Montana is one western state we have not visited. Wife, and I naturally, LOVE the west, spending most of our time in NM.

I am planing on taking her there as a surprise trip upon her upcoming retirement. Any suggestions for ranches, etc that we could stay at and relax for a week or so? She likes to sightsee and hike....no horseback riding for her.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Just Google up "Montana Guest Ranches" and you'll find scads.

May is, in my view, the best time for Montana. Not hot yet, everything is green like crazy, mountains mostly still snowy. :Long days, too. September just after Labor Day is usually pretty good, but sometimes we get WINTER hard and fast. I recommend May, second and third week, as your best bet.

Some are Communist, however, so I'd stay the heck away from anything associated with The Nature Conservancy or the Western Landowners' Alliance.
Look for those that offer hunting, or say they are "working" ranches. In terms of geography, and if you want something cool and pleasant and want to explore rather than just sit, I would look first at something on the Rocky Mountain Front (Gkacier Park), or the Beartooth/Absaroka Front (Red Lodge and Beartooth and Yellowstone). If you do those and want "park" then you should go in mid June which gives good odds that the main park roads will be fully plowed off. Some places have hot springs, which are really neat to try.

Or maybe, you'll get lucky and one of our ranchers here will just happen to have a guest cabin and invite you..

Going to Montana...just to throw the houlihan...

Define "hike". Like day hike or backpack or what?

There's oodles you can do by yourself either way.

I wouldn’t do a dude ranch unless you just want to ride. Hit Yellowstone, then wander up to Glacier via Virginia City. There are also ranches around Glacier with lots to see and do nearby.

Glacier

It would probably be in June...

She likes to "day hike" with me...eat breakfast, pack lunch, back in time for supper.

Thanks for the advice to avoid the communist spots....I would have completely overlooked that aspect.

Glacier NP and also Waterton Lakes NP in Canada, both beautiful.

I'd go straight to Glacier. Camp at Many Glacier, do the day hikes around there. Lot of snowpack this year but should still work.

There's a restaurant at the trailheads if you don't feel like cooking. Fun times.

I hope my wife doesn't see this thread.


We went on vacation last Saturday.

Skip Yellowstone. Thank me later.

If your driving in on 90, Little Big Horn Battlefield is definitely worth the time.

Godog57: Look up and get on the list to stay at least ONE night at Chico Hotsprings - my wife just loves it there - superb food, nice surroundings in a historic lodge with much additions and renovations.
Its south of Livingston, Montana in the beautiful paradise Valley halfway to Yellowstone Park.
Wonderful huge pool hotspring for swimming and soaking and again the food there is superb!
I have heard tell its the ONLY 5 Star restaurant in Montana - don't know for sure but I have eaten many dozens of meals there and all are superb!
Look'em up - lots of things to do there.
They are booked full year round so reservations are a must - they do virtually NO advertising its all word of mouth and repeat customers and still they are booked full - ask to get on a cancellation list if need be.
There is one cute little hike from the lodge that I know of and the grandkids and wife and I always like to do it (passes a hidden lake WITH trout in it - seen in video!).
Good luck, travel safe and enjoy Montana!
More later.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Link to Chico (AMAZING!): https://www.chicohotsprings.com/

Be sure to click on the video (only 2 minutes long but some stunning photgraphy).

can you wait till after Labor Day ?

then drop through Utah on your way home.........!

looks nice............

after Labor Day..............

don't like crowds.........

https://www.chicohotsprings.com/

I would second or third Glacier National Park. Hard to beat the scenery or the hiking opportunities. And only a fraction the crowds of Yellowstone. Flathead Lake is also fabulous, and within an hour or two of Glacier. The National Bison Range is a great place to see tamer wildlife from a vehicle.

Now, as for avoiding "communists" what is such about The Nature Conservancy? After all, willing seller doing a deal with a willing buyer. Sounds rather capitalist to me! National Parks, on the other hand, where "we all own it"... now that sounds communist! Don't' ruin your vacation with politics or overthink it!

Your wife will love MT. You sound like a good hubby!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Try to include the Beartooth Highway on your way to Glacier.

Lots of great ideas folks...thanks so much. Can’t wait till after Labor Day....elk will be calling me!

Those hot springs sound like a great idea.

Loved South Dakota when we went there....friendliest people outside of the south we’ve ever met.

Take her to Mule Deer's place. I hear he's married to a great cook!

Like most of the mountain states, you can't just say 'Montana'. There's a huge variation as you move around in it. You can have the western end of the great plains or you can have rugged mountains...and everything in between.

I'd go to Butte, get a Pork chop Sammich and look at the pit. Then go the 3 Forks and Dillon. BigHole if you got enough skeeter repellent. Huckleberry milkshake everywhere. Flathead lake, Hungry Horse and Glacier.

that ought to take week. Drink a beer every time you cross the continental divide or Chief Josephs or Lewis and Clarks path.you'll have fun.

I am jealous as hell....

Chico is great when the weather is cold. Great food.
I have stayed at Potosi and at Quinn's both have good hiking and great food.(although, I was at Potosi under different management)

This place looks swanky but I have never been- https://www.theranchatrockcreek.com near Phillipsburg which has become pretty quaint

If it is still there, tour the hatchery in Great Falls. Museum in Miles City. Find a rodeo somewhere.

God but you're spoilin that woman Sammo

Thoroughly enjoyed Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness many years ago with a pack rod & reel. Can't speak for how it is now.

It is still wilderness, unless Zinke has been screwing with it. Stunning.

Please explain to me WTF Zinke has done to screw with Wilderness Areas???

I think I know who Grouse Chaser is -- if I'm right, he's a Commie, or at least a BHAist. 38 posts since 2013?

Speaking of Commies, I wouldn't go to Chico because it's been used as a retreat many times by some of the highest-dollar Greens on Earth. Quinns is okay, actually a fun soak and there's a railroad across the Clark Fork. Fairmont is also politically neutral as far as I know, a long time place popular with Montana's business community.

Bottom line is, Montana just SCREAMS to be explored, not just the tourist magnets. Stay off the darned interstates, find the back roads (paved) to places you've never heard of. Most Montanans off the beaten paths are delighted to make new friends, will just bend themselves in two to be of help.

I really lucked out on my trip up into the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. A friend an I had decided to visit a lake about 6 miles from our starting point. Not long after we began our hike, along comes a guy with a horse drawn wagon. (A flat bed wagon), packed with camping supplies. He was headed up further than we were going to meet a group of long term campers and re-supply them. He gave us a ride the entire way. The walk "downhill" was a piece of cake, and the wildlife was abundant. The fishing was outstanding!


DMc

Try visiting Havre, bring several cases of suds. More if you want some,

Then just watch the entertainment!😆

Probably my favorite part of Montana but has become excessively popular in the past few years.

Bring a tent too.

House for sale.

Uh oh.... Badass alert.
Demanding answers like a boss.

WTF


I dont know grouse but i hope he doesnt give you the satisfaction of answer.

Wherever you end up, give serious consideration to staying in Bed and Breakfasts rather than chain hotels. I've never had a disappointing stay and the owners have been consistently good at pointing out great "local secrets." Seems to go a long ways toward making me feel less like an outsider.
This includes the Glacier area, one of the great American treasures. Many breath taking views there.
Most of my trips were in pursuit of trout over the last 4 decades and I try to minimize the touristy stuff. Montana deserves the Big Sky moniker.

Fly into Rapid City SD. Take in all the sights in the area (spend at least 4 or 5 days) then drive to Montana. Stay in Red Lodge for at least 4 or 5 days (make sure you go to Yellowstone) then head to Glacier. Going to the sun road is a must see. Three weeks of heaven...........

If you end up going through Three forks plan on a night at the Sacajawea. Great historic hotel with an awesome 5 star restaurant and a kick ass cowboy bar in the basement. And then by all means go through Flathead and hit Glacier. You could spend all summer wondering around Montana and still not see everything. The Bitteroot valley is spectacular, Ennis and the Lewis and Clark caverns. Butte and the pit. North to Helena and the Missouri river which has the boat trip up river to the "Gates of the Rocky Mountains" . Good luck and have a blast.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Charles Russel museum in great falls!

agreed, and Lewis and Clark is good also.

I was there last week and tourist season has already started according to Delta Airlines because if you are are going anywhere near Glacier they are going to stab you for the cost of an airline ride. Sis and mom live in Whitefish twenty miles west of the "park" as they call it out there. Sis showed me a video of a big bulldozer plowing the snow off the Going To The Sun highway just a couple weeks back because they got pasted with snow this last winter. Really bad flooding down around Missoulla this year. That Going To The Sun road might not be open as early as normal. I've driven out from WI. and taken Amtrak and unless you want to see where your whole grains come from, I'd stay out of eastern MT. I was feeling sorry for the antelope without a shade tree out to the horizon. It might be more cost effective to maybe fly into Bozeman or Helena and rent a car down there to head back up north. Enterprise was half the cost of the others when we rented an SUV out of Kalispell. There is a big ski area called Big Mountain just north of Whitefish with a zip line or bike or hiking trails. Dick Idol's boutique (Dick started North American Whitetail magazine) is in Whitefish for art, mounts and sculpture (bring lots of money if you are buying). There is a great place to get a steak to grill in Columbia Falls called Prime Cuts and some good ski and sport places in Kalispell and the Army Navy store in Whitefish is the best one I've ever been to. Take the red bus ride if you are doing the Going To The Sun (and you should) or you will white knuckle it driving yourself. As a flat-lander I was even breaking a sweat when the bus driver was doing the driving. Scenic is an understatement if you like heights.

The museum in Cody, WY is a MUST SEE!!! The firearms section alone is worth the trip. The rest of the place is phenomenal

https://centerofthewest.org/.

Agree 100% about the Cody museum. Need at least 2 days there if you can. I made the mistake of only have 1/2 day and left so much unseen. Of course that means I have a good reason to go back.

Not that far from Red Lodge, and is definitely a must see along with the Custer Battlefield. So many things to see, so little time.

No schit. Zinke is a good man.

If you like western art the Charles Russel in Great Falls includes his original studio.

If history is of interest then the Lewis & Clark Center also in Great Falls is from what I hear is the best of all the centers that deal with the that westward trip.

Great Falls is about half way between Yellowstone & Glacier parks.

Cody museum is great. We were there last year and gonna take grand kids this year. Ed k

I have not been out west in a long time . I can say that Utah was my favorite. Eastern Montana was not as cool but was still kind of cool. I like think maybe South Dakota , around Rapid City is a tie for Utah but it has been 15 yrs since I was there.

Any place that isn't like "home" is a neat opportunity. Nothing wrong with dude outfits, it takes out the logistics of food, lodging etc. and they are usually located in cool areas with fun stuff to do. Or else they'd go out of business.......

Literally any road in NW MT will give you awesome views, some more than others. If you don't like people then avoid the parks, and the scenic byways. Plenty of drivable FS roads that'll give you great views.

https://wilderness.org/zinke-year-one-14-misdeeds-show-why-hes-worst-interior-secretary-ever

https://wilderness.org/zinke-year-one-14-misdeeds-show-why-hes-worst-interior-secretary-ever

Beartooth highway is a lot closer to Yellowstone! I second the recommendation, though; it's one of the top scenic routes in the U.S.

I actually wasted a couple minutes and clicked on your link. LMAO

Where in MT do you live?

Average date for opening of Going-to-the -Sun road in Glacier is June 17. Might be late this year due to heavy snowpack. Another good place, seldom mentioned, is the Mission Mountains, accessed from the Swan-Clearwater valley. Scenery is as good as Glacier, but not nearly as many tourists. The hiking would mostly require overnighting, though.

If you like history, most of it is in SW Montana; Bannack (first gold rush town and territorial capital, now a state park ghost town), Virginia City, (biggest placer find in U.S.), Helena.

Word is that a new airbnb is opening in Harve, cheap. Be advised: bring your own sheets.

I see the Montana side of the Beartooth Highway just opened.

Some years ago I stayed at the Double Arrow Resort in Seeley Lake, before the top tourist season. It was very nice. It's been about 18 years, though, so I can't speak to current conditions.

I did not waste the time. When wilderness.org is his source, that's all I need to know.

One of those sorry leftist, decent chance he's a teacher, who thinks every f'ing sq foot needs to be wilderness with no appreciation of how the F do we fund all this [bleep]???

I am one who thinks we have absolutely enough wilderness areas and need to trim a lot of the WSA that were created years ago.

So much of our public land is now becoming the sole domain of BLM or USFWS dinks. Handicapping locals in trying to control weeds and predators. Screw em.

Tarkio asks what Zinke has done to mess with wilderness, gets a substantial reply, then refuses to read it. Typical head-inserted-deep-in-dark-smelly-place.

The Wilderness Society can type a vagina monologue like no other.

Substantial reply.....hehe.


Anyway, my mother really likes the Issac Walton inn.

Nice place I guess......lot of trees though.

And the above-image brought to you by a Californian. Classy!

I happen to live and work around wilderness areas and study areas. I’m very familiar with what has happened with regard the dept interior. For you to quote wilderness org rather than answer in your own words tells me you’re a brain dead dickhead.

You'll notice she didn't answer my question lol. I'd ask her if she actually personally utilizes any of the wilderness we already have locked up, but she'll not answer that one either likely.

I have always wondered why people are willing to pay money to visit and use "their" land.


Sunsabitching govt ought to be making rent payments.

So... How do you think Sally Jewell did?

BTW, the things on your list, when you take the liberal BS out of what really happened, is SPOT ON.

Giant plastic brain dead vagina actually. I think I made that clear.

Pick up a MT gazeteer.

Drive or fly too Helena, Missoula area then take hwy 200 north.
I like the Augusta area in west MT. Beautiful area to explore. head north up to Glacier NP/Watertown up in Canada then head south and go through Great Falls then down hwy 89 south to Livingtson, Big Timber and check out YNP if you want. Take hwy 212 to red lodge, cooke city.

Use the gazeteer and dont be afraid to take back roads. In fact I encourage this. Stop in the small towns in cafes and chat with the locals

get a fishing license and bring a fly rod a few orange stimis in size 14, purple haze in 16 , pt's or a spinning reel and little cleos with single hooks. Plenty of hiking in all areas driving through. Bring bear spray if hiking and practice using it before you hike.

The most difficult time I have in Montana is leaving there.

Ya gotta love the place and the people.

Steve

The ferry ride over the lake at Waterton is cool and the views are amazing. But you have to go into Canada to do it. I have a severe aversion to traveling without a firearm.

Just so we are all clear....there is just over half the state still to see east of Great Falls.

It's easy living on the west side. Things are a bit rougher over here.


Might be interesting to the right person.

Fun Fact number one....

Turner Montana is the furthest away from a major league sports team in the lower 48.



Fun Fact number 2


The most rural place in the lower 48 is Scobey Montana.


There is no fun fact number three.


Oh...I forgot...the most conservative place in the United States is Garfield County Montana.


There is a big assed penguin in Cut Bank.

Havre is the clap capital of Montana.


The creepiest place on earth is the old SAC base north of Glasgow.

You can get 2 Wanda burgers in Malta for a discount on Double Wanda Wednesday.



See? All sorts if neat stuff on the east side.

Hope yall have a great trip, Go. Hitting 110 here this week.

Still, if you were going to Texas it would take 20 pages.

20 pages of a bad ideas maybe.

I lived in Garfield County for a couple years. Not sure that Fallon might be more conservative.

Most people do not have the patience to really travel to/through eastern Montana to really get an appreciation for it and all it has.

Fun fact (in my own mind anyway) the Missouri River Breaks are the some of roughest ground in Montana that almost no one ever sees but can be absolutley stunning. Makoshika is pretty dang impressive. Right now, the Wolf Mountains are a sight to behold. About as pretty as I have ever seen. Little Bighorn and Bighorn are the same.

The gumbo around Sumatra, Ingomar Vananda etc. are something that you have to eperience. The divide south of Sand Springs towards Ingomar is where one of the last, if not the last free ranging buffalo was shot out in that roughass county. You have to spend an afternoon or an evening at the Lilly. Better yet, go on a day there is a rodeo or roping.

You have not experienced western, until you have been to the Jimtown bar.

Gotta agree with Ribka, Tark and Jim: I have lived in NW MT since the mid 1970s but find myself needing to go over the pass to find what makes Montana really Montana. Getting a big red Montana atlas and gazeteer would be an awesome way to have a vacation -- it's what I do when I road trip. I always, always try to explore rather than hit the same groove twice.

But one little warning, just because you can get from A to B according to the map doesn't mean you can make any kind of speed, or make it at all. There IS some risk involved, I have gotten into the deep stuff more than once, in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming -- the longest fiasco took me two days to get myself out of. But that's mighty adventure, it really is.

But yeah, the Lily in Ingomar, that's something else.

Love how this thread evolved. Asked a (relatively) simple question about where to take my wife so that I can entertain her on her very first trip to MT and a quivering pussy shows up.

some decent bird hunting by scobey, Pentywood and i love eastern Montana , especially around the high line CMR and the breaks, but I doubt most women who want to sightsee would appreciate the remote areas of E Montana and especially STD infested Havre despite the excellent sharptail hunting

When I was just a wee lad, my father was stationed there at the SAC base. He would go down into the silo's for a 24-48 shift.
He was a radar operator.

The only thing that I remember from when we were there were all of the drunk natives from the local rez.

If I knew how to post a gif, I'd post the gif of the little black bow screaming, "That's Racist!!!"

We went last summer, lots of good homes for sale, carpenters paradise.
Godogs57 if you are able to convince your wife to visit that area, Bucking the Sun by Ivan Doig is a good read. We stayed in a guest house in the fancy subdivision below the dam. It was pleasant. Then did the Longest Dam Race followed by beer at the brewery in Glasgow. There is also a summer theater if you need some culture.

There were a bunch of whitetails off the highway by that SAC base last November. Thought I’d take a look around.

Wow! Stephen King couldn’t set up a scene any more ghostly than that place.

Check out the Trump-Hillary vote in Grant County Nebraska