Summer Things to Do in Montana

There is nothing better then summertime in Montana! Whether you are just visiting or have lived here for years read all the amazing Summer things to do in this blog post, including activities within Glacier National Park and beyond. We are local adventurers and AirBnB superhost who love sharing the beauty of Montana with our guest! Need accommodations? Checkout our Montana rental properties HERE and let us help you plan the most incredible trip!

In Glacier National Park

Drive Going-to-the-Sun Road

This famous 50 mile drive through Glacier National Park is a must see. Take it slow and soak in the views. Be sure to download maps and music in advance as there is no service once in the park.

Here’s a mile by mile guide of great stops and viewpoints to checkout along the way.

• Start: Glacier National Park West Entrance
• Mile 3‑11: Lake McDonald, the road follows along the edge of the lake and you can stop at any of the pull‑offs to walk down to the water.
• Mile 12: McDonald Falls
• Mile 16: Trail of Cedars and Avalanche Creek‑ great stop for an easy hike to Avalanche Lake
• Mile 17: Red Rock Point‑ a favorite lunch spot of ours where you can walk down to the river
• Mile 23: West Side Tunnel
• Mile 24: The Loop, hairpin turn with limited parking and restrooms
• Mile 27: Bird Woman Falls viewpoint, this 560ft waterfall off the face of Clements Mountain can be seen from the distance here
• Mile 28: Haystack Falls
• Mile 29: Weeping Wall, roll your windows down or open your sunroof and get wet here
• Mile 30: Big Bend, a large pullout that is a great place for a picnic and taking photos (2nd photo above). This pull out has quite a large parking area and two pit toilets.
• Mile 32: Logan Pass Visitor Center‑ highest point on the road and trailhead for Hidden Lake and Highline Trail
• Mile 34: East Side Tunnel
• Mile 35: Siyeh Bend, start for Siyeh pass and Piegan Pass Hike. Great wildflowers and stream views
• Mile 36: Jackson Glacier Overlook, take in views of the 7th largest Glacier in the park
• Mile 38: St Mary Falls Trail
• Mile 42: Wild Goose Island Lookout, the most popular photo spot of St Mary’s Lake
• End 50 miles at St Mary Visitor Center

Go Boating on Lake McDonald

Lake McDonald is the largest lake in Glacier National Park. It is approximately 10 miles long, spanning 1 mile wide and 472 ft deep. The best way to experience it is to go boating.

Options of boating:

• We love having the flexibility and privacy of our own motor boat which you can rent on a first come first serve basis at Apgar Village or at the dock behind Lake McDonald Lodge. Walk to the dock for Glacier Park Boat company to reserve a boat. You can book motorboat rentals in advance for a 9am start time at the Apgar location or a 10am start time at the Lake McDonald Lodge dock: https://rentals.glacierparkboats.com, Motorboats cost $31.95/hour to rent. Your reservation also serves as your entry ticket to Going‑to‑the‑Sun road for the date of your rental reservation.
• Rent kayaks or standup paddle boards which are also available through Glacier Park Boat company or through Glacier Outfitters located in Apgar Village
• Take a Scenic Boat tour with Glacier Park Boat Company: https://www.glacierparkboats.com/index.php/tours‑rentals/lake‑mcdonald

Go Hiking from the West Entrance

Glacier National Park has 5 main entrances with the West Entrance being the most popular and closest to an airport and the towns of Whitefish, Columbia Falls, and Kalispell. With 734 miles of marked trails it can be a daunting task deciding which hikes are right for you. We’ve created a hiking guide with photos, trail notes and our very own rating system – check it out HERE. The below trails are all accessed from the West Entrance.

1. Highline Trail to Grinnell Overlook‑ 15.6miles, 3415ft
2. Avalanche Lake‑ 4.6miles, 500ft
3. Hidden Lake Overlook‑ 2.8miles, 460ft
4. Apgar Lookout ‑ 7.2miles, 1850ft
5. John’s Lake Loop ‑ 1.8miles, 184ft

Go Hiking from Many Glacier Entrance

The below hikes are all accessed via the Many Glacier Park Entrance

1. Swiftcurrent Pass ‑ 13.6miles, 2300ft
2. Iceberg Lake ‑ 9.6miles, 1200ft
3. Grinnell Glacier ‑ 10.6miles, 1600ft
4. Cracker Lake ‑ 12.8miles, 1400ft

Go Hiking from Two Medicine Entrance

The Two Medicine area of the park is often overlooked and tends to get less visitors (we love less crowed trails), but still offers some really great hiking. It is a much shorter drive then Many Glacier, making it easily doable as a day trip from stays in Whitefish or Columbia Falls. The below hikes are all accessed from the Two Medicine Entrance. Many can be shortened by booking a boat tour across Two Medicine Lake (book a Two Medicine boat tour here).

1. Pitamakan to Dawson Pass loop‑ 18.8miles, 3,779ft
2. Rockwell Falls‑ 4.4miles round trip from boat dock, 375ft
3. Cobalt Lake‑ 11.6miles, 1400ft
4. Scenic Point‑ 7.8miles, 2350ft
5. Upper Two Medicine Lake ‑ 10miles, 350ft

Go Horseback Riding

Swan Mountain Outfitters offers various horseback riding tours within Glacier National Park at Lake McDonald and Many Glacier. They also offer tours from West Glacier just outside of the park.

Go Boating on Swiftcurrent Lake

Swiftcurrent Lake sits right behind Many Glacier Hotel and is surrounded by beautiful mountains.

Glacier Park Boat Company offers boat tours here that also include a boat ride on Lake Josephine.

We prefer to take the little row boats out that you can rent on a first come first serve basis right at the boat dock. They are spacious, stable and easy to navigate – perfect for fishing or a picnic of sorts out on the water. They also have traditional canoes and kayaks for rent. Watercraft rentals can now be reserved in advance for the first rental of the morning: here.

Go Whitewater Rafting

There is a whitewater rafting trip for everyone to enjoy in Montana! Rafting is such a fun way to see parts of Glacier National park and the surrounding rivers that you would not otherwise gain access to.

We love Glacier Raft Company which is conveniently located right in West Glacier Village, just before the West Glacier Entrance to the Park. They offer full or half day trips with various degrees of intensity from a scenic float to a sport rafting trip. Check out all the available rafting trips here: Glacier Raft Co – Rafting Trips.

Other rafting companies all located along Hwy 2 on the way to Glacier West Entrance:

•Glacier Guides and Montana Raft: glacierguides.com
•Wild River Adventures: riverwild.com
•Great Northern Whitewater Rafting: greatnorthernresort.com

Outside of Glacier National Park

There is an abundance of hiking and summer activities to do outside of the park. You can easily spend a few days exploring the rest of the Flathead Valley – from boat days, to float trips, to fishing, to less populated hiking.

Visit Whitefish Mountain Resort

Whitefish Mountain Resort is open Daily from 10am‑ 5:30 (June 10‑Sep 17) with activities for all ages:

•Scenic Lift Rides to the Summit, pack a picnic and enjoy views into Glacier National Park like we did
•Mountain Biking
•Hiking, we recommend Danny On trail, can also take the lift one way and hike other way or just hike a short loop of it as picture in 2nd photo and return to chairlift
•Zipline tours
•Alpine Slides
•Aerial Adventure Park

Visit https://skiwhitefish.com/summer/ for more information and to book activities.

Boat Day on Whitefish Lake

A great way to spend a half or full day is to get out on Whitefish Lake!

There are a few options to have yourself a boat day on beautiful Whitefish Lake.

•We love renting the wakeboarding boats from Whitefish Marine . They make it super easy to pickup and can provide sporting equipment if requested.
•The Lodge at Whitefish Lake also offers boat rentals or tours if you aren’t a competent boat driver and want to enjoy the lake without the stress of driving your own boat.
•406 Watersports offers jet ski and pontoon rentals ‑ a great option for families.

Looking for a free activity‑ head to Whitefish City Beach where you can go swimming, play on the shore, and enjoy the scenery.

Float the River

You can rent a raft from cloud 9 river rentals right in Columbia Falls. They have various raft types and offer a shuttle service to Blankenship bridge making for a super convenient float trip that only requires one vehicle‑ you park at the take out point, which is only 3 min from @grizzlybearlodge and @columbiamtncabin

If you have two vehicles you can also rent rafts from Skyecorentals.com, which is conveniently located on your way to our recommended put in location at Blankenship Bridge. Their rafts are easy to transport and blow up.

Best route: Enter the middle fork river at Blankenship Bridge (park car here if not using shuttle service), float until the Teakettle Fishing Access Site just under the Hwy 2 bridge in Columbia Falls (drop off a 2nd car here before departing). You will float the Middle Fork River until it combines with the South Fork river and turns into the Flathead River. For a much shorter option you can put in at the Hwy 2 bridge over the Southfork River in Hungry Horse.

Go Fly Fishing

If you have your own gear you can pickup some extra fly’s at Lary’s Fly and Supply right in Columbia Falls and get a few tips on where to go or you can book a guided trip through them.

Never been fly fishing, new to it, or didn’t have room to pack you gear‑ no worries! You can book a half or full day tour through Bigforkanglers.com. A private guide will take you out on a boat to known fishing spots, provide all the necessary gear, teach you the ropes, and show you a great time!

Go hiking outside of Glacier National Park

Not all great hikes in the area are within Glacier National Park. There are some wonderful hikes in Flathead National Forest, Jewel Basin, and near Whitefish. Hikes outside of the park will typically have much less traffic and don’t require any ticketed entry or permits.

Below are some hikes we love:

• Skiumah Lake : 3.7 miles, 1,118 ft elev gain
• Stanton Lake : 3.8 miles, 688 ft elev gain
• Columbia Mountain : 11.8 miles, 4,993 ft elev gain
• Strawberry Lake : 5.2 miles, 1,650 ft elev gain
• Beaver Lake Loop : 3.7 miles, 472 ft elev gain
• Danny On Trail : 8.6 miles, 2,037 ft elev gain (can take scenic lift up or down to cut distance in half)

Go Golfing with Glacier Views

Glacier View golf course is a favorite of ours for its low key vibes and mountain views. You can rent clubs and walk the course or take a cart. If you are staying in Whitefish – Whitefish Lake Golf Club is a great option and has a nice bar/grill for after your round.

Go Mountain Biking

Check out this handy guide by @explorewhitefish with a map of all the local bike trails:
https://explorewhitefish.com/mtb

Attend a Summer Concert, Catch some Live Music

One of the best weekends of the year is July 17-19 thanks to Under the Big Sky Festival in Whitefish, Montana!

The Rendezvous in Columbia Falls is now open providing even more opportunities to go to a local concert this summer. We love the intimate vibe and open outdoor space at Rendezvous which is located only 5min from @grizzlybearlodge and @columbiamtncabin. Check out their summer events schedule : Music & Events!

Another great way to see live music is to dine at Gunsight Saloon! Their outdoor patio is perfect for enjoying beautiful Montana Summer nights with local musicians on stage every single evening through labor day. Check out their events schedule: Gunsight Live Music Schedule . Many bars in Whitefish also have regular live music- The Great Northern Bar is one of our favorites.

Brunch & Shopping in Downtown Whitefish

Charming Downtown Whitefish is worth a stroll even if you arent looking to buy anything. It’s also a great place to get your day started with a hearty brunch and mimosas!

For Brunch we love Loula’s Café, The Firebrand, and Buffalo Café. For evening dining: Enga and Herb & Omni are the nicest restaurants in downtown. The Belvedere is the rooftop on the top floor of Herb & Omni which is a great spot for predinner cocktails with views of Big Mountain. Can also grab a beer or wine from Blackstar Brewery which also has a 3rd floor semi rooftop seating area.

Have yourself a Mountain Picnic

If you need some relaxation time in between hiking and other more thrilling adventures soak in the beauty of your natural surroundings with a laid back picnic.

A few of our favorite picnic locations are Whitefish City Beach, Rivers Edge Park, in the backyard at Columbia Mountain Cabin, along the Flathead River across from the water spout on Hwy 2 or on the shoreline of Lake McDonald.

All you need is a blanket, snacks and cold beverages or you can leave the planning to the professionals and book a picnic with the Picnic Professionals (all photos above) who setup everything for you!

The Picnic Professionals provide:
•Solid wood Picnic Table, Blanket, Pillows
•Small plates, glasses, cloth napkins
•Table runner and candles
•Complementary sparkling water and bottle of Prosecco
•Setup, tear down and cleanup

Stop by a Local Farmers Market

Farmer’s markets are a great way to check out local art and food. Whitefish host a Farmer’s market in Depot Park every Tuesday night of summer (May 30- Sep 26) from 5-7:30 pm. Columbia Falls host a smaller community market in the field next to St. Richards Catholic Church off Hwy 2 every Thursday night 5pm till twilight.

Go to the Rodeo

The Brash Summer Rodeo series is hosted at the Blue Moon in Columbia Falls with events every week of summer. You can find out more and buy tickets ($7 for kids, $15 for adults) at glaciercountryrodeo.com.

Go on a Trek with Llamas

Great Northern Llama Company is located less then 15 min from Grizzly Bear Lodge / Columbia Mountain Cabin. They offer farm visits and a hike around their stunning property with the llamas. Each hiker gets to walk with their own llama and they have amazing guides who teach you all about these animals. Its a great half day activity especially with kids. The hike is very slow paced with almost no elevation gain so very achievable for all levels. You are able to bring little ones in a back pack like we did with our 2yr old who loved meeting and feeding the llamas.

We hope this post inspired you to plan a Summer trip to beautiful Northwest Montana! Drop any questions in the comments!