Summertime activities around Bozeman

The sun is shining more and more each day and as winter slowly fades away, summer is on everyone's mind. Summer means a new plethora of activities available and there’s no shortage of options in and around Bozeman. 

“Some of my favorite things to do around Bozeman in the summer are whitewater kayaking on the Gallatin and Madison Rivers, riding my mountain bike on trails in the Madison, Gallatin and Bridger ranges as well as fishing on all of the rivers and creeks in and around Bozeman,” freshman Finley Bishop said. 

With the Gallatin, Jefferson and Madison rivers all meeting in Three Forks, there’s a ton of fishing potential less than a half hour from town. There’s also a lot of camping opportunities along the water. 

“I have done many camping trips up at Hauser and Holter lake, as well as Canyon Ferry, but stepping away from the lakes, camping up in Hyalite and by the Gallatin up towards Big Sky is also great,” sophomore Macy Williams said. 

Besides the options adjacent to Bozeman, the area has two of the best national parks in the world. Glacier National Park (GNP) and Yellowstone National Park (YNP) have a ton of great camping, but there’s also a massive amount of national forest land which has free camping if you are willing to stay off the grid. 

“Obviously the opportunities increase greatly as you enter [GNP] or [YNP], but some of the more hidden places are just as fun with an added factor of peace,” Williams said. 

“Some of my other favorite spots around Montana in the summertime are Holland Lake, Cliff and Wade Lakes, [YNP] and [GNP],” Bishop said. 

For those still craving the snow, there’s a summer skiing option near Red Lodge called Beartooth Basin. The lift starts spinning in late May and it generally runs for a few weeks. There’s also a bunch of spring backcountry skiing around Bozeman such as The Great One in the Bridger mountain range. 

The saying goes, people come to Bozeman for the winters, but stay for the summers. This summer should be no exception. 

“This summer I plan on working two different jobs, one of which will involve kayaking on the river every single day and I plan on doing lots of camping, fishing, mountain biking and hiking as well as other various outdoor activities,” Bishop said. 

“In regards to camping I plan to do it a lot throughout the summer. I also plan to hike the Bridger ridge trail. Other plans involve traveling to Canada, Minnesota, Washington and Colorado, which will surely involve many adventures along the way,” Williams said. 

It certainly will be a fun Bozeman summer and with many adventure opportunities, use a few sick days from your job and go explore the wonderful area we all call home.