Thinking of vacationing in Montana? Here is a recap of our family trip.
My fondest memories of our family time spent together are most often in nature. The forced separation from media is always good for connection and conversation.
We traveled in July (2nd-7th actually). We flew from Atlanta to Bozeman, Montana on Tuesday and returned on Sunday.
This is the Big Sky Montana townhouse we stayed in. It was a little snug for our family of six, but totally worth it for the budget-friendly price and the views/convenience.
Day 1:
We arrived in Bozeman at 2p. We drove into Big Sky and checked into our townhouse. Then we ate a delicious meal at Olive B’s.
Then we drove straight to West Yellowstone to look around. We shopped and visited the tourism center. Good thing we did because the park ranger gave us the most important tip of all:
Pack a cooler full of drinks and food in your car BEFORE heading inside Yellowstone! This is a super important detail because there are just not many gas stations/restaurants inside the park. When you get hungry, you can’t just head to a near restaurant. The few restaurants I did see looked like a Golden Corral (not very enticing). We ended up eating many picnics while inside.
After the tourism center, we shopped West Yellowstone (think Gatlinburg type trinket stores) and headed back to Big Sky for the night. It’s a beautiful 45-minute drive away.
We downloaded the Travelstory’s app for our own personal tour guide. I thought I purchased a tour that included the North and South-like a bundle option. However, today I do not see that choice.
Day 2:
We woke up super early (5am) and headed to Yellowstone National Park (west entrance). Ideally, you want to get in the park early to avoid crowds and the animals are moving more early morning and late afternoon.
For lunch, we had a picnic at Yellowstone. We saw a lot of Buffalo and geysers including Old Faithful!
For dinner, we had pizza at Wild West Pizzeria. We hiked an insane amount this day and were all ready for a hot meal. Pizza did not disappoint.
Day 3:
Today is the 4th of July!
Today we drove back to Yellowstone for Day 2 in the park. Another picnic lunch AND dinner. We stayed in the park late because we wanted to watch the animals in Lamar Valley.
Day 4:
We spent today in Big Sky. No early wake-ups, woohoo! We had a slow breakfast in the townhouse, coffee and cinnamon rolls. Then horseback riding at 9:00. Followed by white water rafting in the afternoon. We booked both activities through Geyser Whitewater. Highly recommend them! We had stellar guides both trips 🙂
For dinner, we ate at Gallatin River house in Big Sky. They have outdoor fire pits and games for the kids. Really long wait because we didn’t have a reservation but a super night with a good atmosphere, food, and amazing views.
Day 5:
Last day. We slept in and then had brunch at Blue Moon Cafe.
Today we went on a ski lift to the top of Big Sky mountain. We wanted to ride a van to the top but the tickets were sold out. I didn’t know that would be something we needed to advance purchase. However, the ski lift was super scary to me without seatbelts and no snow beneath us, yikes!! The rest of the family LOVED this.
We also shopped around this village. and grabbed coffees.
Then we went on an easy hike to Ousel Falls.
For Dinner, we walked from our townhouse to eat at Michelangelo’s. Pricey but the food was amazing! I especially loved being able to walk to dinner 🙂
Day 6:
Fly home.