Tips for Solo Travel in Montana

MONTANANS ARE INCREDIBLY FRIENDLY AND OPEN
I had more and lengthier conversations with my waiters, bartenders, and grocery store workers than I’ve had anywhere else. At no point did anyone look taken aback that I was traveling alone. They just accepted that people sometimes need a few days to themselves. A sentiment I can get behind.

HIKING = GREAT CONVERSATION
Hiking in the park leads to a lot of conversations and friendships struck up on the trail or at the shuttle stops. Just be careful if you’re hiking on less-populated trails, as cell service is basically non-existent outside of town.

WHITEFISH IS TOURISTY YET FRIENDLY
As Whitefish is a pretty touristy town, with skiing in the winter and fishing, hiking, and sightseeing in the summer, most of the bars around town are pretty friendly and lead to a lot of struck-up conversations. 

DRIVING IS NECESSARY IN 2020
In most years, I would recommend staying in Whitefish and utilizing local shuttles to get to and from the park. However, COVID restrictions have canceled or limited most of those shuttles. Your best best, until health conditions change, would be to pay for a car/driver for the day. There’s very limited cell service within the park, so don’t take a taxi there and assume you can call them to pick you up later!