The CSKT Bison Range is a 50 minute drive from Missoula. It is a historical wildlife conservation area home to 350 bison. It was originally founded in 1908 as the National Bison Range on land belonging to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT). In recognition of their historical claim to both the land and the bison herd, the Bison Range was officially restored to the CSKT by Congress in 2020. As of 2022, the Bison Range is now fully owned and managed by the CSKT Natural Resource Department.

The Bison Range is a self-directed driving tour with two scenic drives. The primary drive is Red Sleep Drive, a 2 hour, 19 mile loop that goes up and over Red Sleep Mountain. It is only open during May-Oct and has two walking trails. The second drive is Prairie Drive, which is a 14 mile drive. Prairie Drive goes along the scenic Mission Creek and is usually the best place to spot bears, bison, elk, deer, and gorgeouse views of the Mission Mountains. A Day pass is $20 per vehicle.

Glacier National Park is 2.5 hour drive from Missoula. Depart Missoula and head northeast on Highway 200, then north on Highway 83 through the Seeley-Swan Valley—a quieter, more scenic route. Enter the park early via West Glacier Entrance. Drive the legendary Going-to-the-Sun Road. A vehicle reservation will be required; you can find that on GNP’s website. Stop at Logan Pass – Hike the Hidden Lake Overlook trail (3 miles round trip) for alpine meadows and mountain goats. Continue east to St. Mary Lake – for the Optional hike: St. Mary Falls & Virginia Falls (3.6 miles round trip). Note: You can fly out of Kalispell at the Glacier International Airport. It is small, but well-connected, servicing Delta, United, American, Alaska, Allegiant, and more.

Yellowstone National Park is 4.5 hours away from Missoula. Depart from Missoula and head east on I-90. Enter Yellowstone early via the West Entrance. See Grand Prismatic Spring – Hike to the overlook via the Fairy Falls trail for a rainbow-colored view. Continue on to see Old Faithful – to catch an eruption, then explore the Upper Geyser Basin. Keep an eye out for Daisy Geyser to see where PJ proposed to me. August will likely be prime time for animals, so look out for grizzlies, moose, wolves, elk, coyotes, bison, red dogs (baby bison), and more. Make sure to get to the park early to miss the crowd. If you plan to spend several days here, I would recommend buying plane tickets out of Bozeman International Airport, which is a 1.5 hour drive from Yellowstone National Park. And If you have the time, try to stop by Chico Hot Springs for a quick soak!