Take a culinary road trip this winter and experience the cuisine and food trails unique to Montana:
The Southeast Montana Burger Trail is a hearty adventure that maps out 24 local restaurants in 13 counties to showcase a variety of locally sourced, unique burgers. Travelers can earn prizes by checking in at the different stops using a digital or physical passport, encouraging visitors to explore the culinary gems you can only find in small towns.
The Central Montana Pie Trail is a route that highlights 19 locally owned restaurants across central Montana that serve homemade pies. The trail is a self-guided tour that encourages visitors to drive between small Montana communities to sample a variety of pies, including local favorites like huckleberry along with classic and seasonal options.
Montana’s coffee scene is a thriving and special culture that features local roasters and independent coffee shops. If you are looking for quality coffee roasters, add some of these to your road trip:
- Big Creek Coffee Roasters (Victor, MT): Originally roasting and selling coffee out of the owners’ garage, Big Creek moved to a storefront in 2012 to create a community hub. Nestled in the stunning Bitterroot Valley, visitors are able to enjoy their cup of joe with a mountain view.
- Camp Creek Coffee Roasters (Libby, MT): This family-run coffee roaster serves up fresh roasts and blends in downtown Libby, a charming small town in the northwest corner of Montana at the base of the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness and the Kootenai National Forest.
- Coffee Factory Roasters (Red Lodge, MT): The husband-and-wife duo who run this coffee shop purchased it to live in Red Lodge, a historic town nestled in the Beartooth Mountains. They have a passion for exceptional coffee, pastries and experiencing the joy of gathering over the perfect drink.
- Rocky Mountain Roasting: (Belgrade, MT): Providing specialty roasted coffee since 1992, this coffee roaster transitioned to new ownership but remains deeply rooted in the Belgrade community.
- The Center Pole (Garryowen, MT): Located on the Crow Indian Reservation and just south of the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, the Center Pole micro-roasts their coffee in small batches to create the best tasting brews. The coffee’s colorful front labels display the Crow words for different clans within the tribe along with a cultural description.
- Uptown Hearth (Columbia Falls, MT): The art of coffee roasting is taken seriously at Uptown Hearth, where they proudly roast their own coffee beans in-house. The roastery also serves high-quality, European-style baked goods made with local ingredients.
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