From parks, to hotsprings, to museums and other excursions, you’re sure to find plenty to do— under the Big Sky.

For Things to Do, Get Started Here:

Trip Planner
Montana is filled with adventurous possibilities: rafting, hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing, mountain biking, you get the idea! After you've done all that there are art galleries, museums, scenic drives, rail tours. The State of Montana's "Things to do" site's lists are endless....

An Alert for you Shoppers! Western boutiques, antique shops, large department stores, and malls all serve up quality merchandise and great bargains but what visitors love best about shopping in Montana is- no sales tax! The State and Bozeman web sites all have many links to shopping opportunities.

Streamline Bus
Catch the Current, Take a Ride FOR FREE.
If you've been shaking your head at gas prices and taking long looks at skateboards and scooters, there's finally a way to travel that makes sense and saves money. It's Streamline. They're your bus company, ready to get you around town or around the valley quickly, conveniently, reliably. What's more, they haven't just reduced the cost of travel, they've eliminated it. Riding on Streamline is free. Chances are, there's a stop right near you where you can hop aboard and take a ride to wherever you need to go in the valley. Their routes now stretch from the Montana State University campus to downtown Bozeman to Belgrade.

FOOD: MSU Area Restaurant Guide
Click here to download information about area restaurants

Bike Rentals
Information on cheap MSU bike rentals can be found at http://www.montana.edu/outdoorrecreation/equipment.php. Ê Note:Ê Non-students are charged a 10% fee over the student prices shown.

General - State and Bozeman area:

Click here to view Montana Map

Visit Montana!
The Official State of Montana Travel Information site, with tons of information about Montana, trip planning and recreational opportunities.

Bozeman Convention and Visitor's Bureau
The Bozeman Convention and Visitor's Bureau site, with more links and information about Bozeman.

Bozeman Chamber of Commerce
The Bozeman Chamber of Commerce site. Bozeman has been rated the top "micropolis" in the country in a study by Bizjournal. According to that study 41% of the adults in Bozeman have bachelor's degrees.

Yellowstone Country Summer
Part of the State Travel web site, this section describes the region around Bozeman, the "Gateway Community to Yellowstone National Park".

Big Sky Resort
Created back in 1973 by former NBC news anchor Chet Huntley, Big Sky Resort is the area's destination ski area in the winter. In the summer there are numerous outdoor recreation opportunities, not limited to hiking, biking, golf, tennis and horseback riding. Ride the ski lifts up and walk or bike down! After all of that you can relax at their Solace Spa.

National Parks:

Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park Service Site
The official National Park Service web site of Yellowstone National Park, America's first, established in 1872. Find out about the Park Ð what to see, where to go and how to arrange to stay in one of Yellowstone's hotels through the Park's concessionaire Xanterra Parks and Resorts.

Travel Yellowstone
Yellowstone's campgrounds and campsites are reserved through either the Park or Xanterra. Please see the Park website for details. Reservations fill quickly for the Park accommodations and campgrounds, so plan well ahead!

Yellowstone Association
The nonprofit Yellowstone Association educates Yellowstone National Park visitors by offering trip planners, books, videos, and guided classes through Yellowstone Park by their field institute, The Yellowstone Institute http://www.yellowstoneassociation.org/institute/. The nonprofit Yellowstone Association Institute offers field courses that provide an inside look at Yellowstone National Park. In this remarkable outdoor setting students gain new appreciation for the value of wild places.

Glacier

Glacier National Park Service Site
The official National Park Service web site of Glacier National Park, located just south of the Canadian border and Waterton Lakes National Park. This is high alpine country, and home to the famous "Going to the Sun" road. Come visit the Park's 27 glaciers before they're gone! (As of fall 2006, the Park web site is undergoing some reconstruction, so be sure to check back often to see what information may be changed.) To find out how to stay in one of Glacier's historic hotels or ride in one of the vintage red "jammer" tour buses, visit the Park's concessionaire, Glacier Park, Inc. web site. http://www.glacierparkinc.com/ Reservations fill quickly for the Park accommodations and campgrounds, so plan well ahead!

Glacier Institute
Since 1983, The Glacier Institute has been providing hands on, field based educational adventures to people from all over the world in nature's wildest places, Glacier National Park and the Flathead National Forest, located within the Crown of the Continent ecosystem.

Grand Teton

Grand Teton
The official National Park Service web site of Grand Teton National Park, located in northwestern Wyoming just South of Yellowstone, where the Rockies meet the sage brush valley. (There is camping and lodging within the Park, but because of web site reconstruction going on during the Fall 2006, that information is not currently available. Please check back often and we'll update that information as it becomes available) Reservations fill quickly for the Park accommodations and campgrounds, so plan well ahead!

Grant-Kohrs Ranch

Grant-Kohrs Ranch
Once the headquarters of a 10 million acre cattle empire, Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site is a working cattle ranch that preserves these symbols and commemorates the role of cattlemen in American history. Encompassing 1,600 acres, over 80 historic structures, many historic artifacts, and walking trails, there is something for everybody to do at the ranch. The ranch is located directly off I-90 midway between Yellowstone NP and Glacier NP in Deer Lodge, Montana.

International Parks: (just across the border from Glacier N.P)

Waterton Lakes National Park of Canada
The official Parks Canada web site of spectacular Waterton Lakes National Park where rugged, windswept mountains rise abruptly out of gentle prairie grasslands. Here, several different ecological regions meet and interact in a landscape shaped by wind, fire, flooding, and abundant plants and wildlife. In 1932, the park was joined with Montana's Glacier National Park to form the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park - a world first. Campground and wilderness camping reservations can be made through the Park website, while other accommodations ranging from camping to mountain hotels, are available in Waterton townsite located in the center of the Park.

State Parks:

Search all State Parks of Montana
Use this page to find your State Park adventure.

Recreation Guide to State Parks of Montana
Here is a guide to some of the fun and adventure you can enjoy at a few of Montana's 42 State Parks. Montana's State Parks and fishing access sites are among the Treasure State's best-kept secrets.

Other State Parks:

Nature Conservancy's Pine Butte Guest Ranch, Choteau, MT
Nestled among the peaks of Montana's rugged East Front, near Choteau, MT, The Nature Conservancy's Pine Butte Guest Ranch offers a unique opportunity to study natural history as well as ride, hike, swim, and relax in one of the country's most spectacular western landscapes.

Sierra Club (outings, etc)
Be sure to check this site for Summer 2007 outings around Bozeman and around the state.

Hot Springs/Resorts around Bozeman:

After all those adventures, you can soak your cares away and relax in one of the Treasure State's more than two dozen developed "hot spring" destinations and another 30 natural sites all fed from natural geothermal features.

Chico Hotsprings
Norris Hotsprings
Potosi Resort

Hot Springs/Resorts Beyond Bozeman:

Bozeman Hotsprings
Fairmont Hotsprings
Jackson Hotsprings
Elkhorn Hotsprings

Summer Activities in Bozeman

The Gallatin County Fair July 18th - 22nd, 2007
The Gallatin County Fair has it all: cows, sows, and plows, computers, four-wheel drive Mud Bog races, food and more! The fair provides wholesome family entertainment and education. This event is a traditional county fair with livestock shows, carnival rides, arts & crafts, commercial exhibits, music, rodeo events, lots of food and activities for the children.

Every Thursday Through July and August, 2007 6:30-8:30pm - Music On Main - Enjoy Live Music, Kid's Activities and Food Each week historic downtown Bozeman comes alive by featuring a different musical group form an eclectic range of talent. Local restaurants join in the festival by providing an assortment of dinner options, drinks and treats. Bring the kids and join your friends on Thursday evenings for live Blues, Honky Tonk, Bluegrass and Rock-and-Roll at Music on Main. (Please leave your dogs and coolers at home)

Friday, July 20th and Saturday, July 21st 9am-5pm - Downtown Crazy Days - Downtown Bozeman Sidewalk Sale Shop 'til you drop when downtown Bozeman merchants take their wares to the walkway with unbelievable sales on Spring and Summer merchandise. Don't miss the excitement and incredible deals.

Scenic Drives

Bozeman-Red Lodge-Yellowstone Loop
To get a taste of just some of Montana's scenery, and see some of Yellowstone National Park, you can make a loop tour from Bozeman, to Red Lodge and back through Gardiner. Head East on I-90 from Bozeman as it follows the Yellowstone River to Columbus. Take State Road 78 South to Red Lodge. You can spend some time there in what was an old mining town, exploring the many restaurants and galleries, or continue on the Beartooth Highway, a designated Scenic Byway that will take you above the tree line, to tundra and glacier country. Headed south out of Red Lodge, the highway crosses into Wyoming and continues to climb up to Beartooth Pass at almost 11,000 ft. Many of the peaks in the area reach over 12,000 ft. If you look just off the road at the top of the pass you'll see the Red Lodge International Summer Ski and Snowboard Camp's two ski lifts and the extremely steep, expert runs often used by ski racers for training late into spring and early summer. Additionally, there are several hiking trails and Forest Service campsites along the road. Continuing down through the lake-studded forest, you'll come to the turnoff for the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway that goes into Cody, Wyoming. Staying on the Beartooth Highway, you'll cross back into Montana, just before coming to the Northeast edge of Yellowstone National Park at Cooke City, MT. Another former mining town, Cooke City is a popular snowmobiler destination in the winter and a tourist spot in summer. Once the Beartooth Highway closes for the winter, Cooke City's residents only access to the outside world is the Park road that begins four miles west at the Northeast entrance to Yellowstone. Once inside the Park you'll continue past several tall peaks as you head along Soda Butte Creek and into the Lamar River valley. This is prime wildlife, and particularly wolf-watching country. Going past the Yellowstone Institute's Field Campus at Lamar Buffalo Ranch, the road continues on to the Tower-Roosevelt junction. From there you'll go to Mammoth Hot Springs across Blacktail Deer plateau. Mammoth Hot Springs is the Park Headquarters area and home to a resident herd of elk. To continue the loop back to Bozeman, you'll continue through the Park for another 5 miles before reaching Gardiner, MT. From Gardiner, Highway 89 North will take you along the Yellowstone River and through Paradise Valley, back to I-90 at Livingston.

Fly Fishing and Ghost Town Excursions

Just West of Bozeman are the fly fisher's meccas of the Madison, Jefferson and Gallatin rivers and a bit further on, in the high, wide and very handsome Big Hole valley, are the Big Hole and Wise Rivers. Heading West of Bozeman on highway 84 and turning south on 287, you'll come to the town of Ennis, situated on the Madison and a good spot for a base camp for fishing adventure. Secondary route 287 will take you to the old gold mining ghost towns of Virginia and Nevada City. Besides the rustic Victorian buildings, for entertainment Virginia City has vaudeville in the Opera House and the Brewery Follies, held in one of Montana's first breweries.

To get over to the Big Hole, continue northward on route 287 to Twin Bridges where you'll turn South on highway 41, headed towards Dillon. In Dillon, turn onto route 287, going East to Jackson. This out-of-the-way spot is home to the Jackson Hot Springs Lodge. Rough on the outside, the restaurant is quite good and the hot springs are hot. Further on 287 is Wisdom. Here you can turn west on route 43 to Lost Trail Pass and the Bitterroot valley. Just East of Wisdom on 43 is the Big Hole National Battlefield, one site along the route the non-treaty Nez Perce took in their unsuccessful escape from their reservation in Oregon in 1877. Going north on 43 from Wisdom will take you along the Big Hole river through the towns of Wise River and Divide. Don't be surprised if you have to slow down for a cattle drive as ranchers move their stock from one pasture to another. Yee haw! At Divide you can get on I-15 going north to Butte where you can get back on I-90 to head east and back to Bozeman.