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Places to go in Montana.

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4 places

Glacier National Park Mountains

Glacier National Park

West Glacier, MT, MT · Rocky Mountains

Straddling the Continental Divide in northern Montana, Glacier National Park packs more than a million acres of glacier-carved peaks, turquoise lakes, and alpine meadows into a single, jaw-dropping landscape. The famed Going-to-the-Sun Road threads 50 miles over the mountains, delivering some of the most dramatic driving views in the country, while a vast trail network puts hikers face to face with grizzlies, mountain goats, and the park's last remaining glaciers. It is a genuine bucket-list trip, well worth the journey for anyone chasing big mountain scenery.

Going-to-the-Sun Road Mountains

Going-to-the-Sun Road

West Glacier, MT · Glacier Country

Fifty miles of two-lane road runs the spine of Glacier National Park, climbing from the cedar forests along Lake McDonald to Logan Pass at 6,646 feet on the Continental Divide. The drive was blasted straight into the cliffs of the Garden Wall in the 1930s, so you ride a narrow ledge past Bird Woman Falls, the Weeping Wall, and the hairpin called the Loop. Go early when the road opens for the season, watch for mountain goats at the pass, and pull off at Saint Mary Lake on the east side for the long view down the valley.

Lake McDonald Lakes & rivers

Lake McDonald

West Glacier, MT · Glacier Country

Ten miles long and the biggest lake in Glacier National Park, Lake McDonald sits at the western foot of Going-to-the-Sun Road, where the water goes glass-still at dawn and hands back a perfect copy of the snow-streaked peaks above it. Wade in along the Apgar shoreline and the real prize is underfoot: a scatter of smooth pebbles in deep reds, greens, and slate-blues, colored by the iron in stone the glaciers ground down ages ago. Rent a kayak, ride the historic wooden tour boat DeSmet, or just stand on the gravel and watch the larch turn gold in October.

Beartooth Highway Mountains

Beartooth Highway

Red Lodge, MT · Beartooth / Absaroka

US 212 climbs out of Red Lodge in a series of switchbacks and tops out near 11,000 feet on the Beartooth Plateau, where the trees give up and the world turns to tundra, granite, and dozens of cold alpine lakes. Charles Kuralt called it the most beautiful drive in America, and the views off the East Summit pullouts make the case fast. It only runs from roughly mid-May to mid-October, so check the gate before you point the car toward Cooke City and Yellowstone's northeast corner.