My Summer Guide to Bozeman, Big Sky & Paradise Valley: An insider's edit of the valley in its best months, everything I tell my friends when they ask

There is a particular quality to a Montana summer that I have never been able to find anywhere else. The mornings arrive crisp, almost cold, the kind that makes you reach for a sweater before coffee. The fields turn that impossible, electric green. The mountains hold onto their snow caps well into July. And the evenings stretch on until ten o'clock, gold light pooling across the valley like it has nowhere else to be. Everything feels lighter here in the summer. Everyone seems happier. I am convinced it is the light.

I am a sixth-generation Montanan, which is to say this place is in my bones. But I have lived in Bozeman for the last five years, and in that time I have watched our little corner of the state become something of a destination, people arriving from all over the world to experience what I have always known. I love that. Unlike some locals, I genuinely love that.

What makes this region so rare, I think, is the range. You can spend a weekend at Montage with a spa treatment and a tasting menu, or you can spend it eating a deli sandwich on a riverbank with your feet in the water. Both are equally Montana. Both are equally worth your time. The trick is knowing which is which, and when.

What follows is everything I have learned in five years of living here, building a business here, and curating, quite intentionally, a network of the people, places, and experiences that make this valley feel like the most magical place on earth in June, July, and August. It is the guide I send to friends, to clients, to anyone who asks. Now it is yours.

One note before we begin: Montana fills up fast. We are well into May, and if you have not yet booked your stay, your dinners, your fly fishing guide, some would argue you are already behind. Treat this guide as a checklist and make the calls now. May through September is our season, and the best spots do not have last-minute tables.

WHERE TO STAY

I am a local, so I am not often checking into hotels in my own town. But I do plenty of staycations, and over the years I have developed strong opinions about where to send the people I love.

Lone Mountain Ranch — Big Sky. Number one in my book. This is the truest Montana experience you can have without owning the land yourself. An old dude ranch reimagined with intention, a dozen log cabins sprawled across the property, interiors that are quietly stunning, lodges that feel built for long dinners and longer conversations. The food is exceptional. The activities, fishing, horseback riding, more fishing, will fill your days completely. If you are going to do one thing from this guide, make it this.

The Montage — Big Sky. For when you want the higher-end version. Nestled into the Spanish Peaks, with views that genuinely stop me every time. The food is excellent, the spa is one of my favorites anywhere, and the service is unmatched. This is where you go when you want to be taken care of completely.

Rainbow Ranch Lodge — Big Sky. This one still feels like old-school Montana, in the best possible way. The rooms have that log-chalet warmth, the staff is wonderful, and it sits right on the Gallatin River. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, like waking up, pouring a coffee, and listening to the river rush past your window.

Sage Lodge — Paradise Valley. My pick for Paradise Valley, and my favorite hangout property. Fires going, board games out on the tables, ponds you can fish in the afternoon. It is the kind of place that invites you to do absolutely nothing, gloriously.

The Armory — Downtown Bozeman. If you want to stay in town, this is it. Comfortable rooms, an excellent rooftop, and walking distance to everything that matters. My pick for in-town stays, full stop.

The Brick House — Livingston. Airbnb-style, beautifully designed, ideal for larger groups. Livingston has its own particular charm, and this is the right base for it.

RSVP Motel — Bozeman. Perfect for a late arrival or an early flight out. The attached café is one of my favorites in town, reason enough to stay even if your flight is reasonable.

WHERE

TO EAT

I take eating seriously, and over five years I have built what I consider a fairly definitive list. We will go meal by meal.

Mornings

Treeline on Wallace. The neighborhood alone is worth the visit, sweet, walkable, made for summer mornings. My order: iced matcha with almond milk and honey.

Wildcrumb. A Bozeman icon. Expect a line. It is worth every minute. The pastry case alone is reason enough to wake up early. My order: almond croissant or, if they have them, the huckleberry scone.

The Coffee Pot. Old-school, family-run, housed in a log cabin. The cinnamon rolls are devastating in the best way. Closed Sundays, plan accordingly.

Feed Cafe. I love the picnic tables in the sun outside. My order: quiche and an iced tea. It gets busy in summer, so expect a wait.

Midday

Revelry. A buzzy lunch spot that I loved so thoroughly my first year here I had to take a break from it. I am happily back. My order: the gem salad, a gluten-free pizza, a glass of rosé. The cauliflower wings are something else. Make a reservation, yes, even for lunch.

Finks Deli. The right move when you are heading out on a hike or hitting the road. My order: turkey sandwich, salt and vinegar chips, a LaCroix. The little outdoor seating area is perfect for sun and people-watching.

Farmer's Daughter Cafe. I am here at least twice a week, which should tell you something. The healthy option that does not feel like a compromise. My order: the warrior smoothie, a bison bowl, and a protein chocolate chip cookie for the road. Can get busy depending on the hour.

Evenings

Heist. Special, in the truest sense of the word. The feel of an old steakhouse that has always been there, think Polo Bar energy. My order: a dirty vodka martini extra-shaken with blue cheese olives, the wedge, steak with horseradish, a baked potato, and the butterscotch budino to close.

Little Star. My favorite summer spot, hands down. The rooftop is gorgeous and the food is genuinely farm-to-table. My order: chilled orange wine, the pita, lamb kebabs, and the hazelnut cake.

Blackbird. A downtown staple with great atmosphere, even better people-watching, and a staff I adore. My order: the kale salad (breadcrumbs on the side), the meatballs, an affogato to finish.

Bodhi Farms. Entirely outdoors, right on the creek, usually with live music and pigs you can go visit between courses. Wonderful with kids, there is room for them to run, and equally wonderful without.

And a Few More Things Worth Knowing

A huckleberry milkshake at Best Burger Drive-In is the right way to end a drive back from Big Sky or a countryside loop. The chocolate love flavor at Sweet Peaks on Main is my favorite ice cream of all time, somewhere between Swiss Miss and chocolate chip and far better than either. A huckleberry margarita at Ted's Montana Grill is excellent Main Street people-watching fuel. The Mexican Sweater at Plonk is a Bozeman icon and the right pre-dinner cocktail. And the deep-dish at the Engine Room in Livingston is genuinely insane, the design of the space is almost as good as the pizza, which is saying something. Stop in if you are driving back from Yellowstone.

WHAT TO DO

Okay, now this is the part where I tell you to do everything.

And here is everything.

Valley View rodeo in Bozeman. Every Thursday at the fairgrounds, and it sells out, so get tickets the moment you book your trip. There is no substitute for a small-town rodeo on a summer night.

Tuesday night rodeo at Lone Mountain Ranch. Even better, in my opinion. The food is incredible, the setting feels cinematic, the live music is unmatched. Equally perfect for a date, for friends, for kids. Just go.

Shop Main Street. Spend an afternoon. The lineup I always send people to: Meridian (The Great, Mother Denim, the kind of pieces you actually wear), Head West (Stetson, Pendleton, a vintage selection in the basement that is worth digging through), Heyday (gifts for everyone you left behind, plus it is simply fun to wander), and Lucchese, make this your first stop. Wear the boots all week. They are my favorite boots and the most comfortable shoes I own. I live in them every summer.

Stacey's and The Westerner. A true Montana evening. Stacey's has one of the best cheeseburgers I know and feels like a proper old Western bar. The Westerner is next door, live music and dancing. Do both, in that order.

Hike the trail system in town. Drinking Horse, The M, and Triple Tree are my three favorites, all best done early, before the sun gets serious. Hike one, then go shower and change and walk into Wildcrumb like you have been awake for hours. Because you have.

Hike Beehive Basin in Big Sky. My favorite hike in the region. Snow tends to linger up there into late June, which is part of the magic, it looks like you have wandered into the Swiss Alps. The full hike is a commitment, but an hour out and back will still give you the view.

Drive out to Sage Lodge for sunset. Genuinely the most beautiful sunset I know. A glass of wine, the ponds, the light moving across Paradise Valley, it is worth the drive on its own, and it is the right pairing with a Yellowstone day.

Hire a fly fishing guide. Our rivers are world-renowned, and you should not come here without getting on one. I love the Yellowstone and the Madison. Book it early.

Get fitted for a hat with Montana Territory. A true memento, made by people who treat hat-making like the art form it is. Set up a one-on-one fitting. You will leave with something you will wear forever.

See a concert. Our music scene is unreasonably good for a town this size. The Old Saloon in Emigrant and Pine Creek Lodge are the two venues to know, check both calendars before you arrive. My first summer here I went to three shows a week. On my own lineup this season: Mumford & Sons and Charles Wesley Godwin.

S'mores at Montage. Around the fire as the night cools down. Perfect for kids. Equally perfect for you.

Drive into Yellowstone. A non-negotiable. Fair warning: the park is busy in summer, so wake up early, grab coffee and pastries, and make the trek in through Emigrant with the right playlist. You will see bison. You will probably see more than bison. Stop at the Engine Room on your way back.

Mark's in Livingston. Iconic and only open in the summer. A chocolate shake and a cheeseburger. That is the entire instruction.

Horseback ride at Chico. I did this for the first time last summer and it was genuinely magical. Take the earliest ride, still chilly enough for a sweater, sun cresting the mountains, the kind of light that makes you understand why people moved here in the first place. Good for all ages.

A FINAL WORD

A Montana summer rewards a certain kind of planning. Book the rooms, make the reservations, hire the guide. But it also rewards the opposite, a late-night detour to a roadside drive-in, a sunset you almost did not chase, a Tuesday that turns into a rodeo and a slow drive home through ten o'clock light.

Do both. That is the real secret.

If you take one thing from this guide, take this: the valley is at its best when you let it set the pace. The light will stay. The rivers will run. The mountains will hold their snow a little longer than they should. All you have to do is show up, and book early.

If you have made it this far, you are clearly serious about your trip, and I love that. Five years in, I am still learning new corners of this place, and I would genuinely love to help you plan yours. Send me a DM on Instagram with any questions: the best week to come, the dinner I would book first, the hike that fits your group. I answer every one.

A Few Other Treats For You…

A selection of all of the things I’m finding that I love. You can shop My Montana Summer Collection here.

You can find my Montana Summer Playlist here— full of so many of my favorites. Perfect for windows down, sun going down, backroad drives.

See you out there. xx