Best Road Trip Routes in Montana

Montana's sheer scale (the fourth-largest state) means road trips cover enormous distances, but the Going-to-the-Sun Road, Beartooth Highway, and the Hi-Line through the Great Plains are among the most rewarding drives in North America.

Going-to-the-Sun Road (50 miles)
The signature scenic road of Glacier National Park, crossing the Continental Divide at Logan Pass (6,646 ft). The east-to-west drive from St. Mary to West Glacier reveals extraordinary alpine scenery: snowfields, glacially carved horns and arêtes, hanging valleys, and mountain goats walking beside the road. Vehicle size restrictions apply above Avalanche Creek (22 feet or less). Open typically mid-June to mid-October depending on snowpack.

Beartooth Highway (US-212, 69 miles)
From Red Lodge, Montana over the Beartooth Pass (10,947 ft) to Cooke City/Silver Gate at the northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park. The highway switchbacks up a 2,000-foot cliffside in a series of hairpins before reaching the tundra plateau — one of the most dramatic road climbs in the US. Charles Kuralt called it "the most beautiful road in America." Snow is possible on the summit every month of the year.

Glacier Country Loop (West Montana)
Missoula → Flathead Lake (largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi) → Kalispell → Glacier National Park (west entrance, Apgar) → Going-to-the-Sun Road → St. Mary → US-89 south through the Rocky Mountain Front → Great Falls → return via US-287 south to Missoula. About 600 miles; allow 4 days.

Missouri River Breaks and Fort Peck Loop
From Great Falls east to Fort Benton (the "Birthplace of Montana" and the head of Missouri River navigation), south along the Missouri River Breaks to the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, and to Fort Peck Reservoir. This route through the Missouri Breaks — the wild river canyon Lewis and Clark traversed — is one of the least-known but most historically rich drives in the state.