Need Inspiration?
Ready-to-use angles, themes, and topics about Montana to help inspire news coverage and media features.
)
Skijoring is an extreme winter sport and high-adrenaline activity that combines skiing, horse racing and rodeo on a racecourse with jumps, gates and rings the skier must navigate for the best team times. Plus, this year, the first-ever pro series will be hosted in Montana.
)
Horse-drawn sleighs aren’t just found in Hallmark movies. In Western Montana, you can ride a sleigh by day or under a sky full of stars at night by visiting places like Double Arrow Lodge in Seeley Lake, Bar W Guest Ranch in Whitefish or Cripple Creek Horse Ranch in Trego.
)
Experience holiday cheer in Montana this winter at an event in any corner of the state: Lewistown: The Charlie Russell Chew Choo transforms into the North Pole Adventure Train each year, with cocoa, cookies, stories, songs, games, a trip to the North Pole and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.
)
Voluntourism offers visitors the chance to blend travel with service, whether through trail maintenance, conservation efforts or supporting local nonprofits, creating a deeper connection to the state’s culture, communities and natural beauty. Check out these organizations to get involved on your next trip to Montana: Eagle Mount (Bozeman): Eagle Mount is a nonprofit organization that provides adaptive recreational programs for people with disabilities and children with cancer, along with support for their families.
)
Let the glow of your candle guide you through some of the most incredible caverns in the country at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park. This seasonal candlelight tour experience allows visitors to see cave formations and speleothems as the first explorers viewed them.
)
If the word “snowcoach” is new to you, just picture a lifted yellow school bus with extra large wheels to tackle driving over large snow drifts. Since 1955, Yellowstone National Park has For more than 40 years, Bigfork Elves (local residents of all ages from Bigfork, Montana) gather the Saturday before Thanksgiving to decorate their town with over 10,000 feet of garland and lights.
)
For more than 40 years, Bigfork Elves (local residents of all ages from Bigfork, Montana) gather the Saturday before Thanksgiving to decorate their town with over 10,000 feet of garland and lights. Following the day of decoration, the town’s eclectic art community opens its doors for a Holiday Art Walk at 4 p.
)
Managed and operated by an all-volunteer group of local skiers, the Bear Paw Ski Bowl is small-town skiing in its finest form, and one of the only ski areas in the country located on tribal land. Picture no lift lines, deep powder and a ski experience without the big price tag or hassle of a fancy resort.
)
In early March, it’s possible to observe more than 60,000 snow geese and 5,000 swans in a day when they stage at Freezout Lake as part of their annual migration to the Arctic. These birds rest up from a nearly 1,000-mile flight from California, where they rest during the winter months.
)
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.
)
With thousands of miles of groomed cross-country trails, Montana’s ski culture extends beyond downhill. Paired with the state’s combination of stunning scenery, finding your groove on a cross-country ski adventure can be the perfect outdoor adventure.
)
Montana is home to state parks where the experience does not stop when the weather gets cold. Here are a few favorites for winter: Makoshika State Park (Glendive, MT): Montana’s largest state park is known for its badland formations, including caprocks and land bridges, and its dinosaur fossils.
)
Whether it’s skiing, snowshoeing or sledding, Montana has the perfect hot springs to keep you warm after a day of snowy adventure.Check out these pairs: Missouri River Country: Whether it’s logging miles cross-country skiing along U.
)
Built in 1903 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Moss Mansion in Billings, Montana, offers distinctive events year-round, with some that celebrate specific holiday seasons. It features ghost tours in October, “Murder Mystery Dinners” throughout the year and festive holiday tours in the winter.
)
There’s a sweet spot between fall and winter in Montana. When you time it just right, there’s a perfect mix of fall colors and cool weather that are enhanced when you stay in an insulated yurt in Montana’s largest state park: Makoshika State Park (“Makoshika” is derived from a Lakota word meaning “bad land”).
)
With 10,000 acres of wilderness to explore, Beaver Creek Park transforms into a winter paradise each December and boasts incredible ice fishing, skiing, snowshoeing, sledding and epic stargazing opportunities year-round. And, if you’re looking for an adrenaline rush at Beaver Creek, bring your snowmobile (the ground must be frozen and have adequate snow cover to avoid disturbing vegetation and topsoil).
)
Many rivers and streams in Montana freeze over during the winter months, making fly fishing for trout a challenge. Fortunately, there are a handful of spring creeks and rivers fed by warmer water that remain fishable all winter long.
)
Ranging from steep, double black moguls to gentle, wide-open runs, Montana’s 15 different ski areas have terrain for every type of rider and boast more than 300 annual inches of fresh powder a year on average.Whether you are a downhill skier, park-rat snowboarder or family with young kids, Montana’s ski scene is built around friendly faces that carry on small-town traditions (without the crowds and pricey lift tickets).
)
There’s nothing more satisfying than witnessing a team of snow-loving dogs dash through miles of terrain or across a frozen lake in Western Montana. It’s less like a sleigh ride and more like an adrenaline rush through a winter wonderland.
)
When winter arrives in Glacier National Park, the lush meadows turn into blankets of white snow, and the park beckons with new opportunities for outdoor adventure. One popular attraction is exploring the park on snowshoes through a ranger-led tour or with the Glacier Institute.
)
After a long day on the slopes or riding through backcountry trails on a snowmobile, you deserve an evening of rejuvenation, and there’s no better place to reset than one of Montana’s scenic, natural hot springs. With varying temperatures and types of pools, each hot spring experience holds a slightly different appeal.
)
Winter fishing is more than just sitting in the cold. In Montana, there are many outfitters that provide ice houses, fishing equipment rentals and tips to ensure your time on the ice is safe and successful.
