Glacier National Park gets most of the attention in Western Montana, but there’s far more to this part of the state than one national park. On our recent road trip through Western Montana’s Glacier Country, we spent six days exploring the region without setting foot inside Glacier National Park.
Starting and ending in Missoula, we road-tripped through small towns and mountain valleys, kayaked on Flathead Lake, went llama trekking in the Swan Valley, searched for wildlife at the CSKT Bison Range, paddled the Clearwater Canoe Trail, rode in a historic stagecoach, and wandered through one of Montana’s best-preserved ghost towns.
This Western Montana road trip itinerary follows the route we actually traveled and includes the places we stayed, our favorite experiences, and what we’d recommend if you’re planning your own Montana road trip beyond Glacier National Park.
Our Western Montana Road Trip at a Glance
Start: Missoula
Finish: Missoula
Length: 6 days
When we went: Late July 2026
Trip style: Wildlife, outdoor adventure, history, small towns and local experiences
Main areas: Missoula, Flathead Lake, Bigfork, Somers, Kalispell, Swan Valley, Seeley Lake and Garnet
Route
Day 1: Missoula → arrival
Day 2: Missoula → Arlee → Charlo → Flathead Lake → Bigfork
Day 3: Bigfork → Somers → Kalispell
Day 4: Kalispell → Swan Valley → Seeley Lake
Day 5: Seeley Lake → Garnet → Missoula
Day 6: Missoula → departure
Why Road Trip Western Montana Beyond Glacier National Park?
Glacier National Park is absolutely worth visiting, and we’ve explored the park ourselves. But one thing this trip drove home for us was just how much of Western Montana gets overlooked when travelers make a straight line for the National Park.
The road between Missoula and the Flathead Valley alone took us through wildlife habitat, tribal lands, museums, small towns, and one of the largest natural freshwater lakes in the western United States.
From there, the trip continued into the Swan Valley and Seeley Lake, where some of our favorite experiences had virtually none of the crowds that people associate with summer travel near Glacier.
Planning a Western Montana Road Trip
Where Does This Western Montana Road Trip Start?
Our Western Montana road trip started in Missoula, which made an easy and practical jumping-off point for exploring the region. We flew into Missoula, picked up our rental SUV right at the terminal, and headed into downtown, where we spent our first night at The Wren.
Starting here gave us time to explore Missoula on foot before beginning the drive north toward the Flathead Valley, Bigfork, and the rest of Glacier Country. It also worked perfectly as a loop since our route eventually brought us back to Missoula for our final night before flying home.
Do You Need a Car?
Yes, having a car is essential for this itinerary, and we would recommend an SUV. While most of this itinerary is highway driving, the SUV was necessary for accessing the llama trekking trailhead and Garnet Ghost Town.
Our SUV had CarPlay, so we were able to use Google Maps for navigation. Something worth noting is that cell service can be intermittent, so be sure to download your maps before setting off each day.
When We Visited
We visited Western Montana in late July and had warm, sunny days with much cooler temperatures overnight, so packing layers was useful even in the middle of summer.
What surprised us most was how uncrowded the trip felt. We rarely encountered other travelers at many of the stops along our route, which made the experience feel far more relaxed than the busy summer season around Glacier National Park might suggest.
We also had decent wildlife sightings throughout the trip. While crowds were never an issue for us, dinner reservations are still a good idea, especially in smaller towns where the best restaurants can fill up quickly.
Our 6 Day Western Montana Road Trip Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Missoula & Explore Downtown
Arriving at the Missoula airport was straightforward. It took less than an hour from landing to collect our bags, rent our car, and set off for Missoula.
Check Into The Wren
Checking in at The Wren was easy, and we loved the vibe of this hotel. The decor focuses on a mix of Missoula history and the outdoors, yet all conveyed through a modern and clean aesthetic.
The room was comfortable, roomy, quiet, and most importantly, centrally located so we could walk everywhere.
None of the hotels in Downtown Missoula have parking lots, so we highly recommend parking in the big garage. It’s free on weekends and offers free overnight rates.
Explore Downtown Missoula & the Clark Fork River
We spent our evening in Missoula exploring downtown on foot, wandering along Higgins Avenue, browsing local shops, and following the Riverfront Trail beside the Clark Fork River.
Near Caras Park, we stopped at Brennan’s Wave, a man-made river feature built in 2002 that has become a popular spot for river recreation right in the heart of the city. During our visit, the river was busy with rafters and tubers floating through downtown, which really showed us how much the Clark Fork is part of everyday life in Missoula.
Dinner in Missoula
For dinner, we headed to The Camino in downtown Missoula, where the menu draws on traditional Mexican cooking techniques and flavors from different regions of Mexico. We loved that it wasn’t your typical Mexican restaurant, with creative dishes, plenty of flavor, and great margaritas.
After dinner, we crossed the river and made our way to Big Dipper Ice Cream, a longtime local favorite that has been serving homemade ice cream in Missoula since 1995. We highly recommend you try the Huckleberry ice cream!
Day 2: Missoula to Bigfork Through the Flathead Valley
Garden of One Thousand Buddhas
One of our first stops after leaving Missoula was the Garden of One Thousand Buddhas near Arlee, a place that felt completely different from what we expected to encounter on a Montana road trip.
Set in the Jocko Valley on the Flathead Reservation, the garden is a public park, botanical garden, and Buddhist center associated with the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
We spent some time walking through the grounds, where rows of Buddha statues surround the central garden, and the overall design follows the shape of an eight-spoked Dharma wheel.
It’s an easy stop on the drive north from Missoula and a good example of the unexpected cultural experiences you can find when you slow down and explore more of Western Montana instead of driving straight toward Glacier National Park.
Drive the CSKT Bison Range
The CSKT Bison Range ended up being one of our favorite stops on the drive north from Missoula. We started at the visitor center, where we talked with staff about the range, recent wildlife sightings, and how to make the most of the self-drive route.
The range is home to roughly 350 bison and has an important history. Originally established as the National Bison Range in 1908 on land belonging to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, it was restored to the CSKT by Congress in 2020 and has been fully owned and managed by the CSKT Natural Resources Department since 2022.
Once on the road, we treated the experience like our own little self-drive safari and took our time. We watched bison spread across the prairie, spotted elk on the hillsides, and saw plenty of birdlife along the way.
The key to our wildlife success came from pulling over and shutting off the vehicle just to sit and watch. What stood out almost as much as the wildlife was how peaceful it was. We didn’t encounter the long lines of cars or crowded wildlife pullouts that can come with visiting popular national parks in summer.
The main Red Sleep Drive combined with Prairie Drive forms a 19-mile loop. We recommend that you make time for this.
Ninepipes Museum of Early Montana History
Our next stop was the Ninepipes Museum of Early Montana History, which gave us a deeper look at the people and history of the Flathead Reservation and surrounding region.
Inside, the collections bring together Native American beadwork, historic photographs, western art, hunting and horse equipment, along with life-size displays depicting an early trading post, the St. Ignatius Mission and traditional camp life.
After spending the morning focused on wildlife at the CSKT Bison Range, we liked having a stop that added more historical and cultural context to the area we were driving through.
It’s easy to pass through this part of Western Montana focused on the scenery, but places like Ninepipes are a good reminder that there is much more to the region than its landscapes.
Miracle of America Museum
Just outside Polson, we made an unexpected stop at the Miracle of America Museum, and it turned out to be one of the most eclectic places we visited on our Western Montana road trip.
Founded by Gil and Joanne Mangels, the museum has grown into a sprawling collection of American history that extends well beyond the main building and into an outdoor village filled with historic structures, vehicles, and machinery.
We wandered through exhibits covering everything from transportation and military history to old storefronts, farming equipment, and everyday objects from earlier generations.
There is so much packed into this place that you never really know what you’re going to come across next, which was a big part of the fun. If you enjoy quirky roadside attractions, you’ll want to add this one to your stops.
Road Trip Along Flathead Lake
From Polson, we continued north toward Bigfork along Highway 35, which follows the eastern side of Flathead Lake and turned out to be one of the prettiest drives of our Western Montana road trip.
One of the fun parts about traveling this stretch in summer was seeing roadside stands selling Flathead cherries, a crop the area is well known for, so naturally we had to stop and pick some up.
Rather than treating the drive from Polson to Bigfork as simply a way to get from one stop to the next, we found that slowing down for the viewpoints, lake scenery, and little roadside stops made this section of the route part of the experience itself.
Full disclosure, we experienced some heavy wildfire smoke during our visit. This made the lake and mountain views a bit challenging. Despite this, we still enjoyed our visit.
Evening in Bigfork
By the time we reached Bigfork, we were ready to slow things down after a full day of exploring. We checked into the Cottages at Bigfork, which put us right in town, then headed to Bigfork Wine & Whiskey for an early dinner.
What made the night memorable was ending it at the Bigfork Summer Playhouse, a longtime local theater that has become something of a summer tradition in the area. It was a completely different side of Western Montana from the wildlife, museums, and scenic drives we had experienced earlier in the day.
Having an evening that felt more connected to the local community and summer culture of this small lakeside town was the perfect way to end the day.
Day 3: Kayaking Flathead Lake, Exploring Somers & Historic Stagecoach Ride
Breakfast at Pocketstone Cafe
We started our morning in Bigfork with breakfast at Pocketstone Cafe. Located right in town and open early, it was an easy stop before our morning kayaking trip, which was scheduled just a short drive away.
Pocketstone has the feel of a classic small-town cafe, and after a busy first day on the road, we enjoyed having a relaxed breakfast before getting back outside. The food is delicious, offering classic American diner fare.
Kayaking Somers Bay on Flathead Lake
One of the best ways we experienced Flathead Lake was from the water on a guided kayaking trip through Somers Bay. We met our guides from Sea Me Paddle in Lakeside before heading to the launch in Somers for a roughly two-hour paddle along the northern end of the lake.
Being out in a kayak gave us a completely different perspective of Flathead Lake than the scenic overlooks and shoreline stops we had visited the day before. Not to mention, we arrived to absolutely perfect paddling conditions. The lake was like glass.
This allowed us to paddle out to one of the islands, where we hopped on shore to walk around. We also enjoyed some great birding, spotting an osprey nest with chicks, both juvenile and adult bald eagles, cedar waxwings, and loons.
Explore Somers
After kayaking Somers Bay, we spent a little time exploring Somers, a small community on the northern end of Flathead Lake. The town has a quiet, old-school feel, and it was easy to slow down here after being on the water.
We walked around the area and checked out part of the Great Northern Historical Trail, which runs through Somers, before stopping for lunch at Somers Bay Cafe. The cafe was a simple, casual stop serving homestyle American food.
Ride a Historic Montana Stagecoach
One of the most unusual experiences on our Western Montana road trip was taking a historic stagecoach ride at Wrangler Springs Ranch with Bigfork Stagecoach. We climbed aboard a restored 1890s M.P. Henderson & Son mudwagon for a one-hour ride through the historic 1886 ranch property, which today is part of the 500-acre Paladin Conservancy.
Along the way, we learned about early stagecoach travel, the history of the Flathead Valley and the surrounding Jewel Basin area while passing through a working landscape of fields, livestock and a spring-fed pond.
Riding in the old wagon gave us a much better appreciation for how rough and slow travel through Montana once was, and we enjoyed the passion that the owners have for sharing this history with visitors.
Spend the Night in Kalispell
After our stagecoach ride near Bigfork, we continued north to Kalispell for the night. By the time we arrived, we didn’t have much time for sightseeing, so we checked into Sherman Lodge, headed out for dinner, and called it a night.
The lodge sits just off Kalispell’s historic downtown, which made it easy to walk to nearby restaurants without getting back in the car.
If you arrive in Kalispell earlier in the day, there are a few easy ways to add more time in town. You could wander through Downtown Kalispell for local shops and historic architecture, tour the 1895 Conrad Mansion Museum, or learn more about the Flathead Valley at the Northwest Montana History Museum.
If you would rather stay outside, Herron Park offers trails and views just outside town. These would all be easy additions if you have a few extra hours before dinner.
Day 4: Llama Trekking Through Montana’s Swan Valley
Our morning started early in Kalispell, and we grabbed breakfast on the go before setting off towards the Swan Valley.
Llama Trekking with Swan Mountain Llama Trekking
Llama trekking through Montana’s Flathead National Forest was easily one of the most memorable experiences of our entire Western Montana road trip. Our trek lasted about five hours and included lunch, giving us plenty of time to get out into the forest rather than simply taking a short walk with the llamas.
We followed a wooded trail to Bond Lake, with the llamas accompanying us along the way, eventually reaching a waterfall where we stopped for lunch. Somehow, we had the entire waterfall to ourselves with no other tourists around, which made an already unusual Montana adventure even better.
What we liked most was that this wasn’t just a novelty animal encounter. It was a legitimate hiking experience that happened to involve llamas, and it took us into a quieter part of Western Montana that many visitors never see.
The setting, the personalities of the llamas, and the solitude along the trail made it completely different from anything else we did on this trip. You can arrange your own llama experience directly with Swan Mountain Llama Trekking.
One practical thing to know is that you should not rely on Google Maps to reach the meeting point. The operator will send you detailed directions; be sure to follow those. We tested it, and Google Maps does not reach the meeting point, even though it says you will.
Stop at Swan Lake Trading Post for Huckleberry Ice Cream
After llama trekking, we made a quick stop at the Swan Lake Trading Post for one of its famous huckleberry milkshakes, and it was exactly what we wanted after several hours on the trail.
The Trading Post has been part of the Swan Lake community for 100 years as of 2026, with roots as a U.S. Post Office and general store serving this remote part of the Swan Valley.
Today, it still has that old-school roadside-stop feel, with a small store and cafe serving sandwiches, pizza, ice cream, and its well-known huckleberry shakes. We grabbed our shakes and enjoyed a simple Montana tradition before continuing south toward Seeley Lake.
Stay at Double Arrow Lodge Near Seeley Lake
Our stay at Double Arrow Lodge was easily our favorite of the entire Western Montana road trip. Double Arrow has been part of Seeley Lake since 1929, when it opened as the area’s first commercial dude ranch, and its historic main lodge is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
We stayed in the Tamarack 7 cabin, and one of our favorite parts was simply sitting out on the balcony and taking in how peaceful the property felt. Deer wandered through the grounds, horses grazed with the mountains rising behind them, and it felt like the kind of place where you could genuinely slow down for a while.
We spent some time relaxing at the pool before having dinner at the lodge’s onsite Seasons Restaurant, where there was also live music that evening. After several busy days on the road, Double Arrow Lodge gave us a quiet Montana setting, plenty of room to relax, and a place we would have happily stayed longer.
Insider tip: If you want to dine at Seasons, be sure to make a dinner reservation when you make your reservation!
Day 5: Paddle the Clearwater Canoe Trail & Visit Garnet Ghost Town
Kayaking the Clearwater Canoe Trail
Kayaking the Clearwater Canoe Trail was one of the most peaceful adventures of our Montana road trip. The canoe trail is located in Lolo National Forest, about 4 miles north of the town of Seeley Lake along Highway 83.
The route follows a slow-moving, meandering section of the Clearwater River for about 3.5 miles before emptying into the northern end of Seeley Lake.
For our trip, we rented kayaks at Tamaracks Resort and used their shuttle to reach the canoe-trail launch. From there, we spent roughly three hours making our way through the calm river system.
The paddle itself was easygoing, giving us plenty of time to watch the shoreline and look for wildlife. We spotted turtles, beavers and loons, and for much of the route it felt like we had this quiet corner of Montana almost entirely to ourselves. It’s not a strenuous paddle, but that was exactly what we loved about it.
Lunch in Seeley Lake
After kayaking the Clearwater Canoe Trail, we stopped for lunch at Lindey’s Landing West Bayburgers, a casual burger stand tucked down by the water on Seeley Lake. We loved the laid-back setting, with picnic tables on the grassy shoreline and views across the lake while we ate.
Bayburgers has actually been a Seeley Lake summer tradition since 1987, when the Lindemer family opened the original Bayburger Wagon to share the lakeside picnic experience they had been enjoying there themselves.
The menu remains centered on classic burgers, and the Ultimate Bayburger, topped with sautéed mushrooms and onions, is a favorite. Of course, David ordered this and can personally attest to its greatness.
Explore Garnet Ghost Town
From Seeley Lake, we headed south on MT-83, then east on Highway 200, before turning onto Garnet Range Road for the final drive into the mountains. Before reaching the town, we stopped at the old Garnet Cemetery, which felt like a fitting introduction to the history we were about to explore. The final stretch follows a gravel mountain road through the forest, so Garnet feels appropriately remote by the time you finally reach the parking area.
Once we arrived, we paid the entrance fee before walking downhill into Garnet Ghost Town. The current fee is $10 per person age 16 and older, and that money directly supports preservation, stabilization, and interpretation of the site. It is worth making sure you pay rather than treating Garnet like an abandoned place you can simply wander into.
Garnet grew during Montana’s late nineteenth-century gold boom and was once home to roughly 1,000 residents. As the gold became harder to extract, the population declined, and a major fire accelerated the town’s demise. Mining briefly returned during the Great Depression before fading again around World War II.
What makes Garnet especially interesting today is that it hasn’t been polished into a recreated tourist town. The BLM and Garnet Preservation Association manage the buildings in a state of arrested decay, stabilizing them while retaining as much of the original material as possible rather than rebuilding them to look new.
One of the most exciting things about this ghost town is that you can step inside weathered cabins, stores, and other buildings. This allowed us a much better sense of how this isolated mining community once functioned. It still feels genuinely abandoned, with crooked wooden buildings surrounded by forest instead of a commercialized attraction built around them.
Our biggest insider tip is to leave Garnet the same way you came in via Garnet Range Road and Highway 200. There is another route toward Interstate 90 through Bear Gulch that is steep, narrow, and rough. We took this route and cannot recommend it. There are big rocks in places that had washed out, making it very slow going. Even in an SUV, the route felt sketchy and had more risk of having tire issues in a place with no cell service.
Return to Missoula
After surviving our slow moving, sketchy drive back to the highway from Garnet Ghost Town, we continued west back to Missoula. We checked into the Residence Inn Missoula Downtown, which put us right back in the heart of the city and within walking distance of restaurants and shops.
The hotel was built on the former site of the historic Missoula Mercantile, and pieces salvaged from the old building were incorporated into the property, which gives this otherwise modern hotel a connection to the city’s past.
After several days moving between small towns, lakes, forests, and mountain roads, it was nice to finish the trip somewhere familiar and have one final evening in downtown Missoula.
Day 6: One Last Morning in Missoula
Our final morning in Missoula was intentionally light before our flight home. After breakfast downtown, we had just enough time to check out of the hotel, return the rental car, and check in at the airport.
Missoula Art Museum
We had planned to visit the Missoula Art Museum on our final morning in town, but ran out of time before heading to the airport. If you have a little more time, it’s an easy downtown stop with free admission and a strong focus on contemporary Montana and Indigenous art.
The museum hosts rotating exhibitions and has a notable collection of contemporary Native art, including works by Montana-born artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. It’s a good addition if you want to balance all the outdoor adventures on this Western Montana road trip with a little time focused on the region’s art and culture.
Where We Stayed on Our Western Montana Road Trip
| Area | Where We Stayed | Why It Worked |
| Missoula | The Wren | Downtown location |
| Bigfork | Cottages at Bigfork | Close to town and Flathead Lake |
| Kalispell | Sherman Lodge | Walkable downtown location |
| Seeley Lake | Double Arrow Lodge | Convenient after Swan Valley activities |
| Missoula | Residence Inn Missoula | Downtown final night base |
How to Add Glacier National Park to This Road Trip
This particular Western Montana road trip is designed to explore the region beyond Glacier National Park. If you’ve never visited the park, however, we wouldn’t suggest coming all this way only to avoid it. Instead, use this itinerary to expand your Montana trip beyond the park.
From Kalispell, you can head north to Whitefish, then Glacier National Park.
We’ve visited Glacier National Park and have extensive firsthand resources to help you plan the park portion of your trip. Our guides cover the best things to do in Glacier National Park, when to visit, where to stay, hiking, and everything you need to know about driving the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Adding a few days in Glacier before or after this road trip gives you time to experience the park’s famous mountain scenery while still seeing a much broader side of Western Montana.
Is This Western Montana Road Trip Worth It?
If your idea of a Montana road trip is national parks and long scenic drives, this itinerary will probably surprise you. What we enjoyed most was its variety. In the span of one trip, we saw wildlife, paddled two completely different waterways, explored small towns, learned about the region’s history and culture, went llama trekking, and walked through an old mining town.
Glacier National Park deserves its reputation, but after this trip we’re convinced it shouldn’t be the only reason travelers come to Western Montana.
Our Western Montana road trip was part of a paid partnership with Western Montana’s Glacier Country. However, all opinions, stories, advice, and love for llama trekking are 100% ours, as always.
You might also like:
- How to Conquer the Three Falls Hike in Glacier National Park
- Tips for Hiking the Avalanche Lake Trail in GNP
- Ultimate US National Parks Bucket List (All 63 Parks By State)
