Jake and I spent the past week visiting some good friends out in Montana. They moved away from Wisconsin about a year ago, and needless to say, it was so great to have so much time to catch up with them while enjoying all that north-central / northwest Montana has to offer. Also, the only trips Jake and I had taken in 2016 prior to Montana were a 5-day stint in Iowa to visit his grandparents (which was good but tough) and a couple days in the Wisconsin Dells and Minneapolis before Jake took his oral boards in Rochester, MN (which was only as much fun as traveling can be before a huge test). So not surprisingly, this trip was much needed.
It had been nearly four years since Jake and I had taken a trip where we stayed with friends. I wouldn’t want to crash with friends for every vacation, but it’s so great sometimes. Staying at someone’s house and eating simple breakfasts in the morning or enjoying a home cooked dinner after a long day of hiking or sightseeing while traveling is really nice.
Where we went:
- Again, we were based in Great Falls, which is where we went to Giant Springs State Park and ate at Faster Basset and Bert and Ernie’s.
- Lewis and Clark National Forest, which is about an hour and a half southeast of Great Falls.
- Helena, which is about an hour and a half southwest of Great Falls. Among other sites, we visited the Cathedral of St. Helena, had ice cream at Big Dipper Ice Cream, and ate at the Mediterranean Grill, which is a fabulous little spot.
- Helena National Forest, which is where we camped. Our site was about half a mile from the Refrigerator Canyon Trailhead.
- Glacier National Park, which was definitely the highlight of the trip. If you ever get a chance to go to Glacier, please go.
