Bozeman in June

[wihunter12]

I just booked airline tickets for my 12 year old son and I to experience Montana for three full days in Mid June. We are both excited as neither of us has been to Montana. I wish we could stay longer but 3 full days is all we can swing now.

I know it will be a long day but we are thinking of going to Yellowstone for one day and I am researching other outdoor activities that we can do. We might try and do some fishing as we love to trout fish and would love to catch a Cutthroat.

Any suggestions on outdoor activities we should not miss in the Bozeman area? Any good places to see wildlife in mid June?

 

[mthillrunner]

Lots to do, 3 days is a short trip. Only advice I can give is this: Please be extremely careful if you must fish flowing water!! That is our high water here. Wade fishing that time of year can be dangerous. If you or your son go down the streams are flowing faster than you realize. That said Yellowstone is always great. You could go through Gallatin canyon one way & paradise valley south of Livingston the other. I’m not familiar with many lakes along the way & higher elevation lakes may well be iced over still. Hope you have a great & safe trip

 

[Western Traveler1]

June is a good time to visit Yellowstone. July, August, not so much. You can do a loop to see a bit of the Park in a day but road repairs and Park traffic can interfere with the best plans. There is good fishing in the Park but where can depend on the water clarity. Fly fishing on the Fire Hole comes to mind but if you guys want to fish ultra-light spinners and such there is a stretch of the Gibbon River open to other than fly fishing, easy walking and scenic (Yellowstone requires a special fishing license separate from a Montana or Wyoming). Just know you are not likely to see the whole park in a day so pick what interests you. You can see plenty of wildlife in the Park in June including Buffalo and Elk calves. If you go through Gardiner and the North entrance that is where the famous entrance Arch is. Mammoth Hot Springs is just down the road and you should see elk walking around the area and buildings. Bozeman is a pretty town. Three days is way better than none. Next trip or if you extend this one go through Cody WY and see the Buffalo Bill Historical Center which is a must see...

 

[Doublecluck]

I would spend two of the days in Yellowstone.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

I would spend two of the days in Yellowstone.

I agree and do your fishing while in Yellowstone. Go in the entrance and stop into Madison river fly fishing store in west Yellowstone. Get your park fishing license (it's not exoensive) and pick the workers brains and they will gear you up with the right tackle for the time of year and tell you where to have the best chance of catching a bunch of fish.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Even if u only catch one fish at least the fishing g in Yellowstone bucket list line gets check marked.

 

[Werty]

Lewis & Clark caverns, museum off the Rockies, , ringing rock, floating the Madison, towns of hiking, fishing. Have fun

 

[wihunter12]

Thanks for all of the input, appreciate it! Our fishing would be from the bank or mountain lakes. Starting to do some research on the lakes that we could hike to. I would love to do 2 days in Yellowstone. We are meeting my sons friend and his Dad in Bozeman as they are taking an rv across the country for 9 months so will try and talk them into 2 days in Yellowstone. I know they plan to spend time in Yellowstone prior to our arrival.

 

[2ski]

So June would actually be a great time to fish the Madison. That's in the middle of big bug season. The legendary salmon fly hatch. And the lower Madison will be safe to wade. Go into MT troutfitters and they'll steer you right as to where they are. Upper or lower(below or above Ennis lake/dam) the lower will have the bikini hatch going on. Below Hebgen dam can be awesome too. Stop in to the quake lake building while there. You'll see where the whole side of a mtn slid into the river and dammed it up. You can still see it on the mtn. Old faithful. Mammoth hot springs(there will be elk in town) The paint pots in the park. Hike a trail or two around Bozeman. South cottonwood for an easy one. North cottonwood for a little steeper. Museum of the Rockies for dinosaurs. chico hot springs in the paradise valley. Take a ride up thr tram at big sky to the top of lone peak. The zip line in big sky.

 

[wihunter12]

Thanks 2ski, lots of good ideas!

 

[Straight Arrow]

"Any good places to see wildlife in mid June?" Leave Bozeman just prior to daybreak, travel through the Paradise (Yellowstone River valley) south of Livingston, then through Gardiner to Yellowstone National Park (YNP) touring east through the Lamar River Valley, then turn back to complete the grand loop of YNP returning down along the Madison River, exit YNP at West Yellowstone and follow the Gallatin River Canyon back to Bozeman. If wildlife are not viewed along the way ... contact me and we'll do it again together (after I eat my hat!)

 

[Deleted member 16014]

Worth stopping at the boiling river, preferably early-ish in the morning to beat the daytime crowds.

 

[wihunter12]

Thanks Straight Arrow, sounds like a deal

 

[wihunter12]

We are back and had a great time rafting the Gallatin, exploring Yellowstone for 1.5 days and fishing/hiking. I will definitely be back! My son caught brown, brook, rainbow and cutthroat trout yesterday so he was pretty thrilled! Lots of wildlife seen including elk, 3 Grizzlies, 6 black bear and a moose.

 

[genesis273]

Nice trout!
My wife and I were there last week, which was my wife's first time in MT/WY or Yellowstone, and we had a great time!
I'm glad to see that you guys had a great time too!

 

[GoGriz]

I’m hijacking an older thread to avoid starting a new one. We are thinking of driving over from the Bitterroot to Bozeman for a few days later this month to take my Son to the Museum of the Rockies and the L&C Caverns. I am trying to figure out lodging for three adults (my Mom is tagging along) and two little ones (6 and 3) for a night or two. I have searched AirBnb and VBRO but nothing catches my eye. I know it will be busy that time of year, but we are thinking of going mid week to help a little with the craziness. Does anyone have any leads on some cabins or accommodations with two bedrooms - I was hoping for maybe some cabins on a river or lake, but that might be hoping for too much. We are ok with staying anywhere between Butte and Bozeman - we are going to save going into the park for an “off” month, so we thought we would stay away from that side of things.