Hiking Montana’s gorgeous trails is fun for the whole family, and it’s something we should be encouraging our young Montanans to do from an early age. However, little legs and short attention spans make some of our longer trails tough for them to handle. Fortunately, we’ve discovered a few short-and-sweet hikes in the Treasure State that they’ll love. Here are nine of the best kid-friendly hikes in Montana that are all one mile or less. Enjoy!
Palisade Falls, Montana 59047, USA
This single-mile trail has everything children and kids at heart love: Beautiful scenery, an easy trail, and of course, a breathtaking waterfall. Palisade Falls is one of the best hikes in Montana for kids.
Virginia Falls, Montana 59417, USA
The St. Mary and Virginia Falls Trail is over two miles in its entirety, but you won’t have to go very far to see the first of the waterfalls. This is one of the easiest hikes in the park for families, and luckily, it also happens to be one of the most beautiful.
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Running Eagle Falls, Montana 59434, USA
Another short-and-sweet trail at Glacier (only 0.6 miles to be exact) takes you to this stunner. You can never go wrong with a waterfall hike in Montana.
Makoshika State Park Road, Makoshika State Park Rd, Glendive, MT 59330, USA
Named after a paleontologist who did extensive research at Makoshika, the Diane Gabriel Trail is a very enjoyable 0.7-mile hike. You’ll see an excavation site where a fossilized Hadrosaur was found along with the beautiful grasslands.
Gallatin Gateway, MT 59730, USA
This short loop trail in Montana is popular both with locals and travelers on their way to Yellowstone National Park. You may want to take your fishing poles and make a day of it.
Pictograph Cave State Park, 3401 Coburn Rd, Billings, MT 59101, USA
Not only is this trail nice and short (just under a mile round trip), but it leads to a National Historic Landmark, so it’s a great learning experience for kids. You can learn more about this hiking trail in Montana by hiking it!
Bozeman, MT, USA
This nice, easy hike is located in such a peaceful setting, the mile-long walk will go by in no time. This is easily one of the best hikes in Montana that your kids are sure to love.
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Kootenai Falls, MT 59935, USA
Kootenai Falls Trail will make an outdoor enthusiast out of any child. This no-hassle hike has an easy-to-find parking lot nearby, the trail is well-marked, and of course, there’s a gorgeous waterfall at the end.
Trail of the Cedars Nature Trailhead, West Glacier, MT 59936, USA
Are you hiking with little ones? Not only is this 0.9-mile trek a breeze, but the boardwalks make it totally kid-friendly as well. This scenic hike in Montana is one that you’ll certainly want to add to your bucket list.