When I got invited to a wedding in Montana, I couldn’t wait to attend the celebration…and have the chance to cover Montana for my Arizona Daily Mix morning show segment! I initially planned to concentrate on Bozeman, but when I realized how doable a day trip to Yellowstone is from that town, I booked a private tour and added Yellowstone National Park to my itinerary. After my Montana travels, I must say that Yellowstone became the star of the show for me! Read on to see my 36 hour suggested itinerary for a trip to Bozeman, Montana AND Yellowstone National Park, which also covers parts of Wyoming since Yellowstone is spread out over three states. This area of the country is truly a national treasure that should be on everyone’s bucket list!

**BE SURE TO CHECK BACK LATER TODAY TO SEE MY MORNING SHOW VIDEO WITH ALL THE VISUALS DISCUSSED IN THIS ARTICLE!

Why Make Montana A Bucket List Trip!

*New nonstop flight service between Phoenix and Bozeman on American Airlines

*Yellowstone National Park!

*Escape the Phoenix heat

*Outdoor activities aplenty – fishing, white water rafting, hunting, golfing & more

*Bozeman is the perfect base camp to see Yellowstone in a day plus offers a vibrant fun town experience

*Big sky and rustic small towns are staples of Montana 

Our 36 Hour Montana Itinerary

Where We Stayed in Bozeman – Field & Stream Lodge

Getting To Bozeman From Arizona

To get to Bozeman from Phoenix, book an American Airlines’ brand new nonstop flight between Phoenix and Bozeman. Woo hoo! Thanks AA! Many other airlines also offer connecting service through cities that include Salt Lake City and Seattle among other stops.

Day 1 Bozeman-Where To Stay 

We checked into the place I heartily recommend after shopping around…Field & Stream Lodge!

Here’s why we like this particular property when staying in Bozeman…

*Cost efficient compared to the many properties we considered. It’s true that Field & Stream isn’t located in the heart of downtown Bozeman, but you will pay more for that. Field & Stream is a quick 6 minute drive into town and is close to the airport, too.

*Comfortable rustic roomy guest rooms.

*Great outdoor courtyard with an oversized Jacuzzi, bonfire areas and more.

*Beautiful welcoming lobby with warm fire place and decor that fits the Montana vibe perfectly.

*Dry Fly Saloon, the lodge restaurant has really tasty food. My daughter loved her chicken pot pie and my Seared Salmon made with my pre-diabetic approved ingredients, coconut milk, farro and root veggies was on task! I was pleasantly surprised!

*Indoor pool, cute gift shop and The Honey Hole game room offer plenty of on site entertainment, although most in Montana are there to get outdoors!

*Super friendly warm and professional team of employees. I would definitely stay at Field & Stream Lodge again!

Day 2 – A Private Day Trip Tour To Yellowstone National Park!

Now that we were checked into our hotel, we decided to pivot and leave Bozeman. Early the next morning we departed on a private tour for a full day of exploring Yellowstone National Park and this was an incredible experience I won’t forget! More on Bozeman eats and stuff to do after our Yellowstone day so keep reading. But first let me tell you the absolute right way to experience Yellowstone. Established in 1872, Yellowstone is the world’s very first national park that’s spread across 3,000 square miles. The diversity of the breathtaking terrain is truly a world wonder to behold…but do it right…go on a private or public tour. You won’t regret it! We chose Obsidian Expeditions with Tour Director Stacy Noland and he took us on quite the adventure!

Stacy took us from our Bozeman hotel south through the Galletin Gateway to West Yellowstone for our epic day.  Once in the park, we found that we traveled from Montana to Wyoming rather quickly. Here are a few incredible pictures from our tour, but be sure to watch my morning show segment above (will be posted later today) to see the up close video of the animals and stunning landmarks we observed and learned about at Yellowstone National Park!

Having Stacy guide us was perfect. He knew exactly where to take us and at what time to avoid the crowds to catch magical moments that included an up close glimpse of wildlife like bears, bison and more! I totally recommend booking a tour with Obsidian Expeditions! Yellowstone is so massive and so spread out that a lot of time would be wasted trying to navigate it without a professional tour guide. Stacy also knew how to literally either avoid, or get us out of the traffic jams that build up with the crowds. It was so good to go on an Obsidian Expeditions tour!

 

Two Iconic Places To Stay In Yellowstone

Old Faithful Inn 

Our tour guide also showed us two iconic Yellowstone hotels that I want to book in the future! Our first hotel stop was the grand Old Faithful Inn. This famous property was built in Yellowstone in 1904 and is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places.

 

We toured the massive 7-story log interior lobby that’s so cool to check out. This rustic inn is one of the few log hotels to still exist. With sweeping views of the famous Old Faithful eruptions and 329 rooms, this spot is popular with tourists from all over the world. People come from all over to experience the largest log hotel in the world that provides a front row seat to Old Faithful’s eruptions.

 

Be sure to visit the Old Faithful General Store for a large variety of Yellowstone souvenirs and huckleberry flavored everything as well. And bonus, the extremely talented professional wildlife photographer, Dave Peterson is regularly onsite with his breathtaking prints and will happily sign his beautiful books for guests, too!

Lake Yellowstone Hotel

Our tour guide also showed us his personal favorite Yellowstone lodging property, Lake Yellowstone Hotel, which is also listed as an official Historic Hotel of America. Bright yellow and very inviting when entering the classy lobby, this spot is officially the oldest hotel in the park. This first class property opened in 1883, so it has quite the history.

At that time guests could only access this lodge by boat as the lovely hotel backs up to Yellowstone Lake. Step inside and this is a place you want to stay for a while! With picturesque lobby windows looking out to the vibrant blue lake and the hip bar that provides a good espresso martini and…next to a fully stocked themed gift shop, this hotel is one that I want to book!

Touring these two Yellowstone hotels was a fun addition to the all day outdoor tour. We had the time of our lives. I absolutely 100% recommend Obsidian Expeditions for the most memorable Yellowstone National Park tour experience!

We slept like logs (no pun intended!) after our incredible Yellowstone day, so the next two days were devoted to enjoying some time in Bozeman. Let’s start with the grub…

Day 3 – Bozeman A Day Of Recommended Eats & Bozeman Hot Springs 

Here’s our recommended day of eating in this town…

*Breakfast at jam! on MAIN restaurant is our top pick for the food and the fun atmosphere. Bonus are the menu options that include full flights of decadent pancakes and scrumptious Eggs Benedict. We tried several cafes for breakfast and jam! on Main was our favorite!

 

*Lunch at Plonk where the wine is very good and the food is also fantastic. Plus the downtown location opens up to the street in Bozeman for comfortable and scenic indoor/outdoor seating. Plonk also offers a 9 course meal option in the restaurant’s private cellar. I want to go back for that!

*Pre-dinner cocktails at Sky Shed that sits atop the Kimpton Armory Hotel. This chic and on trend rooftop restaurant and bar offers outdoor and indoor pretty panoramic views that pair well with creative handcrafted cocktails and sharable delicious dishes. Sky Shed is the prime spot in Montana to take in a big sky sunset!

*Dinner at Bozeman’s fancy JW Heist Steakhouse – Classy, elegant and a fun excuse to get dressed up for a night out on the Bozeman town…JW Heist is all of that. Of course the food is good, but did I mention that a thoughtful and talented sommelier is on site to help with wine tasting and choices! We loved this fancy dinner experience from start to finish…and be sure to conclude your meal with the Baked Alaska that’s toasted table side. All so good!

There are so many outdoor activities to do in Bozeman and also in the towns and areas close to Bozeman like golfing in Big Sky, hiking, fishing, hunting and more.

We chose to visit a popular hot springs center. Here’s what that was like…

Bozeman Hot Springs

Since reading that folks have been coming to the therapeutic hot springs pools in Bozeman for over 100 years, we were curious to see what this beloved place called Bozeman Hot Springs is all about.

With 12 pools with temperatures that range from 59 degrees to 106 degrees, my daughter volunteered to test the waters for us and she loved it! Her boyfriend also approved as you can see in these photos. ..

We recommend Bozeman Hot Springs for a fun day that will leave you feeling rejuvenated. The center also has a coffee and snack cafe, a fitness facility and a cute gift shop. My daughter especially enjoyed the hot and wet saunas after her swim as well.

Favorite Bozeman Flavors

*Sweet Peaks Handcrafted Ice Cream – There were so many other places we wanted to experience in Bozeman like the highly recommended Museum of the Rockies but we ran out of time. However, we did make time for a few favorite tasty spots that we enjoyed. You can’t visit Bozeman without having something that is Huckleberry flavored so we chose the locals’ recommendation, Sweet Peaks Ice Cream! Sweet Peaks Handcrafted Ice Cream is so delish and the Huckleberry flavor is a must try!

*MAP Brewing Company for beer tasting by the water! – We heard that the brews are tasty in Bozeman, so we chose MAP Brewing to wet our whistle and this place did not disappoint!

*Ted’s Montana Grill for an authentic bison burger. We must pay tribute to the late Ted Turner so we decided bison burgers at Ted’s was the way to do that. The restaurant is located in the lovely historic Baxter Hotel so the eatery and building is photo worthy and the burgers are good.

Since we only had 36 hours to cover this piece, there was much in Bozeman that we didn’t get to, so I guess I will have to make a return visit, which I plan to do! One thing I will always remember is the smell of the absolute freshest air when I walked out of the airport. With the abundance of outdoor activities, healthy air and ample walking & hiking opportunities, this is one getaway that was good for the body and the soul. Have you been to Montana, Bozeman and/or Yellowstone? What are your favorite things to experience there? Share in the comments section and travel on!