I would check out Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park. It's between Bozeman and Butte; off hwy 287.

You could stay in Helena, Missoula or Great Falls for night between the two parks.

I'm partial to Missoula; Helena would be my second choice.

If you go through Great Falls, the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center is great, and so is the Charlie Russell Museum.

Glad to see that you are planning a trip to our parks next year. I would hope you plan to include the Beartooth hwy into your Yellowstone trip. The recommendation for the Caverans is a good one and if you leave the park thru W.Yellowstone you could drive thru the earthquake area just north and west of w. Yellowstone. I live in Billings and if I can answer any other questions contact me at jere1mt@aol.com

I also reccommend the caverns. It's a good idea to go early before tickets sell out. There is a hike up to the starting door. If you go to the caverns you can either go on to Helena or Butte and Deer Lodge on the way to Glacier. Flathead Lake is another of my favorites in Montana. In Deer Lodge you can tour the old prison. There is a Super 8 in Deer Lodge. Going to these places is not a real direct route to Many Glacier though.
Since you are going to Many Glacier the fastest route from West Yelowstone would probably be 287 to Helena; 15 by Helena; getting back on 287 and then 89. Helena has the state capitol, a fascinating museum and a train city tour. It also has many motels/hotels. Montana is one of my favorite places to visit. Have a great trip.

Hi

Thanks for the suggestions! Just checked the Lewis and Clark Caverns out online and it looks like a great stop along the way.

And yes, we are going to drive the Beartooth on our way in to Yellowstone. Any suggestions for lodging / restaurants in Red Lodge?

Thanks again!

Plan at least 2 hours for the Caverns. It's a 3/4 mile walk to the entrance, about 3/4 mile through the cave, and half a mile back to the visitor's center. The tour itself from the ticket booth takes 2 hours.

I used to tour guide there and now one of my sister's is a guide.

We did this trip this past August and drove in one day from West Glacier to West Yellowstone. It was a long day, as we also stopped to do the cave tour on the way. Got into West Yellowstone about 9PM. So it is a good idea you are staying over one night in between.

Our family has been in a number of caves and feel the Lewis and Clark one is one of the best.

We didn't have time but you might want to visit some of the ghost towns in the Madison Valley as you drive up to the Cavern. Some are developed into tourist attractions ( Virginia City) but some are just vacant towns. Perhaps someone else could comment on the ghost towns.