Montana Travel: Glacier, Yellowstone and Road Trips

Home » Montana Travel: Glacier, Yellowstone and Road Trips

Last updated: October 2026

Montana travel usually means two national parks, a handful of gateway towns and a car. Glacier sits in the northwest, with Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) and the Flathead Valley as the west-side base. Yellowstone’s three Montana entrances are on the south and southeast, reached most often from Bozeman (BZN) or Billings (BIL). Between and around them are commercial hot springs, long summer road seasons and towns that work as trip bases whether you are visiting for a week or thinking about staying longer.

Going-to-the-Sun Road cutting across a mountainside above a forested valley in Glacier National Park
Going-to-the-Sun Road crosses the middle of Glacier National Park. Photo: NPS / Tim Rains (public domain).

This page collects our Montana travel guides. Each one cites the National Park Service and the other official sources it relies on, and we update them when the rules change.

Glacier National Park

Start with the Glacier National Park hub for the west-versus-east split, Going-to-the-Sun Road timing and lodging basics. The Glacier trip planner covers how 2026 access worked (no park-wide vehicle reservation; a 3-hour parking limit at Logan Pass and a ticketed express shuttle) and what that means for 2027 planning. Where to stay near Glacier compares West Glacier, the Flathead Valley towns, the east side and the North Fork, with drive times to the entrances.

Yellowstone from the Montana side

Three of Yellowstone’s five entrances are in Montana: Gardiner (North), West Yellowstone (West) and the Northeast Entrance near Cooke City and Silver Gate. The Yellowstone hub explains which entrance fits which trip. Visiting Yellowstone from Montana has drive times from Bozeman, Billings and West Yellowstone airport (WYS), plus season and lodging notes. Yellowstone does not require vehicle reservations; most park roads still close to cars from early November to mid- or late April.

Hot springs

White and orange travertine terraces of Canary Spring at Mammoth Hot Springs
Canary Spring at Mammoth Hot Springs. Soaking in the park’s own thermal features is illegal; the springs in our guide are commercial pools. Photo: NPS / Jacob W. Frank (public domain).

Commercial pools near both parks and elsewhere in the state are covered in the Montana hot springs guide, with posted hours and prices. Two well-known options near Yellowstone’s North Entrance are Chico Hot Springs in Paradise Valley and Yellowstone Hot Springs near Gardiner.

Airports and rental cars

The airports that show up most often in our guides are Bozeman (BZN), Kalispell / Glacier Park International (FCA), Missoula (MSO) and Billings (BIL). You will almost always want a car between park entrances and gateway towns.

Compare rental cars at the four airports we cite most: Bozeman (BZN), Kalispell (FCA), Missoula (MSO) and Billings (BIL).

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Towns as trip bases

Gateway towns do double duty: they are where you sleep on a park trip, and they are where cost-of-living questions start if a visit turns into a move. Browse our guides to 12 Montana towns, including Whitefish and Kalispell near Glacier, and Livingston and Red Lodge within reach of Yellowstone.

Thinking about staying longer?

If a trip has you looking at housing and state deadlines, switch to the Moving to Montana hub for costs, taxes and the 60-day checklist in order.

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