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Montana with Kids
If you’re planning Montana with kids, a week at Glacier National Park is a great way to start. That’s what we did, and after seven days we understood why people call it the Crown of the Continent. Our week had Going-to-the-Sun Road, Lake McDonald, Logan Pass, a raft trip on the Flathead, and huckleberries in everything. It was awesome.
We split up for part of our week. Carrick and Andrew spent six days in the backcountry on a 55-mile loop while the girls explored the park at their own pace. It was the first time we’d done a divide-and-conquer park trip, and it worked out great!
Destination guide · Updated November 2026 · Last visited June 2021
Best months
July–August, early Sept
National parks
2 + 8 NPS sites
Fly into
FCA · BZN · BIL · MSO
How long
5 days for Glacier, a week with Yellowstone
Book ahead
Logan Pass shuttle tickets · Many Glacier Hotel · red bus tours
Our Montana trip took us all through Glacier National Park for a week. The boys shouldered packs for six days through the Belly River country, over Stoney Indian Pass to Waterton Lake on the Canadian border and back, while the girls did Glacier with much less intensity (chuckle). Hiking with llamas was involved and everyone finished dirty, tired, and happy.
After a good rest, we drove Going-to-the-Sun Road, explored Lake McDonald, spent time at Logan Pass, and took a half-day raft trip on the Flathead River. That snow melt makes for some cold water!
Montana is full of adventure and Glacier National Park is just part of it. Keep reading for more ideas.
Your Montana guide
Enjoy exploring Montana with kids!
Keep scrolling for the essentials, three road trips, and where to stay.
Essential Montana
Why we love Montana
We think you’ll love it too.
Montana is where we’d send a family that wants the best views anywhere and huckleberry everything. The scenery is truly jaw-dropping, and it’s heaven for anyone with a sweet tooth. Glacier National Park is Andrew’s favorite (and he’s seen a bunch of them).
From here you’re only about a day’s drive from Yellowstone and the Tetons if you want to tack that on.
Glacier National Park Guide
A week in Glacier wasn’t too long. Our full guide covers the road, the lakes, the hikes, and the shuttle tickets and parking rules to know before you go.
Going-to-the-Sun Road Guide
Going-to-the-Sun Road climbs fifty miles over the Continental Divide. Drive it early and stop at every pullout, or ride the historic red bus if you’d rather not drive.
Logan Pass Guide
Logan Pass is the top of the road, with the Hidden Lake boardwalk, mountain goats, and snow well into July. Parking fills by mid-morning, so get there early.
Lake McDonald Guide
Lake McDonald is the big lake on the west side with the colorful stones. Walk the shoreline at Apgar, relax on the lodge porch, or take a boat tour when the kids need a break from hiking.
And the rest we’d cross the state for
Rafting the Flathead River Guide
We booked a half-day trip on the Flathead with Wild River Adventures and had a blast. It made a great middle-of-the-week reset.
Many Glacier Guide
Many Glacier is on the east side, with the historic hotel on Swiftcurrent Lake and the boat-and-hike to Grinnell Lake. Moose sightings at dusk are common.
Backpacking the Belly River Guide
Carrick and Andrew backpacked a six-day, 55-mile loop over Stoney Indian Pass to Waterton Lake. Permits are competitive, and the bears are real, so bear spray is a must. Their ranger made sure they had some before they left with their permit. Plan your route early and be prepared to get it turned in right when the window opens.
The red bus tour Guide
The vintage 1930s red buses roll back their tops so you can take in every view. It’s the easy way to do Going-to-the-Sun Road with young kids.
Yellowstone’s north side
Gardiner, the Roosevelt Arch, and the wolves and bison of the Lamar Valley make up Yellowstone’s north side. It’s the only part of the national park you can drive all year, and it’s on our list. Are you looking for more national park sites? See our guide to Montana national parks.
Bozeman
The Museum of the Rockies has one of the biggest T. rex collections anywhere, which makes it a must for dinosaur-loving kids. Bozeman is also a great base for Yellowstone’s north and west entrances.
Little Bighorn Battlefield
Little Bighorn is where Custer lost, an hour from Billings. A self-guided tour road and the rangers tell the story from both sides. Want more NPS sites nearby? Check out our Montana national parks guide.
Whitefish
Whitefish is the gateway town for Glacier’s west side, with a lake beach and an Amtrak stop downtown. It’s an easy base if you’re coming by train.
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Things to do in Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park in northern Montana has long been a favorite of visitors, and after exploring this park for a…
Routes
Three Montana road trip itineraries
Montana is one state with three very different trips. Pick a week in Glacier, Yellowstone’s northern entrances, or the long loop that connects them. See all the best stops on a map.
Home base
West Glacier & Lake McDonald
Fly into FCA. Our Glacier guide covers the shuttle tickets, the boat tours, and the hikes that work with kids. Head to Apgar for the lake and the Trail of the Cedars for the easy walk.
Then head to
Over Logan Pass
Drive Going-to-the-Sun Road early. Stop at Logan Pass for the Hidden Lake boardwalk and the mountain goats, then St. Mary Lake on the way down.
Finish
Many Glacier
Spend two nights on the east side for the boat to Grinnell Lake, Swiftcurrent Nature Trail, and the porch of the hotel at sunset.
Home base
Bozeman
Fly into BZN. Stop at the Museum of the Rockies for the dinosaurs, then head ninety minutes south to Gardiner.
Then head to
Gardiner & Mammoth
Drive through the Roosevelt Arch to Mammoth Hot Springs. Look for elk on the lawns, then walk the terraces boardwalk.
Add on
Lamar Valley
Head an hour east at dawn or dusk for bison, pronghorn, and the best chance at wolves in the park. Bring binoculars.
Start
Billings & Little Bighorn
Fly into BIL. Visit Pictograph Cave in the morning and Little Bighorn in the afternoon, then spend a night in Red Lodge.
Then head to
Beartooth Highway to Yellowstone
The Beartooth Highway is the most scenic road in the state. It’s open June to October and runs into the park’s northeast entrance and the Lamar Valley.
Finish
Bozeman to Glacier
Visit the Museum of the Rockies, then drive five hours north to West Glacier for the second half of the trip.
When to go
Time your visits with the weather and the region
We did Glacier in summer, when Going-to-the-Sun Road was open end to end. The window is short. The road opens in late June or July and closes by mid-October, and snow can fall any month at Logan Pass. Match your visit to the road status, not the calendar.
Swipe the chart sideways to see the full year.
July – August
When we went. Going-to-the-Sun Road is open, the lakes are warm enough to wade, and every trail is clear. Smoke from wildfires can roll in during August, so check air quality before you go.
September – October
Fall brings fewer people, gold larches, and elk bugling in the valleys. Many Glacier Hotel closes in late September and the road closes by mid-October.
November – March
It’s deep winter. Glacier’s west side is open for snowshoeing at Apgar, Whitefish is skiing, and Yellowstone’s north road stays plowed to Lamar.
April – June
This is the season of mud and melt. Lower trails open, waterfalls peak, and the road crews are blasting snow off Logan Pass. Bike Going-to-the-Sun Road before it opens to cars if you’re up for it.
Where to stay
Pick a good base to start your Montana adventure
Montana is easier when you pick one park and stay put. Here’s where we’d stay for each.
Glacier trips
In-park lodges & gateway towns
Glacier’s historic lodges open for booking thirteen months ahead and vanish the same week. Whitefish and Columbia Falls on the west side, St. Mary on the east, are the fallbacks. Our post covers where we stayed and what we’d change.
- Where to stay in Glacier, from our week there
- Many Glacier Hotel or Lake McDonald Lodge if you can get them
- Whitefish for a lake, a town, and points hotels
Yellowstone trips
Bozeman & Gardiner
Bozeman has the chains and the airport. Gardiner is right at the north gate and cheaper than West Yellowstone, with rafting on the Yellowstone River.
- Bozeman for points and the museum
- Gardiner for early mornings in Lamar
- Big Sky for a resort with a pool
Road trip bases
Billings & Red Lodge
Billings is the practical stop for Little Bighorn and the start of the Beartooth Highway. Red Lodge is the fun one, a mountain town at the bottom of the pass.
- Billings chains on points
- Red Lodge for the Beartooth
- Missoula if you’re coming from the west
Good to know
Questions families ask us about Montana
No, you don’t need one in 2026. Glacier required vehicle reservations from 2021 through 2025, then dropped them for 2026 and limited Logan Pass parking to three hours in summer instead. The express shuttle to Logan Pass needs a $1 ticket from recreation.gov, and vehicles longer than 21 feet or wider than 8 feet can’t drive the middle of the road. The rules change year to year, so check the park’s site the winter before you go. Our Glacier guide covers how we handled it.
We took a week and it didn’t feel long. Five days covers the west side, Going-to-the-Sun Road, and Many Glacier without rushing. A week lets you add a raft trip, a boat tour, and a rest day. If half your group wants to backpack, a week is the minimum. Ours did six days in the backcountry and the rest of us still had plenty to do.
It is, in places. The Trail of the Cedars is a paved and boardwalk loop, and the Apgar lakeshore is flat. The boat tours need no walking at all. At Logan Pass, the Hidden Lake boardwalk has stairs and snow well into July.
Carry bear spray on every trail, keep the kids between adults, and make noise around blind corners. Glacier has both black and grizzly bears and the rangers take it seriously. Renting spray at the airport is cheaper than buying it. The boys carried it every day in the backcountry.
FCA (Kalispell) is the one for Glacier, thirty minutes from the west entrance. BZN covers Yellowstone’s north and west entrances and has the best flight options in the state. BIL serves Little Bighorn and the Beartooth. Book the rental car the day you book flights. Kalispell runs out in July.
Yes, it is. We did a half-day trip on the Flathead with Wild River Adventures and it was a highlight of the week. The Middle Fork has a scenic float and a whitewater section, and the outfitters will match the trip to the ages in your group.
Map
Essential Montana, mapped
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