For Some, Fall Colors Season Across Wyoming And Montana Is Almost A Religion

Leaf peepers in Wyoming and Montana anticipate autumn like a kid does Christmas.

Fall colors will peak across much of the West in the coming days, which offers the only excuse many people need to hit the road.

“It's my favorite time of year, so I have the most trips going on and hikes and leaf peeping and all that planned,” said Sami Michie, a photographer and content creator who documents her adventures around Montana’s Glacier National Park and Flathead Valley to her 30,000 Instagram followers.

While the Northeast gets a lot of attention for its fall colors, Michie says many people haven’t necessarily caught on to Montana’s magnificence — though that’s likely a good thing as it means that roads and trails aren’t overcrowded, either. 

“Fall in the mountains is really breathtaking,” she said. “I love it here because there are so many beautiful places to road-trip to.”

Montana doesn’t have as much of the reds and oranges of other regions, but it makes up for it with vibrant yellows thanks to an abundance of larch, aspen, and cottonwood trees.

Author Ednor Therriault wonders sometimes if people take for granted how beautiful the state is in the fall. It’s something he’s come to really appreciate during the years he’s spent crisscrossing Montana to write several guidebooks.

Thanks to the number of deciduous trees native to Montana, a beautiful stretch of road is awaiting you — and pretty much anywhere in the state your travels take you. 

“Montana in the fall is really spectacular,” he said. 

Buffalo Bill Cody Scenic Byway

Perhaps it’s ironic, then, that Therriault’s “absolute favorite place” to visit to take in the fall colors is in Wyoming.

A few years ago, while making one last visit to Yellowstone National Park before winter, Therriault went by way of the roughly 52-mile Buffalo Bill Cody Scenic Byway from Cody — and ended up arriving a couple hours late because he got waylaid by the beauty.

The yellowest trees were the same color as the double yellow line on the blacktop, as Therriault recalled.

“It was iridescent, almost,” he said.

Each time Therriault pulled over for what seemed like “a photo of a lifetime,” another few miles down the road offered a vista that was even better.

“The trees start to look like they’re on fire, they’re so blazingly bright,” he said. “It’s notably different than other places I’ve been.”

Head To Western Montana

Michie hasn’t traveled so far and wide to leaf peep, largely because there’s plenty to keep her busy within a few hours’ drive from her home near Kalispell. 

And she’s got a whole list of new places in Montana and British Columbia she plans to check out this year.

But even running errands is a time to appreciate nature’s beauty, like the bright red maple tree she spotted in the parking lot of her local Walmart recently.

“I think a lot of people just don’t realize how pretty it is in Montana,” Michie said.

While she enjoys the less-crowded fall season in Glacier, Michie also recommends the 50-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 2 that connects the West and East entrances along its southern border. 

Her other favorite drives in the area include the 70-mile route of U.S. Highway 93 between Kalispell and the Canadian border and the 90-mile corridor of Montana Highway 83, which connects Swan Lake and Seeley Lake — where, as a bonus, you can see “Gus,” the world’s largest larch tree.

Larch are unique in that they are the only conifer tree that loses its needles in the fall after turning bright yellow.

Any (or all) of these drives, she said, are going to be some of your “best bets” to see the golden color of larch trees, with plenty of opportunities for day hike excursions, as well. 

“Occasionally, you can get pockets where you get some reds from maples or huckleberry bushes that turn red,” Michie said. “That’s gorgeous.” 

Get Off the Interstate

Like Michie, U.S. Highway 93 is among Therriault’s favorite fall drives, though he’s partial to the stretch that begins in Missoula and then heads over Lost Trail Pass into Idaho.

After cresting the pass, you’ll begin a long and beautiful drive that winds along the Salmon River, which is rife with “insane” colors, he said.

“The larches are popping yellow and it’s just like Dr. Seuss-land,” Therriault said. “It’s like you’re driving into a postcard.”

While Therriault generally prefers state highways rather than the interstates — largely because the routes tend to be more twisty and interesting — he said one stretch of Interstate 15 in Montana is surprisingly breathtaking.

Driving south from Helena to Butte, he said, suddenly all of the right kinds of trees will appear to envelop your dashboard in color.

“It’s like driving into a nursery,” he said.

What also makes this stretch interesting is the contrast of “nature in its gorgeous finery” with Butte splayed out ahead, where chunks of earth have been chewed away by mining activity.

“That kind of thing always gets my attention,” he said.

Making The Most Of Fall

Whether you’re a longtime leaf peeper or relatively new to this whole thing, both Therriault and Michie say it’s important to soak in this special season.

If you’re heading out for a road trip with the express goal of seeing the fall colors, be sure to budget plenty of time for stops along the way, Therriault recommended. 

And as is true of Wyoming, Montana is prone to some “crazy” fall weather, Michie advised, which means you might experience all four seasons in one day. 

Finally, be sure to get out of the car — even if just in a pull-off along the side of the road. 

One of Therriault’s favorite ways to photograph the colors is in their reflection in pools of water that form in the rumble strips following a rain storm. 

“It’s a really beautiful way to see a stretch of colorful trees,” he said. “But nobody stops to take the time to do that.”