Montana

All our Montana collections:

• Best places to stay in Greenough
• Best places to stay in Philipsburg
• Best hotels near Yellowstone National Park
• Best places to stay in Montana

Montana is nicknamed ‘Big Sky Country’ with good reason. This state is all about wide open spaces and dramatic skylines with a countryside ranging from the jagged Rocky Mountains to the vast Great Plains. It is also home to America's first National Park. Towns still retain a frontier spirit - after all, here was the site of one of the 19th century’s gold rushes. Our selection of the best places to stay in Montana helps you get the best out of the state’s magnificent sights.

Hiking, fishing and wildlife-watching are just some of the activities you can do in Glacier National Park, bordered by the Rockies. Here you’ll find iridescent-coloured lakes (such as St Mary Lake), the colour due to the suspension of particles of glacial rock in the water. Drive up Logan Pass, if you dare, the highest navigable part of the Park with stupendous views. Watch out for grizzlies, too, which you can also spy - along with bison, wolves and elks, plus amazing geysers and hot springs - in Yellowstone National Park.

Montana’s other must-see sights include the Little Bighorn Battlefield in The Crow (Apsalooke) Indian Reservation, where General George Custer made his famous ‘last stand’.

Montana State University's museum with its dinosaur exhibits, early Native American art and laser planetarium shows is another must.

State capital Helena, known as the ‘Queen City of the Rockies’ with the boom brought on by the 1864 gold strike, boasts grand architecture, numerous museums and historic sites as well as a busy cultural events calendar, great restaurants and microbreweries.

Alternatively, Miles City remains a true Western town with ‘miles’ of plains and badlands stretching out in all directions.

So, decide which outdoor activity you fancy doing and then browse our choice of the best places to stay in Montana to plan your trip.

For families

• No excuse for getting bored at The Ranch at Rock Creek where all activities are included in the cost, from mountain biking and riding to archery, yoga and a ropes course. Individual chalets have a rustic feel. The bar is like a Western saloon.
• Stay on a working ranch at The Resort at Paws Up where you can choose between luxury tents or individual cottages. Every activity imaginable is available, plus a spa to relax.
• The good-value Sacajawea Hotel in Three Forks, near Headwaters State Park, has homely rooms, a relaxed atmosphere and a popular restaurant. Live music too!

Best Montana hotels with pools

• Luxury, rustic chalets, with leather sofas, fires and private verandas, make Triple Creek Ranch a stylish, but relaxed stay on a working ranch. After a day of outdoors activities, relax around the pool before a gourmet dinner.
• Log cabins with views over miles of wilderness give Mountain Sky Guest Ranch a hideaway feel - although there’s plenty of action should you want it from fishing to riding to tennis. The pool and spa add luxury edges.

For more ideas, browse our list of the best places to stay in Montana or contact one of our friendly gurus for advice.