Valerie and her family have called Bozeman, Montana their summer home for the past few years. Similar to most mountain towns, Bozeman has a wealth of available summertime outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, river rafting, horseback riding, and mountain biking. Moreover, Bozeman is also home to Montana State University, Museum of the Rockies, many beautiful parks, and lots of amazing restaurants, all while maintaining small-town charm. There is so much to explore here in “Big Sky Country”, and in addition, everywhere you turn you’ll find beautiful scenery, great food, and friendly faces.
Valerie and her family (husband, 2 middle-school-aged kids, 1 dog, and various visiting friends and family) spend most of their time hiking, exploring neighboring towns, and eating. In fact, pretty much every day of their vacation revolves around which hike to do and where to eat!
Lava LakeBeehive Basin Trail
Bozeman Lodging:
Starting with lodging, Valerie recommends either renting a house in the historic downtown area or booking a hotel within walking distance to Main Street (the new Kimpton Armory Hotel is wonderful) so you’ll have easy access to most restaurants, art galleries, and shops.
Drinking Horse MountainSypes CanyonWaterfall at Grotto FallsSouth Cottonwood Creek Trail
Hiking and Activities:
Bozeman is nestled in the Gallatin Valley, which sits at the base of four different mountain ranges, offering a myriad of trails. Before hitting the trails, Valerie highly recommends downloading the All Trails app or a comparable app in order to get detailed trail information. The Premium version lets you download trail routes, which is helpful as many trails don’t have consistent cell service. Next, grab your hiking boots, bear spray, and other hiking essentials and head to your favorite trail entrance!
The College “M” trail is a fun hike with great views of Gallatin Valley just on the north side of town. It’s aptly named the “M” because it ends at a 250-foot “M” made out of white rocks on the side of the mountain (created in 1915 by Montana State University students). Just across the road is Drinking Horse Mountain Trail, which offers beautiful views of the Bridger Mountains.
Triple Tree Trail and Sypes Canyon Trail are both close to town, moderately challenging, and offer sweeping views and beautiful wildflowers. It’s a great sunset hike if you feel comfortable heading downhill in the dark.
Bozeman Creek Trail (Sourdough Canyon) is a 15 minute drive from town, has a wide path, and goes for 16 miles. Great for hiking with kids, running, or mountain biking.
South Cottonwood Creek Trail is great for all ages and features lots of water and wildflowers. For a bit of a challenge with stunning views, try Storm Castle Peak Trail
Lava Lake Trail is a favorite among many, as it’s a little challenging but ends at a big beautiful lake in the mountains. Bring a fishing pole and/or a swimsuit!
Drive through Ted Turner’s ranch to the South Fork-to-Pioneer Falls Trail. It’s a beautiful drive in with views of the massive ranch and his herds of buffalo. The hike itself is longer but easy and ends at a cool waterfall!
Next, drive through Paradise Valley (where much of the movie A River Runs Through It was filmed!) to get to Pine Creek Falls Trail, which isn’t long (2.5 miles) but it is worth it! If you want a challenge, you can pass the waterfall and keep going for a steep few more miles and end at a lake.
Go fly-fishing on the Gallatin, Missouri, Yellowstone, or Madison rivers. If white-water rafting is more your speed, check out Montana Whitewaterfor guided trips.
Enjoy the outdoors with new gear, apparel, and equipment rentals (think bike and SUP Board rentals for summer) from Round House Ski and Sports in Bozeman.
Finally, Yellowstone National Park is of course a must-see. Bozeman sits in between two entrances to Yellowstone National Park: the North Entrance (Gardiner) and West Entrance (which is in West Yellowstone). Valerie recommends using the north entrance through Gardiner, passing through Paradise Valley.
South Fork to Pioneer Falls Trail
Nearby Hiking with a View:
After exploring Bozeman, don’t miss the opportunity to go to a couple of destination spots with hiking and other available activities. Valerie’s favorites are:
Hyalite Reservoir:
Popular for a reason, the Hyalite Reservoir is about 45 minutes southeast of town in the Gallatin National Forest. Don’t let the drive time discourage you because the scenery is gorgeous and goes by in a flash!
Palisade Falls, Grotto Falls, and Champagne Falls are all in the same area, and feature well-maintained trails, beautiful wildflowers, and of course waterfalls! Palisade is short and sweet, ending in a stunningly tall waterfall. Grotto is about 2.5 miles, ending in a waterfall that kids and dogs love to play around. Champagne Falls intersects with Grotto, is about 7 miles, and features a few different waterfalls.
Westshore Trail is a great loop trail, going up in the mountains and back around alongside the reservoir for about 3 miles.
The reservoir itself is so beautiful, and people love to canoe, kayak, paddle board, fish, swim, and picnic! There are multiple campsites in this area as well.
View from Storm Castle PeakAerial View of the “M”
Secondly…Big Sky:
While in Bozeman, you can make a great day trip out to Big Sky Resort. It’s a beautiful 45-minute drive and a great way to spend the day!
A short but awesome hike is Ousel Falls. Every step of this hike is gorgeous, and is always a big hit with kids and adults alike.
Beehive Basin has breathtaking views and a pretty lake. Beehive Basin was named one of the world’s greatest hikes, and for excellent reason.
The Big Sky Adventure Mountain offers many activities in the summer to choose from, including mountain biking, zip line tours, scenic lift rides, kids’ bungee trampoline, giant swing, & climbing wall.
Take the expedition up to Lone Peak, Montana’s highest scenic overlook. From here on a clear day, you can see across three states!
On warmer days, head over to Lake Levinsky and rent a kayak, paddle boat, or stand-up paddle board.
Close to Big Sky is Canyon Adventures, which is a great outfitter for horseback riding.
If you’re staying for lunch or dinner, Westward Social is delicious and right on the mountain, or for a quick bite grab a hot dog and some ice cream at Yeti Dog.
Where to Eat in Bozeman:
Now on to one of the most fun things to explore…… food!
Bozeman is home to some really great restaurants, many of which get their produce from local farms and meat from local ranches. Among Valerie’s favorites are:
Pro tip: for lunch and dinner in the summer, make reservations if you can. Put Blackbird top on your list. It can book out months in advance, so don’t wait!
Lake Levinsky in Big SkyPalisade FallsFishing the Gallatin RiverHyalite ReservoirView of Gallatin ValleyTrail Riding!Ousel FallsYellowstone National Park
Are you a great writer that loves to hike, bike, and see the world?
Anyone can write for Calling All Explorers. Thought leaders, journalists, experts, travel enthusiasts, stay-at-home parents, and individuals with unique perspectives are all welcome! If you have been out exploring and have a good story to tell, please share and sign on as a contributor.