery and incredible outdoor experiences in the lower 48. Bozeman serves as home base for many planning to spend their trip in the great outdoors. Evidenced by the numerous fly shops that dot the town, trout fishing is a huge draw here. The Gallatin, Madison and Yellowstone rivers all carry the blue ribbon designation for their water quality, public accessibility, native trout population and ability to handle fishing pressure. Serious anglers from all over the country put a float down one of these Montana legends as a fly fishing bucket list can’t miss. Very fortunate fishermen can land one of only a few yearly permits for a five-day float down the Smith River. During the 60-mile float, it’s rare to see another outfit giving visitors a truly alone-in-the-wild experience.
Yellowstone National Park sits just 90 miles south of town and guests can enter the north end of the park through Gardiner or the west entrance at West Yellowstone. Easily one of the most visited and popular National Parks in the country, a trip into Yellowstone will bring you up close and personal with wildlife, geothermal wonders, as well as spectacular bodies of water and mountain peaks. Yellowstone is one of the best places in the country to see the most famous animals of the West. Entering through Gardiner, you are all but guaranteed to see herds of elk and some of the last native buffalo left in the West. While they may look like calm massive cows, every year overzealous picture takers get mauled by bison who feel threatened when people get too close. Don’t be that person. These 1,000-pound animals will often block the roadway, and provoking them or honking your horn does little to sway them into moving out of your way. Nature makes the rules and runs the show here.
Another common occurrence in the park is a traffic build up also known as a “bear jam.” Grizzly and black bears are often spotted right from the road, and as soon as they are seen, cars pull over and stack up to get a glimpse. This causes a headache for park staff, but the chance to see a grizzly in the wild is too much for most visitors to pass up and drive by. There is an average of one bear attack each year in the park, and most of those occur where visitors are out hiking and surprise a bear. Before going out on trips, park staff educates hikers on how to avoid surprising a bear and what to do if charged. Your odds of being attacked are extremely low, but having the knowledge of what to do beforehand could make all the difference.
Across miles of hiking trails there are deer, moose, eagles, as well as the rarely seen bobcat, mountain lion and wolf pack. The other feature many visitors come to see is the majority of active geysers in the world. Old Faithful is the most popular, but many are surprised to learn that it does not erupt exactly every 60 minutes and isn’t even the most frequent erupting or largest geyser in the park; it is however the most consistent. There are more than 300 erupting geysers in Yellowstone making it the largest concentration in the world. If you can’t wait until your trip, the National Park Service has a constant live stream where you can watch the Old Faithful eruption (www.nps.gov/features/yell/webcam/oldFaithfulStreaming.html). This is truly a spectacular place and a trip through the park should not be missed.
While summer brings outdoor hikers, bikers, fishermen and adventure seekers, winter brings visitors looking for light fluffy powder, steep terrain and an incredible ski experience. Locals take the 30-minute drive to Bridger Bowl ski area, famous for soft snow as well as some of the most challenging terrain around. Back country skiers hike to the very top for untouched powder and the thrill of leaping off cliffs and ledges. There are also miles of cross-country skiing as well as snowshoeing trails. The more famous mountain, Big Sky, sits about an hour south of Bozeman and boasts one of the largest skiable mountains in North America. This is a true western resort experience with dozens of dining and on-mountain lodging options. The gathering area seems more like a small downtown than a ski chalet. It would be a challenge to hit every run if you had a week, and if you aren’t a big fan of chairlifts, there is a run that’s six miles long that will take you plenty of time to traverse. Multi-million dollar homes are common throughout the area. Plans were laid to create a private ski mountain called The Yellowstone Club that encompassed nearby Moonlight Basin. However, the dream didn’t come to fruition and in 2013, Moonlight became part of Big Sky Resort, creating over 7,600 acres of skiable terrain.
If a more laid back stay is your style, there are plenty of options back in Bozeman, and the town is easy to navigate on foot. During the summer months, the downtown area puts on weekly art walks featuring the local galleries as well as ”Music on Main” which features live local bands, activities for kids, and plenty of food trucks serving up a variety of specialties. Pride from Montana State University shuts down Main Street in both the spring and fall for graduating senior sendoffs and fall homecoming parades and pep rallies. The annual Brawl of the Wild football game pits the Bobcats of Montana State against the Grizzlies of the University of Montana. It’s been going on since 1897, and it’s easy to tell which side you’re on during Cat-Griz week.
A melting pot of Old West and modern is what you’ll find on your visit to the greater Bozeman area. Luxurious options abound alongside beat up farm trucks. A passion for the outdoors is what drives visitors here and keeps locals from ever leaving the area. Big Sky country is a term not easily described until you’ve experienced it firsthand. Western Montana is the playground for outdoor enthusiasts. Even if you’re not the mountaineering type, you can experience all the beauty of this region through the window of your car or a short stroll off the beaten path.
