I grew up in Montana.

[Carlo Marx]

12. Montana is the best.

I live in Bozeman, which is in southwest Montana. We're the gateway town/airport to Yellowstone, though it's still an hour and a half drive. Bozeman is the type of town you visit and don't want to leave. The spring weather here is typically about 2-3 weeks behind Missoula (northwest mt) My yard is full of lilac bushes and they usually come mid to late May, early June. Things might be early this year.

I would recommend coming late June early July; the wildflower are everywhere and the rivers start clearing up from spring runoff. Montana is the Mecca of fly fishing. We have the most liberal stream access laws in the US and do not stock the rivers and streams--they're all wild fisheries. I live just 6 miles from town but had a moose in the yard a couple weeks ago.