Montana

Montana holds two of the great national park trips of the West at opposite ends of the state. Glacier National Park sits in the far northwest on the Canadian border. Three of Yellowstone's five entrances, at Gardiner, Cooke City and West Yellowstone, open from Montana towns in the south. In 2025 Glacier had 3,136,557 recreation visits, the tenth most of any national park.

Between them lies a big state of ranch country, mountain towns and long roads, with no general sales tax. We read the figures below on 26 October 2026 on the National Park Service's pages, the Montana Department of Revenue's, the airports' and NOAA's.

Which parks put Montana on a trip?

Glacier and the Montana side of Yellowstone are the reasons most visitors from abroad come, and they are two separate trips a day's drive apart. Little Bighorn, in the southeast, is the third national site most travellers plan around.

Flathead Lake, south of Glacier, is the largest natural freshwater lake by surface area in the western United States, at 191 square miles. Little Bighorn's 2025 count is left out above. Its visitor centre was closed for building work, and October 2025 recorded no visitors at all.

How far apart are Glacier and Yellowstone?

Glacier and Yellowstone are about 400 miles apart, a drive of more than seven hours. A trip that takes in both therefore needs a travel day between them. The distances below are our own routing between the main bases, not official figures.

Kalispell and Whitefish, the towns closest to Glacier, are about 15 miles apart. Montana's speed limit is 80 mph on rural interstates and 70 mph by day and 65 mph at night on other highways. Inside Yellowstone it is 45 mph.

Which Yellowstone gates open from Montana?

Three of Yellowstone's five entrances are in Montana, and they keep different seasons. The road from the North Entrance at Gardiner through the park to the Northeast Entrance at Cooke City is the only one open to cars all year.

• North Entrance, Gardiner: open all year, through the Roosevelt Arch, about 78 miles from Bozeman.
• West Entrance, West Yellowstone: the closest gate to the geyser basins. Its road was open to cars from 17 April to 31 October 2026 and closes to cars for the winter after that.
• Northeast Entrance, Cooke City: reached from Gardiner through the park all year, or in summer over the Beartooth Highway from Red Lodge.

The Beartooth Highway, US-212, had a scheduled 2026 season of 22 May to 12 October. It closed early, on 9 October, and may not reopen until spring. Our Yellowstone guide covers the entrances from the Wyoming side too.

Is the $250 park pass worth it in Montana?

The $250 non-resident America the Beautiful pass pays for itself as soon as a trip takes in both Glacier and Yellowstone. Both parks are on the 2026 list with a $100 surcharge for every non-resident aged 16 or over, on top of $35 a car for seven days.

Glacier drops to $25 a car from 1 November to 30 April, and Little Bighorn charges no surcharge. Glacier and Little Bighorn take no cash, while Yellowstone's Montana gates take cash or cards. Our guide to national park fees for international visitors explains how to buy the pass before the trip.

How do you fly into Montana?

The route lists of Montana's airports show only domestic flights. A visitor from abroad therefore connects through a US hub such as Denver, Seattle, Salt Lake City or Minneapolis. Which airport to use depends on which park comes first.

• Glacier Park International, Kalispell: six airlines, Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Sun Country and United, with daily flights via Seattle, Denver, Salt Lake City and Minneapolis. About 25 to 30 miles from Glacier's West Entrance.
• Bozeman and Billings: the Park Service lists both among the airports with commercial flights all year for Yellowstone. A bus runs from Bozeman to West Yellowstone all year.
• Missoula: nonstop flights to 13 US cities, about 150 miles from Glacier.
• Great Falls: Alaska, Allegiant, Delta and United, 130 to 165 miles from Glacier's east side.

Amtrak's Empire Builder, the daily train from Chicago to Seattle and Portland, crosses northern Montana with twelve stops. Among them are Whitefish and West Glacier all year and East Glacier Park in summer.

When can you visit Little Bighorn?

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is open every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. From the day after Labor Day to Memorial Day the gate opens from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and in summer from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Arrive by 3 p.m. in winter to drive the full 4.5-mile tour road.

Entry costs $25 a car, cards only. The main visitor centre is closed for building work, with a temporary contact station in its place. The battlefield is off I-90 at Crow Agency, exit 510, about 65 miles from Billings airport.

Does Montana charge sales tax?

Montana has no general sales tax, so the price on a shop tag is the price at the till. The state still taxes a traveller's two largest bills. Hotel rooms, campgrounds and holiday rentals carry a combined 8%, and rental cars 4% of the base charge.

Resort towns add a local resort tax on lodging, restaurants and bars. The state's table lists 3% for Gardiner, Whitefish, Cooke City and Red Lodge, while West Yellowstone and Big Sky charge 4%, including a 1% levy for infrastructure. A night in West Yellowstone therefore carries 12% in tax. Our guide to sales tax in the USA compares Montana with the states that do charge one.

How cold does Montana get?

Montana has warm, dry summers and long, cold winters, and snow closes the highest roads in October. The table gives NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for three stations: Bozeman, for Yellowstone; Billings, on the plains; and West Glacier, at Glacier's west gate.

Figures are average highs and lows. Bozeman averages 91 inches of snow a year and West Glacier 115. At Glacier, wildfire smoke is most likely from mid-July to mid-September.

Montana is on Mountain Time, the same as Wyoming and Utah, and its clocks went back an hour on 1 November 2026. For road conditions and closures, the state runs 511mt.net.