Photo by ssandars
Montana has big trout, big mountains, big skies and some very memorable bars. Don’t forget your bear-spray.
Here are ten of the finest, most colorful Montana watering holes I have had the pleasure of scarring my liver in. Though there are many others that are worthy of this list, these bars are standouts due to their local flavor and their proximity to world class recreation.
The Palace Bar, Fort Benton
Photo by mattdente
Photo by mattdenteLocated within a stones throw of the mighty Missouri River, The Palace Bar in Fort Benton beckons as a fine beverage house with a friendly attitude.
I first found the Palace Bar the night before an extended canoe trip many years ago. With its aged wooden interior and friendly service my wife and I were soon feeling right at home.
A few drinks into our evening a woman in her sixties and her older sister walked in. Turns out, the older sister was actually her 90 year old pistol of a mother. This spry lass found a lonely piano against the wall, sat down and rocked the house. Playing, singing, dancing and drinking, even at 90 she could party with the best.
We camped that night (under a park bench) along the river. My wife had found slumber while I, fearing rain, was stowing our gear. To say I was alarmed when I saw the beat up Lincoln Town car creeping towards us with no lights on would be an understatement. I was armed when the car stopped and the high beams glared in my face.
I was relieved to hear the bartender’s voice. He had come just to inform us he’d kept his word and acquired some horseradish for our mornings Bloody Marys. Now that is service!
Fort Benton is quite the historic place. It has had an important role in the settlement and exploitation of Montana. These days it is better known as the last bastion of “civilization” before many Missouri river trips.
The Metlen, Dillon
I’ve always had a knack for letting a normal drinking night erupt into a spontaneous party and on one of these nights I found The Metlen in Dillon. Several years ago I helped haul a handicapped hunter and the deer he shot out of the woods. We both got animals at about 10:00 am and his ride wasn’t due back till after 5:00.
By the time we had everything loaded up in my truck I was a tad parched and in need of refreshment. When we hit the closest bar this guy told me to let him do the talking and I wouldn’t have to buy a drink all night. Once he started telling the story of our day and my hauling him and two deer out of the hills, that booze started flowing like a river.
Photo: liberAs the night wore on I was taken under the wing of these four random cowboys. I don’t remember most of the drive (except a fight in Wisdom) but apparently we crossed the Big Hole and went to Dillon.
My memory of the rest of the evening remains foggy except for one incident. The cowboys I was with started another round of fights and this old guy I was sitting next to got fed up with the ruckus.
He casually got up, walked behind the bar and grabbed a can of bear deterrent pepper spray. He leisurely walked up to the pile of people fighting and announced that if they “couldn’t drink like normal assholes” he was going to hose down the lot of them with the spray. As I recall, they all opted to start playing nice.
Dillon is located in the middle of some of the coolest country in the state. You are close to the Big Hole, phenomenal climbing and backpacking and a whole host of blue ribbon trout streams. Also, Dillon has a college so there is a decent nightlife for such a small town. Finally, there is a Patagonia outlet store in Dillon that boasts annual clearance sales that are unbelievable.
West Glacier Bar, Glacier
Every good outdoor location needs to have somewhere nearby to re-hydrate and when in Glacier, the West Glacier Bar gets my vote. I found this honey hole after a pack trip many moons ago. After six hard days in the rugged terrain of Glacier the booze hit me hard and I fell asleep at my table around lunch time.
Photo: tavallaiI awoke to the dinner crowd getting rowdy feeling refreshed and ready for round two.
Barn board walls and low lighting initially obscure the stuff on the walls.
As your eyes adjust you can see the pictures and relics on the walls and you begin to realize that the bar is a mecca for climbers, backpackers and whitewater enthusiasts. Be prepared to hear several different languages on any given day as the park draws quite the international crowd.
Rocky Knob, near Conner
I was just a wee ladd of 19 when I first discovered the magic of the Rocky Knob. I was a hunting guide at the time and I would cut loose, real loose, at the “Sloppy Knob” on my few nights off. This is a fun loving redneck bar where almost anything goes as long as you don’t act like a dink or like too much of an urbanite.
Rocky Knobb, Photo courtesy of The bar is attached to a hotel and a restaurant that has semi-fine dining. It is said that the bar was built in the 1940’s for a colorful lady named Ptomaine Joe who traded personal favors to the loggers and carpenters who built it for her.
I have gotten to know many folks that have worked there over the years and they all attest to the fact that the place is haunted. The hunting and fishing in the area is awesome and the family friendly Lost Trail ski area is just a wee bit down the road.
Miner Saloon, Cooke City
If you should happen to be exploring the famed Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park, do yourself a favor and make the small side trip to Cooke City and the Miner Saloon. Depending on the day and the bartender, this place can be an absolute riot. It has a party waiting to happen year round and it doesn’t take much for things to disintegrate into a drunken melee.
This place is surrounded by the Beartooth Wilderness and Yellowstone so there is plenty of fun to be had. The fishing, ice climbing, backcountry skiing and snowmobiling are off the charts.
Coming through the park you will pass through neighboring Silver Gate which also has a fine beverage establishment. If you have an off road type vehicle, I highly recommend taking the Bannock road between the two towns. Do yourself a favor and be sure to drive this road in the daylight before trying it in the dark!
Photo by symicCharlie’s Bar, Babb
I’ve already mentioned the cool stuff going on around Glacier Park. At the north east corner of the park is a little town called Babb. Babb rocks!
The bar to visit in Babb used to be the Babb Bar. In its day it ranked as one of the most dangerous bars in the country with shootings, and stabbings a regular event.
Today the Babb Bar is a restaurant and the place to go is Charlie’s Bar. Picture this, about a thousand twenty-something year old seasonal employees at the park, a daily influx of international visitors and the Browning Indian Reservation just down the road.
Now add great pizza and a constant stream of awesome live music and stiff drinks. This is the beauty of Charlie’s. The place is a party almost every night and it is a really chill scene with little harassment by local lawmen. I have never had a bad time at Charlie’s and the music scene is incredible.
If you find yourself in Babb, you are usually there for one reason, to enter the Many Glaciers area of Glacier Park. In my opinion, this is the most picturesque, rugged and awe-inspiring region of the park and you must see it at least once in your life. Good food at the old Babb Bar and good times at Charlie’s.
Photo by kapitalThe Jack, Missoula
The Jack (formerly the Lumber Jack Saloon), though close to the thriving metropolis of Missoula, is as wild a bar as you could ever desire. The walls of the building are built from old growth cedars and the entire interior is hewn from local logs.
These days The Jack has cabins for rent and all the facilities needed for big parties. My beautiful bride and I were wed there and we have had many, many wild times on their grounds. Anything can and does happen at the Jack. They have live music most weekends and five star fried food.
Located about 16 miles up highway 12, The Jack is close to Missoula and the Bitterroot Valley as well as Lolo Pass. You are surrounded by great climbing, paddling, backcountry skiing, hot springs, hunting and fishing. With the college town of Missoula nearby there is always an influx of party-minded folks.
#1. Pony Bar, secret location
Located in a truly one horse town, the Pony Bar is my favorite out-of-the-way filling station. It is secluded and almost unknown, and surrounded by mountains that get little attention. There is climbing and hot springs nearby and everyone that finds their way to Pony came to party.
I’m going to let this place be a little treasure for the serious drinker-adventurer to find. Do me a favor though, when you find it help keep the secret!
Community Connection
Planning to visit Montana this summer? Pair up your Montana bar crawl with a tour of the Most Unique Local Food in the state.
We’ve recently put together a special Montana In Focus page where you can find locally-written guides on Montana paddling as well as cycling, fly fishing, backpacking . Check it out!
Do you have any favorite Montana bars? Let us know in the comments below?
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27 Comments... join the discussion!
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I remember coming off a ten day backpacking trip in Glacier and drinking the most delicious cold local beer at West Glacier Bar. This must have been about 8 years ago, but I can still remember the satisfaction of that moment. Clint, thanks for bringing me back!
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Clint, I’m glad to see another hunter on Matador. 22 elk in 18 years is damn impressive.
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The Rocky Knob looks like the best of the bunch. I especially like that you can eat and drink outside and take in all of the beautiful scenery.
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You mean the sloppy knob.
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Great article Clint! I love the story about the bear spray bar, especially the guy’s line about drinking “like normal assholes”!
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Ohh, man, I can smell the cedar and taste the hops…over here in Japan at 7 a.m. Does this ever make me want to spend the whole day hiking and the whole night holed up in some Montana pub.
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Clint your anecdotes make this so much more than the typical travel guide–I have no doubt you know exactly what you’re talking about for each of these entries.
And I’m super curious about the Pony Bar now.
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The Sloppy Knob line cracked me up good.
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Great article! I love the story about the cowboys at the Metlen- hilarious!
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A buddy of mine in Montana refuses to engage in online commenting, so I’m leaving this comment for him.
“The Montana bar piece is lacking. The Murray Bar in Livingston should be on the list. Leaving it off is negligent. Also, The Crystal should be on there.”
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Clint- great work and Amen. How do you feel about the Blue Moon Saloon in Wise River? Stellar spot after a float on the Big Hole!
See you at the Pony!
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After 11 hours of driving my brother Dustin and I rolled into Gardiner Montana and chose at random a packed watering hole called K-Bar. It was opening night and we with all the locals drank heartily and I got great footage with the owner, Burton, talking about when he was a penniless backpacker… If y’all are ever rollin into Yellowstone, drop into the K-Bar!
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I have been going to the K-Bar in Gardiner for 30 years as one of my favorite bars in NA. Unfortunately, the pub/pizza house was purchased by someone out of town this year and turned into a typical tourist establishment, complete with poor management, slow food production, and very rude service. The K-Bar is dead and they should really rename this bar.
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When I lived in Missoula, Charlie B’s on Higgins Ave and Al & Vics on Alder were my two favorite haunts. I probably had the most fun during my drinking days (those days are over) at those two places than any other place on earth. I remember playing pool one night at Al & Vics with a friend (we were on mushrooms) and just destroying everybody on the table all night and just giggling the whole time while Patsy Cline played on the jukebox. Oy vey. Reading this article made me miss Montana a lot. I don’t know how much has changed there since the mid-90s but I loved living there though it was a tumultuous period for me. God bless the great state of Montana!
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Great post — I have many fuzzy memorites myself of being very happy at the West Glacier Bar (also known as Freda’s, I believe). But I have to let you know of a crazy fun bar that should have definitely made the list. Have you ever been to Great Falls?? If not, you need to plan a trip there to check out the Sip n Dip!!! It is my all time favorite watering hole!!! If you belly up to the bar, you will be mesmerized by the ever so graceful and beautiful mermaids that will go floating by purely for your entertainment. The entire wall directly behind the bar is glass and lends you a perfect view of the swimming pool and anything that is going on in the pool. If you get drunk enough, they may even let you borrow a mermaid suit to try and do a little entertaining yourself. Also, there is the most lovely lady who plays the most lovely tunes on her most lovely organ right there in the bar. She is a hoot!! Not to mention the sweet 70s style booths you get to relax in as you sip your berverage of choice. Go check it out!!!
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you mean there are swimming pools in Montana? who knew!
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Great write-up, Clint! I can’t imagine a better man for the job of helping people find the watering holes of choice in Big Thigh Country. Your stories made me laugh just like when you tell them in person. And to everyone else out there, this guy definitely knows his stuff when it comes to drinking in Montana – I hadn’t lived in Missoula for a month before i was cross-eyed and having trouble staying in the swinging chair in the Lumberjack Saloon (now The Jack) as the bartender treated us to a night of dancing on the bar. Not to mention the fact that you can stroll outside for a round of axe-throwing between shots (there are targets). If that ain’t Montana, i don’t know what is!
Thanks for all the foggy memories and bottom’s up amigo!
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Well well well, Mr Traver! How in the hell did I stumble across this posting? I love that you are putting your excellent writing skills to good work, keep it up. Great stories, that one about The Metlen is CA-RAZY! I still think about the Rocky Knobb and miss the BItterroot Valley so much. Hope life is treating you well.
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FYI The Blackfeet Indian Reservation is not down the road from Babb….Babb however is part of the reservation. People seem to fail to mention the local natives and their hospitality. Believe me, there is plenty @ Charlies:)
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Clint: I can’t believe it! I had so much fun at yours and Jen’s wedding at The Lumberjack that I suggested it to my son and his wife to celebrate at and spend the night following their wedding coming up this summer! And lo and behold, upon researching info on The Jack whose article do I stumble across but yours! You sure do know your bars (been to quite a few on your list myself) and you are still the best bartender I’ve ever come across. Great to read your stuff! Tell your mom “hi” from me and that I hope to get to Sandpoint sometime soon! Linda Fike-Looser (in case the new last name threw you)
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Hi Clint,
Thanks for your article. I had heard about about a new year’s party at the Jack this year and had no idea what the place was about. Your article cleared that up for me. The Jack is the best place I have been to in years. I absolutely loved it – cocktails, real-live honky tonk, great dancing, incredibly fun people, and crazy authentic atmosphere. Clint it was such a good time, I wish you could have seen it. Although, based on your article I’m convinced you must have had a good time somewhere!
I’m an avid distance cyclist and cocktailist, well really just alcohol anything, dream of touring wine countries on bicycle. They kind of balanace eachother out. I’m thinking I need to create a week long, or so, tour and map out the rest of your colorful bars. This is going to be an excellent summer. I can’t wait!
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There are only 8 bars listed and only one with a number next to it.
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You don’t list Moose’s? Fail!
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You never ben nowhere till you ben to packers roost in coram mt sorry you missed out it would have ben number 1
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I’m a proud Montanan from Butte, and the bar in Pony is a favorite stop after a dip in Norris Hotsprings. great list
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Clint, thanks for the tips. True there are many watering holes in Montana worth mentioning. Good to hear the Sloppy knob is still a great bar, haven’t been there for over 30 years, a good bar keeps its character. Yes, keep the Pony a secret, only serious adventurers need attempt this one… its where you can find Harleys, trucks, 4wheelers, dirt bikes, bicycles, and yes, horses parked out front. Always a dog on the porch or inside.
Many Montana bar lists and books are missing Bozeman pubs, but the Filling Station and the Crystal are definitely worth a look, if you are in the area. Also, Hebgan Lake, visit the Happy Hour… you haven’t lived till you have been “honked”.No, list has mentioned “Stockman’s” in Missoula, has this pub gone down hill, it was “the bomb” 30+ years ago. But, you haven’t lived till you check out the Dirty Shame Saloon in the Yaak!
Last note: a couple of gambling machines are fun, but if in large numbers, they really ruin the character of a good bar.
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