\nThe fact of the matter is this: Montana is called \u201cbig sky country\u201d for a reason. And when you come here and take in the views, you\u2019ll see why. The landscape tends to take center stage and sometimes it\u2019s hard to tell where the Earth ends and the sky begins. Plus, there\u2019s very little light pollution, making it easier to see the stars that watch over the state.<\/p>\n
![\"10montana-bluesky\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/10montana-bluesky.png\")
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2. Glacier National Park<\/strong> 3. The air<\/strong> 4. Montana is a fly-fishing haven<\/strong> 5. The Bitterroot Valley<\/strong> 6. The food, oh the food<\/strong> 7. Montana is wild<\/strong> 8. The people: first nations, cowboys, artists and outdoor lovers<\/strong> 9. Flathead Lake<\/strong> 10. The views<\/strong> What do you love most about Montana? A native of Montana, Tia Troy was raised in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains in the charming small town of Augusta. Growing up in her family\u2019s general store, Tia started telling visitors to Big Sky Country about the best places to go and things to see at an early age. Since 2005, she\u2019s been working in Montana\u2019s travel and tourism agency, and today is the public relations and communication manager for Glacier Country Tourism. You can connect with her at @MontanaTia<\/a> or read more stories of her Montana travels at www.glaciermt.com\/blog<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Discovering what makes wild Montana the perfect vacation destination<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":19257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1789,1782,1778,1788,1892,1868,1792,1776],"tags":[],"authors":[2228],"class_list":["post-19246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure","category-destinations","category-features","category-interests","category-montana","category-national-parks","category-nature","category-type-of-vacation","authors-expedia-guest-author","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nEncompassing 1 million acres,\u00a0Glacier National Park\u00a0is home to the Going-to-the-Sun Road, historic lodges, backcountry chalets, 700+ miles of hiking trails, 25 glaciers, a plenitude of wildlife, cascading waterfalls, and incredible glacial-carved terrain. An added bonus: Glacier National Park is open year-round and each season provides a distinct look and experience in the park.<\/p>\n![\"Glacier](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/10montana-gnp.png\")
\nOkay, hear me out on this one. There\u2019s something extra special about Montana\u2019s air. I\u2019m not sure if it\u2019s the sweeping wind along the Rocky Mountain Front, the crisp mountain air that practically insists you roll the windows down as you\u2019re cruising down a backcountry mountain road, or the incredible amounts of snow (you know the good stuff\u2014fresh, light powder that blankets the mountains and creates incredible skiing terrain) that contribute to the smell of Montana air. Whatever it is, it\u2019s perfection. And breathing it in makes you sleep better, lowers stress levels, and makes you want to be outside as much as possible, soaking it all in.<\/p>\n![\"10montana-air\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/10montana-air.png\")
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\nEven if you\u2019ve never cast a fishing line, one trip on Montana\u2019s blue-ribbon trout rivers is certain to quickly turn you into a fly-fishing lover. Montana\u2019s fish are much like the people who call the state home\u2014they\u2019re feisty, fighters (in a good way), and there\u2019s no place they\u2019d rather be that in the glacial-fed waters of Big Sky Country. Plus, Montana was the inspiration for the book (and movie) A River Runs Through It.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"10montana-flyfishing\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/10montana-flyfishing.png\")
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\nTruth time: The\u00a0Bitterroot Valley is one of Montana\u2019s best-kept secrets. Just south of Missoula, the 96-mile-long valley is framed by the Bitterroot Mountains on the west and the Sapphire Mountains on the east. It\u2019s also home to the Bitterroot River (one of the best fly-fishing rivers in the state), the birthplace of modern-day Montana (Stevensville and the Historic St. Mary\u2019s Mission), and numerous cute towns. Add in rock climbing terrain, wildlife, and incredible hiking trails, and the Bitterroot Valley is basically a vacationer\u2019s dream.<\/p>\n![\"10montana-bitterroot\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/10montana-bitterroot.png\")
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\nWe all know that when you think of Montana, food is not the first thing that pops into your mind. But this food-loving girl is happy to tell you that I\u2019ve tasted almost all of the food in the state (hey, it\u2019s part of my job) and it is delicious. One of the surprising elements to Montana\u2019s food scene is the focus on local. Here in Western Montana, most of our chefs and restaurateurs put a major emphasis on serving locally sourced, fresh dishes,\u00a0which means you\u2019ll see things like morel mushrooms, bison, yak, pasta, Flathead cherries, and huckleberries making their way into many culinary offerings.<\/p>\n![\"10montana-food\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/10montana-food.png\")
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\nThere are few places that are still untouched and off-the-grid, but I\u2019m happy to tell you that wild places still exist in Montana. From the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex to the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness and the Missouri River Breaks, Montana is home to wild country.<\/p>\n![\"Credit\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/10montana-wild.png\")
\nI\u2019m a firm believer that Montanans are some of the nicest, most genuine people you\u2019ll ever meet. Montana\u2019s residents are made from a melting pot of backgrounds, including\u00a0Montana\u2019s Indian\u00a0nations\u00a0(Montana is home to 7 reservations and 12 tribes), working cowboys, small-town cafe owners, writers, and fly-fishing guides.<\/p>\n![\"10montana-people\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/10montana-people.png\")
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\nThe largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River, Flathead Lake is still largely unknown in the country. It has 185 miles of shoreline, numerous islands (the largest of which is a day-use state park that\u2019s home to a herd of wild horses), great fishing, and incredible sailing and boating opportunities. Plus, the world\u2019s tastiest fruit\u2014Flathead cherries\u2014grown in orchards along the lake.<\/p>\n![\"10montana-flatheadlake\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/10montana-flatheadlake.png\")
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\nHands down, Montana has some of the best views in the country. And the best part is most of them are easily accessible. Some of my favorites include the Mission Mountains from Ravalli Hill, Wild Goose Island from Glacier National Park\u2019s Going-to-the-Sun Road, the view of Missoula from Mount Sentinel, and the Clark Fork River along Highway 200.<\/p>\n![\"10montana-views\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/10montana-views.png\")
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\nDiscover more about Montana here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n