Throughout Big Sky Country we are honored to be the home of many national parks that await you and yours to discover this year.
With their jaw-dropping views, geothermal geysers, and brilliantly colored glacier lakes and streams, it’s no wonder why our great state is referred to as “The Last Best Place!”
If your plans include a trip this summer, now is the time to secure your reservation as many of the parks limit the number of vehicles to ensure your experience is one that you will treasure for the rest of your life.
No matter where your travels may take you, we encourage you to unplug and plug into the wonders of Montana.
Our family is fortunate to have grown up in and around the one million acres that comprise one of the nation’s most scenic and popular parks. From its 700+ miles of hiking trails and expansive meadows to its famous glacial lakes and streams, Glacier National Park is a wonder to discover.
First, make your reservation now for a Park Entrance Fee and a Vehicle Pass if you plan on visiting this year, especially if your plans include driving the famous Going to the Sun Road. It’s a ‘bucket-list’ kind of experience and is only open in July and August.
For an up-close and personal tour of the Park’s spectacular scene, reserve a kayak, canoe, or paddleboard from Glacier Outfitters. Nothing caps off a bucket-list experience quite like floating and paddling around on Glacier’s pristine waters.
If you would rather just sit back and relax, book a Big Red Bus Tour. These classic buses have offered interpretive sightseeing tours of the Park since the 1930s!
And that’s just the beginning! See all the details about “The Crown of the Continent.”
Although a large majority of America’s first national park is in Wyoming, Montanan’s still can claim this Park as one of its own. Only 3% of the park is actually located in our great state yet it is home to the Park’s North Entrance and the start of a wonderful journey into some of the best that Mother Nature offers.
Within its sprawling 2.2. million acres you can capture the magnificence of its geological and hydrothermal features and unequaled opportunities to observe wildlife roaming throughout wildflower-filled fields and crystal-clear streams.
The Park contains about half of the world’s active geysers, including the iconic Old Faithful. We always recommend hiking up to the Upper Geyser Basin to capture its grandeur. Mirroring this wonder is the “grand canyon” scenery along the Yellowstone River.
Wildlife enthusiasts and photographers in particular are drawn to Yellowstone from all over the world, and with good reason. There may not be a better place in America to see its sizeable Elk population and other animals who call Yellowstone ‘home.’ Be sure to visit the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center as well. For a small fee, you can get an up-close look at grizzlies and wolves and learn about the importance of the Yellowstone ecosystem.
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
With over 100,000 years of human history to explore, this national park is a must-see as well. Its vast and wild landscape offers hours and days of opportunities to get down to nature and up to the adventure.
It’s a geologist’s dream and hiker’s paradise with over 17 miles of trails for the novice to the most advanced. Noted as ‘truly one of the most significant natural areas in America,’ the Park is home to hundreds of bird species and is a draw for fly fishing enthusiasts from around the world.
Unlike Glacier and Yellowstone, Bighorn Canyon is a dry and desert-like environment wrapped with towering rock formations, expansive canyons, lakes, and wetlands.
If you love history, this is your Park. Its website notes it best:
The history of the Bighorn Canyon area illustrates how humans left their imprint upon the landscape and how the land itself shaped their lives into a story unsurpassed in the history of the American West. From paths blazed by Paleo-Indians to the Crow’s people’s fight for land, you can read more about its history right here.
History, Adventure, and Admiration
Within the list of our national parks, there is always an appreciation for the Native Americans who called Montana ‘home.’ We encourage you to seek out the territories to learn about their passion and persistence to live off the land that played so many important roles in the history of America.
While planning your bucket-list trip, be sure to visit these Montana National Parks and Monuments as well:
Little Bighorn National Battlefield
Nez-Pierce National Historic Park
Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
Fort Union National Trading Post National Historic Site
Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
For more information about the Last Best Place, our family at Hollinger Real Estate in Big Fork, Montana would be honored to share our local insight with you. Contact us at any time.
