What to do in Helena

[Camdu7]

Hey guys. My wife and I are heading out to Montana next week and are looking for things to see. The trip was going to be backpacking in the Bob but I'm recovering from a leg injury and need to be careful so the leg is right for fall. So far we plan on staying two nights at a B&B in Helena and heading north to Glacier. What are some must see things in the area?

Thanks!

 

[MTHunter1321]

Blackfoot River Brewery / Lewis and Clark Brewery

 

[JBS]

There is a Gates of the mountains boat tour just north of town that is enjoyable.
http://www.gatesofthemountains.com/

 

[JBS]

http://www.lakesideonhauser.com/
Lakeside is my favorite place for a cold drink. I would eat elsewhere.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Blackfoot River Brewery / Lewis and Clark Brewery

This.

Hauser, Canyon Ferry & Holter Lakes are fun if you want some lake time. You'll have a lot of company at the public access points, but still a nice time. Try Lakeside at Hauser for a cocktail and dinner.

Lots of easy trails in the South Hills of Helena if you want a nice hike without the difficulty you'd have in the Bob: http://pricklypearlt.org/trail-maps/

Montana Historical Society is currently hosting an exhibit on Hunting: https://mhs.mt.gov/Museum/Specialex

You could add a tour of the Montana State Capitol to that as well. We even have a fun trolley that will take you on a tour of Helena: http://lctours.com/

If you want to fish, you have the Little Blackfoot to the west, Boulder River to the south & Missouri to the north, but check the hoot owl closures first.

You';re also a short drive away from the Upper Blackfoot area, which is a fun drive up Stemple Pass. Top off an afternoon with a dinner in Marysville: http://www.marysvillemontana.com/menu.html

Or try Trixi's in Ovando: http://www.ovandomontana.net/businesses/trixis.php

 

[Nameless Range]

Gates of the mountains is great.

Trolley train that gives a tour of Helena is good. Starts at the historical museum next to the capital building.

I second the breweries as well.

Take a drive to Park Lake west of Clancy. Have some prime rib at Chubby's or wings at the MT City Grill.

Elkhorn Ghost Town by Boulder is cool.

 

[smalls]

I'd second the gate's boat tour. There are some nice hikes around Helena that aren't too strenuous. Saturday mornings there always used to be a bus to take you south of town to the Gulch and you'd hike it back in to Mt. Helena.

I always enjoyed the drive over to Lincoln (go through Wolf Creek on the way); we'd make a trip there fairly often to buy beef jerky. Another scenic drive from Helena with a good meal at the end is to drive up to York and have burgers at the bar.

For restaraunts, a Friday night at Chubby's in Clancy is tough to beat. The Windbag is good although I think it may be under renovation at the moment. Bullman's for pizza, Melaque's for mexican, and Sud's Hut for fried chicken.

 

[MTHunter1321]

I second that dinner at Chubby's in Clancy is tough to beat. Just make sure to get there somewhat early as it can fill up fast on Friday/Saturday nights. The South Hills trail system is one of the best in the state in my opinion. There's everything from easy hikes to moderate ones. It's very popular with mountain bikers. My favorite place for a burger is east of town about 15 miles at the Big Bull Bar and Grill in Winston. York is a more scenic drive and a close second when it comes to burgers. As others have stated, Lakeside is a great place for cold beverage on a hot day. One of my favorite things to do in the summer is either a hike or mountain bike ride capped off with a Blackfoot beer on their balcony. Any place you look, you're sure to find something! Enjoy your time here!

 

[Ben Lamb]

There's a great trailhead just up the road from the York Bar - Trout Creek Canyon. It's a fairly flat trail, and the first mile is well developed. It's a nice box canyon with some impressive views and you get to top off a hike w/ a York Bar burger, as mentioned before. Some cool roads back in the Mtns by York as well that lead you to the Missouri River.

Big Dipper Ice Cream in the Walking Mall is another good spot, as is Ten Mile Brewery (in the Walking Mall as well).

Apparently, all we do in Helena is hike, bike, eat and drink.

 

[JEL]

Blackfoot River Brewery / Lewis and Clark Brewery

This....might as well hit Ten Mile Creek Brewery as well. If you or your wife is partial to wine there is a wine bar right next door (Hawthorn).

 

[2ski]

I'll go with ranking the breweries(if you don't have time for all 3) as Blackfoot then 10 mile, then L&C. The beer is great at Blackfoot and they have a little outdoor roof top. I like the beer at 10 mi. I don't mind the beer at L&C and it can get a little loud in there. I do really like their swag.

Hiking has been mentioned. The only one I would add is one I haven't done, but want to do. At the same trailhead as the Trout Creek trailhead parking lot go through the campground to another trailhead that will go up to a hanging valley. It might be a little long for someone recovering from an injury. I think its 9 miles.

I had never heard of the Lakeside before randomly driving past it this spring. I'm surprised to hear so many people suggest it. Kind of a cool place. It was busy the other weekend when I went by.

 

[bowhuntmontana]

Red beans and rice with some sweet potato fries at Cafe Zydeco. Good stuff for a hole in the wall place.

 

[airlocksniffer]

I'd say Bridge Pizza over Bullman's but I'm originally from Missoula so I may be biased. Both Blackfoot and 10 Mile have really cool breweries/atmosphere are in the downtown area (Bridge Pizza is right next to Blackfoot) so more walkable. Lewis and Clark makes great beer but are a little ways from downtown and parking can be a pain. They do serve food there although not sure how good it is. Toi's Thai on Last Chance Gulch is pretty good for MT Thai food. There is also a tour train that goes through the mansion district, etc for a pretty good history lesson about Helena. As stated the trail system is excellent. The Montana Historical Society just opened a new exhibit (Big Game, Big Stories: Montana's Hunting Heritage) that looks cool but I haven't had a chance to check it out. As for the Bob, I'd take the east side up from Helena through Augusta-Choteau-Browning to check out the Front range. Pretty country for sure.

 

[LopeHunter]

My MIL's favorite place to deal with a sweet tooth: http://www.parrotchocolate.com

She would get snacks there as a gradeschooler, highschooler, newlywed, after birth of first child, etc. She passed away at 86 last week and one of the conversations that last week was about the Parrot.

 

[Camdu7]

Thanks for all the help guys! It looks like we'll be drinking lots of beer in Montana.

 

[airlocksniffer]

Thanks for all the help guys! It looks like we'll be drinking lots of beer in Montana.

When in Rome....:hump:

 

[Ben Lamb]

Hiking & drinking. It's what we do.

 

[JEL]

Hiking & drinking. It's what we do.

Pretty much. Nothing better than a hike ending at the beer place......then food.

 

[Ben Lamb]

We should think about doing a Helena Hunt Talk beers night. Hiking optional.

 

[Nameless Range]

We should think about doing a Helena Hunt Talk beers night. Hiking optional.

That's a good idea.