Montana

Thinking about heading out into the wilderness for some Montana fly fishing? The Montana Office of Tourism was nice enough to help us out with a list of some of their favorite fly fishing lodges.

I strongly encourage you to click on the links to check out the individual lodges. If you are anything like me, you will instantly want to whip out your checkbook and start making plans!

Fishing is the perfect opportunity to unwind, take in beautiful scenery, and do something you enjoy either by yourself or with a group of friends or family members. If you visit the same fishing spot quite often, a change of location can be good for you. It may seem like a difficult task to find that ideal fishing spot that has everything you're looking for, but there are many great areas available right in America.

Deep under the earth is a dark and mysterious place where stories become legends and boys become men. It's hard to imagine working thousands of feet under the earth in conditions that could instantly become deadly. But that's where men have toiled for centuries to bring the wealth of the earth to those of us on the surface. From coal mines in England to Gold mines in Nevada, now you have the opportunity to explore them too!

Montana is an extreme state where legends are made by men brave and determined enough to explore the vast open spaces. For those seeking winter adventure there this year, you won't be disappointed (unless you are looking for smog-choked highways and long lift lines!) One of the beauties of a state as open and free as Montana is that activities you wouldn't (or couldn't) consider elsewhere suddenly become possible if you are brave enough. For instance, many people enjoy parasailing and thousands more people enjoy backcountry skiing - so how about combining them?

Some vacations are meant to see something specific and others are meant to escape from it all. At one of the more than 100 Montana guest ranches, you can do both. While it's easy to be cynical and think of these properties as nothing more than "guest ranches" where you can go and sip scotch on the porch while watching people pretend to be cowboys for your benefit - this state has a vibrant ranching industry beyond tourism too.

In the more than nine years since I created ManTripping.com, I've written a ton of posts talking about the "top mancation ideas". It's also the most frequently asked question when I talk with media about men's travel trends. Surprisingly, it's often women and my female friends who are the most interested in the answers - often because they are planning a trip for their partners and want to do something special that they will love. While mancations are by definition a male group activity, increasingly couples and friends are seeking out experiential travel instead of buying possessions. In other words, instead of a gold watch to celebrate retirement guys are celebrating with an incredible man-friendly adventure vacation.

Unfortunately though, I've never actually had quantifiable answers to provide and everything has been extremely subjective. To help solve this problem, in partnership with the men's influencer network #MenWhoBlog, I commissioned a survey based on six of the top mancation types that come up regularly on my site. Frankly though, I was a bit surprised by the results since an Alaska Cruise and Land Tour came in as the #1 pick!

Earlier this summer, I had the awesome opportunity to embark on a more than 4,000 mile road trip from San Diego to northern Montana and back again. When most people think of visiting Montana, they often focus just on exploring parks like Glacier National Park and Yellowstone. Sadly, everything else is "drive through country" for most visitors. That's the fun of a long road trip though, it gives you the chance to slow down and explore a little bit. You never know what you might find! In our case while we could have simply driven from Gardiner Montana (North Entrance to Yellowstone) to West Glacier in one day, we decided to explore a bit instead.

Happy wife, happy life… or at least that’s what they say. At least once a year, it’s a great idea to take that special girl in your life out on a nice /romantic-getaway with your partner. For me though the reality is that I travel almost constantly with Heather and we've been all over the country on road trips where we are sitting together for 8-10 hours each day. While I love traveling with her, there’s no denying it’s going to be a different dynamic than a trip with your guy friends, but I find that it brings us together in a good way. Experiencing the world with your wife can be a lot of fun, if you know how to plan it right!

Fishing is one of the most fun sports that I can think of. It’s a great way to enjoy nature and time away from technology while bonding with our brothers and testing our skills against nature. Unfortunately, as people travel farther and farther to enjoy new locations, we are taking invasive species with us. When introduced in new environments, these invaders can wreak havoc on their new environment and potentially lead to the destruction of what once made that area great. Luckily, there are things you can do to help limit their spread and preserve waterways such as Montana’s streams, rivers and lakes for generations to come.

The National Parks of America offer the mind and body a chance to refocus in our hectic world. The beauty of nature causes us to shift our relationship with the world and our place in it. Time spent exploring gives families the opportunity to reconnect with each other and life on a deeper level. Discovering natural wonders and exploring historic monuments delivers its own set of unique opportunities to broaden the mind, body and spirit.

There is no better way to spend a summer day than fishing in one of our picks for the best fly fishing in the USA! Whether you are a beginner or an experienced fisherman, there is a spot for you on our list. While there are legendary fly fishing spots in Montana, Oregon, and Wyoming - even less iconic spots closer to home can offer an amazing experience. The important thing to remember here is that this is a chance to relax, connect with nature, and spend some time disconnected from the rest of the outside world. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the best fly fishing places in the United States as well as why we love fly fishing when it comes to planning a great guys trip.