Take a Walk with Mother Nature
1) When researching different Montana reunion locations, check out Glacier National Park. It comprises over one million acres consisting of 27 glaciers and 726 lakes. Its highest peak, Mt. Cleveland, soars to 10,448 feet above sea level. Home to virtually every large North American mammal species and 270 types of birds, the landscape ranges from frozen mountaintops and massive glaciers to dense evergreen forests and miles of flowering fields.
- Going-To-The-Sun-Road, one of the park’s most popular destinations, offers 50 miles of scenic views through glacier-carved mountaintops and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
- The park never closes, but its peak travel season for visitors is from June to September, so keep this in mind when considering different Montana reunion locations. There are over 700 miles of hiking trails and many of the most popular sites are fairly close to main lodges and hotels. Many Glacier Hotel and McDonald Lodge make for great places to put your feet up and relax for a few days.
2) Besides outdoor adventure, museums and historic sites, Flathead Valley is also known for its famed Wild Horse Island. The island is a sanctuary for wild horses, bighorn sheep and bald eagles. And don’t leave Flathead before you’ve tried some of their famed sweet cherries.
3) Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area sits on 71-mile-long Bighorn Lake, a manmade lake created by the construction of the Yellowtail Dam, which sits beneath the tall Bighorn Canyon walls. It’s one of the most popular Montana reunion locations because in its entirety, the lake and recreation area take up about 120,000 acres and are split in half by the Montana/Wyoming border. You can swim, boat, hunt, fish and camp.
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. Photo Credit: Kim Tashjian/Flickr
Hit the Slopes at these Skiing Hotspots
4) Whitefish Mountain Resort is home to one of the country’s biggest ski resorts, which offers zip-lining and hiking in the summer months. The town’s antique shops and old-fashioned restaurants lend a comfortable and quaint feel.
5) Split between two counties of South-Central Montana, Big Sky is an unincorporated community that has gained national attention from the world-class downhill skiing and snowboarding at Big Sky Resort, which sits on Lone Mountain. The ski slopes are covered with the firs and spruces of Gallatin National Forest and Spanish Peaks Wilderness. Everything from extreme winter sports to hiking, horseback riding, whitewater rafting and mountain biking can be found at Big Sky Resort.
Ski lift at Lone Mountain. Photo Credit: Flickr
Montana’s Best Monuments and Museums
6) The Fort Peck Interpretive Center and Museum with over 400 dinosaur fossils and unparalleled fishing makes Fort Peck one of the most happening places in River Country. The facility showcases northeast Montana and features the two largest aquariums in Montana, displaying the fish of Fort Peck Lake and the Missouri River.
Fort Peck Interpretive Center and Museum. Photo Credit: Matt Garner/Flickr
7) Malta is home to two museums on the Montana Dinosaur Trail. The Great Plains Dinosaur Museum boasts various dinosaur fossils and is home to the “best preserved” dinosaur, Leonardo, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. It was discovered in Malta in 2000.
8) The Phillips County Museum sports a 700-pound Albertosaurus femur, which guests are allowed to interact and take pictures with. Montana’s resident dinosaurs, Indians, cowboys, pioneers and outlaws impacted the cultural and natural history of the area. The mission of the Phillips County Museum is to collect, preserve and interpret this heritage for generations to come.
9) Bozeman also quarters The Museum of the Rockies, which boasts the largest T-Rex skull in the world, even bigger than Sue at Chicago’s Field Museum. It is known for having the largest collection of dinosaur remains in the United States, something to consider when looking at different Montana reunion locations.
Familiar Landmarks
Yellowstone National Park; Gardiner, Montana. Photo Credit: Flickr
10) Traveling east from Glacier Country leads to an endless and majestic expanse of prairie pieced together by the waters of the Missouri River and its tributaries. Not much of this picturesque landscape has changed since the days of Lewis and Clark, except for perhaps the abundance of buffalo that once dominated the terrain. Today this area, along with North-Central Montana, is the most scarcely populated region in the state, but there is still plenty to see. Once named by the Plains Indians as the “Island Mountains,” the Little Rockies stand out in a region that is otherwise completely flat. The 50-square-mile plot of land seems slightly lonely in America’s greatest prairie. Some of the colorful rock formations and landscapes resemble Badlands National Park in South Dakota.
11) Yellowstone National Park is not too far away. The park’s northwest corner creeps over the Wyoming border and becomes a part of Big Sky Montana. Sights like Old Faithful, Yellowstone Lake and Mud Volcano can be found in the Montana section of Yellowstone National Park. During the summer months, narrated bus tours are offered for those who’d rather enjoy the scenic views with air-conditioning and, with over 36 accommodation choices, everyone can find lodging within their budget.
Although Montana is one of America’s 10 least populated states, there is no lack of activity. Whether your family likes to snow or water ski, hike, go horseback riding, fish, hunt or just sit and enjoy scenic landscapes, Montana is the place for your next reunion.
