Bozeman September Trip (non-hunting/vacation)

[Beignet]

'Depends on relative term "close". Start very early, expect many "bison-jam" delays, 45 mph in YNP, much to see but not in a hurry. It is definitely worth the very long day, but more than one day is really needed.
YNP visitation is already up; record number for Memorial Day weekend. September visitation really ramps up during the elk rut.

My tip for the park is to take in a little camp stove and a mountain house meal or something and cook out the back of your car one evening. All the big tour groups are cleared out by dinner time and you can find some semblance of solitude in the geyser basin watching a sunset with geysers ‘a geys-ing while eating your camp meal and sneaking in a beer.

 

[BuckRut]

'Depends on relative term "close". Start very early, expect many "bison-jam" delays, 45 mph in YNP, much to see but not in a hurry. It is definitely worth the very long day, but more than one day is really needed.
YNP visitation is already up; record number for Memorial Day weekend. September visitation really ramps up during the elk rut.

Also a heads up that I think the road from Tower to Canyon will still be closed for construction until next summer.

 

[FishN4Eyes]

Lots of good suggestions so far and I'll add a couple:

You definitely need to do Yellowstone since you are this close and can drive up to Big Sky on the way then come back through the Gardiner area and the Paradise Valley on the way back.

Chico Hot Springs or the Sage Lodge would be a couple "splurge" places to stay in the Paradise Valley.

As for Bozeman eats (I'm a foodie):

I like Main Street Overeasy, Jam and the Nova Cafe for breakfast

I'm a fan of Open Range, Dave's Sushi (pretty decent sushi for Montana and I'm a sushi snob deluxe), the restaurant in the Kimpton Armory.

Good places to get a drink in my opinion are Map Brewery (mentioned a few times), Copper, Plonk, and the Kimpton has two cool bars, the Skytop and a speak-easy vibe place called the Tune up that has an incredible selection of bourbons, whiskeys, ect.

Bozeman is always busy but it's probably the most-happening town in Montana right now and a lot fun so I'd bet you'll enjoy it.

 

[BirdManMike]

Follow Yer Nose BBQ in Emigrant (Paradise Valley) is the best BBQ I have had in the area, better than anything in Bozeman or the other place in Livingston. Sit out on the deck there, enjoy good BBQ, and watch the sun set on the Absarokas. Of course, might not be up to you usual standards coming from the south.

Sage Lodge is good eating. Better, more affordable, and less yuppy eating in the valley is Pine Creek Lodge. They dont have a cheese plate like Sage does tho so take that into consideration (they do have hand-battered and fried cheese curds which is an OK substitute for lack of cheese board).

If you two are hikers, there are some wonderful hikes that will be relatively uncrowded that time of year to mountain lakes and such.

Advice is good re enjoy the Park in the afternoon. After lunch will be way less crowded than before lunch and by 5pm its smooth sailing.

 

[TN_Rifle_Junkie]

'Depends on relative term "close". Start very early, expect many "bison-jam" delays, 45 mph in YNP, much to see but not in a hurry. It is definitely worth the very long day, but more than one day is really needed.
YNP visitation is already up; record number for Memorial Day weekend. September visitation really ramps up during the elk rut.

Thanks for the heads up. With us having the Great Smoky Mountain NP in our backyard, we are very aware of the holiday/elk rut backups. We have two lanes through the park system and if "smoky the bear" or "rutty bull elk" is within eyeshot, traffic can be at a standstill for hours for the gawking/photography.

We are really looking forward to a vacation vice hunting trip which will allow for the ability to see the sights and enjoy the area.

 

[TN_Rifle_Junkie]

My tip for the park is to take in a little camp stove and a mountain house meal or something and cook out the back of your car one evening. All the big tour groups are cleared out by dinner time and you can find some semblance of solitude in the geyser basin watching a sunset with geysers ‘a geys-ing while eating your camp meal and sneaking in a beer.

THAT is a GREAT IDEA! We do this all teh time with our local elk. Dinner with the critters is always an enjoyable time.

 

[Beignet]

Thanks for the heads up. With us having the Great Smoky Mountain NP in our backyard, we are very aware of the holiday/elk rut backups. We have two lanes through the park system and if "smoky the bear" or "rutty bull elk" is within eyeshot, traffic can be at a standstill for hours for the gawking/photography.

We are really looking forward to a vacation vice hunting trip which will allow for the ability to see the sights and enjoy the area.

I used to live in TN and spent a ton of time in the Smokies. It’s more or less where I learned to properly camp in the backcountry. Miss that part of the country. That dang Cades Cove loop is a nightmare for critter jam traffic though.

 

[Beignet]

If we’re being honest you could always use a “vacation in Bozeman” to scout some unlimited sheep units outside the park. “Fun quick jaunt up the hills…” or whatever.

 

[TheJason]

Chico Hot Springs or the Sage Lodge would be a couple "splurge" places to stay in the Paradise Valley.

Last time I had it, the brunch at Chico was pretty incredible.

 

[MTLabrador]

Chico has great food. Sounds like she wants to fish, and that stretch of the Yellowstone can be a ton of fun in the fall.

 

[Hem]

Map is bro-ville.
Outlaw is much less pretentious....seeing you are from Tennessee.
Land of Magic is not in Manhattan...little further down the road in Logan. But Sir Scott's in Manhattan is virtually the best when it comes to meat...its old Montana, not the fluff like Bozeman eateries.
Maybe you want fluff,dunno.

 

[BirdManMike]

The best brewery in Bozeman is Bridger Brewing. Not because their beers are 'great' - tho Id rate the Lee Metcalf as great - but because they make the best pizza around. Mind, its no Neapolitan Margherita, Jersey tomato pie*, NYC slice*, etc., etc. - quite, quite far, far from it - but it is better than anything else around and not only edible but quite enjoyable.



*Seriously, I despise these place but holy ____ (fill in blank) how are these pizzas so danged good? Almost Italy good, sometimes equal, and sometimes better then the lesser Italian pies Ive eaten!

 

[TN_Rifle_Junkie]

Our dates for the trip are coming together. We intend on being in the area shortly after the big September holiday weekend. Plan is to spend a couple days in town, a couple days at YNP, and a few days exploring the surrounding areas in Montana. If we happen to stumble into a herd of elk (other then YNP), it would be neat but not even close to a necessity. This is truely a vacation trip to get away and enjoy our 10th Anniversary and my wife's 40th Birthday.

 

[TN_Rifle_Junkie]

The best brewery in Bozeman is Bridger Brewing. Not because their beers are 'great' - tho Id rate the Lee Metcalf as great - but because they make the best pizza around. Mind, its no Neapolitan Margherita, Jersey tomato pie*, NYC slice*, etc., etc. - quite, quite far, far from it - but it is better than anything else around and not only edible but quite enjoyable.



*Seriously, I despise these place but holy ____ (fill in blank) how are these pizzas so danged good? Almost Italy good, sometimes equal, and sometimes better then the lesser Italian pies Ive eaten!

Good deal, my wife is originally from New Haven, CT; and I am originally from Chicago. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill in the pizza world.

 

[The Hedgehog]

The best brewery in Bozeman is Bridger Brewing. Not because their beers are 'great' - tho Id rate the Lee Metcalf as great - but because they make the best pizza around. Mind, its no Neapolitan Margherita, Jersey tomato pie*, NYC slice*, etc., etc. - quite, quite far, far from it - but it is better than anything else around and not only edible but quite enjoyable.



*Seriously, I despise these place but holy ____ (fill in blank) how are these pizzas so danged good? Almost Italy good, sometimes equal, and sometimes better then the lesser Italian pies Ive eaten!

Bridger brewing is not bad but nowhere near the brewery that Bozeman brewing is, not even close. Best pizza in town is pizza campania - hands down. Sorry - a true Bozeman food/drink snob had to correct this misleading nonsense.

 

[BirdManMike]

Bridger brewing is not bad but nowhere near the brewery that Bozeman brewing is, not even close. Best pizza in town is pizza campania - hands down. Sorry - a true Bozeman food/drink snob had to correct this misleading nonsense.

Nice, Ill have to try pizza campania. I might be over there 4 or 5 times per year so I usually just just go with what I know.

Edit: I think I am going to try it tomorrow. Will be driving thru late afternoon/early evening after a 15 miler Ive planned in the Gallatin Valley tomorrow morning. Now I am double que excite! New lake, new pizza to try - which will be better!??!111?!?!

 

[Dakotakid]

Boiling river, Virginia city, and Lewis and Clark caverns

 

[The Hedgehog]

Nice, Ill have to try pizza campania. I might be over there 4 or 5 times per year so I usually just just go with what I know.

Edit: I think I am going to try it tomorrow. Will be driving thru late afternoon/early evening after a 15 miler Ive planned in the Gallatin Valley tomorrow morning. Now I am double que excite! New lake, new pizza to try - which will be better!??!111?!?!

Try Lombardo - add tomato and bison to it. Then walk over to Wild Rye and order a fancy whiskey drink.

 

[TN_Rifle_Junkie]

Nice, Ill have to try pizza campania. I might be over there 4 or 5 times per year so I usually just just go with what I know.

Edit: I think I am going to try it tomorrow. Will be driving thru late afternoon/early evening after a 15 miler Ive planned in the Gallatin Valley tomorrow morning. Now I am double que excite! New lake, new pizza to try - which will be better!??!111?!?!

How was it? Worth the adventure?

 

[Flatbrimmer]

My wife and I were SERIOUSLY considering a trip to Bozeman in the early weeks of September (after Labor Day). We are in need of a looooong weekend vacation/camping/shopping trip and thought it would be a fun. It is our 10 year anniversary, and we go out west every year to hunt, but decided this year would be for "pleasure".

If anybody has a "cool thing" to do within 3 hours of BZN we are going to have a rental and don't mind traveling to do things not necessarily "downtown".

I am looking for some locals who might be interested in chiming in with things to do, "have to see" places, and best places to shop/dine. Specifically, we will be in the area for "boot" shopping so we are aware of Schnee's, Kenetrek, REI, and Sportsman locally in Bozeman. (No real mountain/hiking boots are to be had in Appalachia, and we are both picky shoe/boot shoppers)

And YES, I want your SECRET spots for dinner. LOL

If anyone is interested in getting together while we are in town, PM is best for dates, locations, etc.

Many of the little dive bars and cafes are screaming good. Brewskers, MT Aleworks, western cafe… look up some of the beginner and intermediate hikes (some paved) like Fairy Lake, Palisade and Grotto falls, Ousel Falls. Fairy will take your breath away, don’t expect to catch any fish there. Haha if anyone knows the secret to catching fairy lake fish I wanna know! You can prospect for gold along the Missouri toward Townsend and Helena. You can find sapphires throughout much of the Boulder- Elkhorn and Ruby mountain ranges. Feel free to PM me.