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- Glacier National Park — Going-to-the-Sun & Highline Trail
Jagged peaks, turquoise alpine lakes, and miles of trails that actually feel remote: Glacier is the classic Montana mountain experience. Drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road for jaw-dropping views, hike the Highline for marmots and cliffside panoramas, and don’t skip the quieter lakes (Avalanche, St. Mary) if you want the scenery without shoulder-to-shoulder crowds. - Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
One of the most consequential places in Plains history — the rolling hills where the 1876 battle happened. The site forces you to reckon with multiple perspectives: walking the ground gives a clearer sense of landscape, tactics, and the scale of loss than any book can. Combine it with a visit to nearby Crow country for contemporary
- Glacier National Park — Going-to-the-Sun & Highline Trail
Jagged peaks, turquoise alpine lakes, and miles of trails that actually feel remote: Glacier is the classic Montana mountain experience. Drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road for jaw-dropping views, hike the Highline for marmots and cliffside panoramas, and don’t skip the quieter lakes (Avalanche, St. Mary) if you want the scenery without shoulder-to-shoulder crowds. - Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
One of the most consequential places in Plains history — the rolling hills where the 1876 battle happened. The site forces you to reckon with multiple perspectives: walking the ground gives a clearer sense of landscape, tactics, and the scale of loss than any book can. Combine it with a visit to nearby Crow country for contemporary Native perspectives. - Beartooth Highway & Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness
A drive and a destination. The Beartooth Highway (US-212) climbs into one of the highest plateaus in the lower 48; tundra, glacial cirques, and short, wild hikes make it feel alpine without the crowds of the Rockies. Stop at alpine lakes and scramble a ridge — it’s scenery you won’t find replicated in flatter western states. - Flathead Lake & Wild Horse Island
One of the largest natural lakes in the western U.S., where boating, fishing and lakeside camping feel refreshingly low-key. Take a kayak or boat to Wild Horse Island for easy hikes, roaming deer, and the chance to picnic in open prairie above the water — Montana lake life without the resorts. - Garnet Ghost Town (Hidden gem)
Hike or drive into a remarkably intact ghost town tucked in the Garnet Range. Buildings, a few interpretive signs and the odd historic artifact remain; you can camp nearby and get a real sense of Montana’s gold-rush grit without tourist trinket shops. Locals love it for an overnight backcountry feel with a dose of history. - Makoshika State Park (Hidden gem)
Eastern Montana badlands that look like another planet — rolling spires, colorful clay, and real dinosaur fossils underfoot. It’s quiet, photogenic, and great for sunset light. If you like weird landscapes and paleontology, Makoshika delivers with far fewer people than the national parks. - Missouri Headwaters State Park
The literal starting point of the Missouri River where the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin join. It’s a small, peaceful place with history (Lewis & Clark passed here) and excellent river scenery — the kind of spot where you can actually stand where a major river begins and feel the scale of the West. - Gates of the Mountains (Personal favorite)
Tall limestone cliffs chopping the Missouri River into a narrow gorge — Lewis and Clark named it for a reason. Take the boat tour or paddle through if you can: the cliffs, quiet coves, and ancient carvings feel intimate in a way big parks don’t. I keep coming back for the light hitting those cliffs at golden hour. - National Bison Range (Hidden gem)
An easy wildlife loop that puts you near roaming bison, elk, and prairie birds without a long backcountry slog. It’s a lower-key way to see big-game behavior and prairie ecosystems; morning and evening drives are prime. Locals treat it like the best “wildlife viewing made simple” option in western Montana. - Butte’s Historic Uptown & Berkeley Pit Overlook
Copper-mining heritage that’s raw and oddly cinematic: headframes, brick storefronts, and a downtown shaped by immigrants and miners. Walk the uptown streets, check the headframe silhouettes against the sky, and stop at the Berkeley Pit overlook to see an industrial scar that tells Montana’s economic story in one brutal, fascinating view.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past decade, I’ve backpacked through 80+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.