Notes From the Road: The 8 Best Things about Summer in Yellowstone Country

Though winter is downright heavenly around here, you won’t see me complaining when June 21st hits and summer is officially here. Plus, there are just a few things that are more fun when done without a coat on.



Using Your Bike as the Primary Mode of Transportation

I’m one of those nutty individuals who rides their bike all year round (yes, even in the winter), but when summer hits, the bike mobs come out. There’s nothing better than you and four of your friends lazy-cycling to the Farmer’s Market in a Tour de France-style group for some freshly made fare. Aviators highly recommended.



Drinking Delicious Beers on Patios

What is it about drinking locally crafted beer on an outdoor lawn or patio that makes it taste even more wonderful?



Riverside Lounging

Forget poolside; in Montana’s Yellowstone Country, we lounge riverside. And unlike many of the rivers in our nation’s big cities, you can actually swim in ours without grossing yourself out.



Hot Days and Cool Nights

Do you live somewhere that has humidity (basically the entire country outside of the West)? Then come visit and revel in the amazingness of dry heat. And if all that heat gets to you while the sun is shining, don’t worry; once the sun goes down, you’ll be reaching for your sweater.



Farmer’s Markets

As mentioned above, there’s nothing like a family (or friend) bike ride to the Farmer’s Market. And even more than that, there’s nothing like our locally produced Montana goodies and hob-knobbing with the folks who made ‘em.



Camping (for less than 24 hours)

One of the things I’ll never get over is how plenty of Yellowstone Country residents will leave work on a Friday, head to a campsite that’s just a thirty or forty minute drive away, set up tents, grill burgers and sleep under the stars, only to wake up early the next day and head back into town. It’s kind of a brief respite from city life without being a huge commitment. (And I’ll never hate that feeling of “sleeping hard” that I always feel when I sleep in a tent.)



Cowboys and Rodeos

Sure, you can see a rodeo in almost any state in the country. But something about the staggering mountains in the background and the real life cattle ranchers up close that compete in rodeos that make it way more legit than the last rodeo I saw at New York City’s Madison Square Garden (where the Knicks and the Rangers play … it’s a little bit culturally confusing).



Floating

In a raft, in a boat, in a giant inner tube, floating is one of those activities that I didn’t know was a thing until I moved to Montana’s Yellowstone Country. And there is simply nothing better than floating on the river, drinking a cold beverage of choice and dangling your feet in the water.



Okay, your turn. What are your absolute favorite things about summer in Montana’s Yellowstone Country?