The Best Route From Glacier National Park To Yellowstone Is This Glorious Montana Road Trip

Montana is sometimes called "the last best place," and for good reason. Its quaint mountain towns and endless nature make it a popular part of the United States. At its northern border shared with Canada, there is the pristine Glacier National Park and at its southern border is Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. A journey between the two is a road trip chock full of must-visit spots in Montana with fun towns and scenery shaped by multiple geologic forces.

Glacier National Park is famous for its wildlife, such as bighorn sheep, bears, and eagles. Of course sightings are not guaranteed, but you can explore the peaks and valleys of the beautiful park that they call home on foot thanks to its multiple hiking trails, or by boat. If you don't have one of your own, check out the park's boat tours offered at Lake McDonald, Many Glacier, Two Medicine, and Rising Sun. These lakes are also major highlights of the park itself. Raft companies can take visitors on guided tours along Flathead River too. While the number of glaciers in this park are dwindling, this "Crown of the Continent" national park is worth a visit and may inspire you to spread the word about issues facing our climate.

Let the wilderness of Montana continue to inspire you as you head south on Highway 2 out of Glacier National Park. Switch to Highway 35 to get close to Flathead Lake. Enjoy the lake's scenery by making it a stop on your road trip or by simply driving past it. Connect with Highway 93 to reach Missoula. This town may be small, but it has quite a bit of history. The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula covers everything from the area's indigenous tribes, military history, and the town's dark time as the home of a World War II internment camp for Italian and Japanese people living in the U.S.

Drive southeast on Highway 90 to find Bozeman. Among the larger cities in Montana, Bozeman has a vibrant downtown with plenty of restaurants, shopping and live music. Old buildings like the historic Baxter Hotel built in 1929 and the nearby Gallatin History Museum help you piece together Montana's past. To really go back in time, visit the Museum of the Rockies. Here, you'll see huge dinosaur bones that have been uncovered throughout the Rocky Mountains, exhibits on past exploration of the area, and frontier life.

The land around Bozeman further solidifies Montana as one the best states for hiking across the U.S. Less than one hour south of Bozeman is Palisade Falls in Hyalite Canyon. If you want to extend your stay beyond a day trip, there are quaint campgrounds along the route as well. Take your pick from Blackmore, Chisholm, and Hood Creek campgrounds clustered around the Hyalite Reservoir, a picturesque body of water with boat ramps, but only allows boats at low speeds. The Palisade Falls trailhead is on Forest Service Road 3165 and is a mostly paved journey leading to the more than 80-foot waterfall.

A more moderate hike but still less than one hour from Bozeman leads to the pristine Lava Lake. While you will gain around 1,600 feet of elevation on this hike, this seemingly untouched paradise is incredibly worth the trip. Detour off of Highway 191 and take Cascade Creek Road to get to the Lava Lake trailhead. The hike is 3 miles each way and traverses through an evergreen forest dotted with small waterfalls. Lava Lake's water is cold, but it is quite a memorable experience to swim at such a high elevation.

If you continue south on Highway 191 from Lava Lake, you can enter Yellowstone National Park through West Yellowstone. If you're coming from Bozeman, choose from this entrance or the northern one through Gardiner. Both towns have lodging options and their park entrances get you close to Yellowstone's Grand Loop Road. Attractions along this road include Grand Prismatic, West Thumb, the Continental Divide and the boardwalk that shows off some of the park's most iconic thermal pools and the Old Faithful geyser. The visitor and education center is nearby where you can learn about how these incredible geologic formations came to life.

Yellowstone National Park's marvels hardly stop there. Yellowstone River has created a huge canyon with the Lower and Upper Falls. To get views of the canyon and the waterfalls, head to Brink of Lower Falls just off of Grand Loop Road. This stopping point gets you to a viewing place right on the top of the waterfall where you can watch and listen as the emerald water gushes over the cliff. For more viewpoints, follow North Rim Drive. As for the Upper Falls, use South Rim Drive to take in more of this mesmerizing Yellowstone feature. No matter what roads you take, be careful of nearby wildlife like elk and bison and share the park with them.