Montana on my Mind

[trip style = adventure]

{Editor's Note: This is part one of a multipart series on Montana. Check out part two about Whitefish, the state's creative-cool adventuretown.}

Despite its A-list appeal {you KNOW a ton of celebs have estates in Montana, right?}, you don't see too many photos of Big Sky Country splashed across the media, like St. Tropez or Capri. Why? Well, it's very hush-hush. When heads of state, CEOs and stars arrive, they don't parade around in paparazzi-ready outfits or fancy wheels; instead they "get lost" in Montana's 94,109,542 acres of rolling hills, dude ranches and snow-capped peaks. 

Many travel stories talk about the merits of getting lost, proclaiming this is when you'll "be found," or find what you're looking for; rest, relaxation, insight, love, etc... At the risk of being cliché, I had a sense of that foundness. I found peace losing myself in Montana's natural state pairing straight-up nature and good country folk.

Unhindered by mega-cities or shiny anything, I saw why Montanans—both the born and bred and those who've relocated for a reality check and rest—have a deep reverence for their stomping grounds. Sure, private jets come and go, but Montana stays the same, and that's its magic.

Here are a few highlights from my trip a few months ago.

First stop: Missoula with Mount Sentinel in the background.

Wildflowers and views for miles while hiking to the M {see the tiny "M" in the background of the previous photo} etched into Mount Sentinel.

The hour-long hike gently zigzags up the hill, making the trail ideal for an easy-breezy climb or a heart-racing run.

Watching award-winning Native American and First Nations dancers from the USA and Canada at Ninepipes Lodge as they celebrate and prepare for summer powwows. Note that every stitch and piece of their traditional dress is made by hand. 

Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park. 

Beep beep! All aboard the vintage Red Bus tour—so retro the fleet has been in service since 1914—of Glacier Country. 

Revelling in the views—and making mental notes of which adventures I'd like to come back and do—in Glacier National Park. 

Stampede! Welcome to Flathead Lake Lodge, a dude ranch and waterfront retreat that's so authentically "western," you wonder if Clint Eastwood will ride by on a horse.

Flathead Lake Lodge, one of Montana's iconic stays, has been welcoming guests since the 1940s.

Learning about horses with Flathead Lake Lodge's head wrangler and her fairytale horse.

"When in Rome." At the ranch I purchased an authentic Stetson felt hat. This fine gent sized it to my head with steam and a steady hand. 

Wearing "the hat" while trying my hand at lassoing.

The sunset of all sunsets over Flathead Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi.

[Photos taken by @tripstyler when I visited Montana with a group of travel writers from around the world. As always, I only write about what I LOVE, and I'm already planning my next trip to Glacier Country with the rest of Trip Styl'in crew. Yahoo!]