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Southern Montana/Northern Wyoming/Yellowstone Itinerary

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The best way to spend a week in Montana is to go in the summer, and either bring or rent a car. Late spring and early fall may also be good times for your trip; but be sure to check the monthly average temperatures in various areas before you confirm your plans; even roads at average elevations can close for inclement winter weather in May or October, and mountainous areas of the state have been known to become suddenly inaccessible in midsummer.

The itinerary below includes visiting Yellowstone National Park, which is mostly in Wyoming. The itinerary begins and ends in Billings, so it is may be a good option for those who plan to fly in and rent a car.

Day one: Arrive in Billings. Visit either the historic Moss Mansion or the Yellowstone Art Museum. Have dinner in the historic downtown area, and stay in a bed and breakfast or small hotel.

Day two: Visit the attraction you skipped yesterday, and then travel to Red Lodge. On your way out of Billings, stop at Pictograph Cave State Park, inhabited 4500 years ago. Continue to Red Lodge and stay the night.

Day three: Leave Red Lodge and begin your journey to Yellowstone, on the Beartooth Highway -- one of the most beautiful highways in America. On this road you'll travel 68 miles, reaching elevations as high as 11,000 feet. This is not easy driving, and there's plenty to see, so allow at least three hours. You'll be traveling amid snowcapped mountains, fields of wildflowers, and alpine lakes, with the chances good that you'll see some elk or moose also out enjoying the scenery. The Beartooth Highway travels through the Custer, Shoshone, and Gallatin national forests, and there are many pull-offs and short hiking circuits along the way, if you'd like to add a short walking break into your trip. Enter Yellowstone National Park at the Northeast Entrance, and enjoy the drive through beautiful Lamar Valley, in the northeastern part of the park. Try to make it to Inspiration Point by sunset, to see the incredible display of light and color in the earth and heavens, at this Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone overlook. Stay the night at Canyon Village Campground.

Day four: Today, explore the sights in the northern part of the park, including Mammoth Hot Springs and the northern shore of Yellowstone Lake. The Fishing Bridge and Visitor Center on the north shore of the lake is a good place to view the lake and learn something about the park’s wildlife and geology. There are 1000 miles of hiking trails in Yellowstone, so choose a circuit that fits your fitness level and the amount of time you have. See as much as you can during the day, and go to sleep early, so you can see a little more of what Yellowstone has to offer in the morning -- including Old Faithful, on your way out of the park! It erupts an average of every 75 minutes, so make sure to allow it enough time on day five to see it.

Day five: Leave Yellowstone through the West Entrance, and make your way north on 191 to Bozeman, through the Gallatin National Forest. You may want to detour to Big Sky or Bozeman Hot Springs, and spend the night there instead of Bozeman. Either way, plan to spend day six in and around Bozeman.

Day six: This morning, visit the Museum of the Rockies. Arrange either fishing or hiking outside of Bozeman in the afternoon.

Day seven: You'll need to devote most of this day to driving back to Billings. Enjoy the drive through beautiful Sweet Grass County, and stop a little while in Big Timber if you have time -- an old-fashioned Western town of about 1600 inhabitants. Livingston is also a good place to poke around for a little bit if your travel plans allow it.

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