Visit Montana launches new road trip itineraries to see fall colours

As travellers continue to seek out “slow travel” and plan affordable road trips, fall is the perfect time to explore Montana’s open roads, lesser-known small towns and scenic landscapes that avoid the crowds.

Seasonal experiences available to visitors this fall include:

Wildlife viewing and salmon fishing in Missouri River Country: Anglers, hunters and wildlife enthusiasts flock to the wilderness areas in and around Fort Peck Lake to marvel at elk and test their luck catching Chinook salmon, both of which become most prevalent this time of the year.

Celebrate spooky season in Southwest Montana’s ghost towns: Explore where gold was first discovered in Montana with a visit to Bannack State Park, Garnet Ghost Town and the many other abandoned mining towns located in Southwest Montana.

Spot bison on the move in the Bison Range: Managed by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), the range is home to 350 bison, in addition to elk, deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, mountain lions, bears and more than 200 species of birds. Visitors can navigate the range by foot on a series of nature trails or by two different wildlife drives.

Celebrate songwriters at the Inaugural Livingston Songwriter Festival on Oct. 4-5: Livingston’s outdoor vibes are met with a vibrant music and arts scene that will expand this Oct. 4-5 when songwriters from Nashville and Montana take over the city’s music venues, coffee shops and bars for the first-ever Livingston Songwriter Festival.

Stargaze in Southeast Montana: Southeast Montana is home to an International Dark Sky Sanctuary, Medicine Rocks State Park, which is one of the darkest places to view stars in the state. Nestled along the rolling prairies of Montana’s eastern edge, between Ekalaka and Baker, it’s easy to fall in love with this remote, mystical place of “big medicine.”

Experience fall colours in the Bob Marshall Wilderness: Explore the third largest wilderness complex in the lower 48 this fall with a guided adventure, and enjoy golden landscapes paired with cooler weather. Start your trip in the small town of Choteau for convenient access to the wilderness area.

New experiences in Montana

Visit Montana’s multi-faceted, integrated campaign, “That’s How You Montana,” helps visitors include these new experiences in their trip planning while capitalizing on increased demand for “slow travel” — trips that allow for more in-depth exploration of destinations.

New detailed road trip itineraries, interactive maps, videos and expanded website content guide travelers to Montana’s hidden gems found in less visited parts of the state.

“Montana is home to incredible state parks and rural communities that are ready to welcome you,” said Paul Green, director of the Montana Department of Commerce. “We invite visitors to branch out from the main roads and take their time seeing what’s special about every corner of our state this fall.”

Montana road trips

Highlights from Visit Montana’s new road trips itineraries include:

• 3 Days in Central Montana: Guided horseback riding in the Bob Marshall Wilderness or visiting Choteau’s Old Trail Museum (part of the Montana Dinosaur Trail)
• 5 Days in Eastern Montana: Exploring Lookout Cave and seeing the largest grouping of preserved pictographs in the state or embarking on a guided boat tour on Fort Peck Lake
• 4 Days in Northwest Montana: Stopping at the Lincoln Ranger District Visitor Center to lay eyes on the taxidermy display of one of Montana’s largest grizzly bears or exploring the Kootenai National Forest at the base of the Cabinet Mountains
• 4 Days West to East: Discovering history at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument or dining at The Jawbone before soaking at the Hot Springs Motel in White Sulphur Springs

Stay updated with all of Montana’s latest road trip itineraries, events and travel inspiration by going to VISITMT.com.