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Welcome friends!

Hi! Thanks for being here! I'm Taryn. I travel extensively, you could say I'm "outdoorsy," and I'm a wannabe photographer.

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Y'all know this desert dweller LOVES when she can

Y'all know this desert dweller LOVES when she can participate in #waterfallwednesday 🙌🤣

This is Kootenai Falls (and the Kootenai Falls Swinging Bridge) near Libby, MT. The falls are the largest free-flowing (undammed) in the state and one of the largest in the Northwest, and the swinging bridge provides access between both sides of the river for fishing 🎣 It's also a sacred Native American site, considered the center of the world by the Kootenai tribe. You can still find evidence of sweat lodges up and down the river!

Despite being literally right on busy (and craaaazy scenic) Highway 2, Kootenai Falls is largely a hidden gem. Locals and people who live in the PNW know of it, but it's juuuust enough off the beaten path that it's often overlooked.

It's about two hours from Glacier National Park and close to the Idaho border (lots of natural hot springs in this area!), so well worth at least a day trip. Visit Lake Koocanusa (check my MT highlight!), do the two short hikes to Kootenai Falls and the swinging bridge, then stop in either Libby or Troy for a 🍺, both adorable historic mountain towns. And if you need a place to stay nearby, check out @northwestmontanaretreat !

Have you ever been to (or even heard of 😅) Kootenai Falls?

How do you feel about #glamping? Have you ever don

"How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountai

"How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains."

I can't imagine a more perfect John Muir quote for these sunrise views from our 'Ranch Hand' cabin at @tobacco_river_ranch_glamping

Missing Montana already ❤

Yesterday I told you a little about what I do (pee

Yesterday I told you a little about what I do (peep my last post for the details! 👀), and now I have an opportunity to give you a real-life example.

When a destination or company wants to showcase or recommend a local service/company/vendor, there's some research involved. They can't just send people to the biggest or oldest company - what if it's not a good fit for their specific demographic? In the travel realm, it's typically a tour company in question. One may be perfect for families, while another is better-suited to adults only. One might be awesome at serving large groups, but there could be a better option for couples.

Enter travel writers. My job, on this day, was to take the half-day scenic tour with @glacierraftco. I specifically needed to learn whether it would be a good fit for A) couples on their elopement/homeymoon trip ('wedcation'!) and B) partner for a local accommodations provider.

While that involves the fun of actually going on the tour, it also means taking constant notes, photos, and videos. It means getting quotes and interviews from staff and ownership. It's typically several emails over the course of at least a couple weeks. Gathering all the options for pricing and different tours. And on this particular outing, it also meant helping @vows_with_views find a couple to model and taking some #bts footage of them. After the fact, it also means delivering written content. It's a FREAKIN' BLAST - but there's a TON of work involved, too. 😳😅

Have you ever been rafting (either scenic or whitewater)? It's one of my fave ways to experience an area! Plus you get to meet other people!

Few people have heard of Bowman Lake, much less be

Few people have heard of Bowman Lake, much less been there. Yet, it's in Glacier National Park - certainly not a secret or even a hidden gem.

As you can see, though (check my stories for a video!), there was LITERALLY no one here on summer weekend. 🤯 While Bowman Lake isn't a secret, it does require more effort to reach than, say, Lake McDonald. And that effort pays off big because, again, not a soul here.

Skip the West Glacier entrance and head to the North Fork entrance near Polebridge. It's about an hour north on a washboard road. Even cars can do it, but be prepared for a rough, slow ride (bonus: you don't need a permit to enter here! 🙌). WATCH FOR WILDLIFE and stop often to take allllll the photos.

Once you're at Polebridge, stop into the Mercantile ("Merc") for freshly-baked huckleberry treats. Chat with the family who owns it, they know every hiking trail and view in the area! If it's later in the day, grab a drink from the Northern Lights Saloon. It's open year-round I believe, because people live in Polebridge.

I highly recommend the following areas in the North Fork:

- Bowman Lake (ask at the Merc about paddleboard and kayak rentals)
- Cyclone Lookout Trail (fire lookout!)
- Numa Lookout (another fire lookout...both are manned in the summer; approach respectfully and you may get a tour!)
- Kintla Lake

A few tips for entering Glacier here:

- You will NOT have cell service. Full stop. I promise. Use your phone in town (Columbia Falls) or near the west entrance and make sure you have downloaded directions. Trust me on this.
- Bring bear spray. This area has the highest concentration of grizzlies in the park. In fact, there are resident bear dogs who can scare them off. Don't chance it, get spray.
- At various times, the Polebridge Mercantile has been cash-only, so bring some just in case.
- There's a good chance parking for Bowman will be full because the lot is TINY and it holds campsite spots also. You can park at Numa Ridge if need be and take a relatively easy hike to the lake.
- You are VERY close to Canada 🇨🇦 here, so pay attention to signage and stay on roads/trails.

Want to visit Glacier National Park this summer bu

Want to visit Glacier National Park this summer but worried about the reservation/permit system? Here are a few tips + workarounds! You may want to SAVE this post for later - it's a ton of info! 👀

- You are required to have a 'ticketed entry' permit/reservation to drive Going-to-the-Sun Road, which connects the park's west and east sides (and crosses over the Continental Divide!). This system is in place through 9/6 and 75% of the tickets are released 60 days in advance through recreation.gov. The bad news is that if you didn't secure a permit on or before 7/6, there won't be any more advance chances.

- BUT....the good news is that the other 25% of tickets release 2 days prior at 8AM MST (Montana time). So for example, if you want to go to Glacier on 7/30, you'll have an opportunity to get a ticketed entry permit on 7/28 at 8AM. Know that these permits go FAST (in under 1-2 minutes), so be logged into your account on recreation.gov and ready to go a few minutes ahead of time. If possible, recruit a few people to try and get a permit! We were able to get permits using this method, but it took about 20 minutes of constant refreshing. And a ton of patience and maybe some not-so-nice words 🤪

- More good news...you only need the permit between 6AM-5PM. There's a ton of confusion surrounding this particular point! What that means is, even if you aren't successful getting a ticketed entry permit, you can STILL visit Glacier. 🙌 Get into the park for sunrise (which is honestly an incredible, life-altering experience anyway) or enter after 5pm (I actually recommend 6-7pm, to let the crowds die down) and you're good to go!

- Even MORE good news... there are other, even more spectacular entry points for Glacier that DON'T REQUIRE A PERMIT. This is another area of confusion for many people! Remember, the permit is solely required for GTTS Road...that means you can enter at 4 of the 7 entrances with no permit, any time of day 🎉 This includes the Polebridge, Two Medicine, Many Glacier, and Cut Bank entrances. To be clear, you WILL need permits for the West Glacier/Lake McDonald, Camas Creek, and Saint Mary entrances between 6AM-5PM.

Whew... think that's it! 🤪✅

Doesn't this look like a postcard or a jigsaw puzz

Doesn't this look like a postcard or a jigsaw puzzle?! 🤩

This is just one of mannnnny insanely gorgeous stops along the drive from Arizona to northern Montana. I honestly can't even tell you the name of this little town (although I *think* this was maybe along the Swan River? Anyone know?!) - the gas stations and convenience stores got increasingly more scenic the further north we got, and it seemed to directly correlate with the towns getting smaller 😅

In total, the trip ended up being almost exactly a month, a little over 5,000 miles, and spanning five states (AZ > UT > WY > MT > CO). As I organize all the content for both my clients and myself, I'll be sharing each day/leg of the trip on my stories. Keep your eyes on those starting tonight to follow along on the entire trip! 👀

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