If you love nature, hiking and going to National Parks then this Wyoming and Montana Itinerary is perfect for you! On this trip we got to explore Grand Teton, Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks. The best time to visit each of these parks is in late summer or early fall. This is when the weather is best and kids are starting to go back to school. If you do go in mid-summer, be prepared for big crowds! We also made room for some breaks from hiking on this trip and got to check out the towns of Jackson Hole, Missoula, Big Sky and Bozeman – all of which were really fun! If this sounds like something you would enjoy, check out this Wyoming and Montana Itinerary below!
Wyoming and Montana Itinerary Overview
Day 1 – Fly to Jackson Hole. Astoria Hot Springs, Jackson Hole Rodeo, and Cowboy Bar
Day 2 – Jackson Hole. Hiking at Grand Teton National Park
Day 3 – Morning at Grand Teton National Park. Drive to Glacier National Park via Missoula
Day 4 – Hiking at Glacier National Park
Day 5 – White Water Rafting. Hiking at Glacier National Park
Day 6 – Drive to Big Sky Resort. Ziplining and Bozeman
Day 7 – Drive to Yellowstone National Park. Explore South loop
Day 8 – Yellowstone National Park. Explore North loop
Day 9 – Drive back to Jackson Hole and Fly home
Day 1 – Arrive in Jackson Hole and pick up Hertz rental car. Check into the Ranch Inn, go to Astoria Hot Springs, Jackson Hole Rodeo, and the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar
Jackson Hole has so much to offer no matter the season, and the scenery alone is worth the visit. This trip was at the end of the summer so some of the best things to do include hiking the national parks, taking a boat ride or kayaking down the river, shopping, partying, or having a fun night at the rodeo – and of course we had to do all of this! And if you didn’t already know, Jackson Hole is known for their ski mountains so I will definitely be making a return in the winter for a ski trip. The weather at the end of August was crisp in the mornings (around 40°F) and warm and sunny in the afternoons (around 75°F), so make sure to pack layers.
We arrived in Jackson Hole pretty early in the day so we had plenty of time to check out the town. The first thing we did when we landed was take the shuttle to Hertz to pick up our rental car. (You’ll definitely want to rent a car!) Hertz is about a 15 minute drive from the airport but it turned out to be pretty convenient because it was only 3 minutes from our hotel. Once we got our car we went food shopping (we needed a lot of water) and then parked at the hotel. Check in at the Ranch Inn wasn’t until 4pm so we walked around the town and bought some souvenirs. There are a ton of shops to check out but my favorite was Lee’s Tees!
The Ranch Inn
The Ranch Inn is located just around the corner from the Jackson Town Square so it is the perfect location. Anything we wanted to do in the heart of Jackson Hole was in walking distance. Aside from the great location, the Ranch Inn offers spacious rooms, free onsite parking, Wi-Fi, guest laundry and is reasonably priced. The only downside worth mentioning is that since it is so close to everything, it can get a bit noisy at night but we were too tired to care (and the ear plugs work wonders)!
Astoria Hot Springs
Astoria Hot Springs is located about 25 minutes outside of Jackson Hole and is right along the Snake River, offering some amazing views. They have multiple natural hot spring pools with all different temperatures to choose from. They also offer a variety of snacks and drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Coming here was the perfect way to relax after a long day of travel. They’re open all year round, although I believe it would be more enjoyable in the winter. It was a bit hot for a summer day! It is recommended to buy passes online in advance as tickets do sell out. The passes become available for purchase on the first day of each month for that month. You can purchase them here.
Jackson Hole Rodeo
How do you go to Jackson Hole and not go to the Rodeo?! This is definitely a bucket list experience that is worth checking out at least once in your lifetime. The Jackson Hole Rodeo typically starts at the end of May and goes through the end of August. You can see their schedule and purchase tickets on their website here.
Million Dollar Cowboy Bar
The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar is also a must see in Jackson Hole. This is the bar that has the famous saddle bar seats, but if you want to get a picture on one I recommend going before it starts to get crowded. It was a Saturday night when we went so it was pretty crowded and they were charging a $10 cover per person. Our original plan was to go here our second night but we found out last minute that it’s closed on Sundays. So despite being awake for almost 24 hours by this point, we had to make the stop! You can also eat dinner here and enjoy the live music, I think they have a band playing every night.
Day 2 – Jackson Hole. Hike Delta Lake and Phelps Lake Jumping Rock in Grand Teton National Park. Dinner at the Silver Dollar Bar and Grill. Stay at the Ranch Inn
Delta Lake
If you are looking for a challenging and adventurous hike that gives an amazing view at the end then Delta Lake is the hike for you! The exact trail we did was Delta Lake via Lupine Meadows Access which begins at the Lupine Meadows Trailhead parking lot. This hike is 8 miles (4 miles each way) and has an elevation gain of 2,400 ft. It is considered hard and is actually an unofficial, unmaintained trail. The first 3 miles aren’t too bad but you do gain quite a bit of elevation gain here. The last mile is where things get hairy. You will have to navigate 3 boulder fields, fallen trees and steep, loose dirt. Make sure to wear your best hiking shoes and bring hiking poles! We made the mistake of not having these and it would have been extremely helpful. This hike was definitely scary at times but it was 100% worth it! It took a total of 6 hours including an hour and a half hanging out at the top (started at 8am, finished at 2pm).
Phelps Lake Jumping Rock
Hiking to the Phelps Lake Jumping Rock is fairly easy and is actually located right outside of Grand Teton National Park at the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve. Once you park you will follow the signs for the Woodland trail. Take this trail until you reach the lake and then make a right. In a total of 2.5 miles you will get to the jumping rock and you won’t miss it! You can often hear people jumping as you are approaching it. The hike is about 5 miles roundtrip along fairly flat land (only 500 ft. elevation gain) so it was the perfect hike to end our day. It took about 2 hours including the time we spent at the rock. The jumping rock is roughly 20-25 feet above the lake so it is definitely an adrenaline rush. The water was also quite cold but it was so refreshing!
Restaurants in Jackson Hole
After hiking 13 miles we were sooo ready to have a drink and eat a real meal. We stopped at Hatch Taqueria & Tequilas first but they weren’t taking any more reservations so we ended up eating across the street at the Silver Dollar Bar & Grill at the Wort Hotel. They ran out of a few things on the menu but I ended up really enjoying my meal. We got the Wyoming Cobb salad, the Classic Club sandwich and an order of fries. The portions were huge! And then I got the Taste of Teton Summer for my drink – which was also really good. One more place worth checking out is the Thai Me Up Restaurant & Brewery.
Day 3 – Hike to Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls via Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park. Drive to Glacier National Park and stop in Missoula. Stay at The Pine Lodge on Whitefish River
Jenny Lake
We originally only planned to have one day in Grand Teton National Park in this Wyoming and Montana Itinerary but we wanted to squeeze one more thing into our plans before leaving. I would recommend planning an extra day in Jackson Hole in general, there is so much to do!
Jenny Lake is definitely a place you’ll want to check out – it has great views of the Tetons and it’s not far from Jackson Hole. If you just want to check out the view then you can just walk around the Jenny Lake Visitor Center area but if you’re up for hiking you should check out Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls. You’ll take the ferry boat across the lake (you can buy a roundtrip ticket there for $18) and from there it is only a 2 mile roundtrip hike. It is an easy hike with only 400 ft. elevation gain, all you have to do is follow the signs to get there! But because it is such a short hike, it is very heavily trafficked so plan to get there early to get a parking spot. The hike alone took us 1 hour including time at the top for photos.
Missoula
Our next stop was Glacier National Park which is an 8 hour drive from Jackson Hole. To break the drive up a bit we decided to stop in Missoula which is 6 hours from Jackson Hole, then an additional 2.5 hours from Missoula to Glacier.
There are a ton of breweries to check out in Missoula but unfortunately we only had enough time to go to 2 – Highlander Beer and Imagine Nation Brewing. Highlander was our first stop and I got the Peaches and Cream Milkshake IPA and a slice of the Bitterroot pizza. Both were very good. The vibes here were very chill and relaxing. You could sit inside or outside by the river. There was also cornhole set up to play. The second brewery we went to was Imagine Nation. I got a flight of the Hyperspace, Whole Hearted, Summer Slasher, and Corcovado. I would say my favorite was the Summer Slasher and my least favorite was the Corcovado. There was also indoor and outdoor seating here and it was open mic outside. This place definitely had more of a hippie vibe – very cool!
Driving through Idaho!
Highlander Beer
Imagine Nation Brewing
The Pine Lodge on Whitefish River
The Pine Lodge on Whitefish River was my favorite hotel of the whole Wyoming and Montana Itinerary! My favorite part was the comfy beds, pillows and sheets. But this hotel also has so much more to offer! Upon check in we received a smore’s kit to use by their fire pits. There is also an indoor/outdoor pool, hot tub, and a den with a pool table, TVs, tons of seating and games. The location is also great as it is only 30 minutes from the West entrance to Glacier National Park.
Day 4 – Hike Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park. Drive up Going-to-the-Sun Road on the way. Sunset at Heavens Peak. Stay at The Pine Lodge on Whitefish River
Going-to-the-sun Road
Grinnell Glacier
Grinnell Glacier is another challenging hike that ends with a spectacular view. This one is not as hard as Delta Lake though. You will have amazing views throughout the hike and will be able to see waterfalls, lakes, forest, alpine meadows, wildflowers, and hopefully wildlife! The out and back total for this hike is 11 miles, with 2,300 ft. elevation gain most of which is gradual throughout the hike. It took 6 hours to hike including our one hour stop at the top. We started at 10am and finished by 4pm. The entrance to this hike is past the St. Mary entrance of Glacier National Park so you will have to drive through the whole park and then some. It took a total of 3 hours just driving there (be prepared for traffic delays due to roadwork) but the views are worth it as you will drive along Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Dinner then sunset at Heavens Peak
After our long hike we were starving so we stopped at the Snowgoose Grille in the St. Mary Village for dinner. The menu was very limited but I ended up going with the Caprese Chicken Sandwich and fries and it was delicious! The St. Mary village also has a little shop where we bought some souvenirs. After shopping and eating, we made our way back down Going-to-the-Sun road to look for a spot to watch the sunset. We ended up stopping at Heavens peak to watch it and then made our way back to the hotel.
Day 5 – White Water Rafting in the morning then explore more of Glacier National Park – Lake MacDonald and Avalanche Lake. Glacier Distilling Company on the way out. Stay at The Pine Lodge on Whitefish River
White Water Rafting
We booked our rafting excursion with the Glacier Rafting Company – buy tickets here. We went with the “half day whitewater” tour and it ended up being about 3 hours long, which was plenty! It can be anywhere from 2 to 3.5 hours long depending on the water conditions and the month. The whitewater tour consists of a scenic route in the beginning and then enters an area with a couple small rapids. So it is definitely safe for children. The tour started at 10am and it was a bit chilly so I recommend dressing warm. I also recommend not drinking many fluids beforehand, I learned this one the hard way!
Lake MacDonald
There are a couple ways to see Lake MacDonald and one of them is by going to Apgar village. All you have to do is park and walk right down to the lake, it’s that easy! You will also get great views of the mountains from here. Apgar village is also a cute village to explore while you’re there. You can check out a few shops, the visitor center and most importantly Eddie’s ice cream! I went with 2 scoops on a waffle cone – 1 Moose tracks and 1 Huckleberry heaven. They were both delicious but I would just get the Moose tracks alone next time. I just had to try something Huckleberry since it is so popular in Montana (and the bears eat it!)
Avalanche Lake
Avalanche Lake was the last thing we had time for at Glacier National Park. (I would check out Logan Pass as well if you have time). The exact hike we did to get there was Avalanche Lake via the Trail of the Cedars, which is not too far past Apgar village. This is a moderate, heavily trafficked hike and is a little less than 5 miles roundtrip with a 750 ft. elevation gain. About a half mile in you will come across lower Avalanche Gorge which is one of the highlights of the hike! As you continue you will pass a ton of Cedar trees and other amazing views. Once you get to Avalanche Lake you will see why this hike is so popular! It took us a total of 2 hours, including 20 minutes taking pictures at the lake.
Glacier Distilling Company
Our tour guide from whitewater rafting actually told us about Glacier Distilling Company. We did a tasting of 4 spirits and to be honest, if you are not a big drinker you might want to skip this one! It’s like taking 4 shots, except your chaser is water and pretzels. It was definitely a cool experience though and they do have options with lower proof if you don’t want something too strong. For my tasting I got the Josephine’s Shine, Huckleberry Gin, Huckleberry Liqueur, and Cherrycello. They were all actually pretty good, besides Josephine’s Shine – this one was too strong for me! I also ended up purchasing an airplane bottle of Mule Kick (good for Bloody Mary’s) and Bearproof whiskey.
Day 6 – Drive to Big Sky Resort. Ziplining and Bozeman. Stay at Big Sky Resort
Big Sky Resort
Time to make our way back down towards Wyoming! The Big Sky Resort is 6 hours from where we stayed in Glacier National Park. We decided to do Glacier in the middle of the trip so that we didn’t have too long of a drive right when we landed or right before flying home.
Anyway, the Big Sky Resort is awesome! It is known for skiing and it’s tall mountains but it has so much to offer during any season. It’s also a very big resort so if you aren’t 100% sure of where to go when you get there (like us), then just check into the closest building and they will be more than happy to help give exact directions. Aside from that, the rooms are beautiful and everything at the resort is so nice. The resort has many accommodations but we stayed in the Village center which had a very welcoming and homey feel to it. I highly recommend checking this place out!
Ziplining
Ziplining is one of the many things to do at the Big Sky Resort during the summer. We did the Adventure zipline which you can book here. You can also explore more activities at Big Sky Resort through that link. The ziplining is perfect for a summer trip! After ziplining we road the ski lift to the top of the mountain and took in the amazing views! We got a free ticket to do this for staying at the resort. After that we tried a hot dog from the famous Yeti Dogs which was a great snack.
Bozeman
Bozeman is a cute little town right outside of Big Sky, about an hour away from the Big Sky resort. The first place we went to was the Map Brewing Company. They have some beers on tap that vary by the season as well as some year round beers. I got a flight of Midas Crush, Bum the Ship, Pomegranate Key Lime Sour, and Quiver Killer. My favorite was the Pomegranate Key Lime Sour which was a seasonal beer, and I didn’t like the Quiver Killer at all. My favorite year round beer was the Midas Crush. We also got the buffalo wings which were good as well.
The brewery closed at 8pm so we went to the Crystal Bar after that. This seemed like a cool little college bar – there were a ton of fake IDs hung up on the wall and the bathroom stalls had graffiti written all over them. Definitely a cool place to check out! We were going to head back to the resort after the Crystal Bar but there was just one more place calling our name and that was the Rocking R Bar. It has pool tables set up in the back as well as an outdoor patio in the front. This looked like a nice hangout place that turned into a college bar at night. Wish we could have stayed longer!
Day 7 – Drive to Yellowstone National Park and explore the South loop. Stay at Pahaska Tepee Resort
Yellowstone National Park – South Loop
Yellowstone is quite different than the other national parks in this Wyoming and Montana Itinerary. Yes because it literally looks like a different planet but also because you don’t really have to hike to see most of the popular attractions. If you only have 2 days at Yellowstone like us (which is completely doable), I recommend hitting the south loop the first day. Most of the bigger attractions are on the south end. Then on the second day I recommend hitting the north loop, and then anything you missed from the first day. It was also super helpful for me to highlight each of these places on the map beforehand. That way you know where they all are in relation to each other. Here are the places we stopped at in the South Loop! (check out details on each of these locations here)
- West Thumb Geyser Basin – this is the furthest south, we didn’t make it here
- Old Faithful – the geyser erupts about every hour. Definitely worth hanging out to see!
- Upper Geyser Basin – this is in the same area as Old Faithful. There is a lot to walk around and see in this area.
- Black Sand Basin
- Biscuit Basin
- Fairy Falls Trail to Grand Prismatic Overlook – this is a 0.8 mile hike from the Fairy Falls parking lot to the Overlook
- Midway Geyser Basin – this is where the Grand Prismatic Spring is
- Gibbon Falls
- Artists Paintpots – there is a short 1 mile loop trail here
- Norris Geyser Basin – be prepared to take some time here. There is a loop to walk around with a bunch of different geysers and hot springs
- Sulphur Caldron
- Mud Volcano
- Hayden Valley – great spot to see wildlife
Old Faithful
Upper Geyser Basin
Black Sand Basin
Biscuit Basin
Grand Prismatic Overlook via Fairy Falls Trail
Midway Geyser Basin
Artists Paintpots
Norris Geyser Basin
Gibbon Falls, Mud Volcano & Sulphur Caldron
Gibbon Falls 
Dragon’s Mouth Spring at Mud Volcano 
Mud Volcano 
Sulphur Caldron
Hayden Valley
Pahaska Tepee Resort
Pahaska Tepee Resort is located right outside of the East entrance of Yellowstone. We stayed in one of the Hill cabins which has it’s own private bathroom and shower. There is no internet access or TVs in the cabins which makes it a really cool experience. There is WiFi in the main lodge but it is very limited. It did work well enough to connect our directions (thank God!), but I would HIGHLY recommend screenshotting or printing any directions you need from here beforehand. The restaurant was surprisingly good. I got the Alfredo pasta and Cabernet Sauvignon the first night and the Chicken Marsala and Merlot the second. We also got the skillet cookie both nights, it was that good!
Staying here kind of felt like glamping. There might have even been a chipmunk in our room the last night! We heard something going through the paper bag but when we got up we didn’t see anything. Who knows what that was, but overall this was a really unique place to stay.
Day 8 – Yellowstone National Park – explore the North loop. Stay at Pahaska Tepee Resort
Yellowstone National Park – North Loop
Here are the places we stopped at in the North Loop, as well as what we missed on day 1!
- Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone – you can either make this a hike or just a stop off. We ended up doing the “Yellowstone Falls, Crystal Falls, and Inspiration Point” hike on AllTrails. It was an easy 4 mile hike that took about an hour and a half. This is a good option to see all of the popular view points but if you don’t want to hike, you can drive to each of them as well.
- Roaring Mountain
- Golden Gate
- Mammoth Hot Springs – this is right by the North Entrance. The area was pretty crowded.
- Lamar Valley – this ended up being pretty far out of the way due to a road closure so we didn’t make it here but I heard it is the best place to see wildlife!
- Tower Falls – the road to get here was closed as well so we didn’t see this
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Roaring Mountain & Golden Gate
Mammoth Hot Springs
Day 9 – Drive back to Jackson Hole and Fly home
The Hertz rental place was 3 hours from our hotel at Yellowstone. If you are following this Wyoming and Montana Itinerary then I would actually recommend staying somewhere on the South end of the park on your last night. This would bring the drive down to about an hour instead of 3 hours. But if you don’t mind the extra drive, staying at the Pahaska Tepee Resort would be worth it!
Important tips before hiking:
Use the AllTrails App to find the exact coordinates of where to start your hikes and to see the trails. You can do this with the free version but I do recommend purchasing AllTrails Pro so that you can download the trails and navigate yourself if needed. Cell service is very limited in the parks so this is the safest bet.
Make sure to have your bear spray on all your hikes throughout this trip. You can purchase this almost anywhere in Wyoming and Montana or you can rent it at the Jackson Hole Airport. But you can NOT pack it in your luggage on the plane!
A good pair of hiking boots as well as hiking socks are recommended. I have this pair of Oboz.
Make sure to pack food and a lot of water on these hikes!
Additional Tips:
Make sure to check the National Park Service Website or download the NPS App for information on park closures or entrance fees. All national parks will at least have their normal entrance fee upon arrival. A park entrance fee for 7 days for a private, non-commercial vehicle is $35 for each of these national parks. When we went we also needed a timed ticket for entrance to Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park which we purchased here. The ticket is good for 7 days but they were not easy to get! (they sold out in less than 5 minutes every morning at 10AM EST when they were released).
If you plan to visit all 3 national parks in this Wyoming and Montana Itinerary then I recommend getting the America the Beautiful pass. It costs $80 for an annual pass and the 3 parks each have a $35 entrance fee. So if you plan to go to all 3 you will already be saving money by getting this pass!
Yellowstone does have gas stations in park!
Don’t get too close to wildlife, don’t feed wildlife and stay on the trails!
Check to see if it’s possible to pick up your rental car in Jackson Hole and drop off in Glacier (then fly home from Glacier). This would have given us a whole extra day on this trip! Unfortunately this option was not available for us when we went.
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It looks like you had such an amazing trip and an awesome, action-packed itinerary! Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks have both been high on my bucket list, so I will definitely refer back to your post whenever I start planning my own trip. Those bears looked so cool too! What an awesome experience. Also, just because I’m a data nerd, Delta Lake reminded me of a tool we use for data engineering, haha. Anyways, great post! Xx Sara
It was such a great experience and we saw so much wildlife. Definitely action packed as well – next time I’ll need more time to relax haha! Hope you get there soon and thank you!!