A Girl's Getaway Guide to Paradise Valley
It’s no secret that Montana is known for its beautiful mountain ranges and plentiful outdoor adventure. From fishing, hiking, horseback riding and even off-roading, you’re never lacking anything to do while venturing throughout the state.
With plenty to see and so much to do throughout Montana, there are so many ways to adventure on the weekend and enjoy a unique staycation whether you’re traveling solo, with your spouse, a group of friends or the entire family.
A few years ago we took a fun camping trip that I continue to dream about and last year me and my best girls packed our bags for a weekend of glamping.
While I’m all for getting dressed up in my favorite sparkly dress, high heels and sporting a hot pink lip to hit the town with my best friends, I’m also really into the slowness that Montana also brings with it.
Which is why recently me, my mom, and my sister decided to leave the sparkles at home and load up for a weekend of slow, Montana living and let me just say – it was EXACTLY what all of us needed!
If you’re in search of a more typical girls trip filled with bottomless mimosas at brunch and cute stops around the city, here’s an itinerary for that.
But if you’re looking for more of a slow staycation while embracing the beauty that Montana has to offer, this is for you!
The Perfect Staycation Itinerary in Paradise Valley
The beauty of Billings is that not only are there so many things to do, sights to see, and of course yummy places to eat right in the heart of town, it’s also centrally located so that you’re just a short drive away from other amazing destinations.
This makes packing up for a short weekend trip easy peasy and is something that I personally LOVE to do!
It takes the stress out of planning for an entire vacation that’s hours away and instead lets you enjoy a little slice of Montana heaven without feeling like you need days to recoup.
Whenever I’m craving a little getaway, I always look to Paradise Valley – approximately 2 hours from Billings, Paradise Valley is a major river valley of the Yellowstone River in Southwestern Montana. It’s absolutely stunning.
There’s a few well known towns that make up Paradise Valley, including Livingston, Pray, and Gardiner, so when you’re planning your staycation, you’ll likely find that your accommodations and all of the things you want to do will be located in these areas.
For our trip, we opted for a cozy cabin in Livingston, MT and it was the perfect match for our slow staycation to unwind and simply enjoy each other’s company.
The cabin was tucked away on a quiet dirt road and was bordered by open ranchland while offering 360-degree mountain views – talk about ‘gramworthy! 🌄
We planned our trip for the typical Friday – Sunday weekend and our itinerary looked a little like this:
Day 1 (Friday)
Friday was our travel day and even though Livingston isn’t extremely far from Billings, we still wanted to take it easy and relax, so we opted for a delicious italian dinner at Campione in Livingston and it did not disappoint. 🍝🍷
PRO TIP: make a reservation!
After enjoying all of the bread, wine, and pasta that our hearts desired, we decided to spend the evening at the cabin and simply soak in the slowness that the area had to offer.
If you’re a night owl, Livingston sports an adorable downtown area offering lots of other restaurants and bars, including The Murray Bar inside The Murray Block Hotel, which appears to be a huge hit!
Day 2 (Saturday)
Slow living was the name of our staycation game, so we woke up on Saturday with no alarm clocks and decided to sip coffee and have breakfast at the cabin while admiring the beautiful mountain views. ☕️🍳
And honestly, that’s my ideal morning. When’s the last time you woke up with nothing on your to-do list and nowhere to be? It was glorious!
Later in the day, we made our way into Gardiner, which is the North entrance to Yellowstone National Park and is open all year round!
Depending on the time of year that you’re visiting the area, you may find the town is a bit slower and quieter, but generally speaking everything will still be open.
We opted for a soup, salad, and sandwich lunch at Wonderland Cafe and Lodge before making our way to the Yellowstone Hot Springs!
Yellowstone Hot Springs is situated between two mountain ranges and nestled on the bank of the Yellowstone River offering peace and serenity as you soak in the mineral-rich pool waters. It was SOOO relaxing and was probably the highlight of our staycation.
After spending the day in Gardiner, we headed back to our cabin to get ready for dinner at Chico Hot Springs – another well known resort and day spa in the area with an amazing on site restaurant!
After dinner, we made our way back to the cabin to enjoy one last night of the cozy vibes.
Day 3 (Sunday)
On Sunday, we originally had planned to go back for brunch at Chico, but decided that we loved our Airbnb so much, so opted for another morning of coffee and breakfast at the cabin.
This was a TRUE slow staycation where we didn’t have much of a plan and we didn’t pressure ourselves to fit a ton of stuff in!
But if you’re the type that likes to explore and want to venture out more than we did, there are so many great places to visit and things to do that are only a short drive away.
Additional Things To Do In Paradise Valley
Some of my personal favorites and others that come highly recommend in Paradise Valley include:
Enjoy a spa day at Sage Lodge
Try your hand at fly fishing
Dogsled in the winter
Enjoy a day trip hike to Pine Creek Falls, Big Creek, Emigrant Gulch, Passage Falls, Emigrant Peak, or Livingston Peak (Pro Tip: pack a picnic!)
Explore Yellowstone
Overall, this staycation with my mom and sister filled my soul and it’s something I believe all of us should do more of!
It gives you a great taste of what Montana life is all about and allows you to slow down, get outdoors and enjoy the simpler things in life without all of the hustle and bustle.
If you’re searching for some other ways to get outside this season in or near Billings, MT, here’s a list of some of the best camping and glamping destinations near Billings and here’s an outdoor adventure itinerary to get you started!