Montana Travel Tips
The most beautiful time of the year in Montana is September. The weather is cool, but comfortable. The mornings are crisp and days often very sunny. The trees start changing to golden yellow. They glow! Our pines include Tamaracks that also turn yellow. I believe they’re the only pine that changes colors with the seasons. If you’ve never heard of a Tamarack, it’s also called the Larch. Really worth seeing! But you’ll want to come toward the end of September for that phenomenon.
Sadly, all our hummingbirds fly south between mid-August and mid-September. The deer, both white tail and mule, get more gutsy. My garden is a constant battle with those varmints. Coyotes start to calm down, but we’re still cautious of bear and mountain lions. I have to guard my last batch of Oregon grapes from the wild turkey hordes marching through. Lost them all one year in less than twenty minutes!
September is apple, squash, and the beginning of hunting season. We have delightful cider press parties, bonfires with s’mores, and the last of our farmers markets. Our Bitterroot MacIntosh apples are a favorite for both cider and pie. They make fantastic jelly as well. You’ll find tons of great flavors and homemade preserves in the fall all over Montana at the weekend markets.
Another thing Montana has for visitors and locals alike are festivals, concerts, and sporting events. The city of Missoula nearly shuts down for Griz football games! Tickets are usually highly sought after. Around Christmastime, there are regular Nutcracker ballets in several cities as well as premium holiday concerts that include favorites from Celtic Women, Celtic Thunder, Manheim Steamroller, and more. Casting Crowns were just here this summer! My husband and I buy tickets to whatever concert is in the holiday lineup for our presents to one another each year. Best date night ever!
When you come, my big tip is to check for local sporting events. If one is happening where you’re visiting, be sure to book your hotel in advance. They fill up fast! Especially for school tournaments elementary through college. Our school sports are still a favorite feature of news casts. You’ll hear high school through college sports reported constantly while middle school tournaments make the news in Montana. Family and community are top priority in Montana. People smile and say hello here. They’ll point you in the right direction and send you to their favorite places. So please come visit Montana.
One of my “don’t miss” spots is a rain forest on the west side of Glacier National Park. A rain forest, you say? Why, yes! You’ll read in book six of this series, Flame of the Rockies, about the largest fire in US history. That fire changed the Pacific Northwest from a vast white pine and cedar landscape to lodgepole pines. But it didn’t reach that area of what is now Glacier National Park. There’s an amazing short walk through an ancient rain forest on the Trail of the Cedars. You’ll wander among giant cedars, over a bridge with a gorgeous, teal-colored creek, and be able to climb into trunks of trees for photos. For more information:
http://www.hikinginglacier.com/trail-of-the-cedars.htm
The hike is pretty level and all ages can easily walk the less than a mile horseshoe trail. We took ages infant through eighty!
Montana is a very beautiful, civilized state even though you’ll be able to find vast wild country, too. Just don’t forget to watch the sunsets. Breathtaking!