Inspiring travel stories, tips, and guides from a couple exploring the world one destination at a time.
The Grand Loop Road is a 140-mile system that was built in 1915 to connect all the major features of Yellowstone National Park. To try and drive it in one day can take 4-7 hours depending on the wildlife on the road and traffic. From Fishing Bridge, it was about a 1.5 hour drive to West Yellowstone. We were last here in the fall of 2020.
West Yellowstone in the fall is typically not very crowded and a great time to see fall foliage and Yellowstone’s numerous attractions. The risk is cold weather and snow. Which, we had on this trip. Probably because of COVID, people aren’t traveling much outside of the USA and traveling local instead, so there were more people than usual. Animals are getting ready for winter, putting on their winter weight and coats.
Montana is one of the larger and less populated states in America. It’s one of our favorites. We would have loved to have gone back to Glacier and Yellowstone this year, but our goal is to be in New England for fall then Florida for the winter so we had to cut our time short in this beautiful state.
Last Updated: May 2026
We thoroughly enjoyed exploring British Columbia and Alberta over the past two months. Back in the USA at West Glacier, Montana — the border crossing was quick, easy, and uneventful. The storage locker we rented in the US worked out well despite the stories other RVers had warned us about regarding theft; we chose one that was gated, fenced, and under 24-hour surveillance. After watching a couple of seasons of NatGeo border crossing documentaries, we left our firearms, ammunition, exceptional bottles of single malt whisky, and medications beyond the six-week supply limit in the USA rather than chance any complications at the crossing.
Last Updated: May 2026
From Missoula, Montana we headed north to Glacier National Park. The rugged, snow-capped mountains straddling the Continental Divide were breathtaking. The drive from Missoula was scenic throughout, especially along the western shore of Flathead Lake. We stocked up in Kalispell — it has a Costco — though we had to be strategic, as fresh vegetables, fruits, meat, dairy, poultry, and alcohol are restricted when crossing into Canada.
Last Updated: May 2026
From Gardiner, Montana at the north entrance of Yellowstone we made our way toward Glacier National Park. Along the way, we stopped in Livingston, Bozeman, and Missoula — and were treated to one of the most vivid double rainbows over the Yellowstone River we have ever seen.
