TravelGuides

(TGA) - We live in Salt Lake City. This summer our goal is to make a road trip through some beautiful places in Montana...with kids (ages 4 and 6).
I think we could make it as far as Butte (or vicinity) the first night, but then we'd like to head north, and not drive more than an hour or two each day. We love to stay in cabins (more room for kids), we love kid-friendly hikes, we love the outdoors, but don't want to camp this time.
Can you recommend places to stop? Scenery to not miss? Hotels? I've never been to Montana, so I really don't have anything to base this trip on. Where do you recommend we go? Thanks.
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You can see the Flat Head Lake region and then make your way to Glacier National Park. If you like hiking and the outdoors then this area is for your family.
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Here might be another suggestion....and perhaps not of interest to you at all but I think the kids would love it although I do not know if 7 days would be sufficient. Rather than head to Cooke City or Silver Gate, MT. You will be in the best area to visit Yellowstone (NE entrance) and see tons of game, have places to hike and explore. I spent a week in Cooke City and visited Yellowstone every day. There are several little cabins in this area ~ we stayed in Elk Horn Lodge in Cooke City and would go again this year except we are heading to Alaska.
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A fun place for kids (and you) is Chico Hot Springs. It's near Yellowstone and you can do hikes near there outside of the park, plus the kids will love the pool.
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I think it would help to know what types of places you want to see. Also, have you been to Yellowstone before - or is there another reason you're bypassing it and going directly to Butte?
The reason I ask is that you're missing a lot along the way. Besides YNP and the surrounding areas, there are the ghost towns of Virginia City/Nevada City - kids love the ride through town on the old fire engine - and also the train ride between the two towns. Also, the Lewis and Clark Caverns north of there are fun and interesting - involving a nice walk along the hillside overlooking the Jefferson River to get to the caves for the tour.
I would definitely recommend making at least one stop between SLC and Butte to explore some of the scenery in between.
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Driving only two hours a day will keep you pretty close to one base camp. Is that what you have in mind?
Butte is a cool town. You can spend the night in a museum there -- we did. (Copper King Mansion). One night would probably be enough with the kids, since it really is a museum. There is a 100 year old Chinese restaurant, and other things which feel like you've stepped back in time. The Mineral Room on the MSU Butte campus is a fun stop, as is the mining museum.
In Bozeman, the Museum of the Rockies has a lot for kids. Main Street is fun to walk down.
Second the advice for Chico. There are lots of hot springs all over south central MT if you look. Boulder, Jackson, Bozeman/Four Corners, Norris, ...
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Yep, we've done Yellowstone (it's not that far from Salt Lake), but have heard great reviews of the rest of north west Montana. We'd like to check that out.
I've read good reviews of Missoula, Whitefish, Big Fork, and Glacier. Like I said, I'm in the beginning stages of research, so who knows where we'll end up. We like staying in cabins for a day or two. Exploring trails, dining out, etc.
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If you made it up to the Flathead Valley (Kalispell, Bigfork, Whitefish) you would find tons to do in this one area. Glacier National Park is nearby, Flathead Lake is spectacular. You need to see if driving this far with a 4 and 6 year old is feasible (and fun) then start investigating more about cabins, activities, etc.
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This is a state website that divides the state into tourism zones. The zones have been around for a long time, and basically help you organize what you'd like to do. http://www.visitmt.com/regions_towns/
If you are including Glacier in your travels, you are running late to make reservations. Anywhere else you should be ok. If you can, I recommend car camping with kids that age. Montana has lots of great campgrounds. Here is a state park website that lists parks as well as the kinds of animals and plants you might see: http://fwp.mt.gov/parks/
A two hour driving limit is very small by Montana standards, so if you are going to keep that as a limit, you might want to settle on a general area like Flathead Valley. There is plenty to do in any direction from the southern border to the northern border. You need to think of what you think you and the kids would like to do. Go to museums? Go swimming at hot springs? Go on a trail ride? Go fishing (not long for kids that age)? Go on walks? See animals (best in the park, but keep your eyes out)?
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I'm from Minnesota but have driven all over MT with my kids at various ages. You're limiting yourself a bit by going only a few hours a day from Butte...if you want to see Glacier I'd recommend instead that you turn North at Missoula, whether you stay there or not you'd be in Kalispell in maybe 2.5/3 hours I think. I've heard that the North Forty cabins at North Forty Resort between Whitefish and Glacier are nice. In Whitefish in summer the only thing I really know about for kids is the "Walk in the Treetops" or something like that at Big Mountain in Whitefish but I think your kids might be too young. My kids love the Big Sky Waterpark in Columbia Falls (yes, it gets hot enough!). You could then move over to Glacier and at the West side stay at Apgar Village Lodge, they have cabins...and there are others around the west side of Glacier. You'll see Lake McDonald , hike to Avalanche Lake and could do a red Jammer bus ride out of there. The next day you could drive over Logan Pass, hike to Hidden Lake (at the pass) and stay on the East side, somewhere like Glacier Trailhead Cabins or the cabins at Rising Sun or Swiftcurrent Motor Inn and do one of the short hikes in the Many Glacier area, maybe just to Fishercap Lake to look for moose. Then you could head down towards Great Falls and stop at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center (one of the best interactive museums anywhere, in my opinion...it's FABULOUS) and then back down to I90 from there. I'd need to know how far you're willing to drive your first and last days to see if this is actually feasible in 7 days though....
Tara
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