Montana Shaped by Winter

“I just love going into the park in the wintertime. It was so breathtaking. I had never seen it like that with all the hot pots and the steam coming up. You could live in Montana your entire life and still feel like there's so much more for you to find. I love that about Montana.”

— Heather McPhie, Olympic Mogul Skier

When winter comes to Montana it does so with conviction. It cloaks a vast landscape stretching from Yellowstone to Glacier National Park in a blanket of white, making an already breathtaking world downright magical. The only possible response is to venture out and experience it.

Visit one of Montana’s sixteen storied ski areas. Standing at the top of the lift it becomes clear. This is bigger than you ever realized. The mountains are bigger. The landscape is bigger. For that matter, the turns are bigger. Quite frankly, the only things not big are the lift lines. Tucked into this untracked winter backdrop is everything from amenity-laden destination resorts to honest-to-goodness mom-and-pop ski areas. This is a winter experience that can only be improved upon by the après ski drinks and warm cobbler that, more often than not, await you at the end of the day.

Park bound visitors feel the quiet. A depth of quiet that most of the world doesn't even know exists. That is what you are struck by as you enter Glacier National Park in the winter months. Its rugged spires capped with brilliant white beckons snowshoers and backcountry skiers alike as guides escort you through this winter treasure. Cross-country skiing, a guided snowcoach tour or a guided snowmobile tour in Yellowstone National Park in winter is equally as unforgettable. A meshing of steaming hot springs, mudpots, geysers and snow shared with little more than an array of wildlife. Our nation's national parks are special places any time. Winter only makes them more so.