Montana is the fourth largest state and is located in the Mountain West region of the United States. Despite being surrounded by a larger area, it is the least populous, with a population of almost 1.11 million. Besides the stunning view, much more adds to the beauty of Monnata, including the skyrocketing mountains, vast plains, national parks, glaciers, lakes, and abundant forests. Our website will assist you in finding the best visiting sites and things you must try in your Montana tour. Let’s go.
It is frequently regarded as “Big Sky Country”. The place offers the best luxury to enjoy vacations with friends and family, including outdoor activities, including hiking, fishing, horseback riding, and hunting. We will let you explore the activities, food, and places that make Montana famous for tourists through this guide
Our Picks: 15 Places Montana Is Famous For
1: Helena
Helena is the capital city of Montana, located in the eastern part of the State in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. The historic city was founded in 1864 during the Montana gold rush when gold was discovered in this region. After the rise in financial situations, several city millionaires contributed to building elaborate Victorian homes in the Mansion District.
Montana State Capitol is a popular spot in the city due to its dome, dominated by a reproduction of the Statue of Liberty. In addition, tourists love to visit the Montana Historical Society, accommodating over 1 million newspaper articles, recordings, and photographs. Moreover, the city is a hub of Carroll College. This institute is a Roman Catholic university established in 1909 by John Patrick Carroll.
Besides the historical significance, fascinating Victorian architecture and breathtaking scenery have made Helena a must-visit destination for art lovers. The city features many art galleries accommodating the artwork of local and international artists.
2: Bozeman
After Helena, Bozeman is the second largest rest city in the state in the Gallatin Valley at the foot of the Bridger Mountains. It accommodates a population of over 50,000 people. It is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Its rich history and vibrant arts culture is reflected in its historic Main Street and several art galleries and studios.
The city allows you to explore Yellowstone National Park, ski down the slopes at Bridger Bowl Ski Area, learn about grizzly bears at Montana Grizzly Encounter, and attempt horseback riding at Silver Brand Ranch.
Apart from art galleries and outdoor spots, it has much more for the food lover. You will find plenty of shops and restaurants that serve you everything from sushi to pizza. Several small breweries, including Bozeman Brewing Company, Mountains Walking Brewery, and MAP Brewing Company, serve special drinks for tourists.
3: Wild Life
Montana is a haven for diverse wildlife, including bighorn sheep, grizzly bears, moose, elk, and pronghorn antelope. All the credit goes to its varied landscapes, from cruising plains and grasslands to magnificent mountains and dense forests. Montana is home to many mule deer, mountain goats, and bison (buffalo). White-tailed deer, recognized by whitetails, are also very common in this state. Their tales rise when the deer runs away.
4: Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872 as the first national park in the United States and globally. The park is in Montana and covers an area of 3,468.4 sq mi (8,983 km2). Tourists from worldwide visit this park each year and praise its breathtaking landscape of lakes, canyons, rivers, and mountains. The park accommodates diverse wildlife species, including bison, elk, deer, moose, bears, and wolves. The static supervolcano called the Yellowstone Caldera is responsible for geothermal activity in this area. That is why more than half of geysers worldwide are located within this park, such as Old Faithful, which explodes every 44-125 minutes all year round.
5: Silver, Cooper & Gold
It was back in the late 19th century when a state was mined for gold and, as a result, experienced a Gold Rush. Montana prides itself on being the one. Earllier, Montana’s mining towns, had a bad reputation for being lawless and a home for crime, robberies, and murders.
In the spring of 1858, miners found gold in Gold Creek, and lately, several miners have reached the southwest part of Montana to discover more. A settlement occurred between Bannack, Alder Gulch, and Last Chance Gulch after Gold strikes were made there. The gold rush strengthened Montana’s economy.
In the 1890s, copper mining took place, and the town of Butte was the primary source of copper and silver in Montana. Due to this fact, it was later nicknamed the “Richest Hill on Earth.”
6: Hungry Horse Montana
Montana has a rich history of having top-notch horses, ranches, and cowboy culture. The state has an extended horse breeding history and arranges annual horse shows like The Livingston Roundup Rodeo. Montana offers visitors guided trail rides across its space, national parks, and preserves on top-quality horses.
Hungry Horse, Montana, is a small, unincorporated community found among the stunning sights of Flathead County. It offers a unique blend of natural scenery, outdoor recreation, and small-town charm, which makes it an ideal destination for adventure lovers. Hungry Horse owns breathtaking surroundings, leaving its viewers in awe of its snow-capped peaks reflected in the reservoir waters. This view is backed by dense forests extending over the mountains. The rhythmic thunder of the Hungry Horse Dam further enhances the magnificence of the view.
7: Sapphire Yogo
Yogo Sapphires are a unique blend of beauty & history, and these gems hail from a specific location called Yogo Gulch, Montana. These beautiful treasures hold a lovely cornflower blue colour due to the trace amounts of iron and titanium. These are considered among the world’s finest sapphires and very expensive. Montana Yogo sapphires were accidentally found in gold in the late 1880s. These gems are unique for being free of cavities, inclusions, and uniform colour throughout the stone. They don’t require heat treatment and maintain their brilliance under artificial light.
A prospector named Jake Hoover collected a cigar box full of these sapphires and sent them to Tiffany & Co. for inspection. After review, these gems were designated “the finest precious gemstones ever found in the U.S.” After the discovery of Yogo Sapphire Montana, sapphire mining began.
8: Flathead Cherries
Montana produces some of the best cherries in the world with a unique taste. These Cherries are known for having an intense sweetness and complex flavour profile. In terms of flavour, it offers balanced tartness with high sugar content. The cherries are grown in an area bearing a moderate climate, neither too hot nor too cold. That area lies on the east side of Flathead Lake. Their name contains the term “Flathead,” referring to the area where they are grown.
The temperature of Montana fluctuates in spring, but the lake (still cold from winter) keeps the land cooler and shields the cherries from spring effects. The climate plays a crucial role in shaping the characteristics of cherries. Around two million pounds of sweet cherries are produced in Montana every year. The Flathead Cherry season peaks from May to July. Visitors must attend the Flathead Cherry Festival when they are here in July. The cherry products such as cherry jams and pies are available here on sale.
10: Wheat Montana Cinnamon Rolls
Enjoy those large cinnamon rolls while hiking the Iceberg Lake trail in Glacier National Park. The snack lover visiting Monata must try a Wheat Montana cinnamon roll. These rolls are prepared at a famous family-owned bakery, Wheat Montana. Wheat Montana Cinnamon Rolls are best for breakfast or brunch with coffee or tea. However, you can have them as dessert after dinner.
The bakery has branches throughout the state, with the main branch in Three Forks. In terms of preparation, ground wheat flour from the fields high in protein and nutrients is used to prepare these rolls, earning them a better reputation than average cinnamon rolls.
11: Montana bookstore
Montana is a place for food lovers, beauty lovers, outdoor activities lovers, and book lovers as well. It consists of more than 60 bookstores, which is more bookstores in the capital than any other state. Country Bookstore is the largest independent bookstore in Monata, having existed since 1957. You can purchase the book of your choice from here. It is situated in Bozeman in the historic downtown district. It is a popular bookstore led by women.
12: Evel Knievel
If you visit Monata, you will get to hear about Evel Knievel. It’s very important to learn who he was. Evil was a famous daredevil in history. He was born in Butte, Montana, on October 17th, 1938. He earned a name for himself by jumping over the Snake River Canyon on a motorcycle. His name was placed into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.
Evel attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps in his whole career. Knievel left the world in 2007 in Clearwater, Florida. He suffered a pulmonary disease and is buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Butte. Montana is the largest landlocked state in the U.S., intercommunicating borders with North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Idaho.
13: Temperature Changes
Montana is known for extreme temperature changes that add uniqueness to it. The temperature fluctuates from one extreme to another in no time. It may drop below -50 degrees during winters and rise to 100 degrees during summers.
In 1972, Montana observed the largest recorded temperature change in one place, Loma, over 24 hours. The temperature rose from −54 to 49 °F (−47.8 to 9.4 °C). In a single day, there was a difference of 103 degrees Fahrenheit in the temperature.
In addition, the lowest temperature recorded in Montana was -70 degrees. The visitor will experience the cold even if he doesn’t experience those extremes alone.
14: Going to the Sun Road Montana
Going-to-the-Sun Road is one of the most cinematic roads in the U.S., located in Glacier National Park, Montana. You won’t believe your eyes as if this road exists in real. The same road is often regarded as Glacier Route 1.
The road was constructed between 1910 and 1932 to join Two Medicine with St. Mary. The plan was to build a toll road earlier, but after its costs crossed the estimated amount, the state opened it as a public highway. President Herbert Hoover had the honour of inaugurating the road on 15th July 1932 without charge.
It spans around 50 miles and runs through some of the most difficult landscapes in America’s Rocky Mountains. The elevation at Logan Pass is located in the center of the road. Its highest point, accessible by car, is to reach 6,646 feet (2,026 meters).
15: A Big Sky Montana Resort
For ski resort lovers, Montana offers a lot more than they expected. One such venue is Big Sky Resort, located beneath Lone Mountain in southwestern Montana. The resort usually opens on Thanksgiving Day (the fourth Thursday of November) and closes mid-April. This resort experiences an average of 400 inches of snowfall every year. It offers around 5,800 skiable acres of terrain.
Glacier National Park, Montana
Apart from having the first National Park, Yellowstone, Montana, has another located in the Rocky Mountains near the border with Canada. This park is regarded as Glacier National Park, spanning over 1 million acres (4,000 km2) of mountain ranges and valleys.
The park is surrounded by dense green forests, alpine meadows, shimmering glaciers, and greenish-blue lakes. In terms of location, the national park is about 2.5 hours north of Missoula on Interstate 90 and is spanned by the famous Going-to-the-Sun road from east to west.
Final Words
Montana is known for its beautiful landscapes, wildlife, rich history, fancy food restaurants, bookstores, and much more. People love their visits here for many reasons. You will enjoy reading about the best things you can experience while visiting Montana. Pick your favourite spots and plan your trips with family and friends.
