HomeHiking GuidesBest Hikes in Montana

Best Hikes in Montana

Montana hiking runs on a road that plows out in late June and a wilderness that takes days to walk into. Going-to-the-Sun decides most Glacier plans, and the Bob Marshall decides the rest. These are the trails worth the season, with the dates the access actually opens.

27 trail guides and 8 ready-to-book itineraries

Ready-to-book trips

Day-by-day, with the permits and the stays already worked out.

Beartooth Highway Road Trip: 5-Day Itinerary & MapMontana & Wyoming · Beartooth HighwayBob Marshall Wilderness Backpacking: 6-Day Chinese Wall ItineraryMontana · Bob Marshall WildernessGlacier National Park: Memorial Day Weekend ItineraryNorthwest Montana · Late MayBest Day Hikes in Glacier National Park: 3-Day WeekendMontana · Glacier National ParkGoing-to-the-Sun Road: The Drive, Every Stop, in 2 DaysMontana · Glacier National ParkSelway-Bitterroot Wilderness: A Backpacking ItineraryIdaho–Montana border · Northern RockiesYellowstone in Winter: 4-Day Snowmobile & Snowcoach ItineraryWyoming · Greater YellowstoneGlacier National Park 4 Day Itinerary: Both Sides of the DivideMontana · Glacier National Park

National park hikes

Family Trip to Glacier National Park: Where to Stay, Easy Hikes and the 2026 RulesHow to plan a family trip to Glacier National Park: where to base, the easiest kid-friendly trails, Logan Pass rules for 2026, beaSperry and Granite Park ChaletsGlacier has two backcountry chalets with no road to either, a season of about ten weeks, and a handful of rooms between them. BothBig Sky to Yellowstone: Drive Time, Route and Whether to Stay ThereBig Sky, Montana is 50 miles and about an hour from the West Entrance down the Gallatin Canyon. Real drive times to Old Faithful aWhere to Stay Near Yellowstone: The Gateway Towns at Every EntranceWest Yellowstone and Gardiner sit at the gates, Bozeman is the closest real city, and five more towns are worth a night. DistancesHow to Get to Yellowstone: Airports, Roads and Drive TimesReal drive times to all five Yellowstone entrances from Bozeman, Cody, Jackson, Red Lodge and beyond, which gates open when, and wBest Entrance to Yellowstone National Park: All 5 GatesA hiking guide's honest breakdown of Yellowstone's five entrances, which to pick for geysers, Lamar Valley wildlife, or pairing wiGlacier National Park in Winter: A Real Guide to What's OpenGoing-to-the-Sun Road is plowed only to Lake McDonald Lodge in winter and most services shut down, but the West entrance stays opeThings to Do in Glacier National Park, MontanaA guide's honest roundup of the best things to do in Glacier National Park, Montana, Going-to-the-Sun Road, Hidden Lake, Avalanche

Backpacking and multi-day routes

Backpacking the Yellowstone River Trail Through the Black CanyonEighteen miles through the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone, the lowest and earliest ground in the park. Route, Knowles Falls, permBest Time to Backpack the Selway-Bitterroot WildernessWhen to go backpacking in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness on the Idaho-Montana border, from snowmelt and high water to peak summeCanyon Creek to the Bitterroot Alpine LakesHow to hike Canyon Creek to Canyon Lake and the high alpine lakes of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness above Hamilton, Montana.

Where to camp

Camping in the Bitterroot National ForestWhere to camp around the Selway-Bitterroot, from drive-up canyon campgrounds near Hamilton to backcountry sites deep in the wilderGlacier National Park Camping: A Complete Campground GuideWhere to camp in Glacier National Park, from Many Glacier and Apgar to first-come sites, plus reservation timing, season dates, an

More guides in this state

Hot Springs Near Glacier National Park: Where to Soak and How FarGlacier National Park has no hot springs of its own. The closest real ones run from Symes at about 2 hours to Radium across the CaTwo Top Snowmobile Trail, West Yellowstone: The Ride to the Snow GhostsA 28-mile loop from town to the Continental Divide, no guide and no park permit needed. What the snow ghosts are, when they form, Glacier National Park to Banff (and Banff to Glacier)How to drive from Glacier National Park to Banff and back: about 325 miles and 6 to 7 hours, two countries, three routes. DistanceSeattle to Yellowstone Road Trip: Route, Stops and How Long It TakesSeattle to Yellowstone is about 760 miles and 12 hours on I-90. The two day and three day versions, where to overnight, and the deYellowstone in Winter: Snowmobiling, Snowshoeing and What Is OpenOnly one Yellowstone road stays open to cars in winter. What that means, West Yellowstone’s 400 miles of groomed snowmobile trail,Airports Near Glacier National Park: Which One to Fly IntoKalispell is closest, Missoula is usually cheaper, and Great Falls wins if you are staying on the east side. All six airports nearBiking the Going-to-the-Sun Road Before It Opens to CarsEvery spring Glacier plows the Going-to-the-Sun Road and opens it to bikes weeks before cars. How far you can ride, when the windoGlacier National Park vs Yellowstone: Which to ChooseGlacier is the alpine hiking park; Yellowstone is the geyser-and-wildlife park. Here's how they really differ on season, crowds, fMissoula to Glacier National Park: Drive, Route & StopsA practical drive guide from Missoula to Glacier National Park (West Glacier): the route, drive time, worthwhile stops, park fees,Best Time to Hike the Bitterroot MountainsA month-by-month guide to hiking season in the Bitterroot Mountains, from snowmelt and bug season to prime alpine windows and goldBlodgett Canyon Trail: Hiking Hamilton's Granite CathedralA complete guide to hiking Blodgett Canyon near Hamilton, Montana, the granite-walled gateway to the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.Blodgett Canyon TrailA practical trail guide to hiking Blodgett Canyon near Hamilton, Montana, the most dramatic granite gateway into the Selway-BitterGoing-to-the-Sun Road Opening DatesWhen does Going-to-the-Sun Road fully open each year? A look at typical opening dates, the plowing process, and what to do if it i

Going-to-the-Sun Road rarely opens before late June and the date moves every year. The guide above tracks how the plowing works so you are not booking a trip around a road that is still closed.

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Free permit watch

You can't hike it if you can't get the permit.

The best hikes in America run on lotteries that open once a year and sell out in minutes. Every trail runs on its own calendar. Pick the ones you want and we do the watching.

6 trails watched daily

How it works

  • An email the morning each window opens, never the day after.
  • A 14-day heads-up so you can line up your group and dates.
  • Win odds and a ranked backup plan for every trail you pick.

Didn't win? We keep watching. We check recreation.gov every day for The Enchantments, Half Dome and Angels Landing, and email you the moment a sold-out date frees up. Cancellations are the second chance most people never hear about.