Ore Family Vacation to Montana

We have family that lives in Columbus and Twin Bridges Montana so this is where we usually vacation. Before our children, my husband and I would fly into Billings and drive 45 minutes to the small town of Columbus. Now that we have our children we have been driving to Montana for the past ten plus years. We are hard core travelers with no stops except for gas and that's the only bathroom break unless it's an emergency.

As the kids got older we started to stop at educational landmarks, popular attractions or anything that looked like fun along the way. As we set out driving from Florida and into Georgia our hurdle was not to get stuck in hours of traffic as we approach the Big City of Atlanta. Instead of taking the by-pass we went right through Downtown Atlanta the city is so large it seems like you have driven for a couple of hours and you are still in the out-skirts of the huge city. Not a whole lot in Tennessee next, we went through Kentucky in the past trips we visited Mammoth Cave National Park and toured one of the Caves the kids were younger and we had a blast. Illinois and Missouri were next, in Missouri we saw the St. Lois Arch awesome this was a big hit with everyone. Then we were off through Iowa and South Dakota. South Dakota has several interesting places to visit Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Sturgis and Deadwood all very educational the kids had a great time. Next was Wyoming and Devil's Tower and finally we were in Montana !!!! If you don't stop along the way you can make it to Montana in two days with a rental car in Montana.

Montana is one of the most beautiful states I have ever visited my father moved there fourteen years ago and we have spent allot of time visiting and vacationing in Montana (at least twice a year) we try to find different places in Montana we haven't been before. One of our favorite places to visit is Yellowstone National Park we have been there at least six times. Our favorite entrance is the North-East through Gardner. This entrance is the most scenic and the oldest Mammoth Hot Springs and Roosevelt Lodge Cabins are very popular. You could spend a week in Yellowstone and not see everything the Geysers, Paint Pots, Waterfalls and the wildlife is a big hit with the kids. It's amazing to be driving through the park and all of a sudden everyone is stopping for a glimpse of wildlife crossing the road. We have seen Black Bears (mother and Cub), Moose, Deer, Elk and herds of Buffalo. It is very common for Buffalo to cross the roads at any given time, even if they have babies the Buffalo will walk along side of your car this is a great up close look they are so enormous... Yellowstone is a must see if you visit Montana it will leave you speechless the first time you visit, our family still talks about it and every year when we plan out trip to Montana they all want to go to Yellowstone.

A few other family favorites are Red Lodge and the Bear Tooth Highway Pass. Red Lodge is a small, historical, tourist town full of shopping (speciality boutiques & One-of-a-kind stores) bars and fantastic restaurants. Our favorite dining spots include Bogart's- the best Mexican food and Margarita's, The restaurant located inside The Pollard Hotel and the Wine Bar restaurant. Red Lodge is a fun town we visit here every time we visit Montana. The family snow skies in Red Lodge it is close to Columbus and several of the locals ski here as well. We love the town of Red Lodge we were here one year during Christmas the whole town was decorated it was so beautiful and full of winter activities and parades for the whole family.

The Bear Tooth Highway Pass is a must see !!!! The first time we drove the pass was on our way to Yellowstone National Park and it is breathtaking. Last year when we were in Montana we borrowed a motorcycle and drove over the Beartooth Pass it was amazing!!!! It was in July so it was very hot as we climbed to an elevation over 10,947 feet it turned very COLD!!!! As we road along the curvy, steep, hair-pin roads with no guard rails offering some of the most spectacular mountain views we have ever seen it was like we were free-flying. It was so AWESOME!!!! Along our ride we stopped at Top of The World gift shop and small store here you could find souvenirs, tee-shirts and other one-of-a-kind gifts. The Beartooth Highway Pass is closed during the winter months so if you visit during the summer this is a must see the views are so spectacular it will take your breath away...

Montana is our favorite vacation destination there is so much to see and do offering several fantastic outdoor activities including rafting the Yellowstone River, Fly Fishing (so much fun), camping, hiking and much more. We are looking forward to our annual road trip to Montana this year.