Kalispell or Whitefish Hub and Spoke Tour
Click the 
(city) on the map for a detaliled
daily itinerary.
Hub: Kalispell or Whitefish
Spokes: Glacier National Park, Bigfork, Swan Valley, Polson, Libby,
Eureka.
Day One
Tour the historic Conrad Mansion and then head for Flathead Lake at Somers for a boat trip on the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River. A picnic lunch on the lake is a real treat. Return to Kalispell or Whitefish in time to visit art galleries, shop for "Made in Montana'' products, or visit The Big Mountain Ski and Summer Resort for a chairlift ride or chuckwagon dinner.
Day Two
Libby and Eureka are the main destinations today. Heading west of Kalispell on US 2, pass through the Lolo National Forest and into the Kootenai National Forest. Continue through Libby and turn south on MT 56 for a walk through the Ross Creek Scenic Area, where you find giant cedars that are more than 500 years old and 250 feet high. Return to Libby for a visit to the Heritage Museum and lunch. Heading north on MT 37, view the Libby Dam and scenic Lake Koocanusa. Once in Eureka, tour the Tobacco Valley Historical Village before continuing south through the Flathead National Forest to Whitefish. A late afternoon ride up the chairlift at The Big Mountain Ski Resort for a view of the Canadian Rockies, Glacier National Park, and Flathead Lake rounds out the day.
Day Three
Drive southwest down the Swan Valley to Holland Lake for a day of canoeing, row-boating, walks around the lake, and an outdoor barbecue lunch. After a relaxing afternoon, head back toward Bigfork, home of many Flathead Valley artists, for a look at the Kootenai Gallery, a walking tour of town, and an evening's entertainment at the Bigfork Summer Playhouse.
Day Four
Today's destination is Glacier National Park. Once there, transfer to Jammer Buses for the ride over breathtaking Going-To-The-Sun Road, and on to Many Glacier Hotel after a picnic lunch somewhere along the route. Reboard your own motorcoach in Many Glacier for the return trip to Kalispell over Marias Pass on the southern border of Glacier National Park. Pause at the goat lick to watch for wild mountain goats.
Day Five
Heading south from Kalispell, drive along the shores of Flathead Lake, viewing the beautiful Mission Range. Continue on to the National Bison Range at Moiese, home to more than 500 bison, and walk through the Jesuit Mission and town named for St. Ignatius. After lunch and a look at the many different birds at the Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge and State Wildlife Management Area, drive north and follow the eastern shore of Flathead Lake for a new perspective on the area.
Butte Hub and Spoke Tour
Click the (city) on the map for a detaliled
daily itinerary.
Hub: Butte
Spokes: Helena, Bozeman, Virginia City, Nevada City, Deer Lodge
Day One
Visit the Copper King Mansion, then move on to the Mineral Museum, where approximately 1,300 mineral specimens are on display. After a lunch break, take a streetcar tour of historic Butte and visit the World Museum of Mining and Hell Roarin' Gulch, a reconstructed mining camp.
Day Two
Head west along I-90 to Deer Lodge. Here, take a tour of the Old Montana Prison and the Montana Auto Museum, featuring over 110 vintage cars. After lunch, visit the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, an early cattle empire whose home ranch covered 25,000 acres and controlled more than a million acres of land in surrounding states.
Day Three
Head east on I-90 to Bozeman, where the Museum of the Rockies displays dinosaurs unearthed in Montana and offers an excellent planetarium show. Stretch your legs on an easy walking tour of the South Willson Historic District. After a break for lunch, drive to Bridger Bowl ski area for a close-up look at the Bridger Range of the Belt Mountains and a short trek in the fresh mountain air. On the return trip to Butte, stop briefly at Missouri Headwaters State Park.
Day Four
Drive north along I-15 to Helena, Montana's state capital. First, take a ride on the Last Chance Tour Train for a comprehensive tour of Helena, sampling some of her history and beauty. Later, choose from other area attractions, such as the Montana Historical Society, the Original Governor's Mansion, the pedestrian mall on Last Chance Gulch, and a tour of the Capitol Building. After lunch, travel 16 miles north of Helena to the Gates of the Mountains and board a scenic cruiser for a tour of this spectacular canyon on the Missouri River.
Day Five
Leave Butte this morning and go for a guided walkthrough of some fascination limestone caverns at the Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park. Then take US and MT 287 to the the restored gold mining camps of Virginia City and Nevada City, where the spirit of the Old West still lives. Activities in this historic area include a ride on the Alder Gulch "work" train and a visit to the Nevada City Museum. After dinner attend the play at the Opera House or the cabaret show at the Brewery Follies.
