Two week trip advice, suggested itineries

My wife and I are thinking of flying in to Kalispell via Minneapolis from the UK for a two week trip to explore Montana. Proposed time is June.

We%26#39;re not really the camping type but more into 1/2 day hikes, horse riding, rafting and organised trips. (we don%26#39;t really have wildlife in Britain other than the Chavs and you wouldn%26#39;t want to encounter them).

We like scenic drives and visiting sites of historical interest as well as natural wonder.

I would love to hear any suggestions.

Two week trip advice, suggested itineries

I would try to make your trip mid to late June. Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier usually opens mid June. Possibly fly out of Jackson WY to see Yellowstone/Teton area.

Spend 4 to 5 days in Glacier area.

Spend 3 days driving between Glacier and Yellowstone. Stop and see Great Falls, Helena, Bozeman. There are plenty of historic sites along this route.

Spend 4 to 5 days in Yellowstone

Spend 2 days in Tetons.

What is a Chav?

Two week trip advice, suggested itineries

If you like historical areas, don%26#39;t miss Butte. It has quite a different history than the Old West and reflects the mining past which was quite formative to the state. Virginia City is south of Butte on the way to Yellowstone. Bannock is nearby, a ghost town which was once the territorial capitol.

Something fun to do in the area between Helena, Butte, Bozeman and Yellowstone is go to hot springs. They are all different, have been around a long time, and a lot of fun.

If you want to read about Montana history in advance, check out Montana: A History of Two Centuries by Roeder and Malone. Lots of stuff about robber barons, vigilantes and more.

http://books.google.com/books?id=p-P59FkOPg0C%26amp;dq=montana+history+books%26amp;printsec=frontcover%26amp;source=in%26amp;hl=en%26amp;ei=YrHSSaGgCIKUswOi2JXKCQ%26amp;sa=X%26amp;oi=book_result%26amp;ct=result%26amp;resnum=14#PPP1,M1

A noted author who writes about 20th century Montana is Ivan Doig. Check out This House of Sky to get started.

Gotta know what a Chav is!

I gotta know what a Chav is, too! :0)

If you have the time, you might like to check out some of my past posts which list several routes between Glacier %26amp; Yellowstone/Grand Teton, and lots of things to do %26amp; places to see in between and around Montana %26amp; Wyoming. With two whole weeks, your options are as endless as that Big Montana Sky!

In june I%26#39;d visit Yellowstone and GTNP first before visiting Glacier NP. The later you%26#39;ll get there, the better chance GTTS road is open. Yellowstone and GTNP are in Wyoming though and you only mentioned Montana for a visit. If you only want to explore MT don%26#39;t forget the eastern part of it. You%26#39;ll see how vast MT is and will enjoy those famous Big Skies. Plus many historic places, Fort Peck Lake, several SP%26#39;s and Little Bighorn NM. Off the beaten path.

For a fantastic mountain drive check Beartooth Hw. on you way to or from Yellowstone.

Tet

Well, someone has to tell you all what a chav is, I guess... Chavs are young adults with not much intelligence and even less in the way of manners. They tend to favour certain brands such as Burberry, once rather high class and old-fashioned, which as a result become extremely undesirable to the kinds of people who used to buy them. Many chavs come from Essex, a county to the east of London; they often speak with an accent known as Estuary English, from the working class accent around the Thames estuary. It is a very class-laden and derogatory term and many people disapprove of its use. On the other hand, they are generally not very nice people.

Now that I%26#39;ve told you about chavs - we are planning much the same trip as JayHoVee but have already visited Yellowstone. We%26#39;re thinking of flying in to Minneapolis and taking the train toward Glacier National Park, but getting off before then and hiring a car. What would be the best place to leave the train, please? We%26#39;re thinking maybe Minot?

Bix, When will you be coming to Minneapolis? Currently the Amtrak doesn%26#39;t run west of Minnesota because of flooding in North Dakota. It will resume when the water recedes and they determine that the track and bridges are serviceable.

From Minot to East Glacier is about 600 miles, more than most of us are willing to drive in a day, much of it in vast rolling prairie hills with wheat, sunflowers, canola and cattle. If you intended to hire the car for one way, you might have a large drop-off charge too.

If you want to have some driving experience in this type of terrain, consider getting off the train in Havre, MT. It%26#39;s far enough to get the experience but not so monotonous. (my personal opinion only, but from multiple trips across that route)

Unless there is something specific you%26#39;d like to see in Minnesota %26amp; eastern North Dakota, you may want to consider flying into Bismarck to avoid the flooded areas. I%26#39;ve heard it may be several weeks of repair work before the Amtrack is back running again. My Aunt from Grassy Butte, ND, has been doing a lot of traveling back and forth to Minneapolis, and has encountered several difficulties over the last two months. Hopefully the sun will stay out now %26amp; dry things out so repair work can proceed.

I love driving on our trips, so I can stop %26amp; take pictures whenever I want, and not be rushed to see some of the sights, and eat where I want to. It%26#39;s a LOT of driving, tho, so you%26#39;ll have to decide for yourselves if you%26#39;d rather take the train out.

If you drive out to Glacier on Hwy 2, I hope you%26#39;ll consider returning via a different route to get a good feel for the whole of Big Sky country. I%26#39;ve traveled Hwy 12 from just south of Helena (Townsend) to Harlowton, then hwy 191 north to Lewistown, then east on 200 to Grass Range, then south on 87 thru Roundup to Billings - nice drive with very diverse scenery. I%26#39;ve also traveled 200 from Jordan thru Sidney %26amp; up to Williston, ND. I like the arid/desert-like terrain %26amp; prairie grasslands, but it%26#39;s not for everyone. The area around Sidney has a lot of sugar beet farms, which was interesting.

While I love traveling the secondary roads, I must admit I really like the route down from Helena to Three Forks, then hit I-90 which follows the scenic Yellowstone River to Glendive, MT. This route would work great for the return trip if you find that you don%26#39;t have as much time as you thought to get back to the airport. It%26#39;s quick %26amp; there are plenty of places to stop if needed for motel, food, car fuel, etc.