With a nickname like “Big Sky Country,” it’s no wonder that Montana is a state known for its natural beauty. From breathtaking mountain ranges to quaint cities with a deep history and local culture, Montana provides a unique backdrop for meetings and events. Over 12 million people visit Montana each year to acquaint themselves with the amazing nature opportunities in the state.
Give your group the chance to experience everything “The Treasure State” has to offer with these fun outdoor activities in various areas throughout the state that create once-in-a-lifetime outdoor-adventure memories your group won’t soon forget.
Big Sky Resort
Surrounded by the Yellowstone National Park region and located at the top of Lone Mountain in the Madison Range sits Big Sky Resort, a ski resort that provides a summer nature adventure hub and unique ski opportunities in the winter. The resort is the recipient of multiple awards, including being a 2022 Meetings Today Best Of winner, and boasts over 55,000 square feet of meeting and event space. From custom amenities, menus, professional service and unique lodging options, Big Sky Resort can accommodate up to 2,000 attendees and could be the perfect venue for hosting your next meeting or event in Montana.
Beyond its capabilities as an event venue, Big Sky Resort also offers things to do after the work day is over, including scenic lift rides, mountain biking and golfing offered in the summer; and winter specials like skiing and snowboarding. In the winter, the resort has 5,850 acres of terrain to explore while skiing, with half of the terrain rated beginner to intermediate difficulty. The resort also averages about 400 inches of snow each year, with storms consistently refreshing the slopes throughout the winter.
While the resort is a great place to visit during the winter, it also has a variety of activities for groups to experience in the warmer months. These include the new Lone Peak tram to the top of Lone Mountain, zipline tours, high ropes courses, bungee trampolines and climbing walls, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, wildlife expedition tours and more. Big Sky Resort also has an 18-hole golf course that includes a large driving range and practice area, bar and grill, instructors for lessons and the potential for tournaments. The resort is also only 45 miles south of Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport with over 100 jet flights per week, making the resort easily accessible.
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Billings
Known as the “Magic City” and the gateway to Yellowstone National Park, Billings is the most populus city in the state and offers a variety of outdoor activities for groups visiting the area. With 10 trails available for biking or hiking, a variety of golf courses and ski resorts, horseback riding and whitewater rafting tours, Billings has no shortage of outdoor activities.
Billings is also surrounded by 70-million-year-old sandstone cliffs referred to as the Rimrocks, providing unique options for places to hike, walk or bike. With 47 miles of trails in the city limits, there are plenty of options to explore them all, like renting bikes and riding along paved or single-track trails around the city.
Billings is also centrally located between I-90 and I-94, making it the perfect stop on a cross-country road trip. Plus, Billings offers multiple scenic loop routes for groups to drive through and explore, including the 260-mile Little Bighorn Battlefield Loop, the 150-mile Bighorn Mountain Vista Loop and the famous Beartooth Highway, also known as “Yellowstone’s Most Scenic Route.” The Beartooth Highway provides breathtaking views from start to finish, with over 20 mountain peaks reaching more than 12,000 feet and the perfect path to the northeast entrance of Yellowstone.
Glacier National Park
With nearly three million annual visitors and seemingly endless acres of breathtaking landscapes, Glacier National Park remains one of the premier natural beauties in Montana—and the U.S. The park’s famous Red Buses serve as an ideal way to see and learn about Glacier National Park with roll-back tops providing full views of the mountains and Montana’s signature “Big Sky.” The fleet of 33 “Red Jammers” are able to seat 17 passengers each and come with guides who are seasoned park veterans. Glacier Park Boat Company also offers scenic boat tours of some of the lakes in the park, including Lake McDonald, Many Glacier, St. Mary Lake at Rising Sun and Two Medicine.
Another option for groups looking to tour the park is Sun Tours, a local touring business operated by the local Blackfeet tribe and operating on the Blackfeet Reservation. The tours are taken on coaches that can seat between 14 and 24 people and are given by lifetime residents of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, who all possess extensive knowledge on tribal history, culture and lifestyle. They also provide information on Glacier National Park’s history, animal species, common plants and roots used for nutrition and medicine and the Blackfoot spiritual and philosophical stories.
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Tours are available for half days or full days and private custom tours are also available for groups. Groups looking for a deeper cultural immersion can join Iron Shield Creative on their cultural workshop hikes to learn the deeper Indigenous story and history of Glacier National Park from tribal members.
Missoula
Located at the convergence of five mountain ranges and the second-largest city in the state, Missoula provides a multitude of options for groups wanting to experience the great outdoors.
Groups can experience Montana’s finest summer whitewater with Montana River Guides and their whitewater rafting experiences on the Alberton Gorge and Blackfoot River. Groups can get the full thrill of the rapids with the choice of raft, canoe, kayak or riverboarding.
[Related: Western Montana’s Glacier Country Is a Bucket-List Meetings Destination]
For those less interested in a fast-moving adventure, scenic float trips through the Tarkio Canyon are also available via Montana River Guides and offer viewings of the Montana wildlife and scenery. Private rafts and tour guides are available for groups between 60 and 80, along with swift water rescue classes. Missoula also has a number of self-guided hiking and mountain biking trails for groups to explore, many of which are within walking distance of downtown.
Another option in Missoula is Lewis & Clark Trail Adventures, offering groups the opportunity to experience the same route (and obstacles) that famed explorers Lewis and Clark confronted. The company offers river canoe trips, whitewater rafting and trail adventures all in areas that remain the same as when Lewis and Clark first explored it.
Lewis & Clark Trail Adventures also offers The River Pub, a comfortable way to experience the Missoula rivers with your favorite craft beer or beverage. With Montana being a hub for microbrewing and ranking third in the nation for number of craft breweries per capita, groups will be able to sample some of Montana’s best brews while enjoying the scenery of Hellgate Canyon.
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