Planning an elopement in Yellowstone or Grand Teton National Park? You’re already choosing one of the most iconic, wild places in the West. But if you’re dreaming up a full adventure experience in the American West—not just a wedding day, but an unforgettable trip—why not add a Glacier National Park mini-moon while you’re at it?

This post shares how to pair your Wyoming elopement with a Montana honeymoon: where to fly, how to drive, and what to see along the way. It’s a national park love story, and you’re the main characters.

Why Combine Yellowstone & Glacier?

Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks offer geothermal drama, bison herds, and wide-open skies. You’re going to have an AMAZING elopement day, that’s for sure. But Glacier National Park is different, with the aqua blue glacial lakes and standalone mountain peaks that are routinely mistaken for Switzerland. Together, they give you the ultimate Montana–Wyoming double feature: wilderness, romance, and unforgettable road trip moments.

Adding a Glacier trip after (or even before) your elopement allows you to maximize your time in the West while feeling like you’re truly getting to know the area.

And when it comes helping you plan and photograph your elopement day? Work with the pros!

Make sure to work with the locals who can tuck away into secret areas missed by most visitors. If you’re looking for additional portraits in Glacier, Kat knows GNP like the back of her camera and can show you the best sunrise hikes in the park.

How to Travel Smart: Fly One-Way & Hit the Road

Most couples fly into Bozeman (BZN) or Jackson Hole (JAC) for their Wyoming elopement. If you choose to add a Glacier mini-trip, you’re best bet is to fly home out of Glacier International Airport (FCA) in Kalispell. One-way car rentals make it easy to avoid doubling back and maximize your time spend exploring over driving. The total drive time from park-to-park is about 6-7 hours — but trust us, you’ll want to stretch it out and explore!

Take the Scenic Route via Missoula

Here’s a pro tip from a local: From Bozeman, Google is going to tell you to drive straight north through Helena, Choteau, and end in East Glacier. While that is certainly a way to go, you’ll spend the whole trip just driving. It’s not scenic, and there’s not much in East Glacier. All the businesses, hotels, and restaurants are over in the Columbia Falls, Whitefish, and Kalispell region on the West side of the park. (East Glacier has lovely businesses too, but limited options for hotels and groceries since it’s very rural)

Instead of driving straight north for the most direct route, I strongly suggest heading west on I-90 to Missoula, and then take Highway 93 North from there. It’s just 30 minutes longer but an infinitely better experience. This pairs beautifully with summer or early fall Yellowstone elopements, giving you perfect hiking and stargazing weather in both parks.

Why include Missoula on the way?

For starters, you’re breaking the trip up almost exactly in half, and won’t have to eat gas station chicken fingers for dinner (unless you want to…Town Pump is on fire some days!)

You can stop at KettleHouse Brewery in Bonner, MT which is situated right on the Blackfoot River. Try their vast selection of IPAs, their famous “honey hefe”, and homemade root beer (non-alcoholic) and catch a concert at the adjacent KettleHouse Amphitheater, who has been playing some incredible headliners in recent years. The cheesecake churros (churros filled with cheesecake) sold at concert concessions are unimaginably good.

On your drive through Missoula, I urge you to leave the freeway! Missoula is such a hip time machine, with dozens of bespoke shops, the independent Roxy Theater that’s frozen in 1980 and serves real butter on the popcorn, and legendary ice cream at family owned shops like Big Dipper and Sweet Peaks.

Note: After you depart Missoula, you’ll soon enter the Flathead Indian Reservation, home of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, about when you see the Grey Wolf casino and pass under the wildlife bridge. Please be respectful of private property, local law enforcement, and support local businesses.

Visit the National Bison Range

Once you’re headed up Highway 93, stop at the National Bison Range in Arlee (assuming you’re not totally bison’d out from your time in Yellowstone). Now managed by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, the Bison Range was created by President Roosevelt after the unfortunate removal of nearly all bison from the great plains. It has an informative, albeit heartbreaking, museum and driving range much like a safari park, where you can drive through at your own pace and enjoy the company of the tribes’ herd of bison, herds of elk, deer, and antelope. The park is $20 per car and please, as in Yellowstone, keep your car doors closed in the presence of the gentle giants.

Once you pass the Bison Range, you crest this steep hill and are presented with a jaw-dropping view of the Mission Mountains and Saint Ignatius, one of the most dramatic skylines in the Treasure State— it stops me in my tracks every time. Pull over and enjoy it. This is the best view in the Mission Valley.

After another 45min you’ll pass the most photographed barn in Montana on the right side of the highway in Ronan, after the Pablo airport, before Salish Community College. Please admire the barn from the road as it abuts the Pablo regional airport and trespassing is strictly forbidden. Soon you’ll get another fantastic sweeping wide open view, this time of the Flathead Lake in Polson.

The Flathead Cherry Festival

If you’re traveling in July or August, you’ll pass through Bigfork during Flathead cherry season, so be sure to pick up a bag (or bushel) along your way.

Pick lodging in Columbia Falls for 20min access to Glacier National Park, or Kalispell (45min to GNP) for ease of access to the airport and more economical options.

When to Go to Glacier National Park

To enjoy Going-to-the-Sun Road and alpine trails in Glacier, your best bet is late June to early October, as the road will be closed outside of that window. Many Glacier and Polebrige/North Fork often open in April or May, depending on the preceding winter’s snowpack. However, many other parts of the park remain open year-round, some accessible only by snowshoe or cross-country skis. Check out the NPS web site for live updates about road closures due to weather, construction, and seasonal closures.

Romantic Glacier Mini-Moon Ideas

• E-Bike the Going-to-the-Sun Road in the shoulder season (June and October). No cars, no crowds — just you, the road, and miles of alpine magic

• Camp at Two Medicine Lake and wake up for the sunrise over the stunning east-facing mountains. This area is far less touristy, deeply serene, and great for kayaking, canoeing, and paddleboarding.

• Take a cold plunge in Lake McDonald or Saint Mary Falls. A daring dip, followed by hot coffee wrapped in a Pendleton blanket (ask Kat about taking splash-tastic portraits while you’re there!)

• Stargazing at Logan Pass & Big Bend. GNP is a certified Dark Sky territory, meaning you’ll get some unreal Milky Way views from April through September!

Sample 4-Day Glacier Mini-Moon Itinerary

Day 1: Road Trip + Relax

Drive from Bozeman to West Glacier by way of Missoula, stopping for a cider at Western Cider and letting your dog out at Jacobs Island Dog Park in the Clark Fork River. Have dinner at Backslope Brewing in Columbia Falls before snuggling up in your cabin or takin in the sunset and alpenglow at Lake McDonald.

Day 2: GTTSR + Adventure

Rent E-bikes for a morning ride Going-to-the-Sun Road, taking in the early season wildflowers and incredible waterfalls. Hike to Hidden Lake Overlook from Logan Pass. Let gravity do the work on the way down and relax back at your cabin, or spend the evening paddling/floating the Flathead River. Cliff jumping anyone?

Pro-Tip: Bikes are only allowed in the shoulder season, for your safety. In high season, make sure you have a vehicle reservation for GTTSR in summer.

Day 3: Many Glacier Hiking

Drive to Many Glacier Area, ride the boat shuttles across Swiftcurrent lake and Lake Josephine to shorten the hike, and hike to Grinnell Glacier or Iceberg Lake. It’s a long drive to Many Glacier, but well worth it. Stop at the Two Sisters Café for dinner on your way back, the only place in Montana where you can order a bison steak from the Blackfeet Confederacy’s free ranging herd.

Note: You’ll drive through the Blackfeet Reservation while on the east side of GNP. Please be respectful of private property, local law enforcement, and support local businesses.

Day 4: Explore + Head Out

Drive to the historic Polebridge mercantile for huckleberry bear claws before your afternoon flight home.

Final Thoughts

Eloping in Yellowstone or the Tetons is already unforgettable — but adding a Glacier mini-moon takes it to the next level. You’ll leave the trip not just married, but soul-fed.

Then extend the magic northward with a Glacier honeymoon session captured by the author of this blog, Kat of Salt & Stone Adventure Photography — where mountain lakes, dark skies, and rugged peaks are just the beginning.

Whatever you’re planning, reach out and I can help you get started!