Reddit reviews Day Hikes Around Bozeman, Montana

It really depends on what parts of Montana you're looking to see. While both Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks are the obvious draws, there are a large number of state parks and National Forest areas as well. While they tend to book out well in advance, you might have some luck with Forest Service cabins (usually about $45/night) too. Otherwise I'd say that lodging will definitely be your largest expense. Car camping doesn't have to be "roughing it", just throw an air mattress, tent and sleeping bags into your trunk for home away from home. Recreation.gov allows you to see cabins and campgrounds and make reservations ahead of time.

There are a few things that I'd put on your list for their thrill to value ratio:

~ Whitewater rafting - Usually about $60-$80 per person. Available in most of the touristy destinations.

~ Brewhouses - Montana has a great local brewery scene. Ask around in whatever area you are and the locals will point you in the right direction.

~ Hiking - There are so many awesome places to get to around Montana, and most are great dayhikes. There's a series of handbooks called "Day hikes around ___ (Bozeman or Missoula)" that detail many of the hikes.

~ Mining Ghost Towns - Some are really well known (like Virginia City) and others are less known (like Granite near Phillipsburg), but all have great history and present great opportunities for photography.

~ Check out AirBnB for a list of nightly rentals as well. This can be a bit like "couch surfing" but there are some really nice places out there if you do a bit of research.

The VisitMT.com website does a pretty good job of telling you about the activities within a certain area. As always there will be multiple operators and a variety of options available. These are usually for the folks looking for a "book it and forget it option". Remember, as locals we love all these forms of recreation too, we don't pay a fishing guide to get out on the rivers tho. Another locals guide is called GetLostMT and has quite a few good options.

All of "big" cities (yeah right!) in Montana have a local publication that's geared towards locals and recreation. In my area it's Outside Bozeman. Check out their websites and you'll probably get some ideas too.

Post back with questions and I'll try to give you more specific info if you like...

For the sweet pea festival, maybe just a day or so. Go up to the actual festival, and stay for one of the concerts on the weekend if you're into that. Bite of Bozeman is also pretty cool, but it's crazy packed.

I believe there's a book called day hikes around Bozeman, that will give you a good idea of what you'd like To do based on your Time and physical fitness. I'm sure one of the bookstores downtown would have it.

Edit: the book.
http://amzn.com/1573420638

Never been to the bear habitat, but it's basically like seeing a grizzly bear in the zoo. If you've been to a zoo, and seemed a grizzly bear it's probably not worth it.

Otherwise, enjoy your trip, have a ton of fun, and tell your friends when you get back to New York that this place sucks.

There are a series of day hike books for the area. Pick one of these up at any of the bookstores.

Up any canyon on this side of the bridgers is a way up to the ridge. Sypes canyon has a great view and some nice flowers on the way. Truman gulch has a great water fall. You can come back the way you came or take the ridge to the 'M'