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Posted

Heading to Big Sky in July with the family (wife and two teenage daughters). We'll be up there for seven days. We plan to hit Yellowstone for two days, white water raft one day and possibly hit up Virginia/Nevada city. I'd like to get away on a fly fishing excursion, any other suggestions of sights or things to do as we probably won't be back. Dinning recommendations also appreciated. 

Posted

Wish I could help, but it’s been a long time since I was there. Well, exactly 23 years ago. A friend’s family had a house in Big Sky and we drove there from Houston after graduating high school with a few friends.

Yellowstone was amazing. Had a buffalo running alongside our truck which was awesome and a little scary. I am just chiming in to say I wish we had taken the time to drive to Glacier National Park since it isn’t so far away. Not sure if I will ever be up that way again, so I regret not going when I could have.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

I spend summers about two hours south of Big Sky in Idaho (it was 11 degrees in West Yellowstone a few days ago BTW), and drive through Big Sky about once each summer going to visit Bozeman.  I can vouch for Rainbow Ranch Lodge and Buck's T-4 for some good food.  Buck's T-4 is the restaurant at a Best Western Motel of all things, but has a fine dining restaurant and bar.  They have a separate menu in the bar area (you may have to ask for it) that is designed for the locals, so fishing guides can come in for a few beers and a less expensive meal.  I haven't eaten at Rainbow Ranch in a long time, but it was definitely fine dining and very good.  We got trapped in the restaurant for a while because a moose was roaming the parking lot and it wasn't safe to wander out there.  We aren't in Austin anymore!

I've only stayed at Big Sky once, and that was for a ski trip.  It looks like you have a pretty good line up of activities, but I would add hiking, if you enjoy that sort of thing.  There are lots of good trails in the area, or so I am told.  Regarding Yellowstone, be prepared for a lot of traffic.  It really pays to suck it up and get there as early in the morning as possible.  There can be lines of cars just to get into the park, then increased traffic the longer you wait.  Also the animals tend to be more out in the open in the early morning, and then again at dusk, to stay out of the sun.  We were in the park a week ago and it was already surprisingly busy.  Lots of baby bison (they're born burnt orange)!  Aside from all the natural wonders in the park, I would advise making a point of looking around the Old Faithful Inn, the largest log structure in the world.  There is a free hosted tour of the inn that doesn't take long, but gives you a view of how the park and the inn functioned back when it was served by stagecoaches.  It's also fun around happy hour to hit the upstairs bar and sit on the deck to watch Old Faithful do its thing.  There are also very good visitor's centers at both Old Faithful and at Canyon.  They are both worth touring, but the one at Canyon focuses on the super volcano activity that has taken place in Yellowstone.  It'll make you want to haul ass out of there.

  • 6 years later...
Posted

Not sure if there’s another thread so I’ll go with this one. I have a quick trip to Bozeman in June for a race. The race is in Bozeman, but it’s only one of the days we’re there.

Should I try to stay south? I’m think that’s an obvious yes.

 

If you had 3 full days to explore in the area, what’s the best way to get the most out of that time?

Posted (edited)

Gardiner is the north gate (the famous stone Roosevelt gate) to ynp.  You could easily do 3 days in just the northern part of the park, especially if you do an all day horseback ride one of the days.  Tower falls one day, grand prismatic and old faithful (if you must- I hate how crowded that place is) and all the things on the road along those ways. 

Edited by Pato del Muerto
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Posted
1 hour ago, bigcigar said:

Not sure if there’s another thread so I’ll go with this one. I have a quick trip to Bozeman in June for a race. The race is in Bozeman, but it’s only one of the days we’re there.

Should I try to stay south? I’m think that’s an obvious yes.

 

If you had 3 full days to explore in the area, what’s the best way to get the most out of that time?

My wife and I spent 4 days there in May a few years back. We loved it and want to make another long weekend of it some time soon. 

We did a day trip to Yellowstone. We left early, didn’t feel like we were rushing ourselves and saw plenty of cool shit, ranging from Old Faithful to the painted pots to plenty of wild animals along the drive. The road you drive in and out of YP from Bozeman must be one of the most dangerous roads in America. I bet there are close to 100 white crosses on the roadside as one drives. 

There’s a state park basically next to the city limits of Bozeman. You can park and then walk a few miles up to a waterfall. That was cool on another day. 

Envious. Good luck. 

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Posted
1 hour ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Gardiner is the north gate (the famous stone Roosevelt gate) to ynp. 

 

That seems like an area we’d like. Thanks!

 

28 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

we did a day trip to Yellowstone. We left early, didn’t feel like we were rushing ourselves and saw plenty of cool shit, ranging from Old Faithful to the painted pots to plenty of wild animals along the drive.  

Super helpful - wife was worried not having enough time would ruin the experience. It should be a lot easier without our kids to be efficient

 

Posted

My wife and I did one day in Yellowstone a few years ago and hit a whole bunch of things, and never felt overwhelmed.  We climbed Avalanche Peak, went to the canyon and it's view points.  Hit Grand Prismatic, and then Old Faithful on our way to Jackson.  Spent the previous night in Cody and got on the trail by 7:30AM or so.

Posted

Buy a cheap cooler in Bozeman, hit a grocery store (there's also an Albertson's in Livingston right off I-90 when you exit for Hwy 89), and stock up on lunch stuff, munchies, sodas, etc., and save yourself the time and trouble of hitting a concessionaire in the park for lunch.  That way you can eat lunch when and where you want when you're in the park.  

June is going to mean heavy traffic in the park, unfortunately, but you still should be able to see lots of cool stuff, e.g., Mammoth Hot Springs, Lower Geyser Basin (incl. Grand Prismatic), Upper Geyser Basin (incl. Old Faithful), and Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  It'll be a full day, but well worth it.

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Posted

We are going to Yellowstone in early July.  Considering a day trip to Bozeman.  Any restaurant (or other) recommendations that are family friendly?

Posted
On 2/2/2025 at 3:53 PM, AugieBall said:

We are going to Yellowstone in early July.  Considering a day trip to Bozeman.  Any restaurant (or other) recommendations that are family friendly?

If your kids have any interest in dinosaurs, The Museum of the Rockies is great.  My kids also enjoyed the hike to Palisade Falls (around 1 mile) and Grotto Falls (2.5 miles). You can easily do both in a couple hours; the trail heads are close to one another. Palisade Falls is a great bang for the buck since it's such a short hike (and I think the trail is paved) with a dramatic view at the end.  

As far as restaurants go, Jam is a good family friendly option for breakfast/brunch, and Montana Ale Works is good for lunch or dinner. In general, Bozeman is a family friendly town, so pretty much all of the restaurants are fine for families, or at least that has been our experience.      

 

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